Step 9: The Reparation: Made Amends; Step 10: The Repetition: Continual Inventory
Daily Scripture
Matthew 6:12, 34; Psalm 51:16-17; Philippians 3:12-16
Matthew 6
12 Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you, just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
34 Therefore, stop worrying about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Psalm 51
16 You don’t want sacrifices.
If I gave an entirely burned offering,
you wouldn’t be pleased.
17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God.
You won’t despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed.
Philippians 3
12 It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. 13 Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. 14 The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. 15 So all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. 16 Only let’s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
This week’s GPS offers a very brief introduction to the Bible principles in John Ortberg’s book Steps. Please use this GPS to whet your desire to read the book, not as a substitute for it.
“To make amends is to seek to undo what we did when we harmed someone. We harm other people emotionally, or physically, or financially, or socially, or spiritually…. Making amends is hard work.” * And then step 10: “By about this point in our study of the steps, the question may occur to you: How long is it going to take to be done with all of this? When will we reach the finish line? When can we move on to the Next Thing? And the answer is: never…. Step 10 is nothing more than making Steps 1 through 9 a continual practice.” **
- In Psalm 51 God accepts “a heart that is broken and crushed.” A good word for that is “contrite.” “A contrite heart has a steady vision of not only our own heart but also God’s goodness. We see the person we might have been…. We see the person we might yet become. We see—best we can—the goodness and greatness of the God we have offended. And because of that we have hope in God’s mercy. Hope distinguishes contrition from garden-variety guilt.” *** How can God’s mercy infuse your amends with hope?
- For step 10, we adopt “a daily review,” and also “do spot checks during the day.” “In Step 10 we constantly remember one guideline: we are after progress, not perfection.” **** But remember, we do not do this alone by our willpower. We do it by staying in step with God’s Spirit. We trust God’s power working in us to alert us when we are straying from the path. How can you build this continual, daily awareness of walking with God into your life?
Prayer
O Lord, living all of life with you, not just once in a while, is vital to the growth and peace I so very much want. Walk with me, work in me, every day and every hour. Amen.
GPS Insights
Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe serves as a Couples Small Group co-leader & Men's Group Leader, while volunteering in a variety of other capacities at Resurrection. He and his wife, Doris, first met in a Resurrection Single Adult Sunday School class in 1997 and were married in what is now the Student Center. They are empty nesters with 2 college-aged sons, Matthew and Jacob.
“…this is your mission, should you choose to accept it. As always, if you or any of your I.M. Force are caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self destruct in 5 seconds.”
Like the old Mission Impossible TV show, * today’s theme seems daunting: To do a Spiritual Inventory “spot check” throughout our day. Talk about an impossible mission, right? Let’s consider a few observations:
Your Impossible Mission: When your wife asks you to bring something from her purse, just bring the item–not the entire purse.
God in His wisdom knows we’ll fall short of perfection. After all, a cursory review of the great heroes of the Bible & we see many of them falling short of Godly ideals. You have Moses’ angry outbursts, David caving into sexual temptations, Jonah’s disobedience, & Peter’s reluctance to be known as a follower of Christ. Their stories offer each of us great comfort today, because, in spite of their flaws & foibles, they were all still valuable assets for God & His Kingdom.
Your Impossible Mission: If you live in the Midwest do not say, “You know, it wouldn’t be so bad, if it weren’t for the wind.”
Our Spiritual Inventory is not a pass/fail exam. Like our sons’ delightful teachers at Mission Trail Elementary School, we shouldn’t view our inventory score as a test, but rather as an opportunity to “show what we know.” We can then focus on our progress & achievements rather than excessively obsessing on our shortcomings. (Like our son’s old spelling sheets, I expect heaven will have lots of stickers with stars & exclamation points.)
Your Impossible Mission: When your son is home from college for the weekend & gets up at 11:10 on Saturday morning, don’t exclaim, “Look who’s up!”
We are going to need to offer ourselves a lot of forgiveness & grace. As we evaluate our spiritual inventory, we’ll find that we go through grace faster than a beagle scarfing down a slice of cinnamon bread that accidentally fell to the floor. Fortunately, we all have the opportunity to sign up for Jesus’ “Unlimited Grace Plan,” because, boy, are we going to need it. Our Spiritual Inventory is a timely reminder that there is no way we can earn God’s love & devotion; it is truly an undeserved gift from God.
Your Impossible Mission: When your husband buys a new golf club driver & says “This will really help reduce my scores this spring,” do not roll your eyes.
Finally, & most importantly, we’ll discover or re-discover that this is, indeed, an impossible mission–IF we try to do it alone. However, as we invite God to join us alongside our day, we’ll begin to observe a reduction in our human-esque knee-jerk tendencies & find more Godly responses throughout our daily interactions. Jesus was right: With God, nothing is impossible.
Now if you’ll excuse me, Doris & I are going out to eat. This evening’s Impossible Mission: When Doris doesn’t order any French Fries, because “she’s not that hungry,” do not audibly sigh when she asks mid-meal, “Are you going to eat all your fries?”
* For puzzled younger readers or nostalgic older ones, click here for a look at the original (1966) version of one of the greatest TV theme songs ever.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Ortberg, John, Steps: A Guide to Transforming Your Life When Willpower Isn’t Enough (pp. 203-204). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
** Ibid., p. 226.
*** Ibid., p. 219.
**** Ibid., p. 232.
