No one can fill their minds with worldly rubbish without causing damage. Add sinful behaviour to this and you multiply that damage tenfold.
King David found out the hard way that he should have fled the scene when he first laid eyes on Bathsheba. The personal consequences of his sin were monumental. He lost two sons, nearly lost his kingdom, and tarnished his otherwise perfect reputation with God and man; not to mention the wives Absalom violated and David’s murder of Uriah.
But David, “the man after God’s own heart,” knew that the deepest wounds that he had inflicted were in the heart of his relationship with God. We can see the tears running down his face as he wrote:
“Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge” (Psalm 51:4).
If David had but kept his mind on things above, he would never have known the carnage that followed that first thought for another man’s wife. Though David was granted complete mercy and forgiveness, he was to be ever reminded of the events of those dark days.
We also sit with regrets for our past sins. And we too are ever reminded of the events of our dark days. Of course, these memories, though impossible to completely erase, are best crowded out by thoughts and deeds of a renewed mind; one that praises God for His mercy and forgiveness.
With King David we look to the restoration of our happiness in God, and our work to convert others to God:
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.
(Psalm 51:12-13).
John Staiger