Scripture
My wounds are ugly. They stink. I’ve been foolish. I have sinned.
~Psalm 38:5, NIRV
Quote
Sin can make us so sick that we become sick of sin.
~Ya’akov
No one seems to know the exact setting that inspired Psalm 38. It is a penitential Psalm like 32 and 51. Scholars are reasonably sure that 32 and 51 are related to David’s sin with Bathsheba. Psalm 38 is somewhat different. Here David’s sin has made him physically sick. His body has broken out in sores and he is running a high fever. David said, my back is filled with burning pain. My whole body is sick. I am weak. I feel as if I’ve been broken in pieces. I groan because of the great pain in my heart. My heart pounds. My strength is gone. My eyes can hardly see. David’s sin, what ever it was, had brought him low.
We do not know what the sickness was nor the sin but David was convinced that God had sent the sickness to chasten him for his sins. We know that David felt extremely guilty about something because he said, My guilt has become too much for me. It is a load too heavy to carry. Most of have had a similar experience with sin and stubborn determination to go our own way. God gives us an amazing amount of freedom when it comes to choices but bad choice produce bad consequences. I could probably write a book on bad choices. I love Psalm 38:9, in the NIRV, “LORD, everything I really want is clearly known to you.” This relates to yesterday’s topic and Psalms 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Young people don’t know the desires of their heart, not the deeper ones. By young, I mean 50 and under. You think you know what you want but you don’t. I’m not even sure a 68 year old knows the deepest desires. This is why we need to put our faith in Christ and allow Him to fulfill our desires as He wishes.
Let me give you and example: I grew up wanting to be an athlete. It is all I studied. It was my dream and it got dashed. Then Joe David came along and I wanted the same thing for him. There was a time in my life when I would have been thrilled to see him play at Alabama or in the pros. I thought it was my hearts desire. I never, not once, asked the LORD to give me a preacher: I was asking for pitcher not a preacher. But in my early 40’s, I realized that I needed to trust all my desires to Jesus and let Him fulfill them as He knew best. There is no way under the sun that I would trade my son for Tom Brady. I’d have more grand kids if Brady were my son but I had rather have a son that loves Jesus to a football star any day of the week and twice on Sunday. My goal for all my children and grandchildren is simple: I want them to love Jesus with all their heart. I don’t care if they curl hair, sale real-estate, keep records, teach school, climb light poles, finish concrete, fry hamburgers or clean toilets and mop floors–so long as they love Jesus, I’m good. Our little ones are into sports and I support them, but I have yet to pray for God to make them great athletes; I do pray for them to love Jesus with all their heart.
It takes us a few years and a lot of mistakes to realize that sin stinks and it is really ugly. Bad choices produce bad consequences and bad consequences can make us sick of bad choices [sin]. This is why David said, “Trust Jesus and do good.” [Psalm. 37:3]
Fuzz Dobbins is back at Decatur General and Larry Garner is at Huntsville. They brought Larry off of the vent yesterday. I hope to get to see him today.
As a State retiree, Big Mama gets the retirement systems monthly publication {The Advisor} and there was an interesting chart that I wanted to share with you. It concerns the States that are growing and the one is decline. If you study the list: you will discover that the nation is moving West and South.
10 States Where the Most People are Moving (and Leaving)
Growing States
1. Vermont [Yankee]
2. Oregon [West]
3. Idaho [West]
4. Nevada [West]
5. South Dakota [Midwest]
6. Washington [West]
7. South Carolina [South]
8. North Carolina [South]
9. Colorado [Midwest]
10. Alabama [South]
Declining States
1. Illinois [Obama land]
2. New Jersey [Yankee]
3. New York [Yankee]
4. Connecticut [Yankee]
5. Kansas [Midwest]
6. Massachusetts [Yankee]
7. Ohio [Midwest]
8. Kentucky [South]
9. Utah [West]
10. Wisconsin [Midwest]
SOURCE: DOUGLAS A. MCINTYRE, 24/7 WALL STREET
The state-by-state data show where people are
“MOVING IN” and the “MOVING OUT” states.