Obedience

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew7:14)

God’s Word tells us how sin entered the world and that we must repent of our sin to be forgiven and live in a right relationship with Him. It tells us how Christ died for our sins and that we must accept Him into our hearts and repent. To repent means to turn away from, not only the sins of our past but also our continued sins or sins we commit daily.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to teach us how to live a holy life free from sin and pleasing to God. He will forgive new sins each time we repent but turning from sin is not enough. We must choose to leave sin behind and turn toward God. We cannot continue sinning and asking for forgiveness, never truly intending to stop.

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

Complete obedience to the word of God has always been a struggle, these days in particular because many of the sins God wants us to avoid are deemed acceptable by the world. We tell ourselves that “everyone does it” therefore it can’t really be sin.

We have created a hierarchy of sins where one is worse than others based on what we see, read, and hear. “I’m not a murderer so surely I am ok.” These statements are lies of the devil. He knows that we are easily led by what the crowds around us are doing even when the actions are evil in God’s sight.

We must stand on God’s word, not on what the world has decided is admissible to God. Our eternity is not on a graded system whereby we might get a C but still make it to heaven. Every sin is repulsive to God. He will not accept those who commit them, the end! Accepting Christ and turning from sin to God is the only way to salvation.

 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Trying to justify our sin is lying to God. In church we learn about repentance, forgiveness, and obedience. Walking out of church and continuing to sin is a problem. If we occasionally give into temptation while sincerely trying, He will forgive us but God knows the truth in our hearts. He cannot be deceived.

There are a multitude of sins listed in the Bible, and they fall into three categories. The first is desires of the flesh or fleshly desires like sexual immorality (sex before marriage), adultery, sensuality, orgies, homosexuality, drunkenness, and lack of self-control.

Then there are the desires of our eyes, the things we see, want and take. Some of these sins would include theft, coveting, idolatry, sorcery, jealousy, rivalries, envy, loving of money, and greed.

Last there is the pride of life. Pride that causes us to see ourselves as more important than others is not of God. Some of these sins are listed as arrogance, being abusive, heartless, reckless, swollen with conceit, appearing to be Godly but not Godly.

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 John 2:16)

All sins are equal in God’s sight. There is no degree of badness with God. Lying is the same as murder. Sex before marriage is the same as stealing. Sin is sin. We must trust that God’s will is what is best for us. Though we are all tempted at times, God will help us resist temptation. We have His loving help to diligently to turn from sin and follow His leading, drawing closer in our relationship with Him.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

God is not mean-spirited, calling these actions and feelings sin to ruin our fun. Though we might not always understand, there are reasons why sin is not good for us. God wants us to be healthy and happy, living productive lives and bringing others into the kingdom. He gave us His son as an example and we have His Holy Spirit to mentor us. We should continually ask for forgiveness and for strength to withstand the tricks and lies of the devil.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 18-10)

With God in our hearts we know right from wrong. It is our responsibility to be honest and choose to do the right thing instead of what might temporarily give us pleasure.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Prayer: God help us to be completely honest with ourselves and with you. If we are having sex before marriage, help us to stop, knowing that this is sin and is not good for us. Help us to be humble, not greedy, mean or hateful. We want to be pure for you because our bodies are your temple. You live in us. Getting drunk is a sin, give us strength to stop. Losing our temper or lusting after another person’s spouse is not from You. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and let us show your truth to the world. Let us love you more and ourselves less, staying away from temptation and asking You for help when we are tempted. Lead us to life eternal on the narrow path. Amen.

My book Fresh Fruit Meditations on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit can be ordered from Amazon or Goodreads.com.  Also available at Chritian Bookstores or on Kindle.  Thank you. Jennifer Chamberlain