When Our Sin Hurts Others

When Our Sin Hurts Others


As a follower of Jesus Christ, your behavior matters.

• James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
• 2 Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

If you openly profess your faith in Jesus Christ, the things you do and say may cause others to draw conclusions about your relationship with Him; these conclusions are very important!

For those paying attention, your words and actions can:

• Reinforce previously held opinions
• Break down barriers
• Trigger confrontations
• Stimulate conversations
• Stir one’s curiosity
• Encourage
• Offend
• Etc.

Yet beyond the numerous potential immediate reactions others may have to your behavior, and looking past the personal consequences you may have to deal with, here are two possible significantly negative results of your conduct.

Any improper conduct by a Christian may:

• Push non-Christians further from God.
• Bring significant suffering or loss to others.

King David personally dealt with the real and potential consequences of his actions. 

Real

• 2 Samuel 12:13-14 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
• David was guilty of adultery and murder (see 2 Samuel Chapter 11). When the prophet Nathan confronted David, he admitted his sin (see 2 Samuel Chapter 12, read Psalm 51 for David’s prayer of confession). However, David still had to face the dreadful results of his actions.
• As God’s anointed King over Israel, David’s flagrant sin gave the watching gentile nations excuses/reasons to curse God and slander His holiness.
• The child born out of David’s sin with Bathsheba was going to die.
• Rebellion and adversarial relationships would not cease in the line of David’s descendants as a result of his sin (2 Samuel 12:10).

Potential

• Psalm 69:5-6 O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You. 6 Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
• In Psalm 69 David is praying for help. He is being wrongly persecuted for his faith in God and his devotion to living a godly life. But in the midst of this prayer, David asks God to protect other servants of the Lord who may be impacted by how he responds to the attacks he is experiencing.
• David actions or reactions could lead to shame or insult for other followers of God.

Notice that in both of these situations, David acknowledged the existence of his sin. Our improper conduct may be or lead to sin. The existence of our sin leads to consequences. The duration and severity of those consequences vary depending upon the exercise of God’s attributes (mercy, grace, love, patience, sovereignty, etc.) and the exhibiting of our attitudes (humility, regret, pride, selfishness, selflessness, etc.). How tragic when our sin hurts others!

No sin is secret; God sees and knows everything!

Humble yourself before God and sincerely confess your sins to Him.

• 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Pray as David did, that others will not suffer as a result of your sin.


Prayer

Father, I have seen my sin hurt others. And beyond that, I am sure there have been negative consequences because of my sin that I never saw or imagined. I beg You to restore and protect anyone who has been or could be hurt by my sin. May Your Holy Spirit empower me to live a life that honors You and brings blessings into others’ lives. Thank You for faithfully forgiving my sin when I genuinely confess it. May the Church of Jesus Christ bring help, healing and love to this broken world through proper Christian behavior as it is expressed in Your Word. I love You Father and pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

  

Jumping For Joy

Jumping For Joy


What makes you ‘jump for joy’? You know what I mean; what gets you so excited that you can’t sit still? What ‘gets you going’, ‘pumps you up’, makes you want to dance, sing and shout to the whole world?

Read Habakkuk Chapter 3, verses 17-19 to see what had this prophet of God ‘Jumping For Joy’.

• 17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—

• 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

• 19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

I pray that you can relate to this beautiful expression of joy in the Lord just as it is in the New King James Version. But to be sure you are getting the full impact, I have updated, modernized, ‘Americanized’ it below.

• 17 Even though there is nothing to eat in my refrigerator, and no food in my pantry; Though my garden isn’t growing anything edible, and the farmer’s market closed down; Though I can’t find a job, there’s no gas in my car, and my bank account is empty –

• 18 I jump for joy because of the One True and Eternal God, the supreme God of the universe who has delivered me!

• 19 Jehovah God provides all my strength and all that I need; He makes me sure footed, and He lifts me up so that I am on top of the world! I’ve written these words as a song of worship for the praise team at my church to use during our services.

Above all else, Habakkuk found joy in the Lord. Even when all the things he depended on for daily subsistence were lacking, he sang to the Lord and acknowledged the Lord’s blessings in his life.

I love the Lord and believe with all that I am that He is Who He Is, the holy and only ‘I AM’ (Exodus 3:14)! But I have to admit, sometimes it seems like my state of mind is based more on my circumstances and possessions than on my faith and trust in the goodness and provision of my loving Heavenly Father. I find myself relying on money and stuff for peace of mind rather than experiencing joy and sufficiency in my relationship with Him.


Everyone lives somewhere between:

• Psalm 4:7-8 You have put gladness in my heart, More than in the season that their grain and wine increased. 8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
• Having joy and peace from God that transcends circumstances and belongings.

and

• Psalm 10:3-4 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord. 4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.
• Being so focused on desires and possessions that pride leaves no room in one’s heart for God.

What is His desire for us?

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
• That we:
• Continually find joy in Him.
• Constantly commune with Him.
• Comprehensively appreciate all that He is, does, gives and permits.

I Accept that it isn’t Always About Understanding

• Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

I Know that I Am a Work in Progress

• Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

I Pray that with Each New Day I Live More Like Who He has Made Me in Christ

• Ephesians 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

I Long to Truly Find My Joy in Him

• Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Prayer

Father God, my Lord, my Savior, Your Word is so clear about where and how we should find our joy: in You alone! I pray that no matter what is going on in my life, that Your Holy Spirit will lead me to find joy in You through Jesus Christ. I also pray that Your Word and Your Truth will comfort hearts and save the lost. I praise You and love You! In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.