Wednesday, February 17, 2010
How to Move On
(I Samuel 12:16-25)
Sometimes our struggle with sin is more a matter of moving on from the sin than of confessing it. Let me explain: Most of us understand that the antidote for sin is confession. I John 1:9 is a well-worn pathway in the minds of conscientious Christians. We understand that broken fellowship with the Lord can only be remedied by confession, and we’re usually fairly quick to confess our sins—especially the big ones.
Once confessed, however, sin still has a way of plaguing us. I’m not speaking of habitual sins that are difficult to conquer. I’m talking about sin’s lingering influence upon the conscience. Simply put, sometimes we allow sins that have been confessed to discourage us from zealous service for God. Even though we’ve been forgiven, we hesitate to serve God because we still feel guilty and unworthy.
Samuel knew that Israel faced just such a danger. Having confessed their sin in asking for a king (19), Samuel recognized that their discouragement over the now irreversible situation could result in spiritual apathy. “After all,” they might reason, “if we’ve missed God’s will in such a big matter, what’s the use of trying to serve Him now?”
Samuel’s answer is delightfully straightforward: “Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart” (20). In other words, your sins are real; they can’t be undone. The consequences are real and long-lasting, and they won’t go away. But you can still serve the Lord. How can that be? Because “the Lord will not forsake his people…it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people” (22). The past is the past. Let’s get busy and serve the Lord!
