Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

"But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.'"¹

I have read how a parts manager for a small electronics shop had occasion to order part No. 669 from the factory. But when he received it he noticed that someone had sent part No. 699 instead.

Furious at the factory's incompetence, he promptly sent the part back along with a letter giving them a piece of his mind. Less than a week later, he received the same part back with a letter containing just four words: "TURN THE PART OVER."²

You'd be amazed at how many people get mad at me because they can't receive their Daily Encounter. I need to remind them that our server only has the control of the sending. The receiving is totally out of our control. Others get mad at me because they can't unsubscribe. Very often it is because they are trying to unsubscribe an address they aren't subscribed as. After I have checked everything at our end and explained the above situations, not one subscriber has ever apologized to me for blaming me for their error.

Sadly, too many of us are too quick to blame others for our "mistrakes" and too slow to apologize for them.

When it comes to relationships, blaming others for our problems can be disastrous. Tell me ... I've taught in divorce recovery classes for years and I'd say about 90 percent of the divorcees I've worked with primarily blame their former spouse for the breakup of their marriage—without even considering that every one of us contributes something to a failed relationship.

True, we all make mistakes, but the one who wins in the long run is not the one who plays the blame-game but the one who can say and genuinely mean the following six words: "I was wrong. Please forgive me."

Furthermore, the only person God can help is the one who can say from the heart, "O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your loving mercy for always forgiving me when I genuinely confess my sins and failures to You—and ask for Your forgiveness. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

Note: For additional help read, "Forgiveness: The Power That Heals," at http://tinyurl.com/3bw3q3

1. Luke 18:13 (NLT).
2. Sunday Funnies Humor, http://www.net153.com/best.htm

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