“. . . let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith . . . (Hebrews 12:1-2).
As soon as I opened the door I knew something was wrong. Rotten, actually. But I was already late for work, so I grabbed my lunch from the refrigerator and darted out the front door. My wife was out of town visiting family, so I planned to take care of the rotted whatever-it-was when I returned later that night.
That was my first mistake.
My inbox at work grew inches with each passing hour. I didn’t leave the office until after dark and the thought of starting dinner when I arrived home left me weak-kneed. I decided to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant.
By the time I arrived home, cleaning the refrigerator was the last thing on my mind. I plopped in front of the television to unwind from the day. An hour later I headed for the shower and the bed. I’d take care of the fridge in the morning.
That was my second mistake.
The next morning when I opened the refrigerator door, the pungent stench of rotted cabbage filled every corner of the house. I slammed the door shut and glanced at my watch. I’d be late for work if I didn’t leave soon. I grabbed an apple and rushed out of the house. The fridge would have to wait.
When I returned from work ten hours later, the odor from the fridge had settled over the house. It left me no choice. I tossed the cabbage . . . and the lettuce, tomatoes and celery laying nearby. Then I scrubbed the fruit and vegetable bin with bleach.
Like slowly rotting cabbage, sin is never a private matter. If left alone, its stench will seep into and ruin every corner of our life, our families, communities, and our nation. And there is not one person reading this who does not know that to be true. They know it at a visceral level learned from experience – often from repeated experience.
We make a serious mistake to be casual about rooting sin from our lives. We make a serious -- deadly -- mistake when we tacitly ignore the commandment of God to be holy according to His standards, and not according to the standards of the culture.
Like the law of gravity, the law of sowing and reaping is inescapable: Whatever we sow, we reap. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption. If we sow to the spirit, we reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8).
It doesn’t get any simpler. Or clearer.
Or more difficult.
As soon as I opened the door I knew something was wrong. Rotten, actually. But I was already late for work, so I grabbed my lunch from the refrigerator and darted out the front door. My wife was out of town visiting family, so I planned to take care of the rotted whatever-it-was when I returned later that night.
That was my first mistake.
My inbox at work grew inches with each passing hour. I didn’t leave the office until after dark and the thought of starting dinner when I arrived home left me weak-kneed. I decided to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant.
By the time I arrived home, cleaning the refrigerator was the last thing on my mind. I plopped in front of the television to unwind from the day. An hour later I headed for the shower and the bed. I’d take care of the fridge in the morning.
That was my second mistake.
The next morning when I opened the refrigerator door, the pungent stench of rotted cabbage filled every corner of the house. I slammed the door shut and glanced at my watch. I’d be late for work if I didn’t leave soon. I grabbed an apple and rushed out of the house. The fridge would have to wait.
When I returned from work ten hours later, the odor from the fridge had settled over the house. It left me no choice. I tossed the cabbage . . . and the lettuce, tomatoes and celery laying nearby. Then I scrubbed the fruit and vegetable bin with bleach.
Like slowly rotting cabbage, sin is never a private matter. If left alone, its stench will seep into and ruin every corner of our life, our families, communities, and our nation. And there is not one person reading this who does not know that to be true. They know it at a visceral level learned from experience – often from repeated experience.
We make a serious mistake to be casual about rooting sin from our lives. We make a serious -- deadly -- mistake when we tacitly ignore the commandment of God to be holy according to His standards, and not according to the standards of the culture.
Like the law of gravity, the law of sowing and reaping is inescapable: Whatever we sow, we reap. If we sow to the flesh, we reap corruption. If we sow to the spirit, we reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8).
It doesn’t get any simpler. Or clearer.
Or more difficult.
4 comments:
So true Rich. Christ defeated sin and death so we can claim and rely upon the words of Paul- I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Victory over sin and death is ours because of Jesus's completed work and when we are abiding in Him.
Thanks, Ray. Victory over sin, yes. But I think WE need to do something to root it out of our lives. I know you agree.
So true Rich. Thanks for this Post. I love the story about the cabbage that leads into it.
Yeah. It was a memorable experience ;)
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