Do You Disappoint the World or God?

“Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep your law.” (Psalm 119:136)

As a pastor, I have a front row seat to the sinful decisions that some make in our congregation. And while I am not much of a crier, I can identify with the lament from the psalmist. The opposite is also true: John’s claim in his 2^nd epistle that there is no greater joy than to see his children walking in the truth has also been my experience.

But for those who disobey God’s law, and should know better, that brings me sorrow. The psalmist weeps because his people are not obeying God’s Word. Their treatment of God’s precious Word grieves him. He doesn’t take their harm personally; he is most saddened because he knows it grieves God. The psalmist views these people as having absolutely no concern for God’s will land way, and it is for that reason that he is heart-broken.

I know of professing Christians who will say, for example, that they need some time to themselves and/or rest, so they make the decision to stay away from the body of Christ on Sundays for months. It’s like they are really saying, “Hebrews 10:24-25 doesn’t apply to me right now.” What a grievous decision to choose to disobey when the Bible is so clear on what God seeks from us and what the church needs from us.

Do you respond to the sin of others with sorrow? The flesh wants nothing more than for us to heart about others sin and then gossip or condone or belittle. The psalmist is just broken over it.

Albert Barnes says, “There is nothing for which we should be excited to deeper emotion in respect to our fellow-men than for the fact that they are violators of the law of God, and exposed to its fearful penalty.” (Psalms, pgs. 216-17)

How do you respond to the sin of others? Are you a godly griever? The godly man is thirsty for God’s law; he is not thirsty for disobedience or the laws of the world. The godly wants to disappoint the world and encourage God with his own obedience.