From the Pastor’s Pen

Final Thoughts on Psalm 31:9-13

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!  For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.  I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.  I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.  For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.                                                                                                                                            NKJV

As Christians, when we fall into sin we will inevitably feel its painful consequences.  The weight of our sin and the shame and embarrassment of having failed miserably will weigh us down with guilt and sorrow.

Have there been times when the weight of your guilt was so heavy it began to affect you physically?  Perhaps you suffered loss of sleep, ulcers, high blood pressure, etc.  Now try to imagine the weight of the combined grief and sorrow of everyone’s sin on planet earth throughout all of human history.

Is it any wonder that the weight of all this sin caused Jesus to be “exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” as He faced the cross (Matthew 26:38).  As He took the weight of the world’s sin upon Himself, even His beloved heavenly Father would forsake Him (Matthew 27:46).  No other suffering can compare to that which Jesus experienced.

Sin put Jesus to the ultimate test.  But His love endured it, His strength bore it, and His power overcame it.  Thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know beyond a doubt that sin will not and cannot win.                        Julie Ackerman Link