Negotiations

 

The week that has just ended has been a bit hectic. Before the pandemic I had a routine to get things done each week. The pandemic has altered the routine a bit but I have found that there is a general pattern that works for me so that when Sunday morning comes all the things that needed to be done are in fact done. Factored into all this talk of routine is the understanding that each week I can spend what amounts to a full day doing things that I had not anticipated. That means that when things come up that take good-sized blocks of time, such as funerals, I don’t have to panic.

All of which is to say that there were a number of extra things that had to be negotiated this past week. I participated in a preaching workshop via Zoom that took two full days. There was a wedding yesterday which required some preparation. And for a large portion of one day I had to supervise the boys, as Robin and Kat went to the dentist and ran some errands for our family. Robin suggested that if the boys were distracting me too much I could let them watch extra TV, or have them clean the porch, giving them free time with their iPads as an incentive.

I liked that last idea but had some trouble putting it into practice. The front porch is among the favorite places for the boys to play. It hadn’t been organized for a few days and so the time came when I thought I would set the boys to that task. I figured it would take them 30 minutes, tops, and they could use their iPads for a good long while as I worked on my sermon.

Here is how that idea worked out.

Papa: Clean up the porch and you can use your iPads.

Boys: How many things do we need to pick up?

Papa: Don’t count them. Just put everything away.

Boys: Mom tells us to pick up ten things.

Papa: Just put it all away. You don’t need to keep count.

Boys: But mom says “ten things.” How many should we pick up?

Papa: Well, maybe 100 things. (I’ve heard Robin use that method but I'm not expecting that it will work today. Way too much stuff.) On second thought, pick up ten things and let’s see what it looks like. 

In the end I gave up on the porch, and fortunately for me they didn’t have their usual desire for the iPads, finding another way to stay occupied enough for me to keep at my sermon until Robin and Kat got back home.

My sermon this morning was drawn from Galatians 2:16, where Paul writes:

“We know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.”

One of the things that Paul does in that statement is eliminate the possibility that we can negotiate our place with God. He takes away any attempt on our part to use our own efforts to be made right with God.

To have faith in God through Jesus Christ is an act of unconditional surrender on our part. We cannot negotiate for the most favorable terms, but rather we simply trust in God as we turn from our sin and turn to our Savior.

And that is really a good thing, because His terms are better than anything we could ever imagine. Not only does he remove all past sins, but his finished work covers any sins we may, and unfortunately will, take part in before that day comes when he brings us to our true home with him.

One day I may figure out this negotiation thing with our children, but I am glad that I never have to strike a bargain with my Savior. His offer is free, and it never fails. Amen.

 

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.