Get rid of the frogs in the pipe
It鈥檚 not nice when our bad deeds are pointed out to us. But we do know that God doesn鈥檛 want us to do these wrong things. God wants us to know exactly what He does not approve of. When we know that, it is our responsibility to stop doing it.
When sin is identified so pertinently in the Bible, I tend to skip it very quickly. I鈥檓 probably afraid that if I read slowly and with discernment, I would find that one or more apply to me.
Well, a couple are!
19It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; 20trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; 21 uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This sounds quite bad and at first glance you might think this doesn鈥檛 apply to you, but reading it again two or more start coming to the fore and you start feeling somewhat uneasy. One of the reasons why we don鈥檛 immediately recognise the sins in our own lives in the text is because we wrap it so beautifully that we no longer actually know what is wrong.
Which of the following has crossed your path?
路 Sexual sin: Pornography on the computer. Nude scenes in a TV movie. What does that do to your head?
路 Idolatry: Money, fame, clothes, cars, people
路 Hate and dissension: Love does not always flow automatically from our lives. Mostly it is more about me than about others.
路 Aggression, selfishness, arguing, disagreement
路 Jealousy
路 Maybe one drink too many?
We fail the test! God doesn鈥檛 want it to be like this, and therefore these harsh words. Don鈥檛 read too quickly. Watch out! 21This isn鈥檛 the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God鈥檚 kingdom.
Maybe we should first take God鈥檚 words seriously and listen when He talks to us. God is talking to you and me: Stop those wrong deeds! Don鈥檛 allow sin to vilify you. It deprives you of many blessings and God hates it. The Holy Spirit cannot live in one body with so much dirt. Get it out! Stop it!
We know God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins, but maybe you should first fall on your knees and confess your sin to God. However, it must be more than just asking for forgiveness. Make a plan to avoid it in future. Prepare a plan of action so that you can make sure it will never happen again.
Reflection
Which frogs jump up in your life every time you hear these things?
What must you do with it?
How will you ever succeed?
Prayer
Lord, please help me not to be ignorant about the things that are wrong in my life. Please help me to replace the dark spots with your light. I want your Holy Spirit to determine how I act. Please help me to be obedient. Amen
