On the Waterfront

I live on a piece of “waterfront” property. Not that I sought it out or anything – it was the only piece left when I bought my house. (I did have to pay a hefty surcharge for the “bonus” of living “on the waterfront.”)

What “waterfront” means in my case is that I live alongside a water-retention pond. The south Florida method of building is to scoop out a bunch of dirt in order to raise the houses built above sea level. When they scoop out the dirt, it makes a big hole in the ground that eventually fills up with water. They arrange the houses around the perimeter of the hole, and they call that “waterfront living.” No wonder we have to pay extra for that privilege – as everyone wants to live by the water. It’s an exclusive address.

John 8:6 …But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."

How a water-retention pond works is by rainfall run-off. Since the ground surrounding the pond has been raised up, all the rainwater runs into the pond and fills it up. Then we sit on our lanai and gaze out at the water and get far-away looks on our faces as we relax.

Our lives are like that. From cradle to grave, our lives are filled with sins because we are sinners. We are not sinners because we sin – we sin because we are sinners. There is a huge difference.

The sins rain down daily and come so frequently and so often we forget all about them. Easily, readily, so many, so often, our sins slip right by into the pond of our forgetfulness.

And then the sprinkler system comes on to water the grass and we are suddenly reminded where the water for the sprinkler system comes from. It comes from the water-retention pond. All the water that ran off into the pond and was forgotten has suddenly reappeared in our lives, and we cannot help but see it. Sin long-forgotten is just like that. It reappears when we least expect it.

John 8:8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

Do you realize the Lord keeps track of ALL of your sins, from cradle to grave? He can recall them in an instant, and will in the Day of Judgment, should you choose to be judged rather than forgiven. In the same way Jesus recalls your sin by etching them in the ground – even publicly if necessary – He can also just as readily wash them all away with His blood. When is the last time you were convicted in your conscience, and instead of melting away with the crowd you ran to the Lord for His forgiveness and cleansing?

- Pastor Bill