Sin
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Thursday, January 2nd, 2025
One of my takeaways from the Everyday Gospel Devotion for today is the devastation that sin has. I know. I know. I already know that. I have seen it and lived it. I have experienced the devastation in my own life, enough to not be shocked by it. But that still does not stop me from sometimes doing what Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3. When confronted by God in the Garden as they hid from Him, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Personal responsibility? What is that?
Yeah…been there done that. Worse is the denial of sin or trying to minimize it. It is so much easier to look at someone else and point a finger at their sin than for me to look inward and realize, “Oh man. I’m just as bad or worse.” The comparison game is so insidious. Their worst vs my not-so-worst. Not a fair fight!! But that is human nature at its “finest.” It is far easier to be more concerned about or irritated by the sin of others than my own. I was reading just yesterday about a preacher and an intern who were going to talk to a man who really messed up when the pastor asked the intern about whether he could commit that sin. The intern said, “Oh no way!” The pastor told him that he better stay away and he would go himself, because unless he realizes he could commit that same sin, he should not visit the man. I totally agree. The moment you and I think we are incapable of committing a sin is the moment we become the most vulnerable. I also remember reading about a pastor who publicly proclaimed that he would never cheat on his wife. There was a woman in the audience that day who took him up on that challenge. Needless to say, the end result was not a good one.
Minimizing sin by either not seeing its “power factor” or thinking “it would never be me” is a dangerous game to play. It immediately puts us in the crosshairs of the Hunter (our enemy, Satan) who will consider it a challenge causing us to fall. And he will use every means possible to make that happen. I think we can all agree that sin is real. In fact, before Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4) God warned Cain that his anger and jealousy would be his downfall. Not long after that Cain killed Abel.
The words found in Genesis 6 are frightening. It says, “God saw the wickedness in the heart of man and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” It also says that it “grieved God’s heart and He regretted that He made man on the earth.” Those are devastating words to read. The flood followed.
We can’t handle sin on our own. The best gift ever given was God’s redeeming grace. Sin loses its power when stacked against that.
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Forgiveness, God, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story
Tuesday, December 10th, 2024
“Arrogance.” “Pure arrogance.”
Those were the words I used to my wife after I heard about the capture of the alleged shooter of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. After she heard the news she said, “I wonder how he got caught?” When they announced it I commented to her that he will have gotten caught because of his own arrogance. Let me explain.
Arrogance comes in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Some are blatant, like someone who let’s you know “he’s special.” There are some who delight in puffing themselves up before others, either by their attitude or words. One can almost see them walking around with his/her nose in the air. Some people have a sense of entitlement, like whatever they say or do deserves mention. I can think of certain Hollywood players who have that attitude. For example, they want to pontificate on an election as though they know it all, even threatening to leave the country if so-and-so wins. All I can say is “Bye. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
Then there are those like this alleged killer. Smart, maybe too smart for his own good. Smarter than the average bear (at least in his own mind). Who knows what motivated this alleged killer. Maybe it will come out in the end. He had things planned out. A ghost gun. Silencer. A mask. What he didn’t plan, and this is what is sad, is what I was referring to when I made my comment to Jo. The audacity and arrogance to think he is smarter than everyone else and no one will really notice him in public. But someone did recognize him and now he is in custody.
The Bible is very, very clear about the danger of arrogance. “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.” (I Cor. 10:12) Another translation puts it this way: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (ESV) The truth of it all is that everyone has an Achilles heel. Everyone of us has a weakness that can bring us down. Think Titanic. Let me add a few more verses. “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Pr. 11:2). “The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished…Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” (Pr. 16:5, 11) One last one: “Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.” (Pr. 29:23). By the way, take a look at that verse. What a difference a few letters make!
What was behind the alleged killer’s motive, who knows? What I do know is this: pride and arrogance brought his downfall. Truthfully, we must all guard against that danger.
{Unless noted all verses are NLT}
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Tags: Arrogance, Christian Living, God's Word, Humility, Opinion, Pride, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin
Wednesday, October 30th, 2024
In my daily Bible reading, I began this morning in the book of Romans. Considered Paul’s magnum opus, it is chalk full of truth. All kinds of truth. The purpose of this devotion today is not to give an overview of the whole book, but to give a glimpse into chapter 1.
- Verses 1-7 has Paul greeting the Roman followers of Christ. He gives some serious doctrinal truth as to who Jesus is.
- Verses 8-17 has Paul grateful for the Roman followers of Jesus because the love they have for Jesus has spread and others have heard about their love. He gives, perhaps, the most succinct purpose of the Gospel in verses 16-17: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'” (NLT)
But then he lowers the boom. He writes about God’s displeasure with sin-all sin. His approach is multi-pronged:
- There are those who disregard God Himself. They deny His existence. I would put them in the “We can’t see Him so He is not real” camp. Paul says they are without excuse. (v.20). He says those who want to think that way are fools. Instead of worshiping a real God, they worship a fake god (images of people, birds, animals and reptiles).
- Then comes a very distinct and very confrontational passage: verses 24-27. These are called “clobber verses” because they are used as clubs to confront, judge, condemn and beat people over the head who struggle with SSA. In all honesty, only those who want to justify theirs-or someone else’s actions-can overlook this. BUT…
- I am stopped dead in my tracks by verses 28-32. Lest I get arrogant and stand on a self-righteous soapbox, there is a laundry list of sin that condemns us all. We may say, “SSA? Not me!” and feel good about ourselves. But hold on! Look at the list: every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. Then Paul writes, “They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.” As each one is leveled, we start hopping around lest His divine foot stomp nail our feet to the floor and expose our sinful heart.
Short recap I know. There is so much more to say. I simply say: investigate on your own. Read this chapter slowly, all the while asking God to speak to your heart. The message will not only be clear; it is one you cannot escape. I think we all need the message of Romans 1, but I especially am grateful for the simple words about Good News in verses 16-17 (see above).
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Tags: Bible/Scripture, Choices, Christian Living, God's Word, Jesus, Lifestyle, Love, Ministry, Opinion, Quiet Time, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story, Truth Telling
Thursday, October 10th, 2024
Have you ever been sitting in a chair or laying in bed and then your mind starts to wander? Not just random like a pinball, but it seems to focus in on events or circumstances of your past. Just this morning as I was praying and trying to prepare my mind and heart for my time alone with God, off it (my mind) went to the past. It focused in on failures of my past when I behaved and spoke in a way that brought disrespect to the name of Christ. I almost started replaying scenarios when suddenly God’s Spirit intervened and said, “No! Not now! That’s forgiven.”
Then I read about Abraham, God’s chosen man to be the father of the Jewish people. In Romans 4 Paul uses Abraham as an example of faith. In protest we might say, “Yeah. Some example of faith he was. He failed to believe God’s promise and wait, and now we have the Arab people as a result of his tryst with Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid.” Abraham even laughed in unbelief when told he would have a child in his old age (Gen. 17:17). What gives?
To borrow a phrase: “This is not a ‘spin job’ on Abraham’s life.” It’s not a whitewash as if Abraham never sinned, never failed, or never doubted. What it is strikes us: we get to see God’s final gracious perspective of Abraham’s life. Beyond the failure. Beyond the tragic impatience. Beyond the tragic “I’m going to take this whole matter into my own hands.” Beyond the tragic “God is taking too long.”
Then it hit me. If God could take this huge act of impatience, disobedience, i.e. sin in Abraham’s life, forgive him and bring about His purpose, surely God could do that for me. That is not excusing sin-misspeaking, wrong actions, hurt feelings, totally degrading His Name, etc.- but it does show the real magnitude of His grace. The enemy’s plan is for me to wallow in shame and humiliation. God’s plan is for me to know and experience His love and grace.
I learned a good lesson today: when Satan knocks on the door, send the Holy Spirit to answer it.
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Tags: Christian Living, Forgiveness, God, God's Plan, Grace, Jesus, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Sin, Story
Thursday, September 26th, 2024
Have you ever noticed how we grade sins? Let’s, for the sake of argument, just grade our sins.
- Grade 1- the really bad ones. Adultery. Murder. Homosexuality.
- Grade 2- Cheating. Lying (as far as its not a “little white one”). Theft.
- Grade 3- Division. Lying (little white ones). Laziness.
Granted, that is not an exact science. I’m only using it as an example of the way we grade our sins: some are really, really bad; some are so-so; some not so bad. We could even add a category of justified sins if we want. And, of course, there are many more sins we could list.
I left one out…on purpose. That’s because it is not seen as a really, really bad one and is even overlooked or simply forgotten. Let me give you a hint:
“Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.” Pr. 26:20
“Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.” Pr. 26:22
Okay…so I guess that is not so subtle, is it? The “respectable” sin, the “acceptable” sin, the one not graded harshly is G.O.S.S.I.P. On a scale of 1-10, gossip might hit a “3” on the Sin-o-Meter. That’s tragic though. Gossip has killed more people that we could count. While some would never consider carrying a firearm to take someone’s life, they have very little qualm about using their mouth to snuff out someone’s reputation, good name, future, friendship, etc all in the name of “passing along” some information.
Let’s get it through our heads-and hearts-that gossip is a deadly sin, capable of destroying lives, taking out families, even companies. Let me close with a thought from Proverbs 26:
“If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead. A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.” (Verses 27-28)
Just those two verses should sober us up real quickly. Let’s stop the GOSSIP.
{All Scripture from the New Living Translation}
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Tags: Choices, Christian Living, Gossip, Harmful words, Kindness, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Speech, Story
Tuesday, September 24th, 2024
“Becoming a Christian doesn’t make one sinless, but it ought to make one sin less.“ (Conway-p.35)
I’ve been reading a book the past few days entitled Does Christianity Still Make Sense? by Bobby Conway. Conway was a pastor, a host of the YouTube podcast One Minute Apologist (now called Christianity Still Makes Sense) who went through a crisis of faith-a dark night of the soul-where he questioned his Christian faith. He came out on the other side and has written a book looking at objections to Christianity. One of those is answering the question “Why are there so many scandals in the Church?” The follow-up question is the next chapter, the oft-used “Aren’t Christians just a bunch of hypocrites?”
No doubt those are two questions that crop up again and again. I’ve been asked them and I’m sure if you are a pastor or a Christ-follower, you have also. Maybe you have even asked them yourself.
I’ve often been tongue-tied trying to answer those questions because I know I struggle with that. I know I’m a sinner and sometimes exhibit that truth way too much and find myself a very poor representative of Jesus. But I’ve also come to the conclusion that the saying I started out with depicts me. While “I’m not perfect, just forgiven” can be flippantly tossed out to justify sin, I’m not trying to do that here. Exact opposite actually. Just because I have been forgiven doesn’t mean I won’t sin. I’m not sinless, but I should sin less.
Does my sin discredit Christianity? No. Just because a batter strikes out, he doesn’t represent the whole team. Just because I fail (sin) does not mean Christianity is a failure. The ultimate example-Jesus-never sinned. My trying to be like Him won’t make me sinless, but as I have said, it should make me sin less. My ultimate goal-any Christ-followers goal-should be to represent Jesus as close as we can. I will never do that perfectly.
Christianity doesn’t rise and fall on me. My sin brings a stain, but doesn’t undermine the rock solid truth of Jesus as the perfect and firm foundation. Is sin a problem? Yes. Is hypocrisy a problem? It can be. But Jesus offers the solution to the problem. If you or someone you know keeps using these excuses, stop making excuses by pointing fingers at fallible people and start looking at an infallible Christ.
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Tags: Christian Living, God, Hypocrisy, Jesus, Lifestyle, Opinion, Reflection, Sin, Story, Truth Telling
Tuesday, September 17th, 2024
As one can expect there are many different views of God. Some are heretical, but those are not the kind I’m speaking about. Views like God is a God of wrath. Of Love. Of Vengeance. Of Patience. On and on it goes.
There is one which is gaining traction, I think, these days: God is a God who hates. On one end we have disgusting, narrow-minded, bigoted people who say, “God hates fags.” Or “God hates people of a different color, race, or different lifestyle than us.” On the other hand, we find a reaction from the side that says, “God is a God of love and hates bigoted, homophobic, racist people.” You know…ad infinitum, ad nauseum (on both sides).
How about this? God hates no one. While it is true God hates sin-and we all sin and will have to pay someday for our sin-God loves His image-bearers (that would be all of us). Proof you say?
My pleasure. “And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. For this is how God so loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:14-17 NLT) Please take special note of verse 17. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save us. Case closed. He has offered us salvation, forgiveness of sin, and freedom from the chains and shame of sin. To all who look to the cross (depicted in verses 14-15) salvation is offered. Not forced…offered. How can anyone read verses 16-17 and say, “God hates (you fill in the blank).” Those verses say the exact opposite! God of hate? Think again.
We might flippantly say, “God is a God of love.” The truth of the matter is that He most definitely is! His arms are open. Open the door of your heart and let Him in.
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Tags: God, God's Word, Jesus, Love, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin
Wednesday, September 11th, 2024
“NEVER FORGET!”
It’s hard to. Those words will be spoken and heard a lot today. Anyone who was alive and old enough to understand knows the significance of today. If you are like me you know where you were and what you were doing when you first heard of the well-planned, but cowardly, devastating attack on American soil. Life has never been the same and seeing the images again reminds me of watching the Twin Towers burn and then collapse. I’m also thinking of the all-too-brief days following when politicians put aside their petty gripes against each other and sang “God Bless America” on the steps of the Capitol. I’m also thinking of the few brief days/weeks when hearts became sensitive to God’s role in the founding and ongoing history of our country. I’m also thinking of when it wasn’t so much “God Bless America” but “America Bless God.” Many churches saw spikes in their attendance as people sought solace in the face of such tragedy. Sadly, it died quickly.
September 11, 2023 a double rainbow appeared in the NYC sky where the Twin Towers used to rise. The rainbow is a symbol of God’s presence and promise that He would never again destroy the earth by a flood. It is a promise from a faithful and true God.
Jesus has given us a reminder to remember Him by. Just as there will be gatherings today to honor the 3000+ souls who lost their lives 23 years ago (and since), so this memorial reminds us of the loss of life, but also the gaining of something greater. It reminds us of the ultimate sacrifice-one Man dying for the sin of the world. The perfect, sinless, Son of God, our Savior, taking the place of sinful, rebellious, unholy people to make the ultimate sacrifice to die in our place.
NEVER FORGET. 9/11. The cross of Calvary and the price paid for people (you and me) who didn’t deserve it.
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Tags: 9/11, Crucifixion, Forgiveness, God's Plan, Jesus, Opinion, Reflection, Sacrifice, Salvation, Sin, Story
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024
I have met people who feel they are too far gone to be useful to God or for God’s work.
“Oh Pastor Bill. You don’t know how bad I’ve been. You don’t know what I’ve done. I’m too far gone and God could never forgive me for what I have done.” A similar thought is them asking me if they could be forgiven.
There’s truth and false in that statement. It is (most likely) true that I don’t know what they have done (but in the course of the conversation will probably be told). The false part of that statement is the biggest mistake of all: that he or she has done something so big and so bad that God cannot forgive.
Let me put it very clearly: NO. ONE. IS. OUT. OF. THE. REACH. OF. GOD’S. LOVE. AND. FORGIVENESS. I could repeat that statement but you get the drift. NO MATTER how far down we have gone; no matter how far out we have strayed; no matter how bad we feel we have acted; no matter how far we feel we have drifted; God’s love is greater.
The Apostle Paul put it this way: “I pray from His glorious unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wise, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” (Eph. 3:16-19 NLT)
My emphasis whenever I read that passage is on that phrase “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.” The reality is I cannot know. You cannot know. What I DO know is that His love was wide enough, long enough, high enough and deep enough until it included me.
May you know and be aware of the magnificence and reach of God’s love today.
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Tags: Christian Living, Forgiveness, God, God's Love, God's Word, Jesus, Love, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Scripture look, Sin, Story
Thursday, June 20th, 2024
Jeremiah fought for all he was worth! No, not a UFC no-holds-barred kind of fight. Unless you are talking about a spiritual battle.
In Jeremiah 1:17-19 we find these words: “Get up and prepare for action…Do not be afraid of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall…They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (I wrote about that in my June 18th post). But that was just the beginning. In 7:1-8:3, we find one of the biggest issues Jeremiah has to fight through: faulty religion. Strangely enough, what Jeremiah had to fight with is not a lot different than today.
Here is a short analysis:
- Faulty religion trusts in external observances and institutions. Too many today think going to church, maybe lifting their hands, or putting money in the coffer is all they need to do. Trouble is: one can do all of that, and more, without one bit of heart.
- Faulty religion exhibits ungodly behavior. I remember joking as a teenager with my classmates who were of a certain religion. They could party Friday night, go to church on Saturday morning and take care of things, then “go parking” on Saturday night and feel as thought they were alright. After all, they had “done their duty.” There is something wrong with that picture.
- Faulty religion turns its back on God instructions. Jer. 7:13 says, “While you were doing these wicked things, says the Lord, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but your refused to answer.” (NLT). How often do we do “our own thing”? God’s Word is seen as a killjoy to our lifestyle.
It’s easy to allow what could and should be a vibrant, alive, and life-changing faith to become old or even misdirected. Let’s challenge ourselves to not allow our faith to become an outward thing but to be a “heart thing.”
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Tags: Christian Living, God, God's Word, Lifestyle, Ministry, Opinion, Reflection, Religion, Scripture look, Sin, Spiritual battle, Story
