For Your Own Good (Part 2)

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:5-10

“Okay, Lincoln. Here’s your taxi,” announced a nurse cheerfully as she positioned a wheelchair next to his bed. Lincoln grinned, and she helped him into the chair and wheeled him to the door where his mother waited with the car.

After a couple days in the hospital with a badly broken leg, Lincoln was glad to get home, but he was still very uncomfortable. He soon discovered it wasn’t possible to get a pair of jeans over a big cast—he had to wear sweat pants. And he had to learn how to walk on crutches—how to go up and down stairs, get through doors, and get in and out of the car. He learned quickly, but his leg ached a lot.

As Lincoln watched his friends play basketball from the window one day, he started feeling sorry for himself. “I hate having a broken leg,” he said. “I don’t know why God made it happen.”

“God didn’t make it happen, but He did allow it,” his mother replied. “He allowed it for your good—though you probably can’t see that right now.”

“No, I can’t,” said Lincoln. “I’m getting tired of using crutches, and this cast feels really heavy by the end of the day!”

“Your cast weighs you down, doesn’t it? It keeps you from going out and having fun with your friends.”

“It sure does,” said Lincoln with a sigh.

“It reminds me of sin in a Christian’s life,” Mom said. “Sin weighs us down too and keeps us from enjoying good things God has planned for us.”

“Sin?” asked Lincoln. “What kind of sin?”

“Any kind,” replied Mom. “Impatience, for example. Or disobedience.”

Lincoln frowned. “Like doing things my own way instead of listening to warnings, I guess. That’s what caused me all this trouble.”

Mom nodded. “It will be a while before you can get rid of the weight of that cast, but you don’t have to be weighed down by sin. Confess it to Jesus and accept His forgiveness, then trust Him to help you do better.” Mom smiled at Lincoln. “I have a feeling you’ll eventually be able to see that this truly is all working out for your good.” – Jan L. Hansen

How About You?

Can you think of a sin in your life that’s weighing you down? Are you willing to confess that sin to Jesus?. When you do something wrong, tell Jesus and remember that He loves you and has already freed you from sin. Trust Him to use your mistakes to teach you to do what’s right.

Today’s Key Verse: Hebrews 12:1 Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Turn from sin