“The Misery Of Sin” is October 12’s entry from Dr. David Jeremiah’s ‘Turning Points with God: 365 Daily Devotions’.
"Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!'" 2 Samuel 12:7
Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian and preacher of the First Great Awakening in New England, described what happened in his work
A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton (1736):
“Many that came to Town, on one occasion or other, had their Consciences smitten, and awakened; and went home with wounded Hearts.”
Having a guilty conscience in the presence of the holiness of God is not a happy situation for the guilty one. The mere presence of purity, joy, honesty, and love is enough to stir conviction. Part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).
It can happen without a word being spoken, or it can happen when God uses a righteous person to confront the sinner–as Nathan the prophet confronted King David after the king had concealed his sin for almost a year. Either way, nothing makes a guilty sinner more miserable than the presence of the righteousness of God.
If you are harboring sin in your heart, you no doubt feel guilty whether you are a Christian or not. The only solution to such misery is to confess that sin to God and receive His forgiveness.
To end, a quote from Garrison Keillor, “Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving.”
