There’s a story of little Jimmy who had trouble saying his “R”s so his teacher gave him a sentence to practice at home: “Robert gave Richard a rap in the rib for roasting the rabbit so rare.” A few days later Jimmy’s teacher asked him to share the sentence with her. He said: “Bob punched Dick in the side for not cooking the bunny enough.”A lot of us, even in the church, go to great lengths to avoid “R” when it refers to repentance. Regret of our sin is a start – that’s mental. Remorse is a bit closer – that’s mental and emotional. But it is repentance God seeks: mental, emotional, and volitional (the will). It’s a change in our lives. David was a man after God’s heart, not because he was never tempted by sin or because he never fell prey to sin. He was a man after God’s heart because he was repentant of that sin. Hopefully, we can learn from his story how to avoid sin in the first place. But just in case we fall short at some point, let’s learn from King David’s repentance.

Scripture References: 2 Samuel 11:1-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-25

From Series: David: After God's Heart | More Messages from Dr. Jim Mann