Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
“No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he refused to listen to her. He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went. Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman. When King David heard all this, he was furious. And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.
– 2 Samuel 13:16-21
Devotion
Amnon’s sin impacted several of his family members: Tamar was sad and lonely, David was furious and Absalom hated Amnon because of what he had done to his sister. Sin has an interesting way of taking us farther than we want to go, keeping us longer than we want to stay, and costing us more than we want to pay. Many lives are impacted by one man’s sin. Had Amnon thought through the consequences of his actions, would he have acted so selfishly? Unfortunately, David was now reaping the result of his own sin, and the full harvest was yet to come!
The Big Question
How has the sin of others impacted you? How has your sin impacted others? David was a man after God’s own heart and yet he surrendered to temptation in a weak moment. How do move forward in light of major failures in your life? Thankfully, God heals and restores those who confess and repent their sins. Ask God to heal any pain you have experienced because of the sin of others and to forgive you for any pain that you may have caused others as the result of your sin.
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.