Quote from Forum Archives on February 6, 2009, 8:53 pm

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

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02.06.09

Sin Destroys

So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance
fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well,
sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over
it." - Genesis 4:8.

For the wages of sin is death. - Romans 6:23a.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. - John
10:10a.

In San Francisco, a man with a meat cleaver ran down a busy street hitting
and slashing those in his way. Two women were hospitalized with head and
neck injuries. A police officer also suffered injuries when he attempted to
subdue the man who had a history of mental illness.

The story about the crazy man with the meat cleaver reminded me of when I
was a parole officer. One of my clients had a new found friend and had moved
in with him. I tried to warn my client that his new friend had mental
problems, and I took extraordinary measures to protect my client from his
friend. My client's new friend had once been arrested after neighbors called
reporting he was chasing his unclothed pregnant girlfriend down the street
in the middle of the night with a butcher knife. My client did not really
understand why he had to find some place else to live until a few weeks
later. A few weeks later my client's new friend broke into a home and robbed
a family at knifepoint.

Sin is like a crazy man with a meat cleaver who wants to destroy you. God
told Cain, "sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you...." Sin is not
reasonable. Sin is unreasonable and therefore, you cannot negotiate or
compromise with it. Sin tears down and destroys our lives in every possible
way. The end result of sin is death, and it destroys those around us just as
Cain killed his own brother. One of the reasons we do not prosper (Not just
financial prosperity.) is sin. Sin robs us of blessings and starves our
souls. The Bible makes this clear. Here are two verses, which speak of this:

"Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld
good from you (Jeremiah 5:25)."

"Thus says God: 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that
you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken
you (2 Chronicles 24:20).'"

Overcoming temptation, however, results in blessing. As James writes,
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved,
he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who
love Him (James 1:12)."

A temptation that leads to sin is usually very appealing and alluring. The
true nature of a temptation is usually not so obvious. So, the next time you
are tempted, remember your temptation is worse than a crazy man with a meat
cleaver, and he is trying to destroy you, your family, and everything that
you love and care about.

Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

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