Today’s Scripture: Numbers 31-33
Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall! – -Hosea 14:1-2
Years ago, I memorized Numbers 33:55 as a warning to my own soul: “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come to pass that those whom ye let remain of them shall be as pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell” (KJV).
I memorized that verse because I was working with a group of guys and was trying to get across to them the importance of confessing sin to God–of keeping short accounts with the Lord and living a clean life before Him.
If you and I harbor sin in our lives, this verse says our vision for the work of God will be clouded, our forward progress will be hindered, and the sin that remains in our lives will be a constant vexation to us, both in our fellowship with God and in our service to Him.
Some people hear this verse and think back to a time in their lives when they should have dealt with a certain sin, and didn’t. They become tremendously discouraged when they see what has happened in their lives and the wasted years of being out of fellowship with the Lord. That may be exactly how you’re feeling.
Psalm 119:97 says, “Oh how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day” (KJV). One reason I love this verse is because it’s first-person singular, present tense. Oh, how I love thy law means it is right now–currently, today–my meditation. That can be your experience, too, if you choose it. It’s never too late to come back to where you once were with the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, reveal to me my unconfessed sin so that I may stay in close fellowship with You and be effectively used in the lives of others. Amen.
To Ponder
God can’t use us to accomplish His purposes if we have lingering sin in our lives.
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