Thank You Cards

It’s hard to believe but last Tuesday (Oct. 10) was Renée and my forty-second wedding anniversary. Where does the time go? One story about our wedding is funny? Embarrassing? Even though we were young – I was eighteen, she was nineteen – we were trying to do the right thing and personally send thank you cards to everyone who gave us a gift. Several months later, however, when I was looking for something, I happened to look underneath the couch and what did I find? A box full of thank you cards yet to be mailed. Apparently, we had run out and didn’t want to mail some people their cards and not others, so we planned on buying more and sending them all out at the same time. All the best laid plans. We obviously pushed the cards under the couch and promptly forgot. Now we were in a pickle. Do we finish this and send them out nearly a year later? We didn’t know what to do. Thinking we were too late we chose not to send any. Looking back, surely that was the wrong decision, but we live and learn, right?

I mention this because of Jesus’ parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-31, “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. ‘Which of the two obeyed his father?’ They replied, ‘The first.’”

Many people claim to say “Yes,” to Jesus but only in words. They don’t really “go” – follow Him. Then there are others who initially say, “No,” only to realize later in life they were wrong and do “go” – follow Him.

My point is. It is never too late to follow Jesus. You may think you have done or said some things over your life that disqualify you from receiving God’s grace. You are wrong. God love us despite all we have said or done. The Bible says, “…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).  

I know it doesn’t make sense. I often ask myself, “Why would God forgive me? I consistently disappoint Him. I fail. I make mistakes. I may make it a couple of days but eventually, I will mess up. I’ll say something I shouldn’t have said or do something I shouldn’t have done. Or I don’t say or do something I should have. I frustrate myself. How could it not frustrate the Lord?” I imagine it does. The Bible is full of examples of God disciplining those He was frustrated with. However, that does not override God’s love for us. He loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins! No, it may not make sense but don’t question it. Just receive it!       

It wasn’t too late to send my thank you cards. I should have done so. More importantly, it is never too late to follow Jesus. You may have been walking your own patch your whole life. That’s okay. All we need to do is tell Him we’re sorry for all we have done and ask Him for forgiveness and eternal life is ours. First John 1:9 is clear, “…if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” Please do not leave your eternal security under a couch with my thank you cards collecting dust. Whether we are 16, 36, 66, or 86, as long as we have breath it is never too late to follow Jesus.  

-----------------------------------------------------

Remember you can email praises and petitions to southchurchprayer@gmail.com. I lift them up every Wednesday at 4:00 pm on Facebook Live.