Where's the receipt?

What do we do when we buy something that doesn’t meet our expectations? When it doesn’t fit. When it doesn’t work properly. When we already have one. When we decide it doesn't look good. We take it back, right? Usually, the store gives us 90 days to decide. All the store requires is our receipt, showing proof that we bought it, and they will give us our money back. I’m notorious for returning. My husband teases me that if he doesn't need or like something he will just have me return it. It’s easy and convenient. When we return the product we are wiping that slate clean as if we never bought it, yet we know we have.

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could do that with everything? If we don’t like the results of an incident we could just delete it and try it again. Unfortunately, our actions or negative words are permanent scars that we can't take back. We don’t have a receipt. They will stay in the hearts and minds of those we affect. But God… He is our saving grace. He sent His Son, Jesus, to this world to pay for our mistakes. He holds our receipt!!! His life on earth was perfect, allowing him to die on the cross for our sins. He is able to wipe our mistakes away as if they never happened, yet we know they did. There is no expiration date for His forgiveness. He will forgive you as soon as you ask. How amazing is He, to do this for us!?! Jesus is the only one who holds the receipt of our salvation and can erase our mistakes with our Father in heaven. The only term and condition is that we must believe and trust in Him.

Let us go to God’s word

For God so loved the World, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3-16-18

This is a very familiar passage, but do we see the love behind this? For God, BECAUSE GOD, loved us and wanted an everlasting relationship, This love is like no other. He was willing to die for us. Could you die for others, even when you know their past? A murder? Adulter? A thief? An enemy? God would! He loves us unconditionally and died for our mistakes. God made a covenant to our forefather, King David, that he will make a new covenant (promise) to His people. That promise was to send Jesus to Earth. Jesus walked the life we walk. He had the same emotional feelings, same temptations and endured pain and yet lived a life of purity. Jesus paid the price and holds the receipt for our sins. His love is so great He was willing to die for us, His death on the cross, paid the price for our sins, allowing us to be free from God’s judgment, and will allow us to live a perfect life with Him. Those who choose to not believe in Jesus will receive God’s wrath because God still sees their sins. Allow Jesus to fix our brokenness.

How to avoid the traps of harming others

• Dig into God’s word. His word is the road map that will guide us through life and encourage us when we struggle.

• Pray– We need to go to God daily. We need to praise him in good/bad times and ask for His guidance

• Learn ways to be more compassionate and loving to others. Don’t be quick to anger. Ask yourself what were their intentions when they did it. Evil or good?

• Think before you speak. Make sure your words are not hurtful

• Ask for clarification. Sometimes we misunderstand their true intentions

• If they hurt you, let them know how so they can fix it and they won’t do it again.

• If you hurt someone, be willing to respect their feelings and try to not do it again

• Negative in creates negative out. Look for the positive; people, Christian radio stations, and environments.

Physical abuse is more complicated and you will need to be very intentional when in conflict

• When you feel the anger building, you need to walk away from the situation or you can count to 10 very slowly with deep breaths

• Let your loved ones/friends know your struggles so they can help you avoid the negative situations

• Have a trustworthy mentor, who will be honest with you and will help you. Have regular talks with them so you can stay on a positive track.

• Know the things that trigger the anger and avoid it

• Do you need help, talk to your doctor or counselor. Maybe get on medicine

Allow Jesus to fix your sin and grow to be more like Him!