Living in the Spirit
July 24, 2018
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-15
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.’ –2 Samuel 11:13-14
If committing adultery was not enough, David multiplied his wrongdoing by arranging to have his lover’s husband killed.
O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive! (Walter Scott) *
Sin begets more sin and eventually backs us into a corner where we see sin as our only choice. By that time, it may not seem like sin at all. We live in a society caught in that corner where I think some begin to justify their actions as right just because they were the ones doing it. I sat alone in a cubical at my dentist’s office recently waiting for the Novocain to work and could not help but overhear the conversation from the next cubical. I first heard the dentist explain that two teeth on one side were rotten to the bone and would have to come out but he thought one tooth on the other side of the patient’s mouth could be saved with a root canal. In the conversation, the patient asked why the dentist had not caught the damage earlier. After a few seconds, the dentist said, “You have not been here for a checkup for four years.” A few minutes later I heard a woman’s voice explaining how much the treatment was going to cost. We get so caught up in life that we do not take the time to do the preventive care necessary to remain as healthy as possible as we age. The same thing could be said for the care of our souls.
Routine self-examination of our relationship with God and following God’s way is important. Daily review of our thoughts and actions is helpful. Journaling what we identify is a good idea. Taking the time to review one’s journal to look for patterns of behavior, good or bad, that are impacting our lives is useful. More than anything else, confession to God in prayer of anything we do that separates us from God is imperative.
Prayer: Holy One, rest heavy on my conscience when I am tempted to pull away from you. When I feel lost, help me find a right path, when I am bored or disillusioned with my life, shine a light on something needing my touch. Amen.
*See at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/walter_scott_118003