Old Testament: 1 Samuel 11 & 12
Poetry: Psalm 67
New Testament: 2 Corinthians 10
If you’re like me, that is, *if you are human*, then you have made mistakes. Some of those mistakes are major; not just a small white lie, but sins that harm others and put us out of sync with God. Sometimes, when we make those big sins, we feel like God could never forgive us, could never love us. The words of Samuel to the Israelites from the end of 1 Samuel 12 should give us hope in those moments.
“Do not fear.” “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31), and we should not excuse the sins we commit. The first command given to the Israelites is to not let fear make them flee from the Lord. Instead, we should listen more closely to God than ever. If we recognize our sin, we also recognize that God’s ways are higher than our own, and his ways are better than the ways of the world. If we flee from God, we turn toward things that cannot give us hope, cannot give us a future, cannot redeem us. As Samuel says, they cannot profit or deliver. They are futile.
This all seems very good. “Maybe our sin wasn’t so bad”… we might say, foolishly. God does not ignore your sin because he is ignorant of it, or because he doesn’t care. Instead, “God will not abandon His people *on account of His great name*.” God has chosen a people to be his own possession. In the ancient world, it was Israel, those who were born from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, children of the promise. Today, he has also chosen a people, also those born according to a promise, but now, it is all who have a faith like Abraham’s, who trust God like Isaac, who believe and wrestle with the Lord like Jacob, those who choose to trust in the final and ultimate descendant of the Patriarchs, Jesus Christ. God has made you a part of his people when you trusted in Jesus. Now, the reality is that we are not merely performing the law, but the law of God has been enacted in the life of Jesus, and by connecting with him, we both enact the law and go beyond it to the truth Christ taught! Christ taught us the truth of God, Christ showed us the life that God wants us to live, Christ died so that we might have life. “Consider the great things the Lord has done for you.” It is now more true than ever. Our sin was nailed to the cross with Christ. It was so terrible it cost Christ everything and he willingly paid it all.
We are called to avoid sin, and we are warned by Christ himself that if we live wicked lives, his words will judge us in the last day. But now, if we do sin, we do not need to fear because we have an advocate who loves us, who gives us a spirit who can change us from the inside out, so we might stop sinning and stop desiring to sin. That is the glory and the power of living in the age of grace, of living in the shadow of the cross.
“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.”
And so, this day and every day, may you be blessed as you “Seek, Grow, Love”. Far be it from me to cease praying for you!
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
- Do Not Fear: We are commanded “do not fear” again and again in scripture. We are even told that perfect love drives out fear. But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Moreover, Jesus did not encourage his disciples out of their fear when they were in awe and terrified when the winds and waves obey him. With all those confusing passages in mind, what is the Christian relationship with fear? What should we fear? What should we not fear?
- Consider the great things the Lord has done for you: Make a list throughout the day today of all the blessings that God has given you. What are the big, great amazing things, and what are the small, everyday good. Consider them all and see that the Lord is good.
- Far be it from me…: Would you take the next few minutes, and pray earnestly, for those who are reading Seek Grow Love. Pray for the blessings of God to be upon them. Amen.
Seek Grow Love 