by Rich DuBose
Some days I’m a pretty good person. I say and do things that probably make God smile. As a parent I can imagine that. But there are other days when I’m sure I make him cringe. I make myself cringe. Why did I do that? What made me talk like that to my brother or neighbor. Ugh. I should not have posted that on social media.
David prayed, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:1-3, BSB).*
David acknowledged his part in humanity’s fallenness, and he specifically admitted his guilt in coveting his neighbor’s wife—Bathsheba. In remorse he cried out to God, “Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:9-10, BSB).
The most amazing thing you will ever know is that even though you have done and said stupid things, God loves you anyway. Jesus died for me while I was being a jerk.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, ESV).
Shawn Mullins sings a song titled, “Give God the Blues” where he says, “God don’t hate the Muslims, God don’t hate the Jews, and God don’t hate the Christians, but we all give God the blues.”
At times we all make God sad and the devil happy. It comes with the territory of being human and living on a broken planet.
In Romans 7 Paul speaks of his frustration of wanting to do right, but doing the exact opposite. Some joke about this by saying, “the devil made me do it. I didn’t really want to, but I couldn’t help myself.”
That statement is partially true. The devil can never force us to do anything against our will, but we cannot resist him in our own strength.
So, yeah, as long as we live apart from God we’ll keep doing the devil’s bidding.
The Trouble With Being Human
Paul says, “The trouble is…I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate” (Romans 7:14-15, NLT).
But guess what? Jesus loves you anyway. That’s the good news of the gospel, which makes the devil really mad. Jesus loves me no matter what I say or do. He doesn’t just love me when I’m good. He loves me when I’m bad. Really bad.
Knowing this has the potential to change the way I think and live.
When we were in our late teens, Duane Maracle and I were in a band together in Carmel, California. We had both dreamed of making it big in the music world and were doing everything we could to make it happen. We wrote songs, practiced long hours, did some recording, and were planing to move to England to make our debut. Then something unexpected happened. First, God whispered my name and asked me to follow him on a different path. That was difficult for me, but I did it because how do you say no to God without realizing you would be a fool to turn him down? Several years later Duane heard the same whisper and dropped what he was doing. It was uncanny. When we were 16 we would have laughed if you had told us that within a few years we would be ditching our goal to make a name for ourselves in music, to pursue a life of telling other’s about God’s name. We would’ve thought you were crazy.
What happened? The devil over-played his hand. He kept telling us how fun it was to be rich and famous, but we started running into people who were, but who were miserable and traumatized by it. He kept telling us that life without God would fill us with laughter, fun, and happiness, but as we journeyed down that road we saw increasing confusion, addiction, disappointment, and grief.
For Duane the turning point came when he was riding home on the subway in Toronto, Canada (where he was living) in despondency and despair. He had experienced some health difficulties and was pretty discouraged. He was sitting across from a woman who was quietly reading a devotional book that reminded him of his mom when he was a young boy, and it triggered fond memories of a better time and place. How he wished he could revisit those years with his mom—who at that point had died.
One thing led to another and it wasn’t long before Duane decided he’d had enough of the devil’s lies and alternative “facts,” and with God’s help he changed the path he was on.
He wrote a song about that experience titled, “Jesus Loved Me Anyway.” The lyrics go like this:
There was a boy
Who thought that he could find,
Good happy times,
And some peace of mind.
By telling God goodbye,
And living all alone.
Well, that boy was me,
I tried to make it on my own.
(Chorus)
But Jesus loved me anyway,
He waited, but I wasted time away,
I understand now.
Jesus loved me anyway,
Now I thank Him and praise Him everyday.
There was a boy
Who fought God all the way,
Well, he used to say,
There's got to be another way.
So he sailed off alone
To find the rising sun.
But he found the pain,
And the hurt when the day was done.
(Chorus)
But Jesus loved me anyway,
He waited, but I wasted time away,
I understand now. Jesus loved me anyway,
Now I thank Him and praise Him everyday.
(Repeat chorus and fad out)
(Music and lyrics 1989, by Duane Maracle, All rights reserved)
In the world’s eyes, grace is ridiculous and forgiveness is for sissies. But remember, in God’s order of things it is the meek who inherit the earth and the weak who are strong.
God’s Love
Why do so many Christians today hate those they think are evil? Because they allow their opinions to dictate their actions. They’re not able to see “sinners” through God’s eyes. And worse yet, they can’t see themselves as God does—sinners in need of a radical transformation
Consequently we miss having the joyous assurance that we are loved beyond our wildest dreams; of knowing that everyone is the “apple of God’s eye,” and that he has spent heaven’s greatest treasure to have the very one’s we dislike with him for eternity.
“Martin Luther said, “The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands.”
I’m tired of taking matters into my own hands and am ready to accept Jesus’ offer:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message).
In closing, remember when Jesus told his disciples in Mark 14 that the time was approaching when the Jewish authorities would arrest him, tie him up and lead him away to be tried? Then Jesus looked at his followers and said, “when this happens you’re going to desert me.” They murmured and shook their heads, no, that’s not going to happen. And Peter, who often said things he later regretted, said, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, Peter- this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me." "No!" Peter declared emphatically. "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" And all the others vowed the same” (Mark 14:29-31, NLT).
Remember how the story unfolded? As Jesus was being questioned, Peter came to the courtyard of the house where he was being held. Peter tried to appear as a disinterested by-stander but his heart ached as he saw what they were doing to his Lord.
Suddenly someone accused Peter of being one of Jesus’ followers and Peter said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know this man.”
The matter was dropped until a little later when Peter was recognized by a servant girl. Let’s pick the story up here.
“When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, ‘This man is definitely one of them!’ But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, ‘You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.’ Peter swore, ‘A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!.’ And immediately the rooster crowed the second time.”
“Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.’ And he broke down and wept’” (Mark 14:69-72, NLT).
Jesus knew Peter better than he knew himself, and he still loved him—even though Jesus knew Peter would vehemently disown him, he loved him anyway.
No matter what we say or do, Jesus loves us and wants to be our friend.
What a friend we have in Jesus.
*BSB is short for Berean Standard Bible.
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California | Photo by Ron Lach, with Pexels
On the web at: richdubose.com. All Rights Reserved © 2025. Join me on Blue Sky @spiritrenew.bsky.social.
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
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