Delete!

This morning I decided to clean out my pictures on my phone...some of you should be glad because I had some pretty funny pictures of my peeps!  One of you especially who tried to avoid my paparazzi skills last Friday...you know who you are!  Pictures are a great way to capture memories...I learned my camera skills from my Granny Weis.  She ALWAYS had a camera in hand. I can only imagine what she would have been like with a smart phone thus always camera ready.  We have all captured pictures of ourselves and others that are less than flattering...sometimes we are in control of the delete button at other times we have to run a CSI mission to steal--I mean borrow---someone's phone long enough to delete.  At other times, we grimace as our "friend" circulates our less than flattering picture for the masses to see on social media.


Delete....sometimes it works, sometimes it's not an option.  Hmmm.  Decisions we make daily...sometimes they are flattering to us, other times--not so much!  At times, we can discreetly overcome our poor choices and other times news of it circulates like a picture on facebook/twitter/instagram/VINE.  (A lesson on thanksgiving for later is THANK GOD we did not have the internet when I was a teenager!!)  So we may not can stop the circulation but I know someone who is way better than delete!  Jesus died for our sins so we could be cleansed and forgiven.  1 Corinthians 15:3 "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."   And no matter who knows....all of social media or just me, his death on the cross deletes our sins!  He washes our sin away!  Forgives us, died for us, loves us enough that He paid the price!  John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 


NOW what about that circulation problem?  Well, He does the forgiving but we may still have consequences for our choices.  As Christians, we are not perfect and still make poor choices post salvation but “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9 It requires our confession meaning that we recognize we did something wrong and own up to it!    After we confess/take ownership, we may still have a consequence BUT He will walk with us through the consequences and make us stronger through it.  Maybe once He grows you through whatever sin you were consumed with, He will use you to minister to others struggling in that area.  Maybe the scars (see yesterdays post) are meant to remind you of something.  Maybe He is humbling you to remind you He is in control.  Maybe all of the above. Either way, He will walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death and victory is on the other side!


I would like to say cleaning out my phone is a one time event but I can promise I will get some of you this week on camera but will be nice enough to delete the less than flattering footage (maybe :) ).  In the same (but more gracious) way, Jesus' forgiveness is also a daily need for us.  May we remember this each morning when we wake up and with each breath we take!  Jesus we need your seventy times seven delete button daily!