Scripture, 2 Samuel 11-12
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? (2 Sam. 12:9)

The story of David's adultery with Bathsheba falls strangely upon our ears today, when almost every bestselling novel contains at least one bedroom scene. Psalm 51 is a record of what David felt after he repented. But we don't have any record of his motivation or his thoughts before he sinned. All of which reminds me that God holds us responsible for our actions, no matter our intentions. You and I know that we must yield to temptation because we are inclined to by nature and because we have never decided that it is tragic, costly, and often fatal to indulge in sin. But sadly, despite knowing the facts, we sin anyway.

David discovered afterward how tragic his mistake was. First, it cost the life of an innocent man; second, according to Nathan the prophet, it gave the enemies of God a chance to blaspheme (2 Sam. 12:14). Next, it cost the life of the child that was born; and finally, it sowed the seeds of tragedy, dissension, hatred, murder, and strife in David's own family. What a horrible harvest from a few moments of folly.

Small thought here
Sin pays terrible wages-to believers and unbelievers alike. An unbeliever may yield to temptation because he doesn't care or he thinks he can get away with it. But for a believer who has faced with God the ultimate folly and tragedy of sin and has yielded his life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, sin has an entirely different look to it. Think about the harvest, dear friend, before you give in to the tempter.