Word for Today, Thu, 24 Jun 2004: Sin is a Fact
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Today's message is about sin. My title says "Sin is a Fact".
The message below is about reconciling yourself to the fact of
sin. You see, every one of us is a sinner. Only the most blind
among us has difficulty realizing it. Many of us, however, think
we are good. We do this and we do that, we are generally honest,
and we do our best. I'd be surprised if anyone on this list
doesn't fall into that category. Yes, we all do what we can.
Clearly, however, we are powerless over so many things. We
cannot stop terrorists from doing their thing. The best we can
do is to support our government efforts to attempt to contain
terrorism and minimize its impact. We cannot keep our children
from making mistakes, can we? But let's personalize it a lot
more. Aren't there things that each one of us do wrong, or fail
to do entirely?
Look at me, for instance. I've failed, for nearly three years
now, to adequately provide for my family to ensure that we have a
home to live in. We've remained in the home, but mainly because
we've used up retirement savings and life insurance policies. I
have many other areas in which I fall short. I am not a bad
person, but clearly, I am a sinner. I do things that are wrong.
I am powerless to keep making mistakes. I need a Savior.
I argue that each one of us, though our stories differ
considerably, share a common need of a Savior. The Bible is VERY
clear that all have sinned (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23) and fall
short of the glory of God. The Bible is also clear that God
loves us SO much that He won't force us to pay the penalty for
our sin.
We do have to do one thing, though. We need to believe that what
God says is true. We need to believe that God sent to us His own
Son, Jesus Christ. He did so because He had to do so. Nobody
else is sinless, so nobody else could pay the price for our sins
and live. Jesus Christ lived and He died for our sins, but
being, in very nature God, He did not remain dead. He arose
again, victorious over both sin and death.
Oswald Chambers' message is really for Christians, but quite
possibly Christians who may have "blinders" on - who are
deceiving themselves about sin. I agree with what Oswald says,
and I can readily identify with it from past experiences. I
encourage you to read and think about this message, then pray and
ask God to work in your life. I know that I need God to renew my
thinking and my attitude each and every day, so that the actions
in my life are more consistent with what I really believe in my
heart.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
____________________________________________________________
June 24
Reconciling Yourself to the Fact of Sin
This is your hour, and the power of darkness - Luke 22:53
Not being reconciled to the fact of sin -- not recognizing it and
refusing to deal with it -- produces all the disasters in life.
You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there
is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the
face of every principle you have. If you refuse to agree with
the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something
downright hateful and wrong, in human beings, when it attacks
your life, instead of reconciling yourself to it, you will
compromise with it and say that it is of no use to battle against
it. Have you taken this "hour, and the power of darkness" into
account, or do you have a view of yourself which includes no
recognition of sin whatsoever? In your human relationships and
friendships, have you reconciled yourself to the fact of sin? If
not, just around the next corner you will find yourself trapped
and you will compromise with it. But if you will reconcile
yourself to the fact of sin, you will realize the danger
immediately and say, "Yes, I see what this sin would mean." The
recognition of sin does not destroy the basis of friendship -- it
simply establishes a mutual respect for the fact that the basis
of sinful life is disastrous. Always beware of any assessment of
life which does not recognize the fact that there is sin.
Jesus Christ never trusted human nature, yet He was never cynical
nor suspicious, because He had absolute trust in what He could do
for human nature. The pure man or woman is the one who is
shielded from harm, not the innocent person. The so-called
innocent man or woman is never safe. Men and women have no
business trying to be innocent; God demands that they be pure and
virtuous. Innocence is the characteristic of a child. Any
person is deserving of blame if he is unwilling to reconcile
himself to the fact of sin.
2003 RBC Ministries-Grand Rapids MI, 49555-0001
http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/utmost-devo/print.php?month=06&day=24
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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