Belly-Up

It’s that time of year when bugs are looking for shelter from the cold, and thanks to Mr. Bill we are a bug-free zone here: all bugs end belly-up. God calls for perseverance.  Sadly, many Christians don’t always persevere because Satan works [overtime] to cause us to  fall.  He’s pretty good at hitting below the belt – dangling in front of us the very sin that entices and entangles.  There’s few things more spiritually crushing to me than my weak link!  Oh, how sweet the reward of confession: God is faithful and just to forgive (1 John 1:9).  With Satan defeated, we can move forward in forgiveness and freedom but sometimes we’re hindered by the guilt cycle – forgiven but not forgotten, forgiven but not  forgotten, forgiven but not forgotten.  We can take this spiritual beating or we can rest in the forgiveness and Jesus’ words: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:11).  Mr. Bill’s trusty bug spray is potent; the power of God all-powerful against self-inflicted guilt of past sin.  To God, forgiven sin is forgotten sin – far as the east is from the west, in the past – that kind of forgotten!  That sin is belly-up!  Let us rejoice and live on in the light of God’s amazing grace!