Burning Question:
It’s National Good Samaritan Day! When did you experience someone being a good Samaritan?
Morning Devotional:
I have reason to believe my new puppy is a magician. She can make herself disappear!
My Abbie has this uncanny way of hiding in places I would not have dreamed my dog could go. It doesn’t help that she’s tiny and her coat is mostly black. She also operates in stealth mode and last night, I thought I had really lost her.
I looked behind the couch, under the couch, under the chairs, behind my entertainment cabinet and under a bookcase. No Abbie! I finally found her underneath her stuffed dog bed. She had completely burrowed herself under it and I was none the wiser. Only a little tuft of her white tail sticking out from under it was a giveaway.
What makes my puppy want to hide? It’s usually after she has done something wrong.
It’s a pattern familiar to all of us. Adam and Eve, when they fell in the Garden of Eden, they hid from the Lord. King David made a big mistake when he sinned. Instead of admitting what he did, he tried to cover it up by making more bad choices. He thought he could keep it a secret from the people around him. But he couldn’t hide from God!
Hiding from God when we sin never works. Guilt is an overwhelming thing and it hurts our relationship with God. But God gave us a remedy for sin in His Son Jesus. Because of what He did for us on the cross, we have forgiveness and salvation. We have grace and mercy from God as well, and the promise that says “if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
As my puppy’s master, I am learning to be quick to forgive and guide her in the way she is to behave. I find God does the same thing. It’s okay to come out of hiding and receive forgiveness and grace. Our Father is always willing to give it.
– Beth
Bible Quiz:
Question: What did the Israelites call the bronze snake in the temple?
Answer: Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4)
Storytime: A dollar to clip toenails