Sin is Sin

"But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips"- Colossians 3:8 (NIV).

One of the middle school students had completed his test with time to spare while we waited on other students to complete their tests. I gave him paper and pencil so he could draw. Shortly, he raised his hand and asked for another page. I told him to use both sides; after all, he had two pages. He told me he had drawn on both sides, but I soon discovered he had written a bad word on the back of one sheet. His excuse was that the word wasn't as bad as other words. I told him bad was still bad. He didn't get the additional sheet of paper. It made me think of sin and how we treat one sin as more acceptable than other sins. Sin is still sin. James said, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it" (2:10). And we have all sinned; whether lies, dishonoring our parents, idolatry, adultery, stealing, disrespecting the Sabbath, disbelief, murder, misusing God's name, coveting; we're all guilty (Romans 3:23). We needed saving; we needed Jesus. And that's exactly what Jesus did. He died that we might be righteous in the eyes of God. When we accepted Jesus we died to our old ways of sin. Don't fall for the schemes of the devil that little sins are acceptable. How can we accept that Jesus died for us and still live in sin (Romans 6:2)? Sin is sin.  

The Chain Holds

"We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them"- 1 John 5:18 (NIV).

You've seen the movies: A person is walking along and a ferocious dog begins to growl, then begins to charge snarling towards the person, but within mere feet, the dog's chain reaches its limit and the dog is jerked to a stop, like he was "clothes-lined" right before reaching the person. Now, the dog can only bark and lunge, but cannot reach the person. The chain is holding the beast back. For the briefest moment the person would have been understandably fearful. We all have moments of fear in our lives when evil is coming our way. Evil is in this world and evil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But, Jesus came to give life (John 10:10). Today's Scripture promises that the evil one cannot harm us if we are born of God. Scripture also says wisdom comes from fearing the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). It's a healthy fear; a life-giving fear. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). There is a Chain holding evil back from us; it will still be frightening, but trust the Chain. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! [Jesus has] overcome the world. He is our Chain. 

Packed Bags

"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near"- Luke 21:25-28 (NIV).

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" (Matthew 25:13). When I was a teenager, newly saved during a revival in our high school gym, I went home,shut the door to my bedroom, and got down on my knees to pray. That is the first memory I have of ever getting on my knees to pray. My heart was repentant; I felt so unworthy of God's love, for the suffering Jesus paid for my sins, and my mind kept going back to what I heard during the revival. The speaker, looking up at the rafters of the gym, was saying she wished Jesus would come back right then. That the gym roof would be removed and we would see Jesus coming in great power. Her bags were packed; she was ready to go. At that moment, my mind was screaming, "Don't come right now...I'm not ready!" Back in my bedroom, my heart was rejoicing at having accepted Jesus as my Savior. I was ready; as I am today. Ironically, and I am convinced God has a sense of humor, the fault line shifted and we experienced an earthquake. I felt the earth move under my knees. Ha! God had my attention. On my knees is where I would like to be if Jesus comes back while I'm still here on earth. Jesus said to keep watch; to be ready. What condition do you want to be in when Jesus comes back? Better yet, are your bags packed? Mine are. Come Lord!

Trellis Support

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen"- Ephesians 4:29 (NIV).

Our chain link fence is down now. We left two sections next to the gazebo for the rose bush to use as a trellis for new growth. It didn't take long to take the fence down, but Bradley, our future son-in-law, has a big job ahead of him putting that fence back up in his yard. Doesn't it always seem easier to tear down than build up? James, brother of Jesus, wrote an entire book on the harm of not governing our tongue. Our speech should be uplifting to other members of the body of Christ. Let all things that proceed from our mouths be for building up the family of God (1 Corinthians 14:26). Do we want to be needed enrichment or toxicity to the precious souls around us? What comes from our mouths is a reflection of our own soul. Here is a list for building up others: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Endeavor to build up fellow believers and, in doing so, you will find you are building yourself up as well. Be the trellis others need to support their spiritual growth and, like our rose bush, you'll see beautiful blossoms before long.  

Forgettable

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"- Esther 4:14 (NIV).

Christians have been called the silent majority. So many times we see an opportunity to take a stand and sit on our hands, hold our tongues, hide our heads in the sand. Imagine the strength of a unified majority; the strength and progress that could be made. Between 1964 and 1968, Christians formed a unified coalition, that President Nixon called the "silent majority," who campaigned against pornography and sex education. They supported civil rights and called for law and order. Then many fell back into mediocrity. Do you know the definition of mediocre? It's middle-of-the-road, indifferent, run-of-the-mill, lackluster, forgettable. Do we, as Christians, want to be forgettable? We've been groomed to be silent: "Never discuss religion or politics with friends or family." The cultural problems of today do not go away simply by tuning out their existence.  How can Christians be unified if they don't gather and discuss the problems?  For all you know, God has placed you where you are, for such as time as this. We need to be unified; we need to find our voice. If not, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, God will call someone else to the battlefield, and our existence will be forgettable.