Saturday, April 10, 2010

2010 – April 10 – Grieving Over Sin

Study from God’s Word2nd Samuel 21: 15-17; 2nd Sam. 21: 18-22 [1st Chron. 20: 4-8]; 2nd Sam. 8: 1 [1st Chron. 18: 1]; 2nd Sam. 10: 1-5 [1st Chron. 19: 1-5]; 2nd Sam. 10: 6-14 [1st Chron. 19: 6 – 15]; 2nd Sam. 10: 15-19 [1st Chron. 19: 16-19]; Psalm 60; 2nd Samuel 11: 2 [1st Chron. 20: 1a]; 2nd Sam. 11: 2-27; 2nd Samuel 12: 13a; Psalm 51; 2nd Sam. 12: 13b - 17 … Passage for Reflection: Psalm 51: 3 … NIV For I know my transgressions, and my is always before me.

My Journal for Today: I know. Most of us know the story of David and Bathsheba quite well; but not everyone who will read this can identify personally with David’s fall, his sin, his cover-up, and his repentance quite as much as I can. And in today’s highlight verse, from the famous, or infamous, Psalm 51 (verse 3), we can read of the extent of David’s repentance and his grief over his sin.

My friends, I languished in serious sinfulness against God, my wife, my family, and others for 22 years of my life, … twelve of those being in rank infidelity from my wife. And my cover-up, though it didn’t involve murder as did David’s, was skillful in the human sense to hide me from others, like my wife, family, and colleagues; but, of course, nothing was ever hid from God; and my sin, like David’s, caught up with me; and as with David, my repentance broke me to the core of my being, leading me to the horror of memory that I will hold in my mind as long as I live on this earth.

I’ve been saved in Christ for over 25 years; and He has forgiven my sins, allowing me to daily put on His robes of righteousness, activated by His blood sacrifice on my behalf, and letting me cover over my rags of sinfulness. And even after this quarter century plus, I still grieve for my sin. But my repentance and commitment to the walk of freedom/victory He has given me, allows me to breath God’s air of freedom; and it also, as it did for David (reading Psalms 51 and 32), has given me the opportunity to witness to the power of God’s grace to others, and to be vigilant, preventing future breeches of sin and helping others, through the ministry God has called me to found/lead (see http://www.battleplanministries.org/). And by living and modeling “battle plan living,” my grief over my past sins can, through my repentance and ministry, be set aside in lieu of walking in freedom, exhibiting the hope that all sinners have for forgiveness and faithfulness in Christ.

King David, as I did, sinned grievously; and we can read in God’s word just how much he grieved over his sin; … BUT … he didn’t languish long in the tar pits of self-pity. No, David was a great example of surrendering himself to God’s saving, forgiving, and empowering grace and getting back into the flow of life, … allowing God to regenerate and renew his soul. Yes, David’s sin had dire consequences. Sin always has consequences. I’ll always have to deal with the consequences of my past sins; but like David, I can – and have – become a “man after God’s own heart” … by repenting of my sin, grieving of its effects, and then submitting myself to God’s enabling grace as He calls me to serve Him by wearing His full armor, carrying his Sword, and taking the high ground of prayer in the daily battles I face in His Name.

I pray that we all have come to hate the sins of our past, … that we’ve desperately have grieved over those sins, … and that we’ve repented and taken up the banner of Christ in being examples of His saving and empowering grace.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that you’ll keep me tuned to my weaknesses and ever relying on Your power and walking the road to righteousness on which You shine Your light of freedom and victory. Amen

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