More than My Sin

So often in this day-to-day routine that we label as life at Millar, I can get lost. Lost in the reality of what seeking Him means when I go to classes all morning relating to Him and am involved in prayer meetings and mentoring and everything else.

But it seems like everyday, He comes with those little things that speak gently and quietly, those precious words:

"I love you, Christy."

And one of those came through our discussion about  David's sin with Bathsheba in Historical Book's class.

I've never noticed before, but all of David's really big, really disastrous sins all occur after ch. 7 of 2 Samuel. In this chapter, God speaks of His covenant with David, and there's just an amazing record of all that He has done to bring David to the place that he is today.

And it's just four chapters later, that we read about David's sin with Bathsheba. And I think that's on purpose...

The fact is, David's sin and emotions were never, could never, be bigger than God's covenant. My sin does not annul God's covenant with me.

It almost comes from a selfish perspective, I guess, to boast that my sin is so great that it overwhelms His grace and His promise. It never could.

I so often fall into the trap of thinking that somehow my deeds are what keep me in His love. But they weren't what got me there, and they aren't enough to take me out.

"The gospel tells us the determining factor in my relationship with God is Jesus' work for us, not our work for him; his performance for us, not our performance for him; his obedience for us, not our obedience. The Gospel is the good news that God doesn't relate to us based on our feats for Jesus but Jesus feats for us. The gospel tells us that God's acceptance of us is not gained by our success or forfeited by our failures - because it's not about us!"

(Tullian Tchividjian)

It's not about me. 

David did not get to the throne by his own power, and he did not keep the throne by his own power. It was God 100% of the way. It wasn't David with a bit of  God's help, or even David with a lot of God's help - it was GOD. 

As humans, we overestimate our ability to help God, when really, all we are is dust:

"A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when teh breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." (Isaiah 40:6-8, ESV)

My salvation? It's none of what I've done. In fact, the only thing I've ever contributed to my salvation is my sin. So there is no way, that either my success or my failures will influence whether God accepts me or not. 

What a lovely truth!