truth about sin (devil won't like you reading this)

Both of my devotionals today spoke to me about what God has been placing on my heart recently; the sanctity of God’s Word and God’s laws, and the awful effect sin can have on a Christian.

I present them both here…


A Casual View of Sin

Scripture Reading:
Romans 6:1-7 –
What shall we say to all this? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favour and mercy) may multiply and overflow? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him in the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, so we too might habitually live and behave in newness of life. For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be one with Him in sharing His resurrection by a new life lived for God. We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that our body, which is the instrument of sin, might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. For when a man dies he is freed – loosed, delivered – from the power of sin among men.

Most of us have heard how a frog can be boiled to death without any resistance. Placed in a cool pot of water on a cooking surface, the frog remains content and unsuspecting as the heat beneath is increased. His internal temperature rises with the temperature of the water until finally he is boiled alive!

Abraham and Lot were given a choice about the land they would occupy. Lot, seeing the lushness of the Jordan Valley, chose the richness of Sodom while Abraham settled in the land of Canaan.

Greed and lust fuelled Lot’s desires. F. B. Meyer wrote, “The younger man [Lot] chose according to the sight of his eyes. In his judgement he gained everything, but the world is full of Lots – shallow, impulsive, doomed to be revealed by their choice and end.”

Lot never considered the character of the inhabitants of the land. He adopted a casual view of their sin. And in doing so he failed to realize the effect of their presence on his relationship with God.

Have you adopted God’s perspective on sin, or do you have an indifferent attitude toward what is unholy before a holy God? Don’t risk being lulled onto deadly spiritual lethargy by the complacency of our society. God hates sin and calls us to do the same.

Father, I don’t want to treat sin casually. Give me Your divine perspective on sin. Keep me from being lulled into spiritual lethargy by the complacency of the world in which I live. Let me understand – You hate sin, and You have called me to do the same.



For the second devotional of mine today. It was all about the scripture passage and what it was saying to me…

Digesting God’s Word

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 19 –
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night shows forth knowledge. There is no speech nor spoken word from the stars; their voice is not heard. Yet their voice (in evidence) goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world. Of the heavens has God made a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run his course. His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit to the ends of it; and nothing (yes, no one) is hidden from the heat of it. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the whole person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes. The reverent fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb. Moreover by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden and unconscious faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart by acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my firm, impenetrable rock and my redeemer.






Just a couple of things to point out…

Lot chose what LOOKED best. Maybe he assumed that because it looked good, it was God’s blessing to him? Problem is, was he willing to follow God when what God chose for him did NOT look like the best thing? What do we do when we want something, we believe it is good for us, but God refuses to give it to us because He knows best? THAT is where our true character is shown; are we sold-out to God, or slowly being boiled to death by sin?

A casual view of sin is deadly. We must love those who sin, but hate what they do. We hate sin, because God hates sin and tells us to do likewise. Sin destroys. Sin separates. Sin makes fools of us, and kills us spiritually. As bad as it is to have a casual view of our neighbour’s sin, the worst thing is what it says about our hearts. A heart that will not be bothered by somebody else’s sin, is one short step away from not being bothered by our own sin. It is only a fraction of a degree of temperature difference, between being an uncomfortable frog, and a dead one. Remember, nobody can make an excuse for sin, nor can anybody find a way to change God’s mind on sin. Sin is sin is sin, and that is all there is to it.

And this…
“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the whole person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes. The reverent fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb. Moreover by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.”
Following God’s will, as laid out in His laws, makes the simple wise, makes us sure, makes us right, rejoices our heart, is pure and bright, enlightens our eyes, is clean, endures for ever, is true, is righteous, is more desirable than gold and far sweeter than fresh honey, and following God’s Word and Scriptures warns us, reminds us, and instructs us, illuminating our path, and there is a great reward in keeping God’s laws.

Having too close of contact with somebody whose sin you are excusing (or excusing your own sin) is a bad thing. Those around you should know that you stand up for God’s Word and God’s laws, and that you hate sin but love people (just as God does). If people around you do not hear this from you, then you are failing in your duties as an ambassador for Christ, you are behaving like a self-indulgent fool rather than as a son or daughter of the King of Kings with a good inheritance.

Being too close to somebody who does not honour God, love God, or seek God, will pull you down. Being in any sort of relationship, whether it be business, personal, or marital, with a person who excuses their own sin, or who pulls you into sin, or who encourages you (or makes it easy for you) to sin yourself or to excuse your sin or their sin or the sin of others, this is wrong, this is a wrong relationship and not one that you should be in. Our relationship with our Father in heaven is our primary relationship, and the one that we must guard above all others.

Sin is wanting things our way, instead of God’s way. Sin is ignoring God’s way, or excusing our own ways of doing things. Sin is choosing our own path, or wilfully disobeying God’s Word. Sin is death, and Christ came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.