7:34 AM
Our sins have consequences. Those consequences can surface quickly or they can surface some time later in life. Sin that is committed and exposed quickly can lead to repentance and forgiveness. Sin that is committed and hidden for periods of time can surface at unexpected times and cause havoc in the lives of the sinner and the lives of the people closest to the sinner. A sin committed, admitted, repented from, forgiven of, is the easiest way for us to learn. The Father cannot forgive us until we come before Him and ask for that forgiveness. How can we learn to "Go, and sin no more" if we do not admit our sin? We cannot. Hidden sin sits inside us to fester and boil like gangrene. Eventually, left uncared for and untreated, it will lead to death.
David knew he had sinned. He knew he lustfully took another man's wife. He knew he was responsible for the death of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. He knew the mess he had made for himself and for Bathsheba. He cried out to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy during the days while the baby was suffering from an illness after his birth. David knew that when the baby died the Lord had said, "No, I will not and cannot spare this child." The decision and consequences of David's sin had been decided and an innocent child paid the price.
Fast forward thousands of years, and innocent babies are still paying the price for the sins of their father's and mother's. Today as I write this, I am reminded of the cost. Over 62 million unborn children have died from abortion in the United States alone, since 1973 when abortion was deemed "legal" in the United States. Each one of the lives of these millions of babies laid in the hands of their father's and mother's. The choice was made and those lives were terminated. Just as in David's life, murder was the sin. Just as in David's life, repentance can lead to forgiveness. Just as in David's life, the consequences are carried throughout the rest of life. Not one single woman can forget the aborted child regardless if she is a believer or a non-believer, she remembers. She may not have walked with the Lord at the time of the choice but once she found a relationship with Him, the death of the child tore and tears into her heart. She is only able to live with the choice, knowing that the forgiveness and mercy of God is there though the heartache will never go away. The innocent child paid the ultimate price for her sin.
I can say all of this because I too had to make a choice in 1973 to have the child out of wedlock or end the life of that child to make my life easier. I was 18 years old. I have no idea how different my life would have been had I chosen to abort my child. It would have been a completely different life. Many, many people in my life would not be here today. My heart breaks for each woman of God who made the choice to abort her child. She lives with that choice and it never goes away. Forgiveness is one thing but forgetting is totally different. The face of that child will haunt every single Godly woman and I am sure that many of the father's are also haunted by the choice to end their child's life. We learn to live with the consequences of our choices but we always remember. Those who forget are doomed to repeat the sin in one way or the other.
King David was selfish and took what he wanted without thinking of the lasting consequences. He was a man of God and the Lord had blessed him in so many ways before this horrific sin of the murder of Uriah was committed. After the sin and forgiveness he was still blessed by the Lord. He made other mistakes, committed other sins but continually returned to the Lord for forgiveness, guidance, and wisdom until his death as an old man.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Like David, we can ask the Lord for mercy from the consequences of our sin. We can ask that He spare others from the consequences but need to be prepared for whatever His answer may be. We can repent, pick up the pieces of life and "Go, and sin no more". We can more forward toward what is ahead, the prize of eternal life with Him, without spot or blemish, but only by the covering of the blood Jesus at the Cross. We must always remember that in this life we will suffer the consequences of our actions and our choices and others in our life will also bear those burdens.
Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.
For close to 50 years now I have walked with my sisters in their choice. My heart for the unbeliever who is tormented is greater than for those who believe in repentance and the forgiveness of sin. One is lost but the other is found. One is saved and the other is not. I truly want the lost to seek and find the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sin offered by Jesus Christ.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
My road was very hard because of the choice I made in 1973. I continued to make many more mistakes as I matured and grew into adulthood but the Lord was faithful to carry me through and now at an old age can see His plans for my life and the life of my child. She and I are walking testimonies of the power of God and the power of choice. We are able to witness to others that even in the darkest moments, the Lord is with us and choices always have consequences.
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