| Dear
One,
The grocery store was bustling with
activity. By the time I finished my grocery shopping, there were long
lines at all of the checkout counters. I chose a line, put my cart in
place to establish temporary residence and then began looking around at
my surroundings. I made a quick review of my fellow shoppers, the
magazine racks and the shelves of candy. And it was among all of those
different kinds of candy bars that my eyes finally rested on a little
boy.
I guessed that he was about four years
old. He was a cute little boy. Though his curly blonde hair didn’t
quite touch the collar of his cowboy shirt, he had to push it away from
his face as he eyed the plethora of candy that lay before him. I
couldn’t help but wonder what that little mind was thinking as he
inspected each and every candy wrapper. I noticed that as his mother
unloaded their grocery cart, she was watching every move he made out of
the corner of her eye. She redirected her gaze to me and for a brief
moment, our eyes met. Her body language told me that she wasn’t the
least bit interested in adding another item to her already large
collection of groceries.
However, within seconds after the last
item was on the conveyer belt moving towards the checkout clerk, the
little cutie showed up with a candy bar in each hand and big smile
across his little face. "Mommy, I found us some candy," he
said. And, as he began to explain his candy strategy to his mother, I
heard that familiar phrase that sent chills down my spine. "If
I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times," lamented
his mother. "There is no candy before breakfast, son. How many
times do we have to go through this? Put it back!" He looked up at
her with tear-filled eyes and began to whimper. "NOW!" was the
last word she said as she began to walk towards the front doors of the
grocery store. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him but it was early
– it was only eight o’clock in the morning.
"If I’ve told you once, I’ve
told you a thousand times" - how many times have you heard that
phrase? I remember my mom saying something similar and I know that my
kids have heard those very words uttered from this lipstick-clad mouth.
Ughhh. Matter of fact, double ughhh. A thousand times sounds pretty
repetitive, don’t you think? Not just ten times, not just a hundred
times but a thousand times. That’s a lot of times. I guess that you
can look at something that has to be repeated a thousand times in one of
two ways – either it is so fantastic that it bears repeating or it’s
something that needs to be repeated because as of the 999th
time, it still didn’t work.
Well, you know me – I started
thinking about things that needed to be repeated and believe it or not,
I ended up in the Old Testament. Why the Old Testament? Seems there’s
a lot of repeating going on in the Old Testament [specifically in the
first five books] with all sorts of laws, offerings, traditions,
sacrifices, etc. that needed to be repeated over and over again. Why?
Because the One who would fulfill the Law, the One who would be the
final, all-encompassing offering had not yet come. Yep, I think it’s
fair to say that a characteristic of the Old Testament is repetition. It
was necessary…back then.
Let’s take a look at a book in the
New Testament that discusses some of the Old Testament repetition, the
book of Hebrews. When we look specifically at Hebrews 7:25-28, the
author guides us through the former high priests’ daily,
continual practice of offering up sacrifices. But let’s not stop there
– the author of Hebrews isn’t finished. Read through chapters eight
and nine, and then take a breathe at Hebrews 10:1, "For the Law,
since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very
form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which
they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise,
would they not have cased to be offered, because the worshipers, having
once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of
sins?"
Hmmm, something about those continual
offerings wasn’t permanent or able to perfect. Now, read down to
verses 12 and 14 of the same chapter, "but He, having offered one
sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God…For
by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified."
Sounds like the time of repetition is
behind us, wouldn’t you say? Phrases like "once for all",
"no longer any offering", "sat down", and "for
all time" imply that something permanent took place. Yes indeed it
has! The complete work has been done by the High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Perhaps you’re sitting there, nodding
your head in agreement and saying "Amen. Preach it, Marcy!"
Then, I would like for you to consider this same truth in application to
relating to others. If Jesus Christ has done it all – no longer any
offering of any kind required – why do we continue to offer up our
standards or examples to make others "right"? What did I just
say? Ask yourself how many attempts you’ve made to try to make your
husband look right before other people or in your own eyes? How many
times have you maneuvered circumstances, emotions or even words to try
to straighten out someone else so that they will embrace your definition
of right? Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times?
Are you forgetting that if you are in
Christ, you are already in right standing? You are already righteous
because of His righteousness. He is the only source of righteousness,
which means that you cannot impart righteousness to anyone. We cannot
make ourselves right before others – the "others" will
always change, alter their opinions, grow in a variety of directions,
etc. – it will be an impossible task. And just as impossible is the
idea of trying to make others right, to change their behavior or affect
a change in them. Eventually our best efforts will fade and need to be
repeated. Why? Because an inside-out, permanent change can only be made
by the One who is permanent, unchanging, and eternal. Remember
Philippians 1:6 and 2:13? He’s the One. It’s Jesus...plus nothing.
So, for the 1,000th time, do
you believe that you are in right standing with God and that there is
nothing that you can do to add to your right standing with God, there is
nothing that you can do to diminish your right standing with God and
there is nothing you can do to maintain your right standing with God?
Are you convinced? If so, that’s the walk of faith – resting in His
finished work.
Galatians 5:1 says this, "It was
for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do
not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." It’s time to rest,
dear friend and enjoy your freedom…in Christ. You do not need to keep
repeating yourself. He did it all, once for all, on your behalf. You
don’t need to get yourself right and you certainly don’t need to get
others right. Hebrews 10:4 says, "For the one who has entered His
rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His."
You can rest...in Him.
And that brings me back to the little
boy in the grocery store. As I walked out of the grocery store that
Saturday morning, I scanned the cars in the parking lot looking for the
little boy and his mother. I didn’t see them anywhere, so I began to
push my grocery cart towards our van. As I put the key in the side door
lock, I noticed the little boy sitting in the car next to me. His mother
was putting the final touches on the groceries in the back seat. As she
closed the back door, she looked up at me and said, "My little man.
He doesn’t know that I bought a bag of candy bars just for him. He was
oblivious to it when we went down the candy isle. He thinks you can only
buy candy bars at the checkout counter."
That silly little boy. He just didn’t
know, did he? He had to take matters into his own little hands. As if
there was something he could do… What a silly, silly little boy. Sure
am glad that I’ve grown up. I’d never do that, would you?
I love you,
Marcy
marcy@gospelfortoday.org
P.S. Read Part 1 of The Walk
of Faith series entitled, "Are You
Convinced?"
P.P.S. Read Part 2 of The
Walk of Faith series entitled, "Choice
After Choice" |
