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A small SIN and A Great SIN |
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Though I was
prepared to write one article on Christian living once again,
God prevented me from publishing it this week. He blessed and
encouraged me thoroughly by the 'Word of the Week' by Zac Poonen. I
am publishing it as is here with due credit to him. Read and be
blessed.
A Small Sin And A Great Sin
Zac Poonen
Consider how God rejected some who committed what we would
call "a small sin" and how He accepted and blessed some who
committed what we would call "a great sin".
Take first the case of King Saul. He committed what we would
call "a small sin": Instead of killing ALL the sheep of
Amalek, as God had told him to, he killed only the bad sheep
and kept the good sheep to offer to God as a sacrifice.
Would you have condemned Saul for such a mistake?
Perhaps not. But God did punish him - and that severely!
He took away the kingdom from Saul.
On the other hand, consider what King David did. He
committed adultery with a man's wife when the man was out of
town (fighting in David's own army). And then to cover up
his sin, David had the man killed on the battlefield and
then married the woman. What would you do with such a
man as David? You would perhaps send David to hell immediately.
But God didn't do that. His ways are not our ways. God's ways
cannot be understood by our human reason. We divide people
according to whether they do right or wrong. But God divides
them according to whether they are proud (and insincere) or
humble (and sincere). And so God accepted David, after
punishing him for his sin.
God even refers to David as a man after His own heart, who
served his generation in the will of God (Acts 13:22,36).
David's end was not like Saul's, just because he was humble.
In observing Christians and Christian leaders who have
fallen, I have noticed a difference. God allows some to get
exposed but not others. Some whose crimes are very small
(in man's eyes) are exposed and humiliated before everyone.
While others (who I happen to know confidentially have
committed far greater sins), do NOT get exposed at all! And
not only does God cover up their failures, He even blesses
them and uses them greatly!
All this appears unfair to us. But it is not. Why does God
do things like that? Because He is NOT Pharisaical, like
most religious people are! He divides people into "Humble"
and "Proud" categories and not into "Those who did right"
and "Those who did wrong" categories.
This is what gives great hope and encouragement to all of us.
If God had divided people up as men divide them, then we
would have to live in constant fear lest we accidentally end
up in the wrong group - for all of us make mistakes and do
wrong things - at least accidentally, if not deliberately.
Men usually come down hard on us, when we do even one
wrong thing. But thank God, we don't have to deal with
unmerciful men. We have to deal only with God our
merciful Creator (Heb.4:13).
If we live in humility and brokenness before God always,
never esteeming ourselves as better than anyone else, but
always recognising ourselves as the chief of sinners; if we
never seek to lord it over others and never seek to grab
anything on earth (not even a ministry); if we are willing
to walk "the second mile"; and if we are ready to forgive
those who have done us the greatest wrong, then God will
cover up our failures and continue to bless us, no matter
what men think about us or do to us.
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For more information write to: wftw@cfcindia.com
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To read or download previous issues of "WORD FOR THE WEEK"
by Zac Poonen, please go to :
http://www.cfcindia.com/web/mainpages/word_for_the_week.php God bless.
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"Come unto
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will give you rest. "
[Matthew
11:28] |
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