Sin Addiction

A crack baby is born; it's mother and father are strung out.

This precious young life is adopted by loving parents.

In spite of the adoptive parent's great love the innate effects of the crack addiction will continue to cause harm and destructive behavior for their youngster throughout the child's life.

The parents hate the addiction that continues to plague and cause harm to their loved one, but they understand their adopted child can do nothing but struggle with the crack addiction it was bequeathed by it's biological parents.

Motivated by love, if there were a way the adoptive parents would gladly take the pain, hurt, and consequences of the crack addiction from their suffering child and endure it themselves.

Sin is the same way. God hates the sin that continues to cause us hurt and pain. He understands that we are damaged and will continue to struggle. He is not mad at us when we sin, but He is very mad at sin. Wouldn't you be mad at anything so destructive to the ones you love?

Thankfully, there was a way of escape and God is the one who provided it.

Way to go God!!

Reading those personalized license plates can be a challenging, eye opening, and puzzling adventure..

I read one this morning which said "STOP SIN". It was easy to decipher but now I find myself trying to understand the application of this message.

Is this a command to the unwashed masses?

Shall I take it as a battle cry for someone on a crusade to stamp out evil in the world?

Maybe it is a simple wish for the car owner for their own personal life.

Is this even possible? Every effort to control sin seems to fail. If I try to speak only loving words inevitably I find myself wishing to take back something said. If I work hard at contentment, before long I will be wanting a new car, or house or job. No matter what the sin is, by trying harder, or working more, or learning the right thing, or grunting really hard the effect will be failure to meet the goal of stopping sin. I believe one could spend an entire life time shouting "STOP SIN" and the result would be . . . no change.

Are there some people who are better at stopping sin in their lives than others? It may seem so, but even the good ones have not STOPPED sin if there is even one remaining.

Things that are deep; things that are engrained; things that are instinct; things that are inbred; to stop these things is to go against nature, so am I as hopeless as it sounds?

Thankfully not. God knows everyone is a sinner by nature. God knows no one can STOP. God knows sin will continue. God offers to unite all of us with His Son, the One who truly was able to "stop sin", and thereby the sin penalty is erased, the guilt is gone, the anxiousness of repeated sinning evaporates, the fear of facing an angry, wrathful God is replace with a sense of extreme love from God to me.

Although sin will continue to raise it's ugly head as my life goes on it is like a fangless viper, the venom is gone as a result of God's extreme love.

I'm sure glad He knows my weakness and in His love has made provisions to overcome the power of sin. I pray the guy with with the STOP SIN get his wish . . . there is a way.

The latest on Jon's spiritual journey:

I have a close relative who is homosexual and distant from the family. There is a part of me that wants to reach out to him and show him the love of Jesus but will the message of Christ love be clouded by my own hang ups? God is doing great things in my soul . . . things I want. God is asking me to love, not to judge; He is much better at that anyway. He showed me today how He handled a similar situation.

Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, because I must stay at your house today."

Jesus did not fear that socializing with a sinner would appear as if He were condoning the stealing which was going on. Can I do the same today? If I care for those in darkness as Jesus did, I will.

Lord open the doors - I think I am ready.

Life Without Sin

Before sin entered. . .

After sin is removed. . .

Rev. 21:4 say "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more - or mourning, or crying or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist."

God's goal is to return things to the way is was "before sin entered." No tears, no death, no mourning, no crying, no pain.

Just think of the required things we experience in this present life that are a result of sins entrance: tombstones; morticians; funerals; dentists; lawyers; judges; doctors; anesthesia; litter; graffiti; divorce courts; wheelchairs; diets; door locks; laws; taxes; weeds; hearing aids; glasses; policemen; the military; burglar alarms; insurance; painting things; air bags; vitamins; eye glasses; Rolaids; life jackets; Jerry Springer; governments; languages; airport metal detectors; Bibles; wigs; exercise; sleep; diseases; and the list goes on and on.

I look forward to the day these things "have ceased to exist".

Even so come Lord Jesus.

Overblown Theology

I love learning about God.

His attributes.

His heart.

His love.

But more than that I love knowing His attributes, His heart, His love first hand.

I am so very thankful that the simplest and least educated person can still know God in deep and profound ways without the benefit of years in college and seminary. Maybe I am a bit bias in my thoughts since I have no formal theological education but have come to know my wonderful God through a lifetime journey with my hand in His.

I dread to imagine a world where only the theologians could know God and they would have to guide the masses in order for the common folks to get close to the Father at all. I don't think this was what God had in mind when He said in Rev. 3:20 "Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me." (New English Translation).

I love the picture of sitting down with the Father and sharing a meal in my house; with all the clutter, dirt and "unmentionables". He knows I am not the same kind of housekeeper that He is but He doesn't care as long as He can have communion with me. What better way to become intimate with Him? We know He desires that close of a relationship with us because he is the one knocking on the door and calling out to us.

Formal training is good but thank God it is not required.

I think it's time to eat.