Whom Am I Protecting?

S
(Acts 27:31) Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

O
The sailors demonstrated their heartless logic: by abandoning ship, they could survive though everyone else would be doomed. It would be like an airline crew parachuting mid-flight because of a storm. Adam Clarke said, “God promised to save your lives ... on the condition that you make use of every means He has put in your power to help yourselves.” Paul, like in Acts 23:6, employed the soldier-sailor rivalry to expose injustice and to secure righteousness.

A
Is there any area in my life where I am sacrificing the well-being of others for my personal advantage? Am I employing all the tools available to me (by God’s providence) to grow in Christ-likeness and to promote His kingdom? From innocent jesting to malicious behavior, does my rivalry with others give opportunity for evil or misunderstanding?

P
Lord, thank You for Your necessary high standards. Help me to enjoy life and people in healthy ways. Help me to be a servant more than I am served.

Oops!

S
"If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty." Leviticus 4:13

O
It is possible for a community to sin, and to do so without realizing it. Even so, their guilt is real, whether they are aware of it, or not.

A
Sometimes the blood and guts of the Old Testament troubles me. I think it all seems so unfair, but I think that's because I have a naive view of sin and guilt. Of course, sin is something I do occasionally: I blow it, or I mess up. I tend to forget that sin is so much more serious than that. And what it ultimately cost God. The Cross helps me keep everything in perspective. It was horrific—a blood sacrifice of God in the flesh. Then there's guilt. It's a feeling I have, right? Not according to this passage. It's real. It exists regardless of whether I feel it. Again, I'm back at the Cross. Even if I don't feel it, I can see what my guilt look like—really look like on the Cross. Maybe that's the point of all the bloodiest passages in Scripture. If not for the Cross, I'd be right in the middle of it all.

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Dear Lord, thank you for taking my sin and guilt on yourself. Please let the Cross always remind me of how much you love me.