Devotionals by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 NASB)

I want to draw from the Scripture four statements that you can know for a fact, that you can rely on and ultimately act on. These facts are not limited to the sin of abortion, but they certainly would include it.

Fact one: Sin is sin, and we all commit it. The categories are numerous and the reasons we do these sins are also numerous. In its most basic sense, sin is missing the mark. It is failing to obey the truth. According to God’s Book, all of us are guilty.

Every person who will ever read my words knows the personal reality and agony of that verse. All of us indeed have sinned. Even the godly, the righteous, the well-meaning will periodically sin. Not until we are removed from this earth, glorified, and ushered into the presence of our Lord in eternity after death will we stop sinning. As long as we are in existence, breath is in our lungs, and life is on this planet, we will continue to disobey. That means every one of us.

If I may paraphrase it, certainly it would have in mind, “There is no one who continually and without interruption does only good.” We all know the awful experience of failure and wrong and disobedience. It is long-term in all our lives.

Fact two: God is grieved but never surprised or shocked by our disobedience.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust (Psalm 103:12–14 NASB)

When God holds us in His arms, looking deeply into our faces, and sees our tears of repentance, regret, sadness, and sorrow, He understands. He hears our confessions. And without once winking at our sins or passing them off glibly, He understands our makeup. He remembers that we are mere dust. Sin is sin. It happens regularly. And when it happens, God is grieved . . . but He is not shocked.

Tomorrow covers the next important fact from God’s Word related to the subject of abortion.

Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright 1990 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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