THOUGH I COMMIT EVIL, I MUST CONTINUE FOLLOWING THE LORD

…FATHER, even though I am steeped in sin, there is no reason I should not continue to walk beside You. When the Israelites were steeped in sin—even sin that they knew full well was sin, and yet they continued in it—the prophet Samuel encouraged them with these words:

“…’Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.  For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name…” (1 Sam 12:20,22 NASB).

Thank You LORD, for not abandoning me. You never think of abandoning me because, in so doing, it would dishonor Your name. It is only me, Your silly, prideful creature, who thinks You might abandon me because of my sin. You have dealt with sin; it is no longer an issue with You. But, it is with me.

For me, repentance for sin is necessary. It is a way to escape so iniquity shall not be my ruin. I am to tell the truth about my sin so a proper diagnosis can be achieved. Sin is all about reminding me who I am: a creature constantly needing His Creator.

Oh FATHER, hear my confession. Let me not slip into the bog of wallowing in my sin and spinning my feet trying to work at eradicating it. It’s not about me and my ugly sin. It’s about following You because of Your greatness. I desire quickly to climb back on the path to follow You.

“O Lord, forbid that I would be so foolish as to be a lover of wages more than a lover of underserved rewards. Make me feel the sweetness of being shown mercy. Work childlikeness deeply into my soul, and make me find my joy and my rest in Your free gift of grace” John Piper (ref#124, p61).