Will God help you as you rob a bank?

How about as we gossip? Steal? Tear someone down?

No…sort of.

We should not expect God to help our sinful plans and actions, but He does still continue to work for our good despite our sin.

How might He do that?

He may frustrate those sinful plans. He may burden our heart with guilt. These are acts of love even if they frustrate or cause us pain. Consider this. If a baby starts crawling towards the stairs from the second floor, his parents may grab him quickly and firmly tell him, “No!” The baby may be scared or cry because his parents just preventing him from doing what he wanted. Is that love? Yes.

How about the teenager who is caught doing drugs? If her parents ground her for a month and embarrass her by talking about it with her school’s principal and her friends’ parents so they can help address the problem. Is that love? Yes.

Whether He frustrates our plans, burdens our hearts, embarrasses us, or something else, whatever it is, God continues to work in our lives for our good. Out of love He works to bring us to repentance and to receive forgiveness. Praise God!

So, God will still bless us even when we do wrong. It’s just that He’ll probably do it in a way that frustrates those actions. However, when we seek His will and love good, He can bless our actions as well.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for loving me even when I do what is wrong. Teach me to love what is good. Change me to seek what is right. Correct me and discipline me when I seek evil that I may repent and be forgiven. Thank you for loving me.

Amen.