I am milking another blog out of the whole Italian cruise ship debacle.
The Captain proved that he has fewer filters on his mouth than he has evacuation plans for his ship wrecked passengers. He honestly believes that he is a victim of circumstances and the world owes him a do-over.
If I hadn't witnessed the Captain actually showing the poor judgement to give an interview to the international press, I would never have believed it.
When the reporter confronted the Captain with evidence that showed him abandoning ship before his passengers and refusing to back back and assist them, he began to speak. That was not his first mistake of the day but it sealed his fate as the brunt of a Saturday Night Live skit.
"The ship lurched and threw me overboard. Lucky for me, I landed in a life raft. And there was no way I could climb back on the ship, not without a helicopter."
As he was speaking those infamous words, his career was going up in flames and the Police were searching for an orange jumpsuit in his size.
The excuse ridden Captain is not the first (nor the last) guy to panic and make feeble excuses. The first, and perhaps most infamous, was when God confronted Adam about his sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam replied in Genesis 3:12, ".... The woman you put here with me -- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it".
So God confronts Adam and says, "Why?"
Adam's hands start to sweat and his head feels like it is full of Tapioca. Next comes the fidgeting as he looks for an escape route and blathers more loudly than necessary, "God, its all Your fault. I'm a victim. If You had made me a better quality woman, then I wouldn't be in this mess. The woman You made was defective and You should have warned me. All I did was come home from a long day at work, expecting her to have dinner on the table. Instead, she tossed me an apple and I ate it. See God, I am a victim. How am I supposed to succeed when I am sounded by the likes of You and Eve?"
As I type this, I can smell the brimstone as God considers the ramifications of Adam's actions.
Stay with me because this is the heart and soul of this blog.
God confronted Adam and said in verse 9, "The LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Do you honestly believe for one heartbeat that Adam was so good at "Hide and Go Seek" that God couldn't find him? Adam was hiding in God's own garden. God watched Adam select his hiding place and could hear his heart race as he anticipated the unavoidable confrontation with God.
So, why did God ask Adam where he was hiding?
Because God wanted to give Adam a chance to confess. God wanted Adam to admit his sin and ask God to forgive him. God loves to give His kids second chances and opportunities to humbly ask for mercy.
Adam chooses to respond with an excuse. Verse 10 says, "I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid". Oh good grief. Now Adam is trying to convince the God of the Universe that he was modest and embarrassed to be seen naked. Adam's claim to be afraid of God is fodder for a while different blog.
Anyway, I will spare you the rest of this tragic story of inadequate excuses. My point is this, God wants you to come clean with Him.
Psalm 51
David's prayer of confession after committing adultery with Bathsheba.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
5 For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
And after you come clean with God, come clean with each other.
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16
I am closing with this one is for you to ponder. The Pastor Shane version is: "God will forgive you to the same extent that you forgive other people that have offended you"
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you." Matthew 6:14
