e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Thursday May 14, 2009
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Tough Life-Big God, is still available. Tough Life, Big God Volume 2 is now ready!!!
Also, you can check out my blogs at www.docdeer.wordpress.com and www.rekindledliving.wordpress.com (check out the Studies at CHBC category for our sermon and Bible study summaries). Each one is different, but both have things you might find helpful in your walk with God.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him. 11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. – Psalms 32:8-11, NASB
Learning is a great gift. I used to have a teacher who would say how great it was to learn something every day. Another would suggest how valuable a new idea really was. We often associate learning with the classroom. And, while learning does take place there, we also know that life teaches us lessons every day. We learn lessons from our successes and our failures, our tragedies and our triumphs. Not only do we learn from our own lives, but we also learn from those around us.
As we have seen, King David had tragically failed. He had sinned against God and against his neighbor. He had committed adultery and murder. And then, he had tried to pretend none of it had happened. He had made some enormous mistakes. To his credit, however, he recognized his failings and confessed them to God. Then, he tried to communicate the lessons he learned to others.
It’s one thing to make a mistake. It’s another to learn from it. It’s yet another to teach others through it. That’s exactly what David does. Rather than pretend his sin never happened (he tried this to his own peril), he encourages others to learn from his tragedy. His lesson? Simple. Wickedness leads to sorrow, but graciousness flows from the Lord. The Hebrew word translated “sorrow” (makob) speaks of physical and mental anguish. David knew exactly what makob was. His body was the one groaning under the weight of his sin (32:3). His emotional and physical strength was the one sucked dry by his deception (32:4). When we choose a path of rebellion, we may enjoy it for a while. We may relish all the pleasures that come our way. But eventually, the weight of our transgressions begins to pull us down. We begin to pay an emotional and a physical price.
Rather than share in the sorrows of the wicked, we need to trust in the Lord. The reason? His loyal love. That’s what the word “lovingkindness” means. It speaks to a love that never fails. It’s a love that always comes through. David says that this love surrounds us like a blanket on a chilly evening. It warms our body, soul, and spirit. My kids have always loved it when their blankets are fresh out of the dryer. That extra layer of warmth just repels the cold. That’s the loyal love that flows from God. As a result, we can rejoice in Him. When our hearts are right with God, we can shout for joy. There is no lasting pleasure in wickedness. Ultimately, it ends in anguish. The joy we seek is found in the Lord. That’s a lesson worth learning.
Pastor
