Blameless

 “Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘’Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8).

Blameless and upright. Two words I could never use to describe my life, especially during college. What about you? Do you have any regrets about your behavior over the years?

A couple of weeks ago, one of my old college acquaintances “linked in” with me. When I saw his name, it brought back a memory of one of those sinful scenarios from school. He and I were at a party, and were drinking. One thing led to another, and when I look back, I am ashamed.

He asked if he could call me. Knowing he was now a Christian, I thought, Maybe he just wants to talk about God. But then again, maybe he wants to talk about….that night. After all these years, did I really have to face my indiscretion? Even though I didn’t want to go there, I said a sheepish, “yes.”

It started out as small talk, but then he brought it up, that place I had buried long ago. “Lisa, I am really sorry about what happened in college. If I have ever hurt you in any way, will you forgive me?”

Stunned, I said, “Of course, I forgive you, but I was as much to blame. Will you forgive me?”

I thought it was a bold thing for my old college friend to do. He was much braver than I was, because I never reached out to him. He faced a situation he was not proud of, and made it right. I thought about a few other people I needed to apologize to, not necessarily for the same kind of sin, but because I didn’t treat them well, or love them the way Jesus loves.

As it turned out, my friend is now a Christian teacher, instructing men how to be better fathers and leaders of the family. From what I gathered, he and his wife have done a great job raising their own children. He is a new creation.

What still haunts you?

I want to give you some hope I received this week in 1 Timothy. Like us, the Apostle Paul had a lot to be sorry about. He hated Christians and murdered them. He could have lived in constant remorse because of his mindset and actions, but said, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13).

Maybe you did not grow up in the church. Perhaps like me, you didn’t start reading the Bible until well into adulthood. Because of a dysfunctional childhood, I never received the talk on the birds and the bees. When I went to college, I had no concept of boundaries or guardrails. I acted in ignorance, and I believe God has shown me mercy and grace. I believe when I rededicated my life to Christ, he wiped the slate clean, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Paul says, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

What scenarios do you need to allow God’s grace to pour into?

Here’s the catch. Through the study of the Word, I now know my behavior was inappropriate. I am no longer ignorant. Luke 12:48 says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Once we know something’s wrong, we can’t go back there.

We can’t participate in sinful behavior anymore.

We have to be accountable to God because he demands more from us.

So like Job, we have the ability to be blameless and upright. It’s a daily discipline, and it requires God’s strength.

After all, we are not the people we used to be. (LBW)