Compiled by: Georgeanne Falstrom, Intern
PARISH LAY MINISTRY ACADEMY
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Friday, March 17, 2006
(Daily readings: Ps 69, 73; Gen. 43:1-15; I Cor. 7:1-9; Mark 4:35-41)

WHOSE DEBT IS IT ANYWAY?
By: Carol Court

Scripture:"…I am forced to restore what I did not steal."~ Psalm 69:4
"Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake." ~ Genesis 43:12

Do you know someone who’s "never wrong?" They may be "misinformed" or "misguided," but it’s never their fault? Of course it’s difficult for me to admit when I’m wrong, also. I suppose if admitting our sins were easy, then repentance wouldn’t be such a big deal. But God knows our weaknesses all too well, and loves us anyway. So, as hard as it may be, followers of Christ must learn to admit their mistakes. But what about taking the blame for someone else’s mistakes?

Have you ever been blamed for something that really wasn’t your fault? Were you punished? The lamenting Psalmist, like Joseph’s brothers, was unjustly accused of stealing, and forced to pay retribution. The punishment stung, frustrating them and making them feel angry and defensive, but powerless to prove their innocence. The retribution they paid was costly to their pocket and to their spirit, but it did not cost them their life.

Christ paid the retribution for all my sins. He was beaten, humiliated stripped, nailed to a cross and tormented until his death. As impossible as that is for me to grasp, the real miracle is that he was not helpless. He could have called heaven and earth to his defense, and walked away at any point. But that was not his Father’s will, and it was not his own. He willingly laid down his life in a way that defies human logic or understanding, to bridge the gap between my frail, selfish nature and God’s divine Grace. Thanks and praise to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Prayer or Meditation (for my Dad):

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

~Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson