Posted: August 30th, 2010 | Author: Ashish Kuriakose | Filed under: Weekly Devotional | Tags: Bathsheba, David, forgiveness, sin | No Comments »
Today’s reading:
Psalms 51: 7 – 11
“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.” (NLT)
Extended reading: 2 Samuel 11, 12
In his DVD, Today, when Brian Doerksen sings “Refiner’s Fire”, he asks all men to stand up in the arena and tells the women to pray over their men. What did they pray for? To keep them pure. To keep their men’s hearts clean. Brian Doerksen understood that we live in a world with a lot of distractions. Distractions that keep us away from our family, our real purpose, our destiny.
Psalm 51 was written by David after the prophet Nathan faced him with his sin. David stole another man’s (Uriah) wife (Bathsheba) and got her husband killed (2 Samuel 11). He takes Bathsheba as his wife after and thinks everything is alright. But the Lord sends Nathan, the prophet to confront David with his sin (1 Samuel 12).
1 Samuel 12: 7 – 10 says, “Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.”
Please note here, David is a man with a lot of clout – political, military, personal. He has to say just one word and Nathan is a dead man. This could have been the world’s best cover-up. Back then, there were no pictures or emails or Internet..in fact, no proof. No proof in worldly terms. But David’s reaction is in vs. 13 “Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.””.
He goes on to write one of the greatest psalms. A psalm of humility. Of repentance. Of forgiveness. A psalm of restoration.
There is nothing we can hide from God, whoever we may be. When faced with sin or stuck in it, the only thing we can do is fall at the mercy seat of God. It does not matter what we have done. David stole, committed adultery and murder. He was forgiven. Verse 13 continues “Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.”
And please, don’t wait for someone or even God to expose you or your sin. When you are convicted within, it is better to confess to Him.
What do I pray?
Lord, forgive me of my iniquity. I confess my sins. Wash me in the Blood of Jesus. Make me pure. Keep me pure. Let me be holy and separated for You. In Jesus’ name.
(If this thought has blessed you, won’t you let us know? Comment here or send us an email to feedback [at] simplyhim [dot] com)
Did you read the Bible today? Click here to read (This plan is a yearly plan where you can read the full Bible in a single year.)
Posted: January 17th, 2010 | Author: Ashish Kuriakose | Filed under: Daily Devotional | Tags: corrections, perfect, sin | No Comments »
Today’s verse:
Jeremiah 46: 28
“But I will not make a complete end of you.
I will rightly correct you,
For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.” (NKJV)
Corrections. We don’t like them. It means we have to change. It means you don’t like me the way I am. It means I have to appeal to you by changing something in me or something I do. So what if you are my loved one? What if you are my parent? What if you are my best friend? Corrections. I still don’t like them.
Goodies. We all like them. The surprise gift on Valentine’s day. The chocolate my brother shared with me. He didn’t have to but he still did. My first bicycle. My first walkman. Permission to take the car to the movies with my friends. I love my parents. That extra money this month. The discount at the store. Goodies. We all love them.
Perfect people don’t need corrections. Imperfect people do.
Tomorrow when you wake up in the morning and go to the wash room to brush your teeth, try this exercise. Can you stare at yourself in the mirror? Yea…just look at yourself. Take note of yourself. Notice your scraggy hair. (Maybe you are bald!) Notice your stretchy, dry skin. The yellow teeth. That gooey stuff outside your eyes. The foamy toothpaste in your mouth peeping out from the corners. And then ask yourself – am I perfect? This is not a sight for perfect people.
Corrections. I still don’t like them.
True. God does not like them either. But the Potter knows what the right vessel will look like. Heaven’s Composer knows the perfect melody you can be. The Painter knows how the masterpiece will look like – you. And He wants you to be perfect. We are built to be perfect. But somewhere along the line, we tend to miss the points, we get distracted and we lose sight of what it means to be perfect. That is when God stirs you back.
Corrections. I don’t like them, Lord! But if You think it will make me perfect, I will obey. I will surrender.
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 41-42 (Old Testament), Matthew 12: 1 – 23 (New Testament). (Click here to read)
(This plan is a yearly plan where you can read the full Bible in a single year.)
Paul had a problem. Some say it was a medical issue. Some say it was spiritual. Whatever it was, Paul was disturbed by it and he wished, like a lot of us, it would go away or be taken away from him. But God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul did not want strength. He wanted healing. He wanted deliverance. He would rather walk free than take each step in pain. He would rather do it himself than having to depend on others.
These are not answers we want to hear. We want our problems resolved instantly. We want instant solutions. Sufficient Grace and Strength In Weakness are not cans we would pick up in the supermarket. We would rather take something that says “Instant Relief” or “Do-It-Your-Way Solution”.
Paul had a problem and God says, “That’s fine. I will give you the strength you need to get through it.” When God says that, you need to realize He is giving Himself to be with you through the situation. He is willing to wait it out with you or take the bus or walk with you.
What is God telling you about your situation? Are you looking for answers? Will you be willing to settle for grace? Willing to be strengthened in your weakness? Maybe you don’t know and that is perfectly fine. Just remember not to fight him. You will be surprised how amazing his grace can be and the only thing you need in your situation.
