Sin Has Consequences

490 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 11:1a “It happened in the spring of the year,” (2 Sam 11:1a) Today we begin one of the most noted accounts in all of Scripture. We begin the account of David's sin with Bathsheba. The Bible never sugar coats it's heroes. Even David, “the man after God's own heart,” was prone to temptation and sin. His sin would have devastating effects on very real people. There would be serious consequences in his family, in Bathsheba's family, and even in the families of his subjects. May this account help us to realize that our sin has far reaching consequences in the lives of others. And may it act as a curb to our own behavior, before we cross that line and bring ruin and pain to those whom we claim to love. It's true, not all of this account is bad news. For even in this situation, we find God working to redeem it. David's accounts of this incident, it's results on him personally, and the joy he experienced when he received the forgiveness of God are all recorded for us in various Psalms that we will visit in the days ahead. This is great news for those who have fallen into sin. There is hope! But it doesn't remove the fact that our sin has consequences. The end result turned out well. What the devil meant for harm God turned into good, but let us not use that as an excuse to give place to sin on our own lives. As the Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul reminds us in Ro 6:1-4, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” The ripple effect of sin is inevitable, but we can prevent that effect, we can avoid the pain, by learning to live in the newness of life that comes with faith in Christ. Father, help us all to embrace the newness of life we have in Jesus. Guard our hearts from all manner of worldly lust.