Just Put it On My Tab

Have you ever heard that statement? Just put it on my tab. I hear it often in my job. It annoys me greatly! Customers who refuse to work and instead draw disability or unemployment take for granted the goodwill of my employer. They act as if I owe them a favor. The attitude does not become them!

Have you ever acted that way toward the Lord? I have. How many times have I sinned, and just taken for granted His grace. "Just put it on my tab," I think. How offended the Lord must feel when we treat Him as if He owes us His grace. My sin ought to hurt me. I ought to remember that the Lord owes me nothing. His grace is just that, grace. I do not deserve it. Without the Lord's goodwill, I would be stuck with a debt I could not pay.

May we always remember to sorrow over our sins and thank the Lord for His rich and abundant mercy!

A Good Lesson

Yesterday I heard a very helpful sermon. We are studying through Luke on Sunday mornings, and it has been extremely helpful. Yesterday, he preached on part of Luke 9, preaching about the Transfiguration, the demon that the disciples could not cast out, the argument over who was the greatest, the turning away of the little children, and the disciples trying to stop a man who was casting out demons. Jesus' disciples made so many mistakes, and I am impressed by Jesus' patience with them. We can learn a lot from the individual mistakes themselves, and maybe sometime I will post on that. Today, however, think about Jesus' patience. We often think that we cannot serve the Lord because we won't be able to do everything He requires. We are right - we won't. We will likely be a lot like the disciples and make many mistakes, but thanks be to our God, he forgives us and is so patient with us. If we humbly try to please Him, turning to Him for help, He gives us the strength, grace and mercy needed, and we can please Him!