Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” 2 Samuael 12:7-13
Nathan certainly doesn’t mean You Are the Man in the modern sense. The Lord used David in spite of his shortcomings. The incident with Bathsheba was the most famous but there are many others and he still goes on to be such a tremendous leader maybe because of learning from the times he fell. You use the weak to lead the strong. It takes a truly great friend to call you out and call you on to be a better person. How I appreciate the accountability. It is so easy to become complacent and point the finger at others but I have to dig deep and make myself a better man.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Cor 5:17-19
The image of a Father bringing His child close in His arms really comes to mind.
How far away from me do you place my sins, Lord?
Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.
Blessed are those you choose
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas Ps 65:1-5
You not only forgive the little ones, Lord, but when I am overwhelmed by my inadequacy in big ways, Your forgiveness knows no bounds.
‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.
She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater. Ezekiel 9:2-3
Learning the basics of faith is for survival. I cannot live without the food You provide. Evangelization is the work of now. The time is short. How can I bring more people to You, O Lord?
Your grace truly is enough for me, Lord. Be with me today.
Sixty-six books in a year 