AFTER WE STUMBLE

They have gone deep into depravity.  They do not direct their deeds toward turning to their God.  Hosea 9:9 and 5:4

    The real tragedy is not that people sin, it’s what happens after the fact.  Sin is meant to prick our conscience and cause us to fall into repentance.  Our transgressions are to direct us toward God, not further away from Him.  To go deep into depravity is to commit sin upon sin, all without a trace of remorse. 

    One of the hallmark beliefs of a Christian is to believe that he is a sinner, that Christ died for sins.  After I come to Christ, I can feel the pressure to be perfect and therefore deny my sin.  I will pretend that I am above error because I am God’s child.  Though I should sin less and less as I mature in Christ, sin will always be a part of my nature.  To deny that it exists is dangerous.  Think of it, it’s as if I say, “Christ came to save sinners, but I am not one.”

    What are some wake-up calls on the road towards depravity?

• My need to excuse my behavior and deny the act.  God sees it one way and is clear in His Word about the gravity of my deed.  I, however, can easily whitewash it by making horizontal comparisons with other people.  When I see my neighbor as much worse off than myself, I am in trouble.
• My need to minimize it.  I can admit I did it but protest its importance by accusing the person I wronged of over exaggerating the significance of it.  My injured pride demands that I re-shape my sin into a more manageable package.

    Any single thought or action that is not something Jesus would have done is a sin.  That means that this one offence would have been enough to send me to everlasting fire and require Jesus’ agonizing death.  There should be no such thing as an insignificant sin.  However my flesh plays out today, I do know one thing.  I want to make full use of Christ’s atonement.  I want to live in a lifestyle of repentance and forgiveness.

God, as long as I have the mind of Christ, I won’t be deceived, even about myself.  I bind my mind to yours today.  In Jesus’ name, Amen