For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Romans 3:23
Some of you will remember the television "Get Smart." I remember being glued to the television watching the antics of Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. One of the catchphrases I remember from that series was Maxwell Smart's cliche: "Missed it by THAT much."
I remember using that catchphrase every chance I could, especially when I particularly stunk at Little League Baseball (which was most of the time, with a few shining moments). Yeah, I was kinda geeky like that.
As I have gotten older, and grown up (depending on when you talk with my bride), I have learned a little something about people as a species. No matter how hard we try; no matter how much effort we invest; no matter how well we plan; no matter how much we practice, we're always going to fall short at some point. I can remember spending countless hours at batting practice and doing pretty well. However, on game day, I stunk. No matter how hard I tried, baseball just didn't seem to want me to play.
Then, as life continued, I tried so hard to follow the rules and get everything right so when it came time for my nightly prayers I could tell God, "Look! I got everything right today! Aren't you proud of me?" Yet, I just could not seem to get it right, always "Missed by this much", and it frustrated me to the point I quit trying for a while (and life did NOT get any better).
One of my absolute favorite pastors made quite the astute observation when he revealed that Apostle who we venerated so highly, as if he could do no wrong, came right out and stated the obvious: "Everyone has messed up; we miss God's standard by this much every single day." Well now, if Paul said it then it must be true! And if it is true, then what hope do I have of EVER warranting God's love?
That was when the bombshell was dropped on my grey goop like a wrecking ball: "Yet God, in his grace,
freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus
when he freed us from the penalty for our sins" (verse 24). Because of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross in my place, and because I embrace that with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, then God freed me from the penalty of my wrongdoing.
Let me be clear here, freed from the God's penalty of everlasting death, we will still have to deal with the consequences of our wrongs. If I clog my arteries because of my eating habits (which I have done for most of my life), then God will forgive me for doing that, but I still have to deal with the physical issues my choices have created. BUT the fantastic news is, as a Believer, my body will fail but God never fails! My spirit has been His child since before time, and will be His child long after time has stopped being recorded.
