Morning Devotional

August  19, 2005
"Bugs in the Sheets"      
    by Don Emmitte

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But what if we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then find out that we are still sinners? Has Christ led us into sin? Of course not! Rather, I make myself guilty if I rebuild the old system I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God's approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die. (Galatians 2:17-21, NAS)

There’s a story of a business executive who, at the end of a long day of travel, climbs into bed at a hotel. As he begins to nod off, he feels something crawling up his legs.

Leaping up and fumbling with the light, he throws back the sheets to discover the bed is full of bugs. Changing rooms was not enough to satisfy the man’s disgust. Upon arriving home, he wrote a complaint letter to the hotel’s corporate headquarters. Weeks later he received a reply directly from the president of the company:

“We are absolutely appalled that a man of your position and reputation should have had such an experience in one of our hotels. We are deeply embarrassed, and we assure you we are working diligently to correct this problem, and it will never happen again.”

After reading the reply, the businessman - feeling quite good about himself - went to file the letter. But a small post-it note slipped out of the hotel’s envelope. Picking it up, he saw the words, “Send this man the bug letter.”

Have you been sending bug letters to God? Have you been saying you’re sorry when, in fact, you have no real intention to change? Yesterday we saw that we do have the power within us in the presence of the Holy Spirit to do those things that we must do. Today we ought to see that we not only can and should be obedient, but when we fail we have the power of grace to bring us into a position of restoration. Starting over with a clean slate is important. That knowledge gives us hope for the future. The real key is in a genuine desire and commitment to change.

It’s easy to say you need to be a more supportive husband and a more attentive father. Do you mean it, or have you sent a bug letter to God? It’s easy to say you need to be a more loving mother and a more encouraging wife. Do you mean it, or have you sent a bug letter to God.” God knows the intent of your heart and the truth of your priorities. Today, why not tear up your form letters and speak to him from the depths of your heart? Telling God you’re sorry doesn’t mean anything if you don’t intend to change. Be genuine. Make the decision to truly repent – which means turning 180 degrees – and take whatever steps you must to change your behavior. You CAN do it!