“I will put one of your sons upon your throne, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who shall build me a temple. And I will continue his kingdom into eternity. I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him, but my love and kindness shall not leave him as I took it from Saul, your predecessor.”
2 Samuel 7:12-15
We Christians...if we’re honest...must admit we constantly struggle with sin. Sin is an addiction passed on to us from our parents, through their parents...all the way back to our original parents in the garden. In the parlance of AA, we are “recovering sinners.” This truth has two debilitating consequences; One, we can fall into depression that we never seem to “get it right.” Two, we be come fearful that God could never truly love somebody who is so prone to wickedness.
Don’t fall into either trap. They’re the devil’s devices meant to immobilize us.
And, this truth is not only ubiquitous through the New Testament but is revealed fully in the Old Testament as well. When God made His covenant with David it was unconditional. “I will do this for you because I love you....and I will never stop loving you.”
God’s overture didn’t happen in a vacuum. Look at David’s response. “O Lord God, why have you showered your blessings on such an insignificant person as I am? And now, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving me an eternal dynasty! Such generosity is far beyond any human standard! O Lord God! What can I say? For you know what I am like! You are doing all these things just because you promised to and because you want to!”
When we understand our lives are all a consequence of God’s grace and mercy...not a result of our own worth, our depression is transformed into motivation to satisfy God. Our fear is transformed into gratitude that God loves us because of who He is, not because of who we are. He may discipline us but...He will never abandon us.
Live boldly out there today...
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