| This Weeks Notes – 7-25-21 This was a devotional by an anonymous writer that I found very interesting and wanted to share with you all. The sins that tend to shock us most are the ones committed by those who know better. When we’ve walked with God a long time, learned from Him, depended on Him through dark valleys—when we’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is indeed good—and then choose sin instead, our fall feels twice as far and three times as hard. If anyone were immune to moral failure, you’d think it would be the boy-turned-king who watched a giant fall at his feet. The one whom God miraculously spared from death and handed a kingdom. The one who wrote dozens of songs about his devotion to God, and God’s devotion to him. The one whom God specifically chose for his loyalty and obedience (1 Samuel 13:14; Psalm 89:20). But even great faith doesn’t inoculate us against temptation. When it comes to sin, we’re never more than a couple bad choices away from our worst moment. Humility must rule our hearts. Boundaries must guard our choices. David’s sin, much like many of ours, began as a slow slide. “In the Spring when kings march out to war,” David was home instead (2 Samuel 11:1). Apparently he felt his kingdom was secure enough that his right-hand military man, Joab, could take care of business on his own. Maybe he suffered from vocational boredom or spiritual apathy. Maybe he had a mid-life crisis, or he was just feeling lazy and lax. That’s when temptation came. Then justification. Then trespass. David’s sin left a wake of consequences that affected not only him, but Uriah, Bathsheba, an innocent baby boy, and an entire nation. But even with all that collateral damage, the real weight of David’s story wasn’t in his failure but in his restoration. God confronted, then offered forgiveness to, the man who undeniably “knew better.” The implications are too beautiful to ignore: we may have to face natural or divine consequences for our sin, but God never refuses to forgive. But there’s even more good news woven through this story. One sin—even a whole season of bad choices—doesn’t have to define our lives. Yes, David sinned. He sinned big. But long after David’s body turned to dust, God still measured other kings’ successes or failures by David’s heart ( 1 Kings 14:7-8; 2 Kings 14:3, 16:2 ), blessed generations for his sake (2 Kings 8:19, 19:34, 20:6), and made good on His promise to bring the Messiah through his descendants (Psalm 89:3-4; Ezekiel 37:25; Luke 1:69). David’s life was marked by faith and obedience—not just in spite of his biggest mess-ups, but also because of how he repented and walked through them. Once again, God’s grace weaves through lives that seem beyond redemption: through David’s story, your story, and mine. But we can rest assured that He is bigger than our greatest failures. Thanks be to God. Grace and Peace, Pastor Nelda |
| I would like to invite you to join us for in-person worship at 11:00 am each Sunday. You can tune in at the same time live from our Facebook page. We thank God for all of you being a part of service and love to our community. Please use our online giving link to support The First United Methodist Church of Kennedale and Mission Store/Food Pantry ministries. Thanks in advance! https://secure.myvanco.com/YGKA/home You may also mail your Tithes and Offerings to the church. FUMC Kennedale – Post Office Box 146 – Kennedale, TX 76060 Follow us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KennedaleFUMC |
