The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous


There seems to be no limit to the depth of denial in the Columbus Public Schools' attendance-scrubbing scandal. The news media in Central Ohio has published story after story featuring the dramatic alteration of attendance data in order to gain the school system financial and other advantages, yet those involved continue to heap denial upon denial (the most dubious being "we've always done that and I didn't realize it was wrong").

What these folks don't realize is that they have already been condemned by their unethical and possibly illegal behavior, and that their repeated denials constitute a living-out of their jail terms. "Evil will bring death to the wicked," the psalmist sings in Psalm 34:21, "and those who hate the righteous will be punished."

The good news is that God, in God's abundance grace, offers a free pass out of this prison of death for those willing to acknowledge their wrongdoing:

Turn from evil and do good; 
seek peace and pursue it. 
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, 
and God's ears are open to their cry.
                                           (Psalm 34:14-15) 

For all of us, no matter what our transgressions, redemption is always close at hand.

O Lord, you redeem the life of your servants,
and those who put their trust in you will not be punished.
                                      (Psalm 34:22)



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