Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

• Hebrews 4:16

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

• Luke 15:3-7

“’You feel guilty that your family suffers because of you. You carry that guilt.’ I held up a book. ‘This book must lie somewhere: on my hand, on the table or on the floor. It’s the same with guilt. It must lie somewhere. Right now, it is lying on you. You’re trying to carry it, but it is crushing you. You are not equipped to carry such a heavy load.’

“’The Bible teaches us a mystery. When Jesus died on the cross, God laid on Him the guilt of the whole world. Jesus was willing to bear that terrible death to carry our sins, our guilt. Bring your sins and guilt to Jesus, and He will forgive you. Then He will fill you with the Holy Spirit whose fruit is peace, joy and love. When you are filled with His Spirit, you’ll be able to think of your family with peace and joy, instead of guilt and shame.’

“Ann said, ‘I believe what you’ve said, but I can’t accept it now. I’ve been away from the Lord for too long. Ten years ago, I could have accepted it, but now it’s too late. I’m a lost cause. I’m much too far from the Lord to find peace again.’”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place

“Guilt, fear and shame fight to imprison me.  But Jesus is my Victor, and by His grace, I can overcome.”

• Corrie ten Boom, Highlighted Quote

Boilerplate

In this new mini-series, I will be looking at a devotion that is said to be written by Corrie ten Boom.  Really, this devotion is like several that I had read.  They come from the writings of that person.  Thus, the prayers at the end may be the editor’s addition to what Corrie ten Boom actually wrote.

Each of these posts will include the suggested verses to read, a quote from the writing that came from a Corrie ten Boom book (five in all according to the copyright page, but no chapter in the book is given the specific book of origin).  I will also include the highlighted quote, similar to an internet quotation, and I will end with the quoted prayer for that devotion.

Discussion

Tante Corrie does not end her story with “Ann” walking away.  She tells Ann the parable of the lost sheep, that one sheep that the good shepherd would leave the ninety-nine to find.  That parable touched her heart.  She accepted God’s grace.  She did not let her shame become a barrier between her and God.

These days, I see so many people who reject God because they do not think they have ever done anything wrong.  In my young evangelism days, it was the opposite.  It was like what Tante Corrie described here.  “Ann”, if that really was her name, had done things that harmed her own family.  She had the shame of being a bad mother.  She identified so much with motherhood that she felt she had violated the trust given her by God to do what she was born to do.  She could never forgive herself, so how could God forgive her?

We should never identify ourselves with what we do for a living.  Men seem to do that as a conversation starter at a party with people they do not know.  But should we not be looking at the other person’s soul?  In what way are you glorifying God in what you do?

But let’s take a trip to Heaven.  I am not saying that I have been there, and I have no idea what it will look like and feel like.  I know it will be much better than what I now describe.

We go to our first neighbor’s house.  We find that he tormented his children, not because they were bad and needed to be punished, but because he was drunk.  He often got drunk, but then he laid his sins at the foot of the cross.  Now, he lives a life beyond anyone’s imagination.  The next neighbor cheated people out of their inheritance.  They were so devastated that they died.  Yet, he saw what he had done.  He laid his sins at the foot of the cross.  The next lady had been a prostitute.  The same story.  The next person created a nerve gas that was used to kill millions of people.  The same story.

We all have our demons.  We all have our sins.  But one of the worst sins is to let our shame become a barrier so that we refuse the open arms of Jesus who simply wants to wrap us in a bear hug and call us His brother or sister.

One of the other horrible sins is to think we are sinless.  But we can only enter the presence of God if we accept Jesus.  Jesus washes away our sins.  This is the reason He is the Way to the Father.

We have no reason to let shame keep us from God.  The occasional feeling of guilt is a warning sign.  We have stepped off the path.  We repent.  We get back on the true path.  And we keep our eyes on Jesus.

Closing Prayer

“Father, I’m sinking under the pressure of the enemy’s hand. When I consider my guilt, inadequacy or sin, I cannot think clearly. But I know You have a better way. You have cleared a path for me to walk directly into Your presence, and You have invited me to dine at Your table. I hand You my burdens and ask You to cleanse me from sin. I release this shame to You and thank You for the cross.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place (prayer for Day 32, His Love Consumes our Shame)

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.