I want to thank all of you for the expressions of sorrow over the loss of my North Greenville College ring that I wrote about in my last article, “The Hard Way.” I have also learned a couple of other lessons the hard way since that article came out. The first is that if you have your college ring stolen out of your car and decide to write about in The Baptist Courier, it is a good idea to let your parents know about what happened before they read the article. Needless to say, I will not make the mistake of not letting my parents know about what will be in my article from now on.
AtkinsThe second lesson is that the world that thieves work in is not as honest as the world the rest of us live in. In my pursuit of trying to locate my stolen property, I was alarmed to find out that a lot of businesses that buy and sell scrap gold do not ask for proof of ownership by those who bring in precious metals. I went to such a place in the area where my ring was stolen to inquire if they had seen a ring matching the description of the one that was stolen. I told them that my name was inscribed inside the ring and I was shocked when he said, “We don’t really look inside the rings for names, we just assume that the person that brings it in as scrap has the authority to do so.”
The thief was able to destroy something of great value to the owner without any proof of ownership. The thief was able to get great pleasure and profit out of seeing something that did not belong to him being scrapped without mercy by the world and its operating standards. The thief that the Christian faces operates in the same way. He desires to take something that does not belong to him, dismiss it as being nothing more than scrap, and then rejoice at seeing it being relegated to obscurity.
Too many times, Christians stumble and fall into sin, only to have the thief come and try to pass them off as being scrap that is no longer of value. Although they have been damaged and worn by the trial that they have endured, they are still of great worth to the rightful owner. No matter what may have happened in the life of a Christian, we know that they are just a prayer away from being restored. First John 1:9 tells those that the thief tries to pass off as scrap that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Whatever the sin may have been, however great the transgression was, the grace and forgiveness of God is always greater.
As we strive for Great Commission Living in 2012, the thief will not cease to try and prohibit our advancement in our personal relationship with the Father by attempting to scrap us off as being of no value. Just remember that ultimately we are valuable to the One whose name is inscribed inside our hearts – Jesus Christ!
– Atkins is pastor of Powdersville First Baptist Church and president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.