Monday, March 30, 2009

Something to Chew On

I found the following post on a pastor's blog I happened upon... I was encouraged and hoped you would be as well:

The Problem with Sin

"Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature the sin committed, as in the greatness of the Person sinned against."
-The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers

We all have a tendency to rate our sins based on how bad they seem to us. That’s why we find murder and adultery worse than hate and lust in our hearts (see Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, and 1 John 3:15). But as long as we’re rating how bad our sin is based on what it is, we’ll never be really convicted. And if we’re never really convicted, we’ll never really experience grace, love, and abundant life.

It’s only when we encounter the glory of God and the incredible scandal of the gospel that we can see sin in it’s proper light. It’s not about what the sin is. It’s about who the sin is against. It’s time we all stopped comparing our sins to a list of ratings and started getting acquainted with the glory of God. If we do, we’ll feel the true weight of our sin and find freedom and forgiveness at the cross. If we don’t, we’ll keep on living this normal life instead of an abundant one.



4 comments:

Simmons said...

Mary Beth! It is good to see you on the blog again. I have been watching your pregnancy countdown. I will call soon to hear how baby Kengla is.

Thanks for sharing this quote. It is so true and so necessary for us to take our eyes off of ourselves and what we have done/or have not done. Isn't there a Casting Crowns' song about that? We do get bogged down in this world with justifying our sin against what others have done and not against what God has done for us. Thus, we don't feel the true weight of our sin. We all need to be reminded of that so we can continue to live the abundant lfe.

carly said...

You need to start posting weekly belly pics!
Ironic you posted this - it goes along with something I was reading in Desiring God the other day. Funny how so many things come together at the same time! It's good to be reminded who my sin is ultimately against and how great His mercy is!

Kristie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristie said...

I'm all about being enlightened and all... but I want some belly pictures dang it! and how about some nursery pictures... just picture in general! come now... seriously... you know I was an art major... reading is not my thing... I need some visual stimulation!

love you!!!!