This morning as I was preparing to spend time with the Lord, I’d already written down a few things and looked at a few Scriptures that were on my mind. Very appropriately, one of them was James 1: 22, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. As I prepared to read the chapters in the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan I’ve mentioned to you before, I just took a moment to ask the Lord if there was anything in the way, inhibiting my ability to connect with Him and hear from Him.

I think our sins separate us from the Lord and cloud our ability to hear clearly. It’s as if we’re one of those boxy old boomboxes and sin causes us to push down and close up our antennas. Since I was about to dive into another chapter in Leviticus I felt it especially important to make sure all lines of communication were open! Anyway, the next thought in my mind was the poor attitude I’d had in the kitchen in an interaction with my Hero Hubby just a few moments earlier. I asked the Lord for forgiveness and promptly got up, went to the living room where HH was and asked for his forgiveness, too. He forgave me, and asked for forgiveness as well.

Friends, all I can say is that there is just such a beautiful joy in obeying the Word of God, and asking for forgiveness, from Him and from others for the big and the small. Even though I have to do it on a regular basis, and it takes humility and effort, it brings such joy. I was a bit teary-eyed as I gave my Hero Hubby a kiss and headed back to the bedroom to continue getting into the Word. What joy there is when we are at peace with one another!

The Sermon in a Nutshell: Ask for forgiveness, and genuinely seek it. Forgive others, as you would want to be forgiven. This may be a lesson we learned in our childhood, but still it’s one of the most relevant rules for us to live by day in and day out.