Daily Reading: Genesis 20
Scripture Focus: And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. (Genesis 20:2)
Devotional Thought: Afraid for his life because of Sarah’s beauty, Abraham told "a little white lie." Abimelech the king took Sarah to his palace to make her his wife. Before he even touched her, God appeared in a dream and exposed the truth that Sarah was a married woman. Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham, scolding Abraham for bringing a great sin upon his kingdom.
After seeing all of the wonderful qualities of Abraham, it seems incongruent to see this man of God lying, especially about his wife. Fear brought out the worst in Abraham, and what started as a little sin quickly compounded into a greater evil, affecting the whole kingdom of Abimelech. When we are faced with fear, we often fall into the same patterns. Fear can overcome our faith, and instead of reacting with confidence, we can find ourselves stacking sin on top of sin. It is why Jesus told his followers to “fear not.” He taught in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Notice how something seemingly small (Abraham’s white lie) turned into something far bigger. It is like this when we sin too. One lie turns into another, and another, as we desperately try to cover our tracks. Rather than turning to God in repentance, we stubbornly cling to our lie, making the consequences much worse. Or perhaps we say something unloving and hurtful, and rather than apologizing, we react with defensiveness making the situation even worse.
Let us be constantly aware of our own hearts, and of the Spirit’s conviction. If we fall into sin, let us be quick to accept the Spirit’s conviction and turn to God in repentance.
Jenny
Prayer: Search our hearts, Father, and see if there is any offensive way in us. Convict us through your Spirit, and lead us in the way everlasting. Help us to swallow our pride and to be quick to humble ourselves in repentance.
Psalm of the Day: 31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?-- 32 the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. 33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 34 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. (Psalms 18:31-34)
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