Recently, one evening as I went out for my walk, I noticed the sun was a brilliant display of color!! It was one of the times when it was so hard not to stare at it, but as we both know, you can’t stare at the sun without hurting your eyes. In a moment of clarity, I felt God speak to my heart, “That’s what sin is like.” Like a shot to the heart, I knew what He was saying.
So often sin can seem so awesomely attractive and hard to walk away from, much less look away from. It can seem like the most captivating thing around and like so much more fun than anything else we could imagine. But, just like the sun, if you focus on that sin, it will eventually hurt you. No matter what it is.
Then I took it further, if I stared at the sun long enough, I would go blind. That too, is like sin. If we engage in a sinful act long enough, we can become blind to its sinfulness. Excuses will be made, and compromises will lead to numbness and a willful unawareness.
Is it worth it?
Most assuredly it is not. One moment of “fun” sin can equal a lifetime of shame and regret. It’s that quick sometimes. I’ve definitely experienced it. Haven’t you?
This could feel like a heavy devotional day, but all I’m trying to do is remind us that sin is attractive sometimes, and we must stay alert and always aware, so we can continue to walk in the freedom Christ bought for me at the cross. This devotional is an encouragement to continue evaluating your life, so things don’t slip in your day to day that will end up snaring you later.
God is holy. We are to walk in holiness. No, I don’t mean perfection, but holiness.
Take a moment and ask God today, “What does holiness look like?” Don’t look at others, as they most assuredly can’t speak for you, but ask Him what a life of holiness looks like for you, and then live it.
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:5-8
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better to not eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So, whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Romans 14:19-23
365 Days in the Presence 