Just a quick thought (even though I know its been forever since I've posted anything --a testament to how busy life can be. Why? That's the million dollar question.):
I was reading in 1 Kings earlier this week and was a little off balance reading how Bathsheba interacted with people in that transitional time between David and Solomon being king. Whenever I hear the name Bathsheba I always think of adjectives like, "sin" "adultery" "fallen man" "even good men can fall if they don't rely on God", etc. But in 1 Kings 1-2, Bathsheba defies all those stereotypes. In fact, she holds David to God's promise of Solomon taking the throne even when Adonijah tries to declare himself king. "She said to him, 'My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God saying, "Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and shall sit on my throne."'" (1 Kings 1:17)
What stuck me was this: Bathsheba was a woman who had been taken possibly against her will, had her husband killed, and lost her baby. Her life, whatever it was, was completely removed and irrecoverable because of David's sin. Every perception she may have had of the future --with her true husband-- were stolen by a king's lust. And yet --somehow-- she can still stand before one of authority and call them out on staying true to God. God didn't want her to avoid David after all he'd done against her; they persevered through it.
Avoiding the sin doesn't absolve it; containing sin doesn't conquer it.
It is a powerful and potent lesson for me to learn right now as I continue to work through issues in my life, seeking to be more Christ-minded. God doesn't want me to simply stop sinning, he wants me to conquer the sin in the power of His Name. Its helpful.
