Daily Power #312

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17 ESV)

At a pastor’s conference one time, I shared a hotel room with another pastor friend named Paul. Pastor Paul was a very godly man with an amazing sense of humor. By the end of the first day, I had been on the receiving end of at least three practical jokes from my new roommate.

Not to be outdone, I decided to wait and get him when he least expected it. I planned to wake up in the middle of the night and body-slam him. I pictured leaping sideways into the air pro-wrestler style and landing an elbow to Paul’s side while he slept soundly.

While my plan was decent, my depth perception was not. I leaped into the air but landed short of my target. Instead of hitting Paul, my elbow dug deep into the mattress and shot my clenched fist directly into my chin.

Yes, I actually punched myself in the middle of the night.

The joke was on me.

Paul woke up to the commotion and saw me half-conscious on the floor by his bed. Once I explained what had happened, he laughed for what seemed like a half hour and now tells that story every chance he gets.

I fell short of my target. Unfortunately, no matter how good we are, we fall ridiculously short of God’s target. God’s law demands perfection. Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He gives us his grace freely.

Thank God today for salvation through Jesus.

Power Lift

Dear God, you know all the mistakes I make and all the times I fall short of your standards. Thank you for sending your Son to die on a cross and forgive me of my sins.