Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 22:22-23, So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”
Here is the sad truth of what we read in this chapter…we never escape the consequences of our decisions. Whether good or bad, our choices come with consequences. Far too often we make decisions without thinking through the possible repercussions, not just for us, but others as well. David chose sinful behavior in lying to Ahimelech. His choice to rely on his own wisdom, rather than trust God to protect him, cost Ahimelech, the others priests, and many men, woman, children and livestock, their lives. Here, David is both regretting and lamenting his decision. Galatians 6:7 reminds us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that also he will reap.” Sadly, there are many times that we anticipate that our choices are going to result in a negative outcome, but we choose what is best for us at the moment, even if it is sin against the Lord. When the consequences come, they are often painful for us and those that were affected by our sinfulness. The one quality that David had that made him a man after God’s own heart was the fact that he truly repented whenever he sinned against God. In this case he did, but the consequences still came. That is how sin works. We may be remorseful and repent, but we must know that the consequences of our choices may live on for a time and maybe even a lifetime. The secret to moving forward from a bad decision is simply to repent, confess, accept God’s forgiveness and move on. David could not go back and change what he did that led to the death of God’s servants and other innocent lives. He could, however, move forward from here and do what was right to do in the moment. The Apostle Paul put it this way in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” David could not go back and fix what he did. He could not go back and relive the moment in order to make different choices. He could not go back and bring all those people back to life. He could, however, begin to make right choices now, and do what was truly right in the moment. He did just that for Abiathar. All he could offer was to keep him safe now and offer him sanctuary along with all those who were now following him. There are too many of us who are not only lamenting the past, but spending far too much time living there. When we live in the past, we become stagnant in the present and miss out on future blessings. The devils want us to live in our past mistakes, regrets, and rebellious choices. God wants us to repent, confess, and continue moving forward with Him. 1 John 1:9 cannot be any clearer, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God has given us example after example of people who made bad choices, sinned against God, but the Lord used them anyway. God does not give up on us when we have these moments of failure. On the contrary, He wants us to allow Him to use those moments to teach us, shape us, and mold us into the servants we need to be in order to glorify Him. David could have chosen to just sit in the cave and lament his life away. There may be no escaping the consequences of our bad choices, but we can certainly learn from them and move forward for the glory of God. Do not let the devils convince you otherwise. God is a God who restores what is broken, and as long as we have breath He want to put the pieces of our broken lives back together again, better than it ever was.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment