The Dance of Goodness

Swingin' Scripture: I Samuel 24:5-6

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.  He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD ."

David's Dance: Goodness

Here's the scoop.  Saul was acting up and being evil, as usual.  (What else is new, right?)  This time, he was out to kill David and he almost succeeded.  He managed to find the place where David and his men had been hiding.  However, David snuck up behind Saul and cut off a corner of his robe.  In his heart, he wanted to kill this evil man.  Instead, he was suddenly convicted.  His conscience began to bother him.  Instead of killing him, he confessed to what he had done.  He felt bad that he could have considered such a drastic and terrible thing.  After all, in spite of his flaws, Saul was still King.

Questions to Keep You on Your Toes:

Does God make us feel guilty?
Is there a difference between conviction and condemnation?
Does God condemn us when we do bad things?  Do our feelings of condemnation come from God?

Set Your Feet to Dancin'

Do you ever feel guilty? The Holy Spirit convicts us in His own gentle way.  He doesn't hit us over the head with a frying pan when we've done something wrong.  That's why the scriptures make it plain… conviction is from God, but condemnation is not.  Maybe you're wondering what the difference is.  Conviction is that little guilty feeling that makes us realize what we've done is wrong.  Conviction leads to repentance.  We make things right with God.  Condemnation, on the other hand, is not from God.  Condemnation makes us feel like, no matter what we do, God will never forgive us.  Obviously this is not right.  God always forgives when we ask.  Like David, we often go through times where we feel convicted.  But, if we admit the things we've done wrong, God is faithful and just to forgive us from those things and give us a chance to start over again!

On Your Knees, Please!

Dear God,

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for convicting me when I do things that are wrong.  Help me turn from me sin, Father, and remind me that you don't condemn me.  I know you love me.  I love You, too.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

And All That Jazz… (thought for the day)

Where would the world be without conviction?