10.24.07
“YUK!”
II Peter 2:19-20
“They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.”
I just finished reading an article from MSNBC.com, that was forwarded from a dear brother in the Lord. The title of it was: “Soap up! The 12 germiest places in your life.” I want to tell you that it was not the most pleasant article I have ever read. It made you want to say “yuk.”
I was surprised by some of the places listed in this article. Let me list them for you: Your kitchen sink; Airplane bathrooms; A load of wet laundry; Public drinking fountains; Shopping cart handles; ATM buttons; Your handbag; Playgrounds; Mats and machines at health clubs; Your bathtub; Your office phone; Hotel-room remote control.
I would have to disagree with the article on one point—the title. While the article lists twelve places as teeming with germs, they missed one. The list of twelve cannot hold a candle to what I feel is the germiest place in our life—SIN!
Like the places listed in the article, sin is able to lurk in the nooks and crannies of our life that we least expect. Sin also has the ability to grow and reproduce itself into a virtual epidemic. Let me give you a passage of Scripture to prove my point. Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me.”
Sin is not harmless or cute. It contaminates and destroys. There is no way we can play around with or tolerate sin without dire consequences. This applies both to believers and unbelievers.
So how do we deal with the filthiness of sin in our life? In a way I found the answer in the MSNBC article. Repeatedly they stressed that it was necessary to apply disinfectant to the areas where the germs are to be found–even to the extent of carrying disinfectant sheets with you and using them often.
In like manner, we need to apply the pure disinfectant of God’s Word to any trace of sin in our life. Sin is deceitful and as such, it will hide itself from our view. The Holy Spirit will shine the intense light of God’s holiness into those areas that contain hidden sin. When He shows it to us, we need to clean it up by examining our heart and applying God’s purity for our sin.
Remember this! We must continually be on guard to detect sin in our lives. When we spot the first signs we go to the Lord and apply His cleansing blood. Let me close with I John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
- - - Pastor Cecil