A devotional thought presented originally to Swift Current Men’s Prayer Breakfast, Thursday 15 January 2015
Read
Matthew 3:7-10
The Sinner’s
Prayer has always been important to me. I remember saying it as a child and
confirming it more than once. I remember leading many people in this prayer.
The Sinner’s Prayer is like a criminal record check.
Years
ago I worked for a janitorial company. One place I worked was the RCMP/CSIS
building. The security clearance process was quite something. I was a teenager
and in my interview they asked what I did twenty years ago, I responded, ‘nothing,
I’m only 18.’ I thought it was funny – they didn’t. They asked why I haven’t
held a job for more than 5 years. I repeated ‘I am only 18.’ I laughed – they
didn’t. This interview went on for a long time; they fingerprinted me and even
interviewed two of my friends. I was beginning to have faith in our spy
agency’s thoroughness and ability, especially when they reviewed this
information for months before finally clearing me.
Just
out of curiosity, I asked why it took so long to notify me of my clearance and
they said it took so long because they – Canada’s spy agency - couldn’t find
me. I pointed out that my address and phone number were on the form. I laughed;
they didn’t. I assumed they were joking. They weren’t. I laughed; they didn’t.
Shortly afterwards I worked a shift at the CSIS building and as I was emptying
a garbage, an officer told me that if I looked at anything in it he’d have to
kill me, I laughed – he didn’t. The next week, my boss told me to cover another
shift at the CSIS building. I said no. She laughed – I didn’t. I was cleared to
work there but I didn’t return.
It is
quite the process and a security clearance is important but do you know how
long one is really good for? About 5 minutes: in between receiving your
security clearance and handing it in you could stop by the 7-11 and rob it. The
paper may say that you have never committed (or at least been convicted of) a
crime but as soon as you leave the police station it is no longer up-to-date.
The Sinner’s Prayer, that is rightfully so important in many of our
lives, is like a security clearance in this way.
The
experience of salvation is more like a marriage. There is the initial event
that starts off the marriage, the wedding: this is like the Sinner’s Prayer.
The wedding is just the beginning of the marriage relationship. It is not its
culmination – and hopefully not the best part of it! There is more to marriage
than simply saying ‘I do’. If you never spend anytime with your spouse after
that day, then you may have had a wedding but you do not have a marriage. Our
proclamation of salvation, the Sinner’s Prayer, likewise is just
the beginning of our salvation; it is not the totality of our relationship with
Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord for that!
Our
questions for today: Is your relationship with Christ more like a security
clearance and/or a long ago wedding ceremony than it is like an exciting
marriage that grows stronger everyday? If so, what can we do to grow our relationship
with the Lord?
[1] Based on the sermon by Captain Michael Ramsay, Matthew 3:7-10:
Security Clearance. Presented to Swift Current Salvation Army, 11 April
2010. On-line:
http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2010/04/matthew-37-10-security-clearance.html
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