Court date…

Yeah I’m embarrassed to say, yesterday I had a date with the Franklin Tennessee Court for a speeding fine. Here in the USA you get the opportunity to either pay your fine and then get points taken off your license AND pay even more to insure your car each month or go to court plead guilty and then show up to a four hour drivers school for about the same price as the initial ticket and not have it go on your record. (sorry that was such a long sentence!) I went for the later… insurance is jacked up over here as it is!!!

It was an interesting experience I thought worth blogging about. First of all, I was about half an hour early… traffic can be horrendous getting from Spring Hill TN – Franklin TN for a 7:30am start so I made sure I left enough time. I sat in my car a little while and when I started noticing people walking in holding the pink slip of judgment I too made my way into to the courtroom.

A small room… old uncomfortable wooden pews and total silence. One by one people shuffled their way in and took their seat. Business mean in suites looking obviously annoyed by the inconvenience, working mums, college students that looked like that had been the earliest they had arisen from bed in a long time, labourers… probably about 20 people from all different walks of life, about the same males to females… I thought for sure there would have been more male lead foots in the world!

It was interesting sitting there wondering about each persons reaction to getting caught – either by the copper pulling them over for a speeding fine or by the inspector telling them they had too much garbage on their front lawn and had broken codes. I got my fine the day before thanksgiving… I actually was on the phone (which isn’t illegal in TN btw!) hearing an amazing God story and totally didn’t notice the speed limit change… and dang it I was annoyed!!! Even went back to see where the stupid signs were! They were there… guilty as charged…

It was also interesting musing over the fact that we, from all different walks of life, were sitting their in the same room about to be judged and sentenced by this humourous, gray haired lawyer. (excuse my lack of correct terms!) I couldn’t help but wonder about the day we stand before a righteous God on judgment day. I’d have nothing… no excuses… I’m a sinner… hands down!

Revelation 20 (New King James Version)

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,[c] and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.[d] 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Praise the Lord, Jesus Christ came to stand up at our trial and pay the price for our sins. He literally died, took our punishment, so we can have eternal life – with him! How much he must love us! Even while we were sinners… Christ died for us! As you know, we can’t be ‘good enough’ to live a sinless life to get into Heaven. Even as I was driving home… still slightly paranoid at speeding and getting caught… I still found myself accidentally breaking the limits!

I can relate to Paul… Romans 7:17-20 (The Message)

17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

So what do we have to do to be right with God and to be welcomed into eternity with him? I really didn’t mean for this blog to become a sermon… but this is life and death stuff… I would hate to stand before God one day and realise one of my mates was behind me in line that I hadn’t told… what a sobering thought that is…

Romans 10:9-10 (New International Version)

9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

1 John 1:9 (New International Version)

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you can be saved. I’ve just quoted a few scriptures here in this blog but you can find more about the life of Jesus the man who came to stand in the judgement seat for us by reading one of the gospels like Luke. You owe yourself a good read. If you already have a relationship with Jesus Christ, I’d love to hear your story? How, when, where did you find him? Thanks for sticking with me today…