Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
On a good day at Costco you can walk through the aisles and sample the specialty foods they have to offer for sale. Of course, the marketing principle is that once you have tasted some unusual thing, you will have to have it – and will pay for it. “Try the Lobster Spread – it’s great!”
Some people, however, just graze and knosh on the food samples, never intending to buy. In fact, I know some people who have said when they are hungry they make a special trip to Costco just to eat the free food samples.
Does Costco lose money on this deal? Sure they lose some – but they regard everything they “lose” as an investment, not a loss. In fact, it has been proven they make far more than they lose, and I can make that statement with certainty because Costco continues to offer free food, and they wouldn’t do that unless it were true.
Every Sunday we offer free “food” as well, here at Calvary Chapel Naples. The principle is the same. The difference is what people feed on as a ‘sample’ is you. (Not the Koinonia Kafe.) Did you know that?
David does.
He understands the principle of ‘first-fruits,’ and that for every work of God there has been a preceding work. So the church becomes a work upon a work, and every generation is founded upon the lives of those who have gone before. Without you, there can be no “he,” or “she,” who also receives the Lord. You are an important conduit to God for those who have never known God.
The problem with David, (and it’s a huge one,) is that for the better part of the preceding year his life has been mired in wickedness and un-confessed sin. He has been in that horrible position of being one who might say, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say.”
The power of repentance is restoration. God does an amazing work in even the worst of sinners, and He restores the joy of His salvation – even in those who have thoughtlessly and wickedly turned away – like David. There are good examples to follow, and bad examples to avoid, but there are also bad gone good examples such as David who reveal the power of God in a way that can never be revealed by those who have only been good – as bad as that may sound. Praise God for the power (and the example of,) repentance!
- Pastor Bill
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