"As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right..." (1 Kings 9:4a).
Wait! Wasn't David the king who committed adultery and murder?
What's this "heart of integrity and in what is right?"
That's usually what we think about David. How can God say that David walked with a heart of integrity when he committed those awful sins?
I wonder if it's an attempt to maximize the sins of David to make our sins look not so bad. We try to rationalize that our sins aren't so bad.
"God said that David walked with a heart of integrity, and I'm certainly not THAT bad!"
The heart of integrity is not seen in David's sin, but in David's response to the sin.
After committing the sins, he was in physical, emotional and spiritual anguish (Psalm 32).
When Nathan confronted David, the king's response revealed his heart of integrity (Psalm 51).
David confessed, repented and lived with the consequences.
Two lessons to learn:
- We look at the sin and condemn. God looks at our response to the sin. David responded like God desired. He didn't remain in the sin, but chose to return to God and godly living.
- God can use us, even when we fall into sin. It's not the end of life and ministry. We have to choose to get out of the pit of sin like David: confession and repentance.
Will God look at your life and say that you walked with a heart of integrity and in what is right?
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