Daily Devotional for Saturday, November 12

Learn from Examples

As our children grow older and begin to be exposed to wrongdoing in the world, they often question us regarding our own past lives. “Hey, Mom and Dad, did you ever do such and such when you were growing up?” It is a real dilemma for many of us. What do we say if we ourselves were engaged in wrongdoing in our pasts? If we are truthful, we worry it will make them think they can do wrong and end up okay. If we are untruthful then, well, we are being untruthful! It can be a tough call. 

Our Heavenly Father certainly does not seem to struggle with this dilemma at all. He is very open about sharing the good, bad and ugly about His people from times past. He surely has never engaged in wrongdoing, but openly shares with us the accounts of His people doing so. Many of the heroes of the faith, at one time or another, did something or some things that were wrong. In fact, the entire nation of Israel has a long history of doing wrong. Wrong was often the norm; that is why the nation faced God’s judgment repeatedly. 

As He often does in His Word, God tells us exactly why He shares this. He wants us to know, first of all, the things He finds displeasing. He also wants us to know that things do not always work out for the best when folks go astray. Sometimes, there are negative consequences because sometimes there is judgment. Since our loving Father has been so willing to show us both the right way, and the wrong way (along with the consequences), why on earth do we keep choosing the wrong way?

JUST A THOUGHT: As the saying goes: Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it. God has preserved the past in His Word, so that we will not forget it.

Wally Fry