How many mugshots does God have of you?

by 0 Comments

I’m an oddity in today’s world in that I’ve never really been a “picture person.” Contrast that to how people seem to start their days clicking selfies, and continue to capture every nuance of their day.

Day after day.

That’s a lot of selfies!

God has a lot of pictures of you, too.

Well, let me correct that — He has a lot of your mugshots.

“Mugshots”?

Yes, mugshots.

Kind of like how the fellow in this story reported by Scott Sutto of ABC Action News seems to be racking up mugshots …mugshots

    A Palm City man has been arrested for the 34th time! On Sunday, Martin County deputies said they caught Sammy Luciano, 39, driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Okeechobee County.

    Just after 4 a.m., deputies spotted the vehicle with Luciano driving recklessly at speeds of more than 110 mph.

    … Luciano has an extensive criminal history for crimes such as burglary, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, robbery, fleeing and eluding, battery on a law enforcement officer, violation of probation, possession of drugs, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, and causing serious injury or death by failing to stop. This time he was charged with felony drunk driving, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and resisting arrest.

What do you do with such a recalcitrant fellow who has posed for his mugshot a whopping 34 times? When should people give up on this guy, don’t you just “know” he’s going to break the law again?

Before you answer that, try counting how many mugshots God has of you caught guilty in your sin. How many times have you returned to your sin? Don’t you just “know” you’re going to do it again?

God’s forgiveness for us is perfect and complete, and He wants US to learn a lesson about forgiving others, which is this:

Forgiveness is persistent.

The people in our lives will need our forgiveness, but not just once. As long as they are contained in their current human flesh, they will fail, they will make mistakes, and they will even sin.They will need our forgiveness to be persistent.

That’s exactly how God teaches us to forgive …

“Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!'” Matthew 18:21-22.

Are you persistent in your forgiveness? Or do you refuse to forgive persistently while DEPENDING on God’s persistent forgiveness of you?

Scotty