This statement comes from a King who has led less than a stellar life. King David is a perfect example of how we fall into temptation and when it goes unchecked, into sin and yet is still loved by God. He is called in scripture as the apple of God’s eye. How is this possible for a man who slept with another man’s wife and then had the woman’s husband killed? Only with God is this possible.
Oh there were consequences for David’s actions to be sure; dire consequences at that, but God’s love for him never waned. The infant son born of Bathsheba died causing much grief and sorry in David’s heart. In the end he knew he had sinned through a visit from Nathan the Prophet. Our actions always lead to consequences of one sort or another. In it all God’s love for us never changes.
The Almighty Jehovah is a forgiving God. We must ask for forgiveness and we must ask with a sincere and contrite heart. It is not a glib thing that we do. We must come to God as we would a parent and confess what He already knows. Then we must have true contrition, true sorrow in our heart for our words or deeds. The love of God is boundless. He has already forgiven us before we even asked, yet we are required to ask nonetheless. There can be no forgiveness if we do not request it. The asking is designed to cause a change in us. No one likes to have to apologize. It is humbling and at times embarrassing. It is also builds character in the offender.
God forgives and God loves, but He is not a genie in a bottle, nor is He One who winks at our sin. Notice that the last 6 words in the above verse are “to all who call to you”. Something is required of us at all times. Forgiveness doesn’t just happen. His love permeates all of creation, but forgiveness must be sought.
In the end we realize that God hasn’t changed, nor will He ever, but rather we have changed. We begin to see things differently. We begin to marvel at the love God has for us. We begin to understand that the love that is defined in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 really represents the love God has for us. It is pretty astounding when you think about it. With all the incredibly stupid things we say and do in our lives, God still loves us. His aim is to make us whole. His aim is to change us for the better. We must succumb to His correction. Only then will be grow and become all God knows we can be; an individual living for Him and others instead of solely for ourselves.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!
No comments:
Post a Comment