I’m currently reading a book about a young man who was falsely accused of murder and spent decades in prison, fighting for justice. In fact, it’s my second attempt at reading it, as the first time, my mind must have been looking for something different. After about 7 or 8 pages, it didn’t grab my attention, so I moved on to something else.
That’s the thing about messaging. Even a great message at the wrong time will fall flat. Timing is super important. Like the old saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
This time around, I’m hooked. Not only hooked, but a little peeved at what I’m reading. It’s a depiction of a true story, and as it recounts the events leading to his conviction, it paints a pretty scary picture of the detectives deciding he was guilty up front. Then, weaving the evidence in such a way that a tightly woven guilty verdict was imminent…despite the actual facts saying otherwise. There was a guilty verdict before the trial even began. It’s the exact opposite of how God is with us.
"For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins." (Romans 5:16)
Our verdict is innocent, before the trial even begins.
It's not our performance that leads to the result, but our hearts and beliefs. Accept God's free gift… boom...innocent. So what do we do with that?
That's the tough but very important question. How does this play out in your everyday life? Instead of a life behind the proverbial bars, you have freedom. But what now?
I think that's a question everyone has to answer. For me, I want to show up and work a little harder because God gave me the ability to. I want to find more ways to be generous, because I have more than I need. I want to love my wife and family with abandon, because they are worth it. I want to love others recklessly, because why not? Being hurt by other people is only temporary, so it's worth the risk. I want to care for myself physically, so I have the energy and confidence to show up well. I want to live in such a way that pleases God...but I screw up a lot...and so do others, so a healthy amount of forgiveness needs to be present also, because I need it most of all. When I stumble, I want to stumble forward.
The list can go on and on. How about you? What fact patterns and evidence do you want to leave behind to make God pleased with the innocent verdict he gave you in advance? How does that play out in your life? Your verdict precedes your performance. So what are you going to do with it?