Devotion 1.23.19

"The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one's life toward a goal." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In Psalm 19, David called it his "presumptuous sin."  "Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me!" (19:13) The study bible calls "presumptuous sins" sins committed in arrogant disregard of divine commands.  David's were doozies, and thank God I haven't pulled big ones like old King David (you know the whole story).

Correction, yes we have.  Our presumptuous sin is when we ignore God's call in our lives and put our goals and plans above his.  "For that call to be realizable, we need to understand ourselves sufficiently so that we know our gifts, motivations, strengths and weaknesses," the devotion writer notes.  Bonhoeffer's quote at the start is superb.  We set our sites on simple avoidance rather than being consumed with the call from God and the goal that lies ahead, that of Jesus Christ.

Our prayer should be to be fully and totally driven to that goal that God has called us.  "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)  Pray that we fix our eyes on that goal God has called us and that we submit to his will so the Spirit works through us.

Hope Men's Ministry