Robbing God

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: 2 Samuel 1, 2, 3; Psalm 62

Psalm 62 (NIV)
1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you assault a man? Would all of you throw him down this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
4 They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies, with their mouths they bless, but in their hearts, they curse.
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.
9 Lowborn men are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie; if weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath.
10 Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: that you, O God, are strong,
12 And that you, O lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.

Good morning!

Have you ever tried to take something that did not belong to you? I have found that the Lord reveals His truth through life experience. This is how He chooses to deal with my heart. God not only sees my actions – He sees the motivation behind what I say and do. Who do we think we’re kidding when we speak the right word at just the right time, but do not really mean it? We may be fooling ourselves and all those around us, but we cannot fool the Father. Hear me – He sees the depth and/or shallowness of every heart song and He will judge each and every one of us according to our “hidden” motivation.

I remember when Jeff and I returned home after a long day at seminary. We were tired, and ready to go home and kick back for awhile. We did not have an electric garage door opener, and it was a cold and rainy night. Jeff hopped out of the car to open the garage door. I unfastened Rachel’s seat belt and scooped my sweet baby girl up into my arms. I walked through the laundry room and into the kitchen as Jeff pulled the car into the garage. I stood there for a moment, not really understanding what I was seeing. Every cabinet and countertop drawer had been pulled open. The house was cold, I could feel a breeze blowing through the room and I wondered what had happened in our home while we were gone.

When Jeff came through the back door, I looked at him and said, “Someone has been here. I think we’ve been robbed.” In total disbelief, we walked through the parsonage, seeing the handiwork of an unwanted visitor. For a moment, we wondered whether the intruder was still in the house. Jeff called the Sheriff’s Department and an officer was dispatched to us. The back picture window had been broken, and shattered glass was scattered all across the living room floor. Handmade quilts and bedspreads that covered our beds were gone. Wrapped Christmas presents had been taken, along with many of our wedding gifts. Our jewelry boxes had disappeared. Jeff lost his high school class ring and his grandfather’s pocket watch. Our original wedding rings were taken. We were tuition poor, and most of what we owned had been given to us at our wedding. A silver coffee service given to me by my mother, and the violin that I played for years, had vanished.

What was taken from us was never returned. We never met the perpetrators. I often wondered if the ones who broke into our home that day had taken what little we had to sell so they could buy food to feed their hungry family. Maybe they were feeding a drug or alcohol addiction. I will never know who did this, or why it happened, but I know that God knows. He understands the consequences of human sin - when we steal from our brothers, and lie to cover up our many weaknesses and character flaws. God knows what a pride-filled heart can accomplish when one sets out to destroy the heart of another.

I shed a lot of tears, the first few days after the robbery. As I look back on that day, I began to get a glimpse of how the Father must feel when we steal from Him. He loves us so much more than we can begin to comprehend. He has given us every good thing we need to serve Him faithfully; to share the Good News of our risen Savior with the people who do not know Him yet. We choose disobedience when we ignore His Word in our life. We nickel and dime the Lord by taking what belongs to Him and using it for our own self-satisfaction. We pretend to love Him while placing our own selfish ambitions ahead of His call on our life. Why do we steal from God? Does the heart of my Lord grieve the way I did when we were robbed? Things can be replaced, but a person’s life is not replaceable. How much more does God’s heart break as He watches His precious children die in disbelief and find themselves eternally separated from Him?

Trust in the Lord. Take some time today to examine the motivation behind your actions. Try to see with your spirit what God sees when He looks at you. Turn around now. Repent and believe.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: the truth to hit you squarely between the eyes. What does it look like to rob the Lord? Do you know how much He loves you? Choose this day to return that which belongs to Him. Won’t you give Him your heart?
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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