This week's devotionals are by Justin Morton.
Good morning and welcome to our daily walk.
Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2ubnb5
He was an adulterer. He lusted after a woman that was not his wife. After seeing her bathing, he called her over to his palace where he slept with her. He was a liar. Experiencing the consequences that often follow a sinful decision, he began trying to cover up his mistakes. He was a murderer. When he realized his sins would find him out, as Moses told us in Numbers 32:23, he did the unthinkable…he took an innocent man’s life.
What is your impression of the man I just described? If you are like most people you would probably have very negative feelings toward this man. Why? Most people do not like to hear of this type of behavior. I described this man as an adulterer, a liar, and even a murderer. What if I told you that this man really lived? How would you feel? You might not have any respect for him, right? What if I told you that this man went on to become one of the most well known and respected servants in the Old Testament? What if I told you this man was David?
David is a man who is described as being a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Yet, despite the great things that David accomplished, he had a past he could not escape. He was an adulterer, a liar, and even a murderer. However, this did not stop him. He found a way to get beyond his past and to become a great servant for the Lord.
What about you and me? Is God calling us to be servants in His kingdom? You are wrong if you think He hasn’t called you. As people of God we are all called to be servants in His kingdom, whether we are preachers, teachers, elders, or just members. I have talked with several people over the past few years who all basically said the same thing when asked about being a servant. These people did not feel they could be of service to God in His kingdom because of their past. They felt they had too much baggage to be of any use as servants for God. The truth of the matter is we are all of use to God as servants no matter what our past is like.
No matter what you have done, you can get forgiveness for your sins and become servants for the Lord. John tells us, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1:9). Sometimes the toughest part is not the asking God for forgiveness, but the forgiving of ourselves and moving forward. As humans we struggle with forgiving ourselves. We find it hard to forget about the things we have done in the past. The Hebrew writer tells us that our sins and lawless deeds will be remembered no more (Heb. 10:17). Although we have a tough time forgetting our past, God does not. He forgives and forgets. Remember David, he was a liar, an adulterer, and even a murderer and yet he was forgiven of his past and he went on to become a greater servant. He probably never forgot about his past but he did not allow that to stop him from accomplishing great things for the Lord. We can do the same.
Don’t let your past get in the way of the future that God has planned for you. Accept your responsibility and become a great servant in the Lord’s kingdom. One man, one weak and sinful moment he is remembered for. Yet, one of the greatest servants the world has ever known. David, despite his past, went on to become a great servant in the kingdom of God. He made a choice not to let his past get in the way of the things he was called to do. If we will let go, God can forgive us and use us as servants in His kingdom.
Thought of the Day: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13).
May God bless you in your daily walk!
© Our Daily Walk, Justin Morton, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.
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