Silence not a Virtue

I have been silent for about 8 months. In the time I have been away from you I have stolen a carpet, stolen an extension cable, participated in corrupting the Road Traffic Department, taken money that wasn’t mine. I have wished evil on several people, been filled with anger and fury over trivial matters, been impatient with men when I should have known better, and have imagined several women naked. Yes I have been very busy and very naughty.

All this I did while I was still a Christian, all these while I was still a servant of God. Yes I still believe in God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit but not the Holy Catholic Church (I donno what the HCC is even though it is in the Apostle’s Creed). So the question now arises: If I as a believing, practicing, spirit-filled Christian did all these things and fell into such folly how different am I from the average guy on the street who doesn’t care about God? To ask it differently, how am I different from you, him or her there?

Perhaps the difference is in that I have with a humble heart acknowledged my sin. Or is it in that I have asked for the forgiveness of all my sin and resolved to do better next time from the bottom of my heart? But then it could be that where you would have given up and stopped trying because of being weary of going through the same ‘sinning-and-asking-for-forgiveness’ process I have carried on as if nothing happened?

Yet no matter how many times I fall, no matter how filthy my sin, no matter how naughty I have been, I still get up, run to God, beg for mercy and keep on keepn on. But I try not to take my God for granted. His mercy and grace may be abundant and overflowing but He is no fool. He is frightful in his anger, merciless in His judgment and extreme in His punishments. Indeed woe to him who falls into the hands of the living God in the day of His anger. If I keep being an idiot He will one day tire of me, banish me from His sight and build me a personal and permanent campsite in hell.

True, man is indeed a wretched being. Man and sin go together like a hand in a glove. Even the English Hymn Book acknowledges “My best resolves I yet break”. But do we stop going forward? Do we tire of asking for forgiveness and trying better next time? Sure it’s overwhelming when you look at the extent of sin man involves himself in per day. But what choice do you have? Accept it you will never be free of sin, just keep asking for forgiveness and move on. Let it not, however, be a license for you to sin all you can. All people who choose to treat or think of God as a fool will come to a very fascinating end that involves adding their voice to that of a thousand demons forming a choir there where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Three things the living God esteems, four he values in a human heart: Sincerity, honesty, humility and obedience. Be honest with yourself and God, sin is sin it won’t change just because you think it’s a small matter. Be humble, do not harden your heart and refuse to change, to be corrected or to be taught righteousness. Be sincere in your asking for forgiveness, do not be flippant with God or treat sinning against Him as not so serious because you have received no apparent punishment for it. God is not fooled, do not pretend or try to deceive Him. Be obedient, let go of previous bad practices and take hold of new acceptable behaviours and codes of conduct as you have been corrected.

In all things Jehovah himself knows we are just men, unworthy of His mercy and love, even His friendship and attentions. He knows we will fall, knows we will fail but loves us even more regardless. You never let go of your God is what I tell my friends. But you don’t take Him for granted or for a fool either. To the best of your ability, as much as it depends on you, live your life right according to His instructions and directions, live at peace with all men, let no evil be found in your heart nor any corruption be found in your soul. Cleanse your spirit each day in prayer. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your spirit. And fear Him just as much. Godspeed!