Wednesday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Proverbs 28
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper,
but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong,
but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper,
but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong,
but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
28:13–14 Although the words the Lord (v. 14) are not stated explicitly in Hebrew, they are appropriate to the sense of the verse, in view of the piety described in v. 13. To fear the Lord involves confessing and forsaking one’s sins, rather than concealing them and hardening one’s heart. Such a person receives mercy and is therefore truly happy.
Study Questions:
- SOMETIMES our suffering is due to God's discipline in our lives because of sin. As Clayton said on Sunday, when you experience the consequences of sin, you should curse your sin, not God. Like children getting mad at their parents when they're disciplined, sometimes we can do the same with God. John Calvin said that when we suffer in life, we should immediately check ourselves to see if there might be sin that needs to be dealt with. Instead of shaking our fists at God we should, instead, get angry at our sin. We should want to rid our lives of it because of the destruction it brings. Have you ever considered responding to sin in this way? Have you ever been truly angry at the sin in your life? What kind of difference might that make in your relationship with God?
- You can't create change in your life if you refuse to acknowledge there's a problem. What we learn from David in Psalm 6 is that he understood that his suffering was a result of the sin in his life. God was disciplining him. So, like David, instead of getting mad at God, we should rid ourselves of our sin. When we blame God or other people or our circumstances for all our problems, we only pass the buck. To pass the blame means you stay the same. Have you been blaming other people, God or bad luck for your difficult circumstances? Are you refusing to own your piece of the blame pie? Could this refusal be keeping you stuck in your relationship with God?
Pray:
- That you would learn to hate sin.
- That you would never pass the blame.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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