Watching the Supreme Court confirmation hearings last summer got me to thinking about all the crazy, stupid things that I did while I was in high school and college. Whether we believe Kavanaugh did or didn’t do the things of which he was accused, do we really want to judge people on what they did as a child? I certainly don’t want to be judged on what I did at seventeen years of age and I doubt that most anyone does.
Obviously, if you’re being confirmed for the Supreme Court you have to be squeaky clean, but, if you have to go back 40 years to find something that a person did wrong, that just might be a pretty good person!
God is a God of restoration and renewal. If He has been a part of our life, we won’t be the same person we were 40, 20, 10 or even 1 year ago. Those of us who have committed our life to Christ are being slowly made into His image day by day.
Satan, however, is the accuser of the brethren. He’s constantly bringing our shortcomings and failures to mind. He entices us to sin and then condemns us for doing it. He’s the one yelling “Shame on you” in the public square or inside our mind.
Shame and guilt have their place. They warn us when we’ve done wrong and there is always a price to pay for sin, but when those actions have been forsaken and we’ve been forgiven by God, we no longer have to wallow in that shame.
Thankfully, none of the accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh were proven and he was confirm. And now at least one woman said she lied. But still he wasn’t a perfect person back then or even now, as none of us are.
Satan doesn’t want us to forget our past mistakes because he wants to keep us in bondage to them.
Jesus forgives, Satan condemns. Jesus restores, Satan says there’s no hope. Jesus speaks truth, Satan is a lier.
Which one will you believe today?
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye.” Matthew 7:3
Duking Out Life 