Unintentional
I am just inexperienced enough that I stumble and make mistakes in a lot of areas. I’m not the coolest and best husband ever – I’m self seeking too often for that. I’m not the smartest Dad for sure – I’ve made several mistakes in that area. When I really stop to think about it, I’m actually weak in what I perceive to be my areas of strength. The Lord built me and wired me to serve Him by loving others. I sometimes get it right. The Lord also gave me boundaries to live and serve within. I sometimes step outside those boundaries and that’s when there are consequences.
As I was reading about the sin offering this morning I was moved by a couple of small one-syllable words in the text. As The Lord was giving Moses instruction regarding a leader’s sin He used the words “When” instead of “If”. Check this out…
22 ‘“When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt 23 and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. 24 He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 26 He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven. (Leviticus 4:22-26 NIV)
I think it’s interesting that the Word says “When a leader sins…” I think that this concept lines up with Romans 3:23….
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
I am not perfect by any measurement. I can be made perfect before the Lord because there has already been a “sin offering” made on my behalf. I can try as hard as I want, but I will sin at some point today. I’m thankful that God made a way for forgiveness in spite of my sin. I’m thankful that the Lord forgives “intentional and unintentional sin”. When He sees a repentant heart, His heart melts with love and grace.
I remember studying a great 3-step plan for “WHEN” I fail:
- Take responsibility
- Make amends
- Move on
Pressing On!
Dwayne