Sin is not a great topic. To talk about sin is to necessarily raise our awareness of our own faults, where we have hurt people, and where we fall short. The reality is we all sin – we all fall short. It is our faith that makes a difference because it describes how we react to sin, how we reorient our lives, and how we move on after sin. The story of King David gives us great insight as to how this giant of the faith dealt with his own sin and remained a man after God’s own heart.

I imagine the prevailing approaches to dealing with sin are to (a) pretend that sin doesn’t exist, (b) consider sin an outdated term that has no real bearing on our lives today, and (c) shift the blame on to some-one or some-thing else.

If you don’t want to use the word “sin”, that’s fine. But, whatever word you use, it is not difficult to see the brokenness all around us, and we have some part in it. When we sin, there is nothing helpful that can come from denying what we’ve done or trying to shift the blame to others. Instead of doing any of this, when confronted by the prophet Nathan, David confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). Being honest about his sin showed his willingness to be humble and to receive instruction from God. Being open to God allowed David to receive God’s grace and forgiveness. David still had to deal with the consequences of his sin, but he did so with the confidence that he is a beloved child of God.

When we sin, God is ready to forgive us, too. From David’s story, we have a good model for how we as people of faith can move on after sin.

Prayer

As you take time to pray, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Pray for eyes to see the domino effect of your sins before you commit them. Ask God for an awareness of the cost to you and others so that you will desire holiness and not live with the collateral damage of sin.
• Pray that God will place people in your life who love you enough to confront you about your sins. Invite the Holy Spirit to soften your heart so that you will humbly receive their words of conviction and correction.
• Thank God that the grace of Jesus is always sufficient to cover all of our sins.

Personal Reflection

Ask yourself: How do I respond when people confront or correct me? Am I like Saul, covering my tracks? Or am I like David, listening, receiving, and repenting?

Personal Action

This is a big and bold action challenge. If you have a person or two in your life who are mature in faith and really care about you, consider meeting with them and humbly inviting them to speak truth into your life … any time. Let them know that you will seek to prayerfully listen and receive their words, even when those words are difficult.

Resources

Sermon @ 8:00am The Story | The Trials of a  King

Sermon @ 11:00am The Story | The Trials of a King

Scriptures

• From worship: 2 Samuel 12:1-13a & Matthew 2:1–12
• Chapter 12 in The Story covers the following: 2 Samuel 11-12, 18-19; 1 Chronicles 22, 29