SIN and the sign

Hi everyone,
     The first time that I saw this sign several weeks ago, it just really spoke to me!!  Over the course of this past week I have just felt a burning desire to use it as a back drop for one of my postings, but it really was not until today that the words really resonated in my soul.  What, you may ask, she is writing about sin and has a huge sign as the back drop…isn’t that kind of risky???!!!

 Well, if we want to all take a minute to honestly think about it, isn’t sin what we think that the other people do…not us???!!!  Oh, sure we are taught in church that we all sin, but come on, that was really written for the other people, not me…I’m not breaking the 10 commandments or anything, so I’m doing great…aren‘t I???!!! 
    
     Sometimes I think that we forget that the bible tells us that we ALL sin.  Sin is not just when we break one of the 10 commandments, it is when we do ANYTHING that is not pleasing to God.  For example, taking things that we have not asked for, no matter how small that may be, is still sin.  This isn’t just something that a child does on the way past a checkout stand.  If we are praying to God for a miracle, but have sin in our hearts, He expects us to confess that sin and turn from it, not jokingly brush it off. 
    
     Think about it this way.  If one of our children was coming home on a bus and had an “F” on a paper, but knew if he/she had made an “A” you were going to buy him/her a new Xbox, and that child took out a pen and changed the “F” to and “A”, so proud that it looked real…mom will never know; wouldn’t we as parents be able to see the handy work of our little artist?  So would we take them at their word and just head out to the store to buy the Xbox, after all, the paper did have an “A’ on it OR would we call the teacher to verify the grade and then confront the child??? 

     God is not going to honor our prayers if we change our “F”s to “A”s.  This doesn’t mean we need to tell the world necessarily, but it does mean that we need to have some one-on-one time with God. 
    
     For if we do and we are honest, He will tell us within the depths of our heart what is right or wrong.  I also realize that sometimes if we are really busy it is easy to not have the time to slow down or maybe it is that we just don’t want to be still long enough to hear what He has to say to us.  After all, haven’t we all done this with our earthly parents???  Sure we know they are right, deep down in the depths of our heart, but if we just stay in constant motion and avoid them, we don’t have to hear “I told you so.”  For me personally, God doesn’t shout “I told you so,” but rather guides me in a warm yet firm manner of conviction within my soul.  What I have had to learn the hard way is that yes, sometimes God may send us into people’s lives as prayer partners, but unless people get guidance from God, people really will not listen.   I cannot save the world, but Jesus died to save me and so I have to just pray that those who enter my life or cross my path might also see the Lord as our GREAT counselor and Healer.  I look forward to His guidance because it is by His guidance that my faith grows.

     This sign also made me ask the question, do we let the sin of others stop us from witnessing to them?  Have people just dismissed WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) as using letters to create crafts at Vacation Bible School???  Jesus did not say “oh, sorry, you can’t sit down and visit with me because your sin, well it is far worse than this lady right here.  Sorry, you need to just move on.”  Aren’t we suppose to witness to the lost?  I don’t see where it is written that “lost” people come in degrees. 

     While I have prayed and worked to put my thoughts into words, I kept going back to John 11: 35, “Jesus wept.” As I have sat here this morning, putting my thoughts into words, I have wept like a small child.  How many people are left alone, not knowing the love of our Lord, all because someone thought that the person’s sin was too great to take the time to share.  How many people are missing out on miracles, all because they don’t want to stop and listen to what the Lord is telling them. 

     If these things break my heart and bring me to tears, I cannot even begin to imagine all of the tears that He sheds for each and every one of us daily.  What I do know is that God has given me a tender and passionate heart, so that I might use my words to bring glory to Him and let others see the warmth of sunshine He shines on my life through both good and bad times, so that they too may feel His warmth and love, no matter where they might find themselves at this very moment!!