Revelation 12:10 (New International Version)
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have
come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority
of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them
before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
Sometime ago I read a story of a youngster who was
shooting rocks with a slingshot. He could never hit his target. As he returned
to Grandma's backyard, he spied her pet duck. On impulse he took aim and let
fly. The stone hit, and the duck was dead. The boy panicked and hid the bird in
the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching.
After lunch that day, Grandma told Sally to help with the
dishes. Sally responded, "Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen
today. Didn't you Johnny?" And she whispered to him, "Remember the
duck!" So, Johnny did the dishes.
What choice did he have? For the next several weeks he
was at the sink often. Sometimes for his duty, sometimes for his sin.
"Remember the duck," Sally would whisper when he objected.
So weary of the chore, he decided that any punishment
would be better than washing more dishes, so he confessed to killing the duck.
"I know, Johnny," his grandma said, giving him a hug. "I was
standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave
you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave out of you."
He'd been pardoned, but he thought he was guilty. Why? He
had listened to the words of his accuser.
You have been accused as well. You have been accused of
dishonesty. You've been accused of immorality. You've been accused of greed,
anger, and arrogance.
Every moment of your life, your accuser is filing charges
against you. He has noticed every error and marked each slip. Neglect your
priorities, and he will jot it down. Abandon your promises, and he will make a
note. Try to forget your past; he'll remind you. Try to undo your mistakes; he
will thwart you.
This expert witness has no higher goal than to take you
to court and press charges. Even his name, Diabolos, means
"slanderer." Who is he? The devil.
Can't you see him? Pacing back and forth before God's
bench. Can't you hear him? Calling your name, listing your faults. He rails:
"This one you call your child, God. He is not worthy. Greed lingers
within. When he speaks, he thinks often of himself. He'll go days without an
honest prayer. Why, even this morning he chose to sleep rather than spend time
with you. I accuse him of laziness, egotism, worry, distrust . . ."
As he speaks, you hang your head. You have no defense.
His charges are fair. "I plead guilty, your honor," you mumble.
"The sentence?" Satan asks.
"The wages of sin is death," explains the
judge, "but in this case the death has already occurred. For this one died
with Christ." Satan is suddenly silent. And you are suddenly jubilant. You
realize that Satan cannot accuse you. No one can accuse you! Fingers may point
and voices may demand, but the charges glance off like arrows hitting a shield.
No more dirty dishwater. No more penance. No more nagging sisters. You have
stood before the judge and heard him declare, "Not guilty."
Dear Lord we thank You for being a fair judge, but more
than that we thank You that You paid the price for our sin and the accuser can
pin nothing on us because of Your great love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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