Do Not Be Afraid When You Sin
“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.” - 1 Samuel 12:20-21
Here is a rebuke, an admonishment to be faithful, and a hope for the future. Samuel acknowledges that Israel has done a lot of evil, and he rebukes them for that, but in the middle of that he says, “Yet, do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.” The call to turn back to the Lord implies that God will be there to receive them.
God is faithful – even to the disobedient. There is a passage in 2 Timothy that says, “If we are faithless, he will remain faithful.” God’s faithfulness is not determined by our response; it is determined by his nature. When God calls us into his family he will remain faithful to receive us back when our waywardness has drawn us away from him.
Israel had a problem of handling prosperity. Every time God blessed them they used the blessing as an opportunity to turn to idols that allowed them to live out their physical desires and didn’t hold them accountable. The problem was that those idols were powerless and could not help them in any way. Do not turn away from God to useless things that will only lead to destruction.
Remember: He is faithful – renew your commitment to be faithful to him.
Prayer: Father, my failings are all too often, but you have never failed me. Grant me the grace to always turn to you when I fall. In Jesus name, amen.
Message: God’s faithfulness is not determined by our response; it is determined by his nature. When God calls us into his family he will remain faithful to receive us back when our waywardness has drawn us away from him. Do not turn away from God to useless things that will only lead to destruction. Remember: He is faithful – renew your commitment to be faithful to him.
Affirmation: God has shown himself faithful and that inspires me to faithfulness. When I do fail, I trust him to restore me because his love is everlasting.
Reflection: It would be good to read the entire chapter of 2 Samuel 12. Samuel is reminding the people that he has faithfully served God and the people, but they have not always been faithful. In that context he says, “Do not be afraid.” How does this devotion speak to the faithfulness of God?
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