Devotion Booklets for Seasons of the Church Year Lent 2018 | Page 41

Short Term Pain, Long Term Pleasure
Monday, March 19th
Psalm 32:3-4
Nathan would later confront him with the accusation: “You are the man,” but deep inside he already
knew it. And it was slowly killing him! The short-term pleasure of sleeping with Bathsheba – and then
the additional sins of lying, coverup, and murdering Uriah - had turned into long-term pain. How
could a man whom God described as “a man after God’s own heart” have done such horrible and
heinous things? In our Psalm verses for today, David describes the physical and spiritual effect that his
sins had on him. It didn’t last for just a few days. David carried these sins on his conscience for
roughly a year, trying each day to hide his guilt and shame. But he couldn’t. His conscience continued
to accuse him of the wrath of God which he deserved for his sin. Deep down, he knew the pain he felt
now was only a foretaste of the hell he deserved for the sins he committed.
We know it’s true from sad experience, don’t we? Short-term sinful pleasures tempt us to act quickly
without considering the consequences. We click on a website link and feast our eyes over things we
should not be looking at. We “snap” in anger, and unleash a barrage of demeaning and condescending
words on a loved one who has wronged us. We keep pouring just one more drink when we know we’ve
already had too much. The short-term pleasure seems worth it at the time. But then comes the long-
term pain. Guilt and shame from things we did 10 or 20 or even 30 years ago may still feel as real and
present and intense as if we had just done it. The weight seems unbearable. We grow exhausted and
depressed from thinking about how foolish we were. More to the point, we know that earthly pain and
regret is only a foretaste of the hell we deserve for the sins we have committed.
But God has given both us and David another option: take our sin to the throne of God’s grace, lay it
before him and hear God’s beautiful words: You are forgiven! Jesus paid the price for our sins. God
has removed them from his sight. We are released from the past. The punishment has been paid and
the consequences removed. Now, the short-term pain of confessing our sins turns into long-term
pleasure as we go forward in the peace and certainty of forgiveness. The Lord has taken away our sins.
We will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
Prayer: Almighty God and Father, in your love you sent Jesus to be the sacrifice you demanded for our
sin. Now send your Holy Spirit into our hearts to assure us of your forgiveness and to fill us with your
peace and joy. Amen.
Activity: As a family, sing or read together hymn “Drawn to the Cross” by Genevieve Irons (#387 from
Christian Worship).
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