Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Embarrassed?"
Jun. 14, 2018
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
~ Psalm 32:1-2 (ESV)
The Porsche Carrera is a wonderful looking vehicle, which can go over 190 mph.
The Porsche Carrera is an expensive bit of machinery with a base price starting well over $100,000.
Finally, the Porsche Carrera is usually the owner's pride and joy, a great toy which is to be handled with kindness, care, and kid gloves.
Recently, when the owner of such a vehicle handed over his keys to the valet at Australia's Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sydney, he fully expected his auto would receive the very best of treatment.
It was a reasonable request which was never fulfilled.
The valet got in the car, put the key in the ignition, gave it a twist, and the engine roared to life, awaiting its driver's commands. Up to this point, everyone is in agreement: all those things did happen, and they happened in the way I've described.
The problem is nobody is quite sure what happened next.
Photographs taken at the hotel show the valet still at the wheel of the Porsche ... and the hood and passenger's compartment, that is the entire front end of the Porsche, underneath another vehicle. That's right. Somehow, some way the Porsche reached a speed which allowed it to successfully submarine a small SUV.
Emergency workers cut the driver out of the Porsche while a fairly large crowd watched.
Matthew Talbot, spokesman for the hotel, said the valet was okay, embarrassed, and a little bit shocked. Nobody reported the reaction of the Porsche's owner. Probably just as well, the language probably wouldn't have been printable.
Now the part of that story which intrigued me was the line about the valet being embarrassed and a little bit shocked. That is not what I would expect. Embarrassed? That's a pretty weak word for what he really ought to be feeling, don't you think? After pretty well destroying someone else's property, at the very least he ought to be repentant, remorseful, regretful, and contrite.
I wonder if the Lord doesn't often feel much the same way about the half-hearted repentance offered up by sinful humanity. We commit our sins: big sins, little sins, one-time sins, and often-repeated sins. We commit sins against Him and our neighbor.
Then, in an almost matter of fact way, we say, "Sorry, God," and go on our way as if nothing had ever happened.
Now, in one respect, God's forgiveness is so complete, it is as if nothing had ever happened. But on the other hand, we have just committed a sin which our Savior died to remove. In short, sin is a big deal, and our repentance should also be a big deal, and the Lord's forgiveness ought to be the biggest deal of all.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may my confession be heartfelt and sincere. Let my thanksgiving for Your blood-bought forgiveness be genuine and earnest. This I ask in the Name of my Savior who gave His life, so my life and eternity might be changed. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Newser editors on May 28, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: http://www.newser.com/story/259995/how-not-to-park-a-porsche.html
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
The Porsche Carrera is a wonderful looking vehicle, which can go over 190 mph.
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