Our Daily Bread 15-Day EditionMuestra

The Pharmacist

The pharmacist had a good reputation. He was a family man and a good businessman. News reports listed his worth in the millions. Yet, to increase his profits, this trusted professional began to dilute the strength of the chemotherapy drugs he was dispensing. He was caught and convicted of the crime. He left many health-care workers asking, “How could this happen?”

Some of the same questions must have been asked about King David. Known as a man after God’s own heart, he used the power of his office to take another man’s wife (2 Sam. 11). Then he conspired to take her husband’s life. The man who died was one of David’s own military officers who was away from home fighting the king’s battles. We could look at the failures of well-known people to feel better about ourselves. But if we feel good about the wrongs of others, we don’t know ourselves. The Bible doesn’t tell us about the sins of David to weaken our sense of moral alarm, but to put all of us on notice. The failures of others should cause us to be more aware of our own weaknesses and need for the grace of Christ. Only in the knowledge of our weakness will we be dependent on the strength of our God. —Mart DeHaan

The Bible, O Lord, is just like a mirror
That shows me the need of my heart,
For in it I see an accurate image,
A portrait of me—every part. —Hess

The Bible is a mirror that reflects how God sees us.