Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday November 30, 2007

In my monthly paper, Larry Lilly's Journal, I often print edited letters from men and women in prison. And in turn I get hate mail from some who live in the area where the crime was perpetrated and these folks take umbrage at my trying to help such low life specimens of humanity. (Their term).

I used to answer, but I gave this up as I make no bones about the work that I do is designed to help sinners, pure and simple. Sinners may be found in prisons or in the poor neighborhoods, but God forbid that I should print the letter of a woman who "was raised well" and is now on death row. Often the letters and even a few phone calls have let me know just how terrible a sinner the person in question is/was. I am always glad to hear this for as the scripture teaches where sin does abound, grace can abound in a much greater manner.

Somewhere along the journey many people who profess faith have lost sight of the fact that Christ came to save sinners, forgetting that the even the Old Testament spoke loud and often about the Messiah to come with the purpose of establishing righteousness in the earth. Many honestly feel that salvation is for those who deserve it rather than for the race that has lost it all when our federal head, Adam, gave it up in the ancient garden.

How many the times I have heard; "Well, Dr. Lilly, you should know by now that the leopard cannot change its spots." This is usually said with the head raised to the point of the nose pointing to the heavens, a position that if a rain shower suddenly descended, the nose pointer would drown. I then take the bull by the horns or to be more specific, the descendant of a donkey and horse that cannot reproduce, by the tail, thus getting their full attention and share a statement from Clinton Duffy, former warden of San Quentin. At a cocktail party a man who was president of his local civic club made the above statement concerning leopards to Mr. Duffy. The good warden responded immediately with:

"You're right; a leopard cannot change his spots: but men can and do, I see it every day."

Tragically the mind set of the civic club has overtaken the church and we now, as many civic minded men and women have no place in our thinking for the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master's hand. Rather, we are spending time searching for people who are thoroughly convinced that they do not need any sort of redemption, "for after all I am a respectable member of society and I am certain to let everyone know that I am not as others."

Charles Allen, a gifted Methodist preacher wrote:

"The hardest people to reach with the love of God are not the bad people. They know they are bad. They have no defense. The hardest ones to win for God are the self-righteous people."

Even the erudite Apostle Paul claimed to be the chief of sinners. Keep in mind that prior to his conversion he was at the very least an accomplice to the murder of Stephen.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit

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