I have tried to come up with a witty beginning to this
devotional and it’s just not happening.
There is no way to dress it up; it must be blurted out and left to the
reader to grapple with the matter. Here
goes…
Is your heart broken over your sin and the sin of
others? Is it broken, not because
someone hurt you, abused you, spoke ill of you, stole from you, or anything
else a human being can inflict upon another, but because sin grieves the heart
of God?
The sin of an unbeliever grieves God’s heart because it
separates that person from a relationship with God the Father through the
sacrifice of Christ. God does not desire
that any should perish, no matter how despicable that one might be. That is hard for us to understand, but when
God says He is not willing that ANY should perish, He really means it
regardless of our human thoughts on the subject.
The Lord is not
slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but
is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
The sin of a
believer grieves the heart of God because it is a direct rebuff of the
sacrifice made to bring us back into a relationship with the Creator of the
universe. Each and every time we sin, we sin against
God. In the process, others are hurt and
the holy name of the Lord is besmirched. Our sin is a choosing to walk opposite
of God’s way – a way proven and promised to bring blessing to us and honor to
Him.
Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his
neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not
sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor
give place to the devil. Let him who stole
steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is
good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no
corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do
not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. Let
all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you,
with all malice. And be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in
Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:25-32
When non-believers sin against you, cry out for their
salvation. When believers sin against
you, refuse to wallow in hurt feelings.
Instead, approach them biblically and pray for their repentance;
repentance, not just so that you feel better, but because it will bring them
back into fellowship with the Lord. (So many times I tend to think that I am all that and a bag of chips and how awful it is that someone would to something wrong towards me, when my real concern should be that GOD is grieved!)
When you see our world sliding faster and deeper into despair
and wickedness, beg the Lord to let you experience what He feels as He sees His
creation destroying itself when there is a better way, a perfect way –
Jesus. Pray accordingly, allowing the
Holy Spirit to pray through you. Praying for someone you love deeply is so much
different that praying for someone that you frankly wish was not even
alive. We need HIS divine ability to
pray in the right manner.
May our prayer today as Christ followers be, "Break my heart with what breaks Yours."
Prayer:
Father, please break my heart with what breaks Yours. There are no other words. Amen.
Challenge:
When you sin, or experience the ramifications of the sin of
others, immediately ask the Lord to give you His eyes and heart. Pray for His will to be done and hearts to be
changed. CHOOSE to respond as He would
have you respond, not as you feel.
Jen G 2012
Special thanks to my brother in Christ, BC, who, through his writings, brought me to a place of understanding on this subject.
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