Lines play a
necessary role in much of what we do. In
sports, there are lines which represent out of bounds. If you cross the line in basketball, for
instance, you are out of bounds and the opposing team gets the ball. If a Nascar driver tries to advance his
position at the Daytona race track by passing below the line, he is black
flagged (penalized) and must drop back to the rear of the pack.
Lines also play an
important role in our lives. Committing
a crime means one has crossed the line of rule of law, and a punishment is in
order. In our daily lives as men, we
cross the line over and over don’t we?
Sometimes we do it without even realizing it. What are some of the lines we cross as we
live our lives? We lie, we cheat, we steal—it’s
really just a matter of to what degree we do so. We say and do things that are hurtful to
others. Again, it’s just a matter of
degrees that separate the bad from the really bad. We can find ourselves crossing the line quite
often if we were only to look truthfully at ourselves.
What line are we
talking about here? We’re talking about
the line that separates us from God, from our being the Godly men He created us
to be, from being the true Christ followers we sometimes call ourselves. It’s the line where our sin lies on one
side. It’s the line that separates us
from the full bounty of God’s love for us.
When we’ve crossed that
line, and we often do, we are not hiding a thing from our God. He know we’ve crossed it. He also knows when we are sorry for crossing
that line, and He welcomes us backs—He accepts us and He loves us. He does this because of His great Grace for
us, and He knows that a lesson learned from crossing the line can be an awesome
teaching lesson for us. If we repent
from crossing that line, we’re not penalized or disqualified—we are loved by a
very forgiving Father.
Bottom Line
Thought: You’ve crossed the
line. Well, haven’t you? So, do you ask for forgiveness, accept His
love, and move on to try once again?
That’s the way, man.
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