“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NIV).

He had responded beautifully to immune therapy for his cancer but had developed a severe bullous pemphigoid as a complication. Now better, he was still over-energetic and talkative on the steroids. “I was cruising back to Memphis when I saw the blue lights behind me. The policeman came to the window and spent some time admiring my car. ‘That’s a fine car,’ he told me. Then he said, ‘It’s the end of the day, and I really don’t want to do all the paperwork. Give me a good excuse for your speeding, so I can let you go.’” My patient responded (or at least he said he did), “Well, sir, a policeman stole my girlfriend a while ago, and I though he was bringing her back.” The policeman let him go. I assumed my patient was either steroid manic with the policeman or was telling me a whopper.

True or not, my patient’s story struck me.

When is the last time God caught you speeding, or lying, or puffed up with pride, or cheating on the one you love, or focused on acquiring, or living off mission, or hurting one with words, or refusing to help one who struggles, or wasting life, or ignoring family, or fulfilling self at the expense of others, or…?

What story have you got for Him? He is going to catch you.

If God comes to me someday and asks me, “Give me a good excuse, so I can let you go,” there is only one Word I could answer with confidence, only one safe story I could tell.

Then God would turn to me, with eyes so deep with love that I could fall into them and say, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11b, NKJV).

Dear Lord,
Help me sin no more. Thank you for Jesus.
Amen

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