"Sin Stinks"

Sin Stinks.
It Wasn't Me!

Is there any question in the minds of men and women that there is a dichotomy of right and wrong? Good and evil? Is there any question that there is the existence of a sin irregardless if you call it by a different name?

This concept exists within but it extends outside of religious sects and to the broader community of beings. There has long been institutional rules, boundaries, laws and guidelines. Religious or not, we are held to standards of expected behavior and we know that rebellion against such boundaries results in consequences...and who wants punishments, consequences...you know...time out? No One.

"Be sure your sin will find you out." - Numbers 32:23

Oh boy, you mean I can't just do whatever I want to do without consequences? Are we seeing here a little bit of Biblical "what goes around comes around"? Quite possibly we are realizing that people in general haven't changed much in our psychology in thousands and thousands of years. Children, after doing something wrong, often are found looking around to see if they have been caught. Many adults dislike the accountability of Christianity because they don't like that feeling that if they do something wrong, their going to be caught. You can hear the teenager now..."why can't you just leave me alone."

"For the wages of sin is death." - Romans 6:23

Romans 6 is a chapter that focuses on the ideology and concept that a life in Christ requires obedience. Thus, when it says in verse 23 that "the wages of sin is death", we see this thought come full circle to tell us that if we are not obedient, there is also a response to that...death. BUT...and here's the good news, it finishes by saying that we have been relieved of that ultimate punishment because of Christ.

"If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7

So, yes, sin does stink. It stinks for the people you sin against, it stinks for the God you sin against, but it also really stinks for the person who sins. And because the consequences for sin are so unpleasant, we become like children again and have knee jerk responses to being caught like, "it wasn't me." "I didn't do it" or "she made me do it" or "he did it first" are soon to follow.

The great news is that though we all sin, God's love for us, like a parents to a child, doesn't stop just because we disobey. But also like a parent, God wants us to learn from our mistakes, to grow, to say your sorry and not repeat the sin. Above this important concept, what I would like to share with you is the concept of sin as the stinky spray of the skunk on the shirt above. You may only direct your sin to one place or on one person, but what lingers from your sin touches many. It's not just about you. What a friend we have in Jesus to be forgiven these sins through him.

Bless you this day my stinky friends. It's not about if you sin, but when, and when you sin, take ownership, face the consequences and learn so you don't make the same mistake in the future.