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2001-11-29 - Sin as a Treat
Exodus 10:17 Now therefore, please forgive my sin only
this once, and make supplication to the Lord you God, that He would only
remove this death from me.
I know a man, in fact I know him very well. He only drinks on Thursdays.
That might seem like a good thing, but when he drinks, he really drinks.
It is his treat. He doesn't want to be a drunk so he limits his drinking
to one day. On that day anything, it seems, goes.
How do you find your pleasure? Do you save up "good works" so you can have
the treat of a sin or two? I have examined my own life and I find that I
do this and I bet I am not alone. Just the other day I found myself rationalizing
my behavior by thinking, "well, after all, the quiet times are good, my Scripture
memory program is going strong and I always read good books; so what is wrong
with that?" Rationalizing my sin: and it makes me no better than the drunk
next door who only drinks on Thursday because one day a week doesn't really
make him a drunk.
If anything we do is sin then we are seeking our pleasure among those who
will be condemned by God in the final judgment. That is a harsh thing to
say, but it is still true. We are not to take pleasure in sin. We are never
to take pleasure in sin. Sin should abhor us. It should be as an anathema
to us. There are many sins to treat ourselves with today that would make
angels cry. "If it feels good, do it," mentality is all around us. Whenever
I see that bumper sticker I want to crash into the back of the car it is
on, get out, and say, "It felt good!" I have yet to have the guts to do it.
Let's do the WWJD thing here. It is kind of basic, but nevertheless it is
helpful. What Would Jesus Do is a question we need to ask ourselves when
we are at the movies, when someone cuts us off when driving (for drivers
like me), when we want to get in the last word, when we need to smile rather
than frown; WWJD. We can't live up to the example of Christ but we sure can
seek to do so. Sin is never a treat. Getting the last word in is never a
victory, but rather a path to more division. A smile will open more doors
than an angry face. Graciousness was what Christ was all about and we are
to emulate Him.
It might seem odd here but I am going to quote 1 Corinthians
15:3, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." The reason
I say it seems odd is that I want to present this verse to you who are believers
in the gospel of grace as well as those who are not. Christ died for our
sins, all sins. It is an amazing fact. If there is a sin that is holding
you down you need only to bring it to Christ. He died for that sin. Bring
it to Christ. Sin is never a treat and if you know anything about sinning
you will agree with me. We have all learned the hard way. Now is the time
to rest in Christ and trust Him for the grace to cease from sinful treats.
Soli Deo Gloria,
T-
brutefact@hotmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
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