Cartoonology. There is good theology in cartoons and comics.
Communication has really changed since I was a kid. I remember the first telephone my family got. We had moved up in the world! I even remember the number we were assigned. It had the old rotary dial that made those clicking sounds and was on a party line with several other families. That was OK, but you could never be sure if someone else was listening in on your conversation or not. Sometimes, you could hear a little noise and that was a good sign that another party had picked it up. Each party had its own distinct ring, but every party on the line heard it whenever there was an incoming call. You were supposed to answer only your own distinct ring.
My dad set very strict rules about the telephone. We children were not allowed to touch it without special permission. There was definitely no long distance calls to be made, and if you did get to talk on it, the time was limited. That telephone was like a cookie jar sitting on the kitchen counter. It was an adventure to sneak in a little talk time. When I started dating Janet, who is now my wife, I got a little more liberty, but there were a few times when I went to the village and used the pay phone to get some privacy.
When it comes to calling on God, all of God's children have a 24-hour direct line. There is no time restriction, no busy signals and no eavesdropping. The number is easy to remember. It is PRAY. You can talk all you want, but it is good to also listen, because the Lord always has something good to say, too. The Bible tells us to pray earnestly and without ceasing (Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is simply talking with God, but it must be done with a sincere, righteous heart (1 Peter 3:10-12).
Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV)
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
I have often said that this verse makes praying potentially dangerous, especially when we pray what we call the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15). It is clear that an unforgiving person, can receive no forgiveness from God, and when we pray the Lord's Prayer we ask God to forgive us the same way we forgive others. Talk about self-condemnation! I guess you can say that God always reserves the right to hang up the phone! But don't worry. Repentance and confession readily restores the service (1 John 1:9). 03-28-09
With God, no confession, no concession.
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Posted By Larry Ross to Larry's Notes at 3/28/2009 07:51:00 AM
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