About Those
"Little Sins"
August 28, 2002
Jesus didn't pull any punches when he said, "No
one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other" (Matt. 6:24). While Jesus was talking about the tension
between loving God and loving money, the principle applies to
other areas of our life as well. We cannot devote ourselves to
God and at the same time nurture a secret sin. Nor can we devote
ourselves to a compelling vision that requires integrity while
living a double life.
You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, Bill, so what
if I peek at a Playboy once in a while; I've never committed
adultery." Or, "Just because I pad my expense account, that
doesn't make me a thief." You may rationalize your
behavior--whether it has something to do with sex, drugs, money,
or power--by denying its seriousness.
The truth is, you must control your destructive
inclinations by staying away from "little sins," because in
reality they aren't little--and they can and often do lead to
destruction. The apostle Paul said, "Don't you know that when
you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are
slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin,
which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to
righteousness."
In effect, Paul is telling us that our pet
pleasure--whatever it may be--is a gremlin. Do you remember
those cuddly creatures from the movie? They start out soft and
cuddly, and before long they turn into destructive monsters.
During those moments when you're bored, lonely,
stressed out, or depressed you may be tempted to turn to a
substance, like alcohol or drugs, or to a behavior, like
gambling or sex, to create a mood swing. Initially these things
may seem harmless. But the law of diminishing returns tells us
it takes more and more of a substance and a riskier behavior to
create the mood swing. This painful reality demands we control
our evil inclinations by determining not to give them a foothold
in our lives. We must make up our minds to serve God and not our
passion for pleasure, power, fame, or fortune.
It may be that such a resolution hasn't been easy
for you to make--or it's more likely you've discovered that it's
almost impossible to keep. You're not alone. That's why we need
to turn away from those "little" sins and turn to Jesus. Only
his power can enable us to be the men we want to be. He alone
can satisfy our deepest longings and loftiest dreams.
When you think about all of this, it makes sense
that as Mighty Men we've made a commitment to earnestly seek God
on a daily basis. After all, serving God is something we must do
one day at a time. So regardless of whether or not you're
nursing a pet sin--choose today to reject it and embrace Jesus.
If enough of us make this choice, we'll see revival come to our
land, one man, one woman, one day at a time.
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