Accountability and the power of forgiveness.for the children

ACCOUNTABILITY and FORGIVENESS:

According to our calculations; 

PASSOVER begins tonight at 6pm, MARCH 26th, JERUSALEM TIME  and  The FEAST of UNLEAVEN BREAD BEGINS TOMORROW.

 DO you have any plans??  

I don't often think of the story of deliverance from EGYPT when I think of PASSOVER. Thought it is a WORTHY STORY to share.

But what I do meditate and focus on is the REDEMPTION STORY of PASSOVER. The fulfillment of the PASSOVER LAMB, IN JESUS CHRIST.

For me that doesn't consist of a passover meal, but a message of a DEBT that I OWED,  that was paid, by the BLOOD OF THE TRUE LAMB OF GOD.

 Today my plans are to PUT a CROSS in my yard in remembrance and commemoration of what MY SAVIOR DID FOR ME.

Even if we don't understand it.

The TRUTH IS, you and I were granted salvation according to the fulfillment of GOD'S prophetic PLAN, according to the HOLY DAYS and FEAST Days of the LORD.  

My life IN JESUS CHRIST will also be "FULFILLED" according to the prophetic plan of the FALL FEAST DAYS of the LORD, AT HIS RETURN.

To me, that makes these HOLY DAYS and FEAST DAYS IMPORTANT in my life. 

What a great time to share a store about ACCOUNTABILITY and FORGIVENESS with our families.

I heard this story on the radio the other day and I decided to share it.

Sometimes it is difficult to relate to the story of the Passover and the sacrifice that was made for us. It is difficult to keep it ALIVE in our lives and the lives of our family.

 I thought this story was a GREAT EXAMPLE of a practical experience in a teenagers life that truly EXPRESSED the “DEBT we owned, that we couldn't afforded to pay,  the great burdened we carried, and the HIGH COST of our redemption.

My hope is that you will find it useful in sharing with your children.

THE DEBT WAS TOO HIGH, YOU CAN AFFORD IT!!!

Teenagers, bless their hearts are often under a great deal of peer pressure. PERSONALLY I feel a great deal of pain for teenagers, they are RIGHT in the middle of making some MAJOR decisions in their lives.

I think most of us have been there. This is a TRUE story of a young teen boy who fell under peer pressure. And the cost of his SIN was too high for him to pay.

Let’s us call him BOBBY.

Bobby really wasn’t your typical teen. He had a great deal of respect for his parents and under normal conditions he obeyed them thoroughly.

However just like most teens, at some point they begin to suffer from loneliness and at some point or another fall under peer pressure. Fellowship can be very persuasive at times.

Unfortunately Bobby wasn't much an exception on this day. It was a snowy day in his little town. 

Bobby had been a good child and mom offered him her trust, she decided to let Bobby drive her brand new SUV to school.

HOWEVER, He was told to come straight home from school, park the car in the garage and stay there until his mother returned.

Bless Bobby’s heart, he decided to give a FEW associates a ride home that day, and these boys, as most boys are at that age,  were a bit on the ROWDY side. Easy to be rowdy when the price of that rowdiness is on someone else’s head…

As they were leaving the school one of the boys happen to notice a hill of snow just off the side of the parking lot and thought it would be SO MUCH FUN to just go plowing into it.

Can’t you hear it now, boy I can!!

 “AND WHY NOT, ISN’T that why they make SUV’S anyway, so you can do OFF ROAD things”

Bobby was under a great deal of peer pressure to perform for his new acquaintances. His efforts at resistance to not take such chances, became a “mocking array” of accusations of being a chicken and no fun.

“Oh it will only take a minute of our time, and it would be such fun, no harm in it”.

Bobby rationalized in his mind that no one would ever know, mom would never find out,  and it would please these new POTENTIAL friends of his, perhaps he would even manage to FIT IN for once in his life.

SADDLY BOBBY was mistaken the SUV didn’t take the hill as well as he expected and he SLID across the pavement right into the wall of the school. Crushing his mother’s SUV into the wall, crushing both doors and breaking the windows of the side of the car. Over $3000.00 dollars worth of damage.

FEAR, PANIC, GUILT, and SHAME came crashing down on Bobby.

What was he going to tell his mother. 

Bobby at least had a conscience. He had great REMORSE for what he had done.  He knew he had done wrong in disobeying his mother. The car did not belong to Bobby. He was only given the privilege of driving it for convenience. Bobby, being the exceptional child that he was, he felt the heavy load of responsibility and accountability for what he had done. He decided after a long talk with is father that he should take responsibility for his actions.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? HOW would you respond to this problem?

Well Dad felt it was appropriate for Bobby to pay for the repairs on the car. Again they amounted to over $3000.oo dollars.

What does a high school boy do to seek to earn so much money? Bobby raked yards, mowed, took every available job he could to pay for his mistake. 

This YOKE around his neck was such a burden for a young adult. It left him very little time in his high school years to enjoy being a teen like most teens. And his NEW ASSOCIATES left him high and dry to pay for the repairs.  GREAT FRIENDS wouldn’t you say??

After a time his parents began to notice that Bobby was a very sad child, depressed, and often very tired.  He had manage through his hard labor to earn approximately $1700.oo dollars. 

For a teenager that was a great deal of money. Especially when you consider the HARD LABOR he must have had to endure.

Bobby’s birthday was coming up and to seek to offer their son some simply pleasure in life. His request for his birthday was to go out to dinner with his family. Since he spent some many hours alone, He also decided he wanted a guitar.

As dinner was moving along with his family, Bobby became very sullen and quite. He hadn’t seen his guitar yet, and began to wonder if perhaps his family had truly forgotten his one request. Life had been very tough for Bobby over the last six months, certainly loneliness and hard work was beginning to take a real toll on his life.

BOBBY’S PARENTS, the LOVING parents that they were did have a GREAT PLAN for BOBBY. 

They had not forgotten him, but truly sought to EMBRACE HIM.

The waitress was on her way to the table with the cake, planned ahead of time by his parents. 

The candles were lite, everything was in place for BOBBY’S NEW surprise.

As the cake was place in front of BOBBY, BOBBY FACES LITE UP AT WHAT was before him.

 The cake didn’t say your traditional “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” instead there was a simple message scrolled across the cake.

“DEBT FORGIVEN”

Bobby jumped up from the table in excitement. Rushing around thanking his parents.

And suddenly a moment of true inspiration came to him, which he shared with his family.

NOW I KNOW what JESUS CHRIST DID FOR ME. I understand what it truly means to  have MY DEBT paid by someone else.

Wow... Bobby totally understood, that even though he was responsible for the damage done to the car, HIS parents were LOVINGLY willing to PAY the PRICE of HIS REDEMPTION, so that he could be set free from his burden... what an exceptional child.

AMEN and AMEN.

CONCLUSION:

What a great lesson of “ACCOUNTABILITY” and “FORGIVENESS” from a child’s story.

THIS STORY truly revealed some very important things to me.

“THE IMPORTANCE of ACCOUNTABILITY”

It did remind me of the “DEBT” that I could not afford to pay.

A “DEBT” that unless SOMEONE jumped in to RESCUE me, I would be left with NO HOPE, years of REAPING the high cost of my sins, with no possibilities of ever being able to pay.

I also pondered how many times as a PARENT, I DIDN'T take the opportunity to use a “life experiences”  to share the “ ACCOUNTABILITY and the OFFERING OF FORGIVENESS according to the LOVE of CHRIST in the life of my own children.

Sometimes we are SO QUICK forgive that the COST of the DAMAGE that has been done  has very little meaning in our lives. Especially where I children are concerned.

 “ACCOUNTABILITY” and “ REAPING what we sow is a very VALUABLE LESSON to be learned”

It is that very LACK of this teaching, in the lives of our CHILDREN and our SOCIETY that has done a great deal of damage to the message of JESUS CHRIST..

The message of GRACE and MERCY appear to be very CHEAP because of it.

We do not REVERENCE GOD or HIS COMMANDS, and then simply EXPECT FORGIVENESS and HIS BLESSINGS when times get tough.

GOD’S WORD tells a very different story.

According to HIS PRECEPTS and PRINCIPLES:

We are HELD ACCOUNTABLE for our actions before GOD and MAN.

THE STORY of JESUS CHRIST and HIS SACRIFICE has become so FAMILIAR in our lives we take it for GRANTED and we share it with very little conviction in our own lives how in the world do we EXPECT our loved ones and the world to take us serious.

GOD FORBID:

GRACE and MERCY are not CHEAP.

SOMEBODY had to STAND IN OUR PLACE as the “KINSMAN REDEEMER” taking our GUILT and SHAME away. Pay a penalty that we could not afford to pay.

WE truly fell to understand that the FATHER, IN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, though HE did not HAVE TO PAY, HE PAID the PENALTY that was REQUIRED for “REDEMPTION”.  

SOMEONE HAD TO HEAD ACCOUNTABLE. Through HIS payment we were set free of a debt we owed.

MAKING HIM “JUST and RIGHTEOUS” according to HIS OWN LAWS.

If GOD ALMIGHTY  makes HIMSELF ACCOUNTABLE to HIS OWN LAW and COMMANDS, why do we not understand that HE has ever RIGHT to l HOLD us “ACCOUNTABLE” according to our own “DISOBEDIENCE” ?

It “COST” our SAVIOR and LORD HIS PRECIOUS LIFE.

The Pain and Agony that HE SUFFERED for our “LIBERTY and FREEDOM to go to the FATHER” was more than we could afford. 

A LAMB without blemish,  one of complete INNOCENT..  HE suffered that we would NOT BE CONDEMNED  and so WE could be RESTORED to NEW LIFE.

ARE YOU and I TAKING THAT FOR GRANTED?

Do we mourn over our own sin?

IS there GRATITUDE in our HEARTS that WE have been WASHED CLEAN of “all” past sins.

TODAY is a GREAT DAY TO REFRESH THE STORY OF CHRIST IN OUR LIVES and the LIFE OF YOUR CHILDREN and LOVED ONES.

Tonight is PASSOVER.

The FATHER told the ISRAELITE to “commemorate” these days and tell them to their children so that THEY can LEARN of HIS ABIDING LOVE towards them.

I hope that you will spend some time today discovering the various ways you can share the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST with your family and loved ones today.

LET US COMMEMORATE what HE has done for us, and not take it for granted.

PERHAPS you can find IDEAS in which you could commemorate??

HERE is an IDEA, Consider in PRAYER, to give an offering of  FORGIVENESS to someone through JESUS CHRIST towards someone today.

OFFERING them the example of CHRIST, standing in HIS PLACE. Offering forgiveness of a debt that that they TRULY owe to you (materially or personally).

 TELL them it is IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST and what HE has done for you, in commemoration of this day.

 Not for our GLORY, but for HIS GLORY

AMEN.

WORTHY IS THE LAMB

LET FAITH ARISE:

WHO AM I: