{"id":3510,"date":"2018-10-18T07:17:44","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T11:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=3510"},"modified":"2018-10-18T07:36:34","modified_gmt":"2018-10-18T11:36:34","slug":"the-only-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=3510","title":{"rendered":"The Only Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Me: Are you ready for the test?<\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 I hope so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is from the book The Gift of Forgiveness by Charles Stanley<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of my more memorable seminary professors had a practical way of illustrating the concept of grace for his students.\u00a0 At the end of his evangelism course he would hand out the exam with the caution to read it all the way through before beginning to answer it.\u00a0 This caution was written on the exam as well.<\/p>\n

As we read through the exam, it became unquestionable clear to each of us that we had not studied nearly enough.\u00a0 The further we read, the worse it became.\u00a0 About half-way through, audible groans could be heard throughout the lecture hall.\u00a0 By the time we were turning to the last page, we were all ready to turn the exam in blank.\u00a0 It was impossible to pass.<\/p>\n

On the last pages, however, there was a note that read, “You have a choice.\u00a0 You can either complete the exam as given or sign your name at the bottom and in so doing receive an A for this assignment.”<\/p>\n

Wow! We sat there stunned.\u00a0 “Was he serious?\u00a0 Just sign it and get an A?”\u00a0 Slowly, the point dawned on us, and one by one we turned in our tests and silently filed out of the room.\u00a0 It took the rest of the afternoon for me to get over it.\u00a0 I had the urge to go back and check with him one more time to make sure he was serious.<\/p>\n

When I talked with him about it afterward, he shared some of the reactions he had received through the years as he had given the same exam.\u00a0 There were always students who did not follow instructions and began to take the exam without reading it all the way through.\u00a0 Some of them would sweat it out for the entire two hours of class time before reaching the last page.\u00a0 Their ignorance caused them unnecessary anxiety.<\/p>\n

Then there were the ones who would read the first two pages, become angry, turn in their paper blank, and storm out of the room.\u00a0 They never realized what was available.\u00a0 As a result, they lost out totally.<\/p>\n

One fellow, however topped them all.\u00a0 He read the entire test, including the note at the end, but he decided to take the exam anyway.\u00a0 He did not want any gifts; he wanted to earn his grade.\u00a0 And he did.\u00a0 He made a C+, which was amazing considering the difficulty of the test.\u00a0 But he could have easily had a A.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Galatians 1:10<\/p>\n

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?\u00a0 Or am I trying to please man?\u00a0 If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

www.theprodigalpig.com<\/p>\n

www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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