Today's devotional is written by Pastor Roy Summers
A Sad Memory
Many years ago I went to visit a single young Christian man in my church. I was not planning to visit him that day, but prompted by the Spirit of God, I stopped by on my way to somewhere else.
In his flat I found the wife of another member of the congregation with her little child. When I questioned the rightness of being alone in the same house as a man she was not married to, she justified her actions! And so did he. They were just talking church stuff......
Warning Verses!
There are a number of serious warning verses in Scripture. And if we are humble we all need to both hear and heed them.
In heaven we will need no warnings! But here below we have an old fallen nature which is bound up with our old dying bodies, and they war against the Spirit in an infernal and perpetual battle.
Here below we have a heart that is "deceitful above all things...."
Ask anyone who has been on the road for a few decades. Ask them - Is it now easier than it was when you began? They will say No! Some will say the fight gets ever more difficult because the now-ageing flesh lets us down more regularly!
Our memory verse for today is a warning against sin:
"Your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
I sadly report that the marriage mentioned above dissolved, because "your sin will find you out."
Besetting Sin
In one way or another, at one time or another, our sin will find us out. Paul says something interesting about this in 1 Timothy 5:24, "The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them." Some sins are just so obvious "out there" sorts of sins, that no-one is surprised when judgement catches up. Other sins are far slower to emerge from the shadows.
But, says our memory verse, one day all sins will come out, fast sins and slow sins, open sins and secret ones too.
Oh, perhaps we may be able to hide them even the whole of our lives, but they will come out in the world to come, on the day of judgement, for of our God it is said, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is
uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give
account." (Hebrews 4:13).
Another true story.
An elder in a church displayed a puzzling behaviour. He would be very light on sinful behaviour in the church, always wanting his fellow elders to overlook it. The other elders read this as gracious, though sometimes they were puzzled, because there is a time to act when the glory of God is at stake.
Well one day he himself was caught stealing money from older members! As a financial wizard they would consult him about financial matters and he managed to diddle lots of them out of their cash.
The strange laxity towards other sinful believers was now understandable - he was deflecting attention from his own sin and salving his conscience; and his secret sin was now exposed, for:
"Your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
Summing it All Up
Oh pastor, I'm reading this blog over morning coffee and croissants! You've upset me! Not at all - not if you are wise.
When I approach a steep bend in the road, black and white chevrons warn me to slow down. They are not there to hurt me but to help me.
So too all the warnings of Scripture. They are healing words.
Today's words are for some reader who thinks they will get away with it. God says you won't. Repent while you can. Repent today. Repent before...
These words are for anyone thinking about sinning - don't. Your sin will one day find you out.
And these words are for those who have been found out and now need to sincerely repent and return, and the Lord will receive you gladly. Like the prodigal's father he is waiting for his repentant "I am not worthy" son to return!
A SONG FOR THE DAY
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy unchanging love
Here I raise mine Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I'm come
And I hope, by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed his precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let thy goodness, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above
Come, thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy unchanging love
A PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Our loving Father in heaven,
We thank you for your Holy Spirit who makes us holy and convicts us of our sin. We confess that our hearts are deceitful and so we pray that you will search us and try us. Expose our sin and give us the grace, wisdom and power to turn away from it.
We pray for brothers and sisters caught up in sin, that they will be convicted of their sin before it finds them out.
We thank you that for all you sincerely repent and turn to you, there is the welcome of the younger son, the embrace of the Father and the feast of the fattened calf.
Teach us the paths of daily holiness and repentance,
In Jesus' name we pray,
Amen
Photo by Michel Paz on Unsplash
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