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DAY 45

While Spain suffers with 25% unemployment, they have been celebrating their win last night of the Euro Football Cup. And it hasn't taken people long to come up with the jokes, like "Italy went to Poland 4-NOTHING". A joke about losing to Spain 4:0.

I read an article today about the fines UEFA have issued during the tournament: one for Croatia of $100k for the fans chanting racist comments at Italy's Mario Balotelli, and another of $125k against Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner for showing his underwear after scoring a goal - underwear clearly advertising a betting company.

(http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/06/25/10-things-weve-learned-about-soccer-from-euro-2012/?iid=sp-x-mostpop1#10-things-we-learn-from-euro-2012-some-things-are-worse-than-racism)

The article quoted above questions the disparity of the fines issued. The author questions why guerilla marketing should attract a higher fine than racism.

Whatever the reason and validity of the disparity, we live in a world of sliding scales of consequence. In UK law, if you assault someone you might get a warning or a short prison sentence. If you murder someone, your sentence will amount to years in prison. We seem to work with the idea that some wrong things are more wrong than others, therefore worthy of differing penalties. But assault and murder are wrong.

In the Bible there are various guidelines for better living, and some instructions from God. While these too seem to work with a sliding scale of consequence, the fact is everything is equally wrong. It is equally wrong to misuse the name of God as it is to murder. It is equally wrong to commit adultery as it is to forget the Sabbath.

In football it is equally wrong to be racist as it is to advertise unauthorised products.

The common thread is there seems to be a fluctuation of consequence according to how "wrong" we rate things.

Every wrong is equally wrong, but all wrongs do not attract the same forfeit.

So what does this have to do with our relationship with God, and being in God's presence?

Romans 3:23 (KJV)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Sin is doing wrong in the eyes of God. So this verse points out that we are in trouble!

In fact it gets worse. In the Greek writing of this verse, "for all have sinned" is in the past tense, and "come short of the glory of God" is in the present continuous tense. This means, we did wrong in the past, and we continue to do wrong today. Day after day!

When we do wrong according to God, the consequence is equal. We lose the presence of God. It's not like ice-hockey where we do wrong so we get sent to the "sin bin" for 5 minutes, then we can rejoin the game again. They don't have to apologise before they rejoin!

But here's the thing, God loves us so much that He forgives us and offers us the chance to be in His presence again. We just need to admit our mistakes and accept God's gracious forgiveness. There is no timed exclusion. His forgiveness and resumed communion with us is immediate.

John 3:16-18 (MSG)
"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him."

I thank God that while wrong is wrong, and there are consequences, because of His love and forgiveness, I get to say sorry and am accepted back immediately into His presence. For now He is unseen, when Jesus returns I will see Him in full view.

-Pr Nathan Stickland

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