The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 James 3:2 says that we all fall in many ways. It's true, isn't it? No one could ever say, "Well, I've never failed the Lord."
But what do you do when you're confronted with your sin? When God uses a messenger, a circumstance or His Word to hold up a mirror to you, what do you do in that critical moment?
Because we all do fail the Lord, the issue then becomes, how do I respond when my sin is revealed to me? That is the great dividing line in all of humanity.
In 1 Samuel 15, the life of King Saul is under the microscope. We meet him at a pivotal moment when he is confronted with his sin. Tragically, rather than admitting what he did was wrong, he attempts a major cover-up. First he blamed it on the people. Then, he rationalized, "Yeah, I did most of that, but then I sacrificed to the Lord."
In essence Saul's strategy was, I'll do what I want and then I'll ask for forgiveness.
But there are some things you can't recover from. We like to kid ourselves by rationalizing, I'll do my thing until I get what I want and then I'll tell God I'm sorry and He'll receive me back. Will God forgive you? Yes, but you will bear the consequences of that decision for the rest of your days on earth. Did God forgive Saul? Yes, but Saul lost his opportunity to be king and nothing would change that. We live with our choices.
You say, "Well, what should I do when I realize I've sinned?" Unlike Saul, when you see your sin, be broken about it. Deal with it God's way. Welcome His deepest work within you. Choose sincerity over religious ritual. Choose repentance over rationalization. Choose brokenness over boasting. Choose a right relationship with Him over your own pride.
God waits for that moment when He sees you turn around. When He sees your repentant heart, He runs to you and loves you.
This could be your moment right now.
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