ODJ: little pieces
December 9, 2010
You also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus (v.11).
READ: Romans 6:1-13
Cleaning my home is not my preferred choice of activity most days, but I do enjoy the fruit of my labor once the task is done. I don’t mind the dusting or the vacuuming; it’s the endless prerequisite task of straightening that bores me. The other day, when I found a small puzzle piece, I was tempted to throw it away. I had bigger tasks to tackle and didn’t want to be sidetracked. I realized, though, that without that small piece the puzzle would remain forever incomplete, and the other pieces would soon follow the one into the trash.
Like throwing away an inconvenient, left-behind puzzle piece, we may find it tempting to brush aside what we define as a small issue of sin. We reason that its impact will be minimal because it seems inconsequential. The call for every believer, however, is to pursue character that reflects God’s own (Philippians 1:6,9-11). Reminding us of God’s love for us, the Song of Solomon reveals that we have a role in protecting our love relationship with Jesus: “Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!” (2:15).
When describing the death that sin brings, Romans 6:23 doesn’t differentiate between size or category. Any sin we willfully hang on to brings separation from God (Isaiah 59:2) and eventual death. In our spiritual lives, we can keep away the little foxes by: • Guarding our hearts. The enemy often uses our desires and temptations to open the door to sin (Proverbs 4:23). • Confessing our sins. Admitting our failings reminds us that in our own strength we miss the mark, but through God transformation is possible (Romans 6:7).
Keep dealing with the small sins in your life, before they lead to something much larger and more costly. —Regina Franklin
What sins have you been excusing as “not a big deal”? Why must repentance be an action as well as a posture of our hearts?
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