| By Ruth Sneha Stephen |
Have you ever wondered why King David was not condemned for eating the Holy bread kept for the priests, but King Uzziah was struck with leprosy when he tried to take on a priestly responsibility?
Why was King David punished for conducting a census, but Rahab commended for hiding the spies?
King Joash took steps to rebuild the temple destroyed by his ancestors. He even started the system of having a voluntary offertory box. But he soon ends up murdering a prophet inside the same temple he renovated.
Our actions can sometimes deceive even us. We can justify what we do and even take pride in our behavior. Sin is not just related to our wrong actions or words. Sin starts in the heart, with us desiring the wrong things (James 1:14-15). And God looks at our heart.
He knows our deepest longings - maybe it's acceptance from our friends; maybe it's proving something to people who doubt us; maybe it's just a desire for the easier way out. 'Good' actions can have flawed motives and 'bad' actions may, in some cases, be acceptable to God. He knows us inside and out.
Let us ask God to show us the depths of our own heart. Sin can be deadly... it can hide under good behavior and suddenly erupt in a tide of evil. Our hearts can betray us into complacency. Let's make sure we're always alert and responsive to God's voice of correction.
"Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself." Susanna Wesley