“I’m not hurting anyone but myself.”
I’ve heard this many times as I’ve confronted one person or another about a drug or alcohol problem. Perhaps, at times this is true-that when we sin, we aren’t hurting anyone except ourselves. But if we think that, we’ve forgotten something.
When we sin, we sin against God. Think about it. Perhaps you’ve heard it in church or read it in the Bible-when we die we will stand before the judgment seat of God. Not the people we may have sinned against, not our own judgment seat, but the judgment seat of God. Our sin has hurt God and He is perfectly justified in punishing us for our sin.
But out of mercy, compassion, and unfailing love, God sent Jesus Christ to take the punishment for our sin upon Himself. Therefore, when we stand before the judgment seat of God, we will be declared innocent and be taken into heaven. May this remain your focus during the remainder of our journey through the Book of Psalms.
Application: Read Psalm 51 in its entirety as a closing prayer before you go to bed tonight.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, speak Your love to me through Your Word. Forgive my sin for Jesus’ sake. Amen.