Proper Response

There are times when I’ve spoken to a person and when they speak back to me, their response doesn’t make any sense. There are times when I’ve caught a mistake made by a vendor or an employee and they respond totally wrong.  I think I should own a mistake when I make one. Please note that I didn’t say “if” I make a mistake. All of us on planet earth are human and we make mistakes. Some are better at it than others.  There times when we have a complete lapse in judgement and do something bad that has consequences for years to come. I think adultery is one of those sins. Adultery is a sexual sin for sure, and the consequences can go on for years.

King David has a serious lapse in judgement in his sin with Bathsheba. The Lord sends Nathan, the prophet to call him out. Nathan tells the story of a rich man and a poor man. The poor man has only one little lamb. The rich man has a guest over and instead of choosing a lamb from his flock, he takes the poor man’s lamb and kills it to serve his guests. David is incensed and says the at the gall of the rich man. I’m picking up the conversation here. Check this out….

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. ⁹ Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. ¹⁰ From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. (2 Samuel 12:7-10 NLT)

David is busted for his secret sin. My Mom used to say: “Be sure your sins will find you out”. She meant that sins committed in secret will come to light and become known. David has a proper response when caught in his sin. He repents. In fact he penned a Psalm that has blessed me many times as this is my response to my sin. Check this out…

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.

² Wash me clean from my guilt.
    Purify me from my sin.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
¹³ Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
    and they will return to you.
¹⁴ Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
    then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
¹⁵ Unseal my lips, O Lord,
    that my mouth may praise you. (Psalm 51:1-2,10-15 NLT)

I want to be quick to repent of my sin.

I want to be thorough in my confession.

I want to be humble before the Lord.

I want to always have a proper response before the Lord.

Pressing On!

Dwayne