The Ugliness of Sin

John 10:10 begins with "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. . ."  I thought of these words when faced with recent situations that reveal the ugliness of sin. These stories brought tears to my eyes and caused me to cry out to God in prayer. Isn't it sad that often sin is camouflaged enough to appear pleasant and inviting, but occasionally we are exposed to sin's true ugliness?  Sin batters and bruises its victims and yet they return for more.  Caught in sin's ugly grasp, the sinner is powerless to escape unless a Rescuer reaches down to deliver them.  Yes, the Rescuer (our Savior) does the delivering, not the sinner.

My heart is saddened to see the broken relationships, the lies, the hatred and the addictions that are the product of sin.  If I had to select an image representing sin, I think I would have to choose a side-by-side comparison of a beautiful young woman.  This woman is attractive enough to be a model, but the comparison picture shows a face that is unrecognizable.  The face has been marred by mere months of addiction to meth.  The once-beautiful skin is marred by acne, several teeth are missing,  the hair is unkempt.  You may have seen photos like this at The Faces of Meth. 

My heart hurts for those suffering from sin's ugliness.  I know sin's grasp and am not completely out of it's reach until I reach Heaven.   I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit indwelling me and guiding and convicting me.  Too often I've ignored that still small whisper and lived to regret it.  Regarding sin, A.W. Pink says:  Wherein lies its fearful potency? Why, in its power to deceive us. It lies to us. It did so to Adam and Eve. It gives us false estimates of values so that we mistake the tinsel for real gold. To be saved from the power of sin, is to have our eyes opened so that we see things in God’s light: it is to know the truth about things all around us, and the truth about ourselves. Satan has blinded the minds of them that believe not, but the Holy Spirit hath shined in our hearts "unto the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:4, 6).

As you know, John 10:10 doesn't end with the destruction of the thief, but finishes with "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  Friend, are you living in the midst of sin's ugliness or enjoying Christ's abundant life?

The New Normal, Or Not?

Jeff and I had a conversation tonight about the new "normal."  So many people accept that cohabitation is fine because everyone is doing it.   And single parent homes are "normal" also.  I had a young mom tell me that because she turned out fine without a dad in her life her son should be just fine - although she's already noticed how he responds and listens better to male figures in his life.   It's so sad to see young moms assume that single parenthood is "normal."  And I certainly realize there are circumstances that sometimes prevent the dad from being in the picture:  death, physical/sexual abuse, prison, military service.  But if dad can't be there then make sure a father figure is there, especially for the sake of your sons:  an uncle, grandpa, or a godly caring man from church.   And if you're single and you have children, put your child before yourself.  Please don't date the registered sex offender.  Please don't date the man who is a known cheater.  Please don't date the man who is an alcoholic.  Think about how the person you date will interact with your child/children. 

There is also an entire generation of young people who do not see the need for church.  They see it as completely unnecessary.  It's so sad to see the spiritual state of so many young adults ages 18-30.  But who has failed them?  Sure, their parents have failed them, but so have we, the ambassadors of the Gospel.   Are we boldly sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ?  Are we seeking to build relationships with unbelievers so that we can point them toward the One who is their only Rescuer?

The brokenness we see in the world is not truly new, it's a remake of the same sinful patterns that have been followed for thousands of years.  There will be a day when all things will be made new, even my sinful nature.  Then life will return to the normal that God and Adam and Eve once knew. "Even so come, Lord Jesus!"

"There is no new thing under the sun." Eccl. 1:9 

Should Christians Boycott the News?

How important is it for Christians to keep up with the news?  Should we stay abreast of what is happening on the world, national, state, and local level? Or should we boycott the news?

I realize there are Christians who have jobs that require them to be informed, but this is currently not my case. I find it disheartening to hear the gory details of sinful depraved man.  When I check a news website once or twice a day I learn enough from the headlines themselves; I don't need the information overload presented in the actual stories.  I don't have time to watch the news on TV and I don't miss it. 

1. An overabundance of negative news leads to callousness.  I become a bit cynical when I'm inundated with generic bad news.  I would rather learn of the difficulties affecting individuals I know and keep them in my prayers.  
2. All this negative news leads to a depressing outlook.  It begins to seem like the world is not a safe place to be and I should just purchase some bulletproof glass and never venture outside my house.  Instead I must realize God has a purpose for my life and it includes interacting with unbelievers and fellowshiping with a local church.
3. I don't want my daughter being exposed to information she doesn't need.  We are born with depraved hearts so why would I purposely allow my daughter to learn of sinful details she just doesn't need to know?  I don't plan on insulating her completely, but there's no need to hasten her exposure to certain sinful practices. 

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. "  Philippians 4:8  Do the news channels we watch, the web sites we visit and the magazines we read violate this verse?  I have found it necessary to hide the news feeds of several friends on Facebook as I don't need to know certain details about them.  Ephesians 5:11-13 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light." 

I know each person must follow God's leading when it comes to personal convictions.  I must say that I try to choose to be exposed to the Good News if I have a choice between it and listening to/watching what is happening in this fallen world. 

The Monster Inside of Me

Have you ever watched the show "Monsters Inside of Me?"  I've opted not to, but have seen brief glimpses of the show's previews.  It's disturbing to consider how humans could have parasites invade their body and wreak havoc.  This thought creeps me out enough to want to avoid seeing specific details. 

I thought of this show today as I was trying to teach Abby (now 6 months old) the meaning of the word "No."  I realized she had no idea what this word meant when I used it on her a few days ago.  I had a four-month-old in my arms and Abby was on the floor playing.   She rolled and scooted her way over to an entertainment system and became fascinated with the cords.  Anything that looks remotely interesting goes into her mouth and I wanted to stop her so I told her "No" in a firm voice.  She had not really heard that word before so she ignored me. I was forced to get up in the middle of feeding the baby and roll Abby back to safety. 

Since then I realized I must teach her what the word means before she's faced with a more serious temptation.  She likes to flip over onto her belly while I'm changing her diaper.  It's cute to see how fast she moves, but I decided I would use "No" on her each time she tries to do this.  I tested the word out several times today and each time it made her mad because I was not allowing her to do what she wanted to do.  The monster inside her has began to rear his ugly head.  Isn't it amazing how early this happens?  It's become fairly obvious that we have a stubborn and selfish child.  Oh, she's adorable and we love her dearly, but she's infected with the monster of a sinful nature, just as we all are. Sinful from birth as Psalm 51:5 tells us. 

The monster of this sinful nature cannot be conquered until Christ's redeems that individual.  Even then we continue to battle it's uprisings against our spiritual nature until we receive our glorified body.  I'm praying for wisdom and the courage to be consistent when it comes to teaching little Abby.  The monster can be defeated through Jesus Christ, the One who crushed Satan's head on the very first Easter.