Author, educator and commentator Dr. James Denison has been pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas since June, 1998. Prior to that, he was pastor at churches in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as Midland (at First Baptist) and Mansfield, Texas.You've just teed off on the 13th hole of Canyon West Golf Club in Weatherford, Texas. Your shot lands in the fairway, which makes you a better golfer than me. You stride up to the ball, ready for your next shot, when you find your ball resting on yellow metal sticking up from the ground. Congratulations-you've just discovered a buried bulldozer.
Local television news in Dallas is carrying the story. Acting on a tip, officials recently dug up the fairway, where they found a 9,000 pound Ford rubber tire loader. Investigators have been told that the owners allegedly used the stolen equipment to build the course 14 years ago, then buried it. One official estimates that the bulldozer would have cost $40,000 to $50,000, perhaps more.
I've never buried a bulldozer, but we did bury my son's deceased pet snake next to the garage of our last home. And a bird we found dead in the back alley. And a squashed squirrel we found on the street in front of our house. Such interments do not begin to compare, however, with the objects I've buried in the back yard of my soul. Failures, sins, mistakes I don't want you ever to know about. If you're looking for proof of the biblical claim that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), you need look no farther than me.
What do we do with the guilt which gathers over the years around our souls? Most of us try to work off our debt. We know that God forgives everything we confess (1 John 1:9), but we still feel guilty. So we punish ourselves with shame and self-condemnation until we think we've finally suffered enough. But the bulldozers don't go away-in fact, they grow rustier and uglier the longer they stay buried.
There's a better way. Get alone with your Father today. Write down or describe in spoken words the sin that is bothering you. Speak to yourself biblical promises of divine forgiveness such as 1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:11-12, Micah 7:19, and Jeremiah 31:34. Tell God that you believe his word and are applying it to your guilt. Declare yourself forgiven, your sin forgotten by your Father. If you keep a spiritual journal (an excellent practice), make a note of this day and event.
Then, whenever your shame attacks you, return to this moment and claim your Father's love. You may need to take your guilt to God's grace a hundred times today and ninety tomorrow, but grace will eventually win and victory will be yours. What bulldozer in your soul needs the cleansing love of God today?
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