Finishing Well

     As I was applying eye shadow this morning, and then using a q-tip to blur the line, it occurred to me that as Christians we have blurred the lines of sin. We have taken God's commands and tweaked them to suit our cultural demands.      We have made up new names for sins; "hooking up" instead of fornication; "terminating" instead of abortion, "flings" rather than adultery; "alternative lifestyles" in place of any number of ways we decide is right in our own eyes.      Whatever we decide to call sin, we must remember that a Holy God knows the real names and that there are real consequences for the blurs, um, sins.  His Word is the final authority, it matters not what we as a society declare to be right.         God commands, demands, holiness. Are we seeking God's approval or man's approval? We can almost always find a man to approve our behaviors. Are we teaching our children what morality is according to God's standards

     Grudge: To dislike or feel angry toward someone for something                    To give, do, or allow something in a reluctant or unwilling way.        How long do we cling to hurts, to wrongs, to past grievances? Past like long, long ago. Is there a formula? Could there be an expiration date, a time limit? Do we HAVE to forgive?      Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him away, and the people who promised to get him out of jail and then forgot. Jesus forgave His crucifiers!!! He forgives me when I repent!      So, why then, do we keep the sad, heavy burden of it? Why is it so very hard to let it go and go on to the next thing? Why do we remain paralyzed by past? Why not choose today to let it go, lay it down, give it up.      How often it is that the person we hold a grudge against has no clue they've even done anything - or it was long ago forgotten.      I suggest to you that you put it away - not for taking back out on a gloomy day, but to perhaps write it