People do
not like to talk about sin. Satan shames us with remorse over our failings,
making us feel like a failure for the wrong choices we made in the past. He
heaps on condemnation, which cripples us and makes us feel unclean.
If we say we
do not sin, we deceive our self (1 John 1:8). If we call our self a Christian,
but continue to live in sin, we proclaim for the whole world to see that we do
not have the Spirit of God in us (Romans 8:9; 1 John 1:6).
Other people
relish their sin. They love the lusts of both the eye and the flesh. They rely
on their pride in their life's accomplishments to boost their self-esteem and
confidence (Ephesians 5:3; 1 John 2:16).
Some even
brag about and take pride in their sin and encourage others to partake in it
too (Romans 1:32). They reap no benefit from this behavior for which they are
eventually ashamed and which leads only to eternal death (Romans 6:21).
Sin is only
fun for a season. It turns destructive in a hurry and wraps its tentacles
around us until we drown in its mire (Psalm 119:133). We reap the consequences
of our sins for years and grieve the Holy Spirit and thwart God's blessings for
our life.
Friendship
with the world, and conformity to its sinful practices, makes us an enemy of
God (James 4:4; Psalm 1:1). As sinners, we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God
with Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Jesus came
to earth to take the sin of the whole world on His shoulders and to crucify it for
all time through His bruised and bleeding body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). So,
if we humble our self and confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to
forgive us for them (1 John 1:9).
We all sin
and miss the mark of God's perfection (James 4:8). Therefore, God freely
justifies us by His grace through the redemption, which comes by Jesus Christ
(Romans 3:23-24). God chooses those who are spiritual in His Body to help
redeem a fallen Saint from the clutches of sin (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15).
Prayer:
Father God,
teach us to discern the sin in our own life before we go judging someone else's
indiscretions (Matthew 7:3; 1 Peter 1:8). We give our self away when we try to
hide our sin, because You always reveal the truth eventually (Luke 6:45;
Numbers 32:23).
Enable us to
overcome the sins relating to our earthly nature and to walk the straight and
narrow road by Your Spirit (Psalm 25:6-7; Galatians 5:15-25; Colossians 3:5;
Proverbs 10:9). Thank You both for Christ's sacrifice for us and for His second
appearing to bring us Your complete salvation in body, soul and spirit (Hebrews
9:28).
Thought for
the Day:
God orders
our steps according to His Word to keep us from living under the rule of sin
over our life. - Psalm 119:133
