Sin - Like Weeds Need to be Plucked out Root and All

I spoke with a good friend today who told me that he was getting ready to mow his law when he spotted a weed. He thought he should pluck it out instead of just mowing over the top because the later would allow it to grow back.  When he bent down to grab the weed he noticed there wasn't just one but many other weeds amidst the blades of grass.  We immediately saw the hand of God in the one square foot plot of dirt.

Sin is like that weed.  It is insidious, deep rooted, destructive, and often well hidden.  We, like the lazy grounds keeper, either ignore the weeds of sin or we just trim off the top.  We allow a few weedy sins because our lawns looks better than the neighbor's lawn.  But beware friend because we only fool ourselves.  That little weed will grow and spread and destroy the beautiful lives that God has planned for us.  Not only ours but the lives of those close to us!  Have you ever driven by and seen a lawn full of dandelions and the nice lawn next door with a few dandelions growing along the common edge?  Sin is contagious.

When God sent Israel into lands inhabited by idolaters He had them leave no one alive.  Brutal? Cruel? Inhumane?  Maybe in the worldly sense but God knew that one weed would destroy the whole lot.  One cell of yeast would infiltrate the whole bowl of dough.

Examine your life.  Look for weeds.  Get on your spiritual knees, pull out the magnifying glass, and look really closely for the little weeds.  When you find one don't just cut off the top.  "Oh, I'll just look at the Swimsuit Edition and throw out the hardcore stuff." NO!  Pluck it out root and all!  Not just that.  Put the carcass in the fire.

Before you get the cart before the horse remember that it's the Holy Spirit in believers that gives them power over temptation and sin.  It's not brute force or will power.  If you don't know Christ call on his name.  As a matter of fact, if you know Christ, call on his name.  We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength!  Visit our main site @ www.i61project.org

Peace in Him,  David

Jump Frog Jump! The Slow Fade of Sin.

Back in the days when you could dissect a frog in science class without causing a protest on the front lawn, there was an experiment we did that showed how slow changes to an animal's environment could prevent the animal from noticing that it was in fact heading toward death. Mr. Yodelheimer (name changed to protect the innocent) took an unsuspecting bullfrog from a glass jar and placed him in a large, shallow pot of cool water. There was a ledge that the frog could hop onto if he so chose but he seemed content to sit in the water. Seemed logical since he was indeed a frog. Under the pot was a small electric burner that was turned on and the water was heated very slowly; one degree every five minutes. The water started at about 60 degrees and over the next hour the temperature rose to eighty degrees. Mr. Frog was as happy as a clam, "Ah, what a life!" At the end of the next hour the temperature was one hundred degrees and Mr. Frog continued to sit there not attempting to jump to the safety of the ledge and when the temperature was at one hundred fifteen degrees he rolled over and died. Mr. Yodelheimer then took a second frog and held him over the water as the kids stood in horror. Could he possibly be doing what they thought he was going to do? Yep! Plop! Frog hits water, frog feels the heat, frog hops to ledge, frog is safe, and kids breathe a sigh of relief.

There is a powerful song written and performed by the band "Casting Crowns" called "Slow Fade". I want to share a chorus of the song with you, have you watch the video, and then get into God's Word.

"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day. Daddies never crumble in a day. Families never crumble in a day." If you have time please watch the music video: Slow Fade Video

Last week we talked about vices and, as Ivor and I discussed this, we both felt God was asking us to address holiness and the subject of sin. "Holiness and sin!" you exclaim. "Sounds so religious and churchy!" Well, yeah they are but they are also very real, very important, and very, very different. Hang with me here. You'll be OK.

What is "holiness"? It means to be "separate" and "set apart" but it can also mean "pure". God commands us to "Be holy because I am holy". He wants us to be separate from the world even as we live in the world. Why, to keep us from having fun and joy? No! To protect us from the destruction, devastation, pain, guilt, and ultimate death that comes from sin. So what is "sin"? It's anything that falls short of God's holiness. It's missing the mark.

But here is one of the points I want to get across today: Sin isn't just the final ugly act, it's the slow fade. It isn't just the one hundred fifteen degree, frog killing moment. It stems from the first thought of turning on the burner. It grows with each moment you stay in the water when God's Spirit is telling you to hop to the ledge. It's seen in individuals and in societies. It's a person or a people being desensitized to moral decay. It's a man addicted to crack ten years after he and his brothers snuck behind the shed to smoke the Marlboro they stole from their dad. It's a society not phased by commercials during prime time TV that show a man stroking the leg of a thin blond woman in her tight, white T-shirt and underwear or the multitude of commercials for male enhancement drugs. I'm not quite sure how to explain to my seven year old why the naked man and woman in the bathtub are there at halftime of the Bills football game. Friend, I'm speaking not out of judgement but out of personal experience. I've been the frog and I can tell you that the water didn't feel that warm. It apparently doesn't feel too hot for our society either but I promise you that it's not just warm but close to the boiling point.

James, the brother of Jesus said it this way, "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

The bible is clear that we aren't just a little messed up but "totally depraved". I know you're saying, "Not me!" but there is a bent in each of us away from God and toward sin. It is because of that very thing that Jesus came into the world. It is for that very thing that He died and rose again on the third day. It is for that reason God sent his Holy Spirit to live within those who have come by faith. So, that those of us who have been in hot water can find the ledge. So, that when we find ourselves back in the water we will be sensitive to even a one degree rise in the heat! The bible calls that sensitivity to sin, "conviction" and it is a really good thing!

If you are in the warming water or even in the boiling water it's not too late. God already knows where you are. I promise he has enough grace for you regardless of the magnitude of your failings. But you have to come HUMBLY to him with a "broken and contrite" heart and ask him to forgive you. Trust that Jesus paid the price for your sin. Find healing in him because sometimes the burns you got in the water may still be there for a while and the consequences of the sin may linger but the condemnation will be gone forever!

"Be careful little eyes what you see. It's the second glance that ties your hands and darkness pulls the strings . . . " It's a slow fade.

Peace friend,

David