100, 500, or 1,000, how many times does a toddler fall in learning to walk? 1,000 falls is probably a low estimate. Most toddlers look like an amateur hockey players, with all the bumps and bruises they amass. But every time a toddler topples over, the same thing happens; he/she gets back up and tries again.
- Have you ever felt like a toddler and fallen or slipped back into a place you did not want to be?
- Did you get right back up and keep going or did you stay down on the floor?
How many times did David topple into sin? One thousand falls is probably a low estimate. David bumped into sin when he lusted after an already married Bathsheba. He scraped up against evil when he issued the order to have her innocent husband, Uriah, killed in battle. King David’s entire family was bruised when he fell into contempt against his son Absalom.
- Have you fallen into sin 1,000 or more times?
- How does your sin compare to King David’s sin?
- Was your family impacted by your sin?
Yet every time David toppled headlong into sin, the same thing happened: the Holy Spirit picked David up, led David to authentic repentance, assured him of God’s pardon in the coming Savior, and set him on his feet, so David could walk in God’s way once more. David wrote about this:
On LORD, who shall sojourn (temporary stay) in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart. Psalm 15:1-2.
We could read these words and think, How hypocritical! David knew that that Lord required a blameless walk, and he knew he often strayed off into paths of sin.
- Do you think David was hypocritical?
- How do you deal with your failures to do the right thing?
- Are you accountable for your failures/sin?
David knew his sin, but he also knew the grace of his God. The words of the psalm reveal that despite our countless failures, we walk with the Lord in the blamelessness and the purity he provides.
Man of God, no matter how many times you have toppled into sin, the Lord wants to walk with you, as he walked with David.
- Is your soul scarred from your combat experiences or account of your sins?
- Have you bruised or even broken relationships by things you’ve said or done?
- In stumbling, have you scraped your conscience?
If so, then remember the sacrifice of your Savior. Remember that his cross makes pardon possible. Despite the scars on your conscience, the Lord sees you as blameless because of Christ’s cross. In that cross, you are forgiven. Now, live in his holy peace.