Chasing Butterflies

"God, be merciful to me

because you are loving.

Because you are always ready to be merciful,

wipe out all my wrongs.

Wash away all my guilt

and make me clean again.

Psalm 51:1-2

READ Psalm 50:1-52:9

SITUATION David repented after Nathan confronted him. Nathan rightly pointed to David's sin of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11-12)

OBSERVATION David pleaded for restoration and renewal. He asked that God would purify his heart.

INSPIRATION When I was ten years old. I had a puppy named Tina. You would have loved her. She was the perfect pet. An irresistible, pug-nosed Pekingese pup. One ear fell over and the other ear stood straight up. She never tried of playing and yet never got in the way.

Her mother died when she was born so the rearing of the puppy fell on me. I fed her milk from the doll bottle and used to sneak out at night to see if she was warm. I'll never forget the night I took her to bed with me only to have her mess on my pillow. We made quite a pair. My first brush with parenthood.

One day I went into the back yard to give Tina her dinner. I looked around and spotted her in a corner near the fence. She had cornered a butterfly (as much as a butterfly can be cornered) and was playfully yelping and jumping in the air trying to catch the butterfly in her mouth. Amused, I watched her for a few minutes and then called to her.

"Tina! Come her, girl! It's time to eat!"

What happened next surprised me. Tina stopped her playing and looked at me. But instead of immediately scampering in my direction, she sat back on her haunches. The she tilted her bead back toward the butterfly, looked back at me, then back to the butterfly, and then back to me. For the first time in her life, she had made a decision...

And do you know what she did? She chased the butterfly! Scurrying and barking , she ignored my call and chased that silly thing until it flew over the fence.

That is when the guilt hit.

She stopped at the fence for a long time, sitting back on her hind legs looking up in the air where the butterfly had made its exit. Slowly, the excitement of the chase was overshadowed by the guilt of disobedience.

She turned painfully and walked back to encounter her owner. (To be honest, I was a little miffed.) Her head was ducked as she regretfully trudged across the yard.

For the first time in her life she felt guilty.

She had violated her "should" and had given into her "want." My heart melted, however, and I called her name again. Sensing forgiveness, Tina darted into my hands. (I always was a softy.)

Now, I may be overdoing it a bit. I don't know if a dog can really feel guilty or not. But I do know a human can. And whether the sin is as slight as chasing a butterfly or as serious as sleeping with another man's wife, the effects are the same...

Man cannot cope with guilt alone...

...I don't care how many worship services you attend or good deeds you do, your goodness is insufficient. You can't be good enough to deserve forgiveness. No one bats a thousand. No one bowls three hundred. No one. Not you, not me, not anyone...

...Listen. Quit trying to quench your own guilt. You can't do it. There's no way. Not with a bottle of whiskey or perfect Sunday School attendance. Sorry, I don't care how bad you are. You can't be bad enough to forget it. And I don't care how good you are. You can't be good enough to overcome it.

You need a Savior. (From No Wonder They Call Him The Savior by Max Lucado)

APPLICATION Do you think you have committed too great a sin for God to forget it? Do you think you have waited too long to ask for his pardon? Read this psalm to God as your own prayer. Experience God's forgiving grace as David did.

EXPLORATION Confession of Sin -- Ezra 9:5-7, 10:1; Nehemiah 1:5-7; Psalm 32:5, 41:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 3:19.

The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus; Max Lucado General Editor, New Century Version, Thomas Nelson Bibles