Sin

Sin A Worm in an Apple
How does a worm get inside an apple? Perhaps you think the worm burrows in from the outside. No, scientists have discovered that the worm comes from the inside. But, how does he get in there? Simple. An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats his way out.
Sin, like the worm, begins in the heart and works out through the person's thoughts, word and actions. For this reason, David once wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." On Being Side-Tracked
An old fable says that swift-footed Atlanta challenged her suitors to race with her, with herself as the prize or death as the penalty of losing. Many competed and lost their lives. Finally, a man named Hippomenes, secreting on his person three golden apples, entered the contest. As with the others, Atlanta swiftly passed him, but he threw an apple. She, startled, stopped to pick it up. He regained the lead, but soon Hippomenes again saw himself gradually slipping behind; and again he threw a golden apple. Atlanta, charmed by its glitter, delayed to seize it, and fell behind. But once again, as they neared the goal, she was about to pass him, and Hippomenes threw his last golden apple. Atlanta, lured by its charm, stopped again-and lost the race.
Satan today throws along life's highway three golden apples that charm and destroy many a racer. They are: "the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). Multitudes of Christians today are being turned aside from full obedience to the will and work of God by Satan's "three golden apples!"

Sin Separates
"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God" (Isaiah 59:2). The Bible says that sin separates; it comes between man and God.
Sin is like a giant canyon, with man on one side and God on the other. A canyon can never be removed; it will always be there. And it is useless to try to fill up a canyon. But when a bridge is put across a canyon, a man can cross it as if no canyon ever existed there. Forgiveness of our sin is like a bridge. A bridge allows us to have eternal life, even though there is sin which otherwise would separate us from God.
Sin is also like a cut or break in an electric wire. There must be a perfect connection from the source to the light bulb before there can be any light in the bulb. Sin separates our connection with God. Forgiveness is like a splice in a wire. It does not take a brand new wire to complete the circuit, but there must be a wire in which every single break has been repaired.
Sin separates man and God. There is only one way to get back to God; through Jesus Christ!

"He Pays Too Much for His Whistle"
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB).
Here is a quote from Thomas Fleming, in The Man Who Dared The Lightning. "When Benjamin Franklin was seven years old, a visitor gave him some small change. Later, seeing another boy playing with a whistle, young Benjamin gave the boy all his money for it. He played the whistle all over the house, enjoying it until he discovered that he had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. Instantly, the whistle lost its charm. As he grew older, Franklin generalized this principle. When he saw a man neglecting his family or business for political popularity, or a miser giving up friendship for the sake of accumulating wealth, he would say, 'He pays too much for his whistle."
The above story has an excellent lesson in it: Too often we pay too great a price for something that looks so good and promises so much. Fish are hooked because they are attracted to something that looks like food and would make a good meal only to become food themselves. Do not be fooled, the world offers you whistles that are not worth the price.

Sheep Do Not Wallow
Children sometimes do not listen. They hear what they want to hear. We, as their parents, often strive to work in their lives and give them guidelines to follow for their own good and because we love them. We know and understand this, but many times our children do not. They become angry and resentful towards us because they believe we are robbing them of fully experiencing life, and we are taking away their opportunities for fun and happiness. We sometimes want to beat our heads against a wall in frustration.
I wonder if God feels that way also in regards to us, His children? Listen to this story:
There was once a lamb and its mother. It seems the lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like fun to the lamb, and on an especially hot day the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, "No." Then the lamb asked the question, "Why?" The mother just said, "SHEEP DO NOT WALLOW."
This did not satisfy the lamb. He felt she had "put him down and exercised force she should not have," etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb ran to the pig pen and jumped the fence. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach. After a few moments he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he could not. He was stuck! Mud and wool do not mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the fold, the mother said, "Remember, sheep do not wallow."

Nine Out of Ten
A news documentary on TV claimed that 91 percent of the United States' students in colleges, universities and graduate schools cheat on exams and tests in order to graduate.
This is what happens when God is rejected and atheism is accepted. Atheism will bring down our civilization. Civilization is based on mutual trust.
Cheating is lying. It is stealing that which is not yours. What confidence do you have in your doctors when you realize that nine out of ten are not really qualified because they stole information they did not know in order to graduate? How honest do you expect the billing to be when nine out of ten of them lied to get through college? If he cheated the college, how do you know he will not cheat you? How does society survive when you lose trust in 91 percent of college graduates?
The same is true of lawyers, politicians, and store keepers. Stores will post one price at the shelf and charge a higher price at the cash register. Customers seldom catch it because the little bars flash across the computer too fast. When it is caught, there is a quick apology, the figure is changed and it is blamed on "computer error." But the "computer error" is not corrected.
We remember when a man was as good as his word. A handshake over a deal was as dependable as a legal document. A man would rather die than lie or cheat. Neighbors who did not go to church, prided themselves in their own integrity. Christian standards formed the basis of society even among those who did not profess to be Christians.

Passing the Buck
Almost everyone is aware of the statement attributed to President Harry Truman that "The Buck Stops Here," but does it? There are people who will not accept responsibility for their actions. Included in this group are criminals and sociopaths. The war trials at Nuremberg brought out this idea. The Nazi war criminals claimed they were just following orders. "We really did not want to exterminate the Jews. Hitler made us do it." The criminal says, "I am a product of society. They are to blame, not me." The wife and child abuser says, "I was raised by abusive parents, so do not blame me; blame them." The denial of guilt does not remove or negate the responsibility of it.
In our society today we are just as sick as they were then. No one wants to accept responsibility for anything. Everything is relative, so do what you want to. It is O.K. Well, friends and neighbors, that is plain junk. It just ain't so. Of course, anyone can play the game of denial. It all started a long time ago. Genesis 3:1-19 tells us that Adam ate the forbidden fruit and God held him responsible. Adam said, "I am not responsible. You know the woman you gave me, remember her? She gave me fruit from the tree and I did eat. But do not blame me, you gave her to me so blame her, but not me." God then went and asked Eve, "What have you done?" Eve said, "The serpent deceived me and I ate." "The devil made me do it," was Flip Wilson's favorite line. God held them both responsible for their actions. He will hold us responsible for ours. The soul that sinneth shall die. When we sin, let us ask God to forgive us, and then we should take the consequence that goes with it.

Hidden Faults
At a U.S. arsenal a few years ago, a large cannon lay, marked "Condemned." The attendant pointed out some indentations about the size of a pinhead which dotted the barrel in a dozen places. They did not appear to go deeper than a 32nd of an inch; and yet the weapon was condemned. There might be a weakness extending through the entire gun, so that in war the mighty engine capable of hurling half a ton of metal, a dozen miles and hitting a target with fine accuracy, might under the heat of battle and the strain of powder, burst into a thousand fragments. Some basic flaw may destroy our characters and ruin others, be we ever so perfect in other points. The Force of Habit
How easy it is to tear a piece of paper along the line in which it has originally been folded! How easy it is for a second temptation to overcome when the first has been yielded to! A sin that has once gained the victory over our moral nature has put a fold, as it were, in that nature, and destroyed its straightness and smoothness, so that when the same temptation comes a second time, it seeks the weak point which it had formerly made, and along that line of least resistance we are turned from our righteous principles and strong resolution.

Insensitivity to Sin
A little girl in London held up her broken wrist and said, "Look, Mommy, my hand is bent the wrong way!" There were no tears in her eyes. She felt no pain whatever. That was when she was four years old.
When she was six, her parents noticed that she was walking with a limp. A doctor discovered that the girl had a fractured thigh. Still she felt no pain.
The girl is now 14 years old. She is careful now, but occasionally looks at blisters and burns on her hands and wonders, "How did this happen?" She is insensitive to pain! Medical specialists are baffled by the case. It is called ganglineuropathy.
There is another insensitiveness which is deadlier and more dangerous-insensitiveness to sin! Paul said of people with this malady: they had "their consciences seared as with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:2). Not Eatin', Just Holdin'
Johnny asked Mother, "Can I have some cookies, Mom?" Looking at the clock, she replied, "Not now! It is too close to dinner!"
About ten minutes later, Mother entered the kitchen. There was Johnny up on the counter with his arm in the cookie jar clear up to his elbow. "I thought I just told you, 'No cookies till dinner!'" Johnny's mother fumed. "Well, Mom, I'm not eaten' no cookies! I'm just holdin' some!"
Each of us has some point of vulnerability. It may be a problem with alcohol, or sensuous lusts, or a desire to gamble even to the point of cheating. We often compound our problems by putting ourselves into untenable positions and precipitous situations.
Johnny would have had a much easier time if he had avoided the cookie jar. We would not fail so often if we avoided places where we would be subject to temptations. We ought not go where alcohol is served; we ought to avoid the magazine rack where the flesh is enticed; we ought to abstain from those things which tempt us to be dishonest. Let us cease giving the flesh easy opportunities! The Mark of Sin
"For the Word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
As the powerful chain saw cut its way through the oak tree, it uncovered an object foreign to a tree. There, embedded in the tree was a 22-bullet, once hidden from view, now made visible by the cutting asunder of the tree.
From the outside, the point of entry was no longer visible, but on the inside, the path of the bullet had clearly left its mark in the wood. Compared to the size of the tree, it was an extremely small mark, yet by its presence, had caused the area surrounding it to turn black with rot.
Had one been present when the bullet entered the tree, it would have been possible not only to see the mark, but to dig the bullet out. However, with the passing of time, the tree grew larger and stronger. The bark had grown thicker and the bullet remained hidden, a part of the tree.
Just as the bullet penetrated into the tree, so sin penetrates us. The point of entry may not be visible to anyone else, but the sin becomes embedded in our lives, and unless it is removed, causes a growing spot to rot.

Sin Scars
When Leonardo da Vinci was a young artist during the Renaissance in Italy, he is reported to have painted a beautiful portrait of a young child who appeared in the picture as an angel. The artist was so pleased with the work that he kept it in his studio where he could gaze upon it. Often, it is said, looking at that picture would comfort his soul in sorrow or tranquilize his heart in anger.
Much later in life, after many years had passed, he was doing another picture. For this canvas he needed the portrait of a man whose countenance would personify evil. Long and diligently he searched for a model and at last found one. The features had been so scarred by sin that the portrait was the exact opposite of that of the child.
Then an amazing thing happened. The model told the artist that he had been the child whose picture still hung in the studio. This crime-hardened man with dissipation written across his countenance had been the angelic-appearing child who had personified all that was good. The Invasion of Evil
Over wide areas of the United States, carpenter bees begin swarming around the roofs and eaves of houses when spring arrives looking for edible wood in which to nest. The bees make a small hole in the wood and lay their eggs. Though the initial hole is small, over time more and more of the inner wood is eaten away. Even though the surface of the wood looks good, enough carpenter bees can eat away the strength of the supporting timbers of a home and eventually destroy it. The home owner must guard against such attacks.
Similarly, the Christian must guard against the attacks of sin which bore within, seeking a foothold in one's life. Just as the carpenter bees multiply and feed on the wood, sin multiplies and feeds on the soul. It is better to keep the sin out in the first place than to root it out after it invades. The Cost of Compromise
Winter was coming on and a hunter went out into the forest to shoot a bear out of which he planned to make a warm coat.
By and by he saw a big bear coming toward him and raised his gun and took aim.
"Wait," said the bear, "why do you want to shoot me?"
"Because I am cold," said the hunter, "and I need a coat."
"But I am hungry," the bear replied, "so maybe if we just talk this over a little, we could come to a compromise."
So the hunter sat down beside the bear and began to talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the hunter was well enveloped with the bear's fur, and the bear had eaten his dinner.
We always lose out when we try to compromise with sin. It will consume us in the end.

Licking the Blade
Paul Harvey tells how an Eskimo kills a wolf. He coats his knife blade with blood and lets it freeze. Then he adds another coat of blood and then another. As each coat freezes he adds another smear of blood until the blade is hidden deep within a substantial thickness of frozen blood.
Then he buries the knife-blade up-in the frozen tundra. The wolf catches the scent of fresh blood and begins to lick it. He licks it more and more feverishly until the blade is bare. Then he keeps on licking harder and harder. Because of the cold he never notices the pain of the blade on his tongue. His craving for the taste of blood is so great that he does not realize his thirst is being satisfied by his own blood. He licks the blade till he bleeds to death, swallowing his own life.
That is the way the devil works on us. He gives us a taste of sin, knowing we will crave more. We go deeper and deeper in satisfying our desires. We never notice the blade inside till it is too late. Only when we are dying do we realize we have swallowed our own life in sin.

Sin Against God
A lady in a carpool took God's name in vain and immediately apologized to her companions. One of them quickly responded, "You do not owe us an apology. You did not use our names."
Sin does hurt people around us and requires a reconciliation with that person. But we must always remember, with David, "Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight" (Psalms 51:4 NASB). Our Concept of Righteousness
There are Christians who, in effect, define righteousness by what they shun. They keep away from certain foods and drinks, from certain people, from certain places.
There certainly are occasions when Christians do well to keep their distance, but our Lord's emphasis was against that way of defining unrighteousness. He stressed one's internal attitude, regardless of the external surroundings: "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness" (Mark 7:20-22).
It is convenient to focus on the sins of others; this keeps the spotlight away from oneself. And it is convenient to understand sin in terms of actions that can be physically avoided; one can thereby avoid disturbing thoughts about attitudes such as coveting, envy, and pride, which our Lord includes on his list of "evil things" right along with theft, murder, and adultery.
God everywhere shows a lot of concern about sin, and so should we. But it is the nature of sin to deceive us, even when we think we are being righteous. We must work at keeping our understandings and emphasis in line with what God has revealed. A Fence or an Ambulance
A certain community was near a dangerous highway curve where several cars had misguided the curve and fallen over a cliff. Great discussion took place in the town over what to do about the situation. Some in the discussion group thought it a good idea to station an ambulance at the bottom of this cliff to give immediate aid to the victims. Wiser heads suggested it might be better to erect a fence around the curve on top of the cliff.
To us, such a discussion is ridiculous. We know it is much better to prevent accidents and deaths than to treat them after the fact. Let us not overlook the truth that this principle also has much spiritual merit.
We need not debate whether Christians sin. The New Testament speaks plainly. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His Word has no place in our lives. The Apostle John immediately follows this truth with a powerful statement of assurance. "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1-2).
Although forgiveness and grace are abundant, Jesus does not intend for us to just focus on these. He not only provides forgiveness, He also gives us the power to keep from sin. How much better that we focus on the "fence" at the top rather than on the "ambulance" at the bottom.

Intellectualism and Immoral Life
Josh McDowell relates how he was counseling a student who said she was fed up with Christianity because she did not think it was historically accurate nor that there was actually anything to it. She had convinced everyone in her circle that she had searched and found profound intellectual problems with Christianity as a result of her university studies.
One after another of her classmates tried to persuade her otherwise; but to no avail. Josh asked her several pointed questions. Within 30 minutes she admitted that she had fooled everyone including herself, and that she had developed her intellectual doubts in order to excuse her immoral life.

Nip Sin in the Bud
Sin is deceitful (Hebrews 3:13). Sin's progression is one of its characteristics it seeks to conceal.
The "blessed man" of Psalm 1 (1) walketh not, (2) standeth not, and (3) sitteth not. Observe the progression. That Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom, and did not immediately move there, is illustrative of the progressiveness of sin.
Eve (1) heard the devil's lie, (2) believed the lie, and (3) obeyed it. Sin is progressive. The prodigal son gradually went to the far country, which illustrates sin's progression.
Peter (1) first deserted the Lord, (2) later fraternized with the enemy, (3) then, denied the Lord, (4) afterwards committed perjury, and (5) finally, he cursed and blasphemed. Sin was progressive in his case.
Be not deceived, for sin is still progressive. Social drinking can easily lead to alcoholism.
Dancing has been the first step in many cases leading to an ultimate destruction of one's virtue.
Missing the mid-week service can lead to missing the Sunday night service, then Sunday morning Bible school, then the Sunday morning worship service-yea, to complete apostasy.
Envy can grow into hatred, and hatred can grow into murder. Be not deceived. Sin is deceptive. It grows. It is progressive. Therefore, resist every temptation, choosing the way of escape always provided (1 Corinthians 10:13). Give none occasion to sin. Abstain from every appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
Nip sin in the bud! Otherwise, it will grow! "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit that they may add sin to sin" (Isaiah 30:1).

Less Than Expected
A fellow decided to rob a convenience store clerk. The robber had a neat plan to give the clerk a $10 bill, get her to open her cash drawer to make change, and then grab all the money. The plan worked! He got everything in her cash drawer-total $4.34-and left the clerk with his $10. He went in the hole to the tune of $5.66!
The undeniable truth is that sin never gives what it promises. It always returns less than the sinner invests in self-esteem, integrity, and spiritual security. Want proof?
Adam and Eve were promised freedom, wisdom and life by Satan, only to be led to commit spiritual suicide.
Sensuous Samson fell in love with a woman who did not love God, and he paid with his eyesight, freedom and life.
Ananias and Sapphira were going to get credit for being generous and wound up being buried for being liars.
In each of these cases, sin promised something it could never deliver. The same thing is still happening in our world today.
Adolescents are led to see God, their parents, and their teachers as enemies and wind up in rebellion's deep pit.
People date and marry without taking into account that the spiritual element is the critical part of a relationship.
Some church members hide behind masks and fool themselves and their friends, but not God.
Sin costs too much. You have to sell your soul to have whatever pretty trinkets it offers you for the moment. Then you have to face a time of bitter reckoning. You have to "pay the piper." Yet whatever had been promised to you as a reward has already gone up in a puff of smoke or has slipped through your fingers. And Judgment Day is coming! The basic lure of sin is the promise of quick gain, without regard to long-term consequences.
Truth and holiness work differently. With total honesty about the difficult demands at hand, the God who cannot lie promises to reward you down the line. Obedience, purity, integrity, repentance, denial-these are hard words and demanding deeds. But what lies at the end is invaluable!
Sin never delivers. Christ never fails. So don't get robbed while trying to pull a fast one on God.

Pain and Pills
You and I live in a world that is obsessed with the elimination of pain. Just take a stroll down the medicine aisle next time you are in the grocery store. You will see what I mean. When we have a headache, we take two aspirin, take a nap, and wake up feeling better. We forget the pain.
Face it, we do not like pain. But is that entirely healthy? Could it be that in some matter of my life, there is room for pain? Can it be at times I should feel some pain? The question pleads for affirmation.
Along with solutions to our physical pains, I am afraid we have mistakenly found a cure for our spiritual pain. Sadly, this is a deadly cure! To avoid the pain of sin, we have taken a deadly pill which diminishes the impact and consequence of sin in our lives. We have closed our eyes to the destruction of sin and swallowed a pill of deception. We do not feel the burdensome ache of sin.
For Israel, it was not enough for a prophet to forecast impending doom as a consequence of sin to get them to repent. More often than not, Israel had to face the consequence of sin to come to repentance; they had to feel pain. In Joel 2:12-13, we see Israel's pain manifested: "Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments."
To rend something means to rip or tear in grief, anger, rage, etc. We must ask ourselves when we last felt the need to tear our hearts because of sin. Feel the injury of sin and avoid the problem of pain! Let us rend our hearts today and feel the pain. We must return to God. The Well of Kindness
In ancient times in the East, a common practice among tribes at war was to fill each other's wells. Every well thus rendered useless was a public blessing destroyed. It is like a crime against humanity when a well of kindness in a heart is stopped. The world's need and sorrow are the losers. The thirsty come to drink where before their want had been satisfied, and are disappointed. But the most serious consequence is the harm that is done to the persons themselves whose love and compassion are thus restrained. One of the great problems of Christian living is to keep the heart gentle and sweet amid all the world's trying experiences. Nothing worse could happen to a person than to become cold toward human suffering, or bitter toward human infirmity and failure. The Unbreakable Chain
It is told of a famous smith of medieval times that, having been taken prisoner and immured in a dungeon, he began to examine the chain that bound him with a view to discovering some flaw that might make it easier to break it. His hope was in vain, for he found from some marks upon it that it was his own workmanship. It had been his boast that none could break a chain that he had forged. Thus it is with the sinner. His own hands have forged the chain that binds him, a chain that no human hand can break.

Don't Play with Sin
Sin is nothing to play with. It has the strength to defeat you if you get too close to it with excessive confidence in your own strength. A well-to-do man advertised for a chauffeur. Three applicants came. His first question was, "How close to the edge of a cliff can you drive without going over?" One man said, "A yard." Another said, "A foot." The third said, "I always try to keep as far away as possible." The third man got the job. He who underestimates the strength of an enemy is in danger of defeat.

Criticism Dangerous
A student may turn his enlightened heart into darkness by starting to be critical, first with the things that may be criticized, and then proceeding to belittle those things that are beyond criticism. He is like a little boy with a new knife; he must cut something or other. He cuts up the Scriptures and decimates them; he has such a sharp knife that he must use it or otherwise he is not happy. From a critic, he advances to an irreverent faultfinder, and from that to an utter unbeliever. His light has blinded him.

Prepared to Sin
A little boy was once forbidden by his mother to go swimming, but she permitted him to go out for a walk. When he came back, it was quite evident that he had disobeyed her and had gone in the water. When asked why, the little fellow answered, "Well, Mother, I happened to have my swimming trunks with me, so I decided to go in." When the child saw the beautiful sea, it presented a real temptation to him. In his mind was born the desire to disobey his mother-to sin. After all, sin is nothing but disobedience. The desire, however, could not have been translated into sin if he had not had his swimming trunks with him.

Slay the Monster
A man with an axe was attacked by a vicious dog, and in defending himself had to kill the animal. The owner was furious and asked the man how he dared kill his dog. The man replied that if he had not killed it, the dog would have torn him to pieces. "Well," said the owner, "why did you hit with the blade? Why didn't you just hit it with the handle?" "I would have," replied the man, "if it had tried to bite me with its tail." So, when I have to deal with sin, some people say, "Why don't you go about it more diplomatically? Why don't you choose less offensive words to describe it?" I answer, "I would, if it would bite me with its tail, but as long as it deals roughly with me, I will deal roughly with it; any kind of weapon that will help to slay the monster, I'm going to feel free to use." A Believer Like Zacharias
A gentleman who believed himself perfect called to see an old Christian neighbor. They began talking about the interesting subject of the believer's perfection. "Can you point to a single perfect man or woman in the Bible?" inquired the aged saint. "Yes," readily answered the other, "turn to Luke 1:6 and you will read there of two-Elizabeth and Zacharias-who walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." "Then you consider yourself a believer like Zacharias?" "Certainly I do," said the visitor. "Ah," replied the old man, "I thought you might be; and we read a few verses further on that he was struck dumb for his unbelief." Are You Sinless?
A lady came to her pastor after he had preached one day and said, "But does not John say, 'Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not' (1 John 3:6)?" Of course he consented to the fact, telling her that the Christian does not voluntarily wallow in sin, but that we should also remember that the same apostle says, "If we say that 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 that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 John 1:8-10). Then he turned to this Christian lady and asked her, "Can you say you are sinless?" There was no answer. No Rights
We claim things as our right, sometimes, to which we have no right at all. In fact, we have no right to anything, and sometimes God impresses this upon us by taking things from us. Let us not be like the sick man to whom a benevolent gentleman had been giving a quart of milk a day. At last, the time came for this poor man to die, and of course the gift of milk was expected to come to an end. When he was gone, the gentleman called upon the widow. "I must tell you, sir," said she, "that my husband has made a will and has left the quart of milk to his brother!"

Temptation Attracts or Repels
Thomas à Kempis has said, "First there comes to the mind a bare thought of evil, then a strong imagination thereof, afterward delight and evil motion, and then consent." His advice was, "Withstand the beginnings." If you apply a magnet to the end of a needle that moves freely on its pivot, the needle affected by a strong attraction approaches as if it loved it. Reverse the order, applying the magnet to the other pole, and the needle shrinks away trembling as if it hated it. One man rushes into the arms of vice; another recoils from it in horror. According as the nature it addresses is holy or unholy, temptation attracts or repels, is loved or hated. Our Lord Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).

Sins Buried
An earnest servant of Christ preached on the text, "Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19). His little boy, ten years old, afterwards said to him, "Daddy, when you were talking about the Lord casting sin into the sea, you ought to have said that sin was heavy like stones, and would drop out of sight, or they might think it would float like corks on the top." Praise God, our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus as stones thrown into the ocean.

Don't Neglect the Son
Emperor Theodosius, in the 4th century, denied the deity of Christ as do many in this 20th century. When his son Arcadius was about sixteen, he decided to make him his partner in the government of the empire. Among the great men who assembled to congratulate the new wearer of the imperial purple was Bishop Amphilocus. He made a handsome address to the Emperor and was about to leave when Theodosius exclaimed, "What! Do you take no notice of my son?" Then the bishop went up to Arcadius and putting his hands upon his head said, "The Lord bless thee, my son." The Emperor, roused to fury by this slight, exclaimed, "What! Is this all the respect you pay to a prince that I have made of equal dignity with myself?" Amphilocus replied, "Sir, you do so highly resent my apparent neglect of your son, because I do not give him equal honors with yourself. Then what must the Eternal God think of you when you degrade His coequal and coeternal Son to the level of one of His creatures?" The Unseen Sin
A half-witted man wore a most curious coat. All down the front it was covered with patches of various sizes, mostly large. When asked why the coat was patched in such a remarkable way, he answered that the patches represented the sins of his neighbors. He pointed to each patch and gave the story of the sin of someone in the village. On the back of his coat there was a small patch. On being asked what it represented, he said, "That is my own sin, and I cannot see it."

Don't Let Your Light Grow Dim
There is a danger that there may be a dimming of the light within us. It is worth our while to note some of the things that bring this sad eclipse of the soul. Anything that corrupts, degrades, or debauches the soul; anything that mars its innocence, or robs it of its purity, will at the same time dull the keenness of its perception as to what is right and what is wrong. Innocence is often compared to cleanness or whiteness, while guilt is described by the words dark, black, mire, and dirt. Conscience is like a glass through which the light streams. But if we rub coal dust or smut of any sort over the glass, the light will shine through it but dimly. And if we cover the glass with a sufficient coat of filth, it will not shine through at all. So sin makes foul the glass of the soul. Where the light shines clearly and the man has no doubt at all about what is right, if he yields to temptation and sinful thoughts make conquest of him, it will be as though tar stained the glass in his window. If he continues to sin and impure thoughts come to get possession of his soul, the light from heaven will finally be shut out entirely.

Call It by Its Real Name
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told of a distinguished Methodist minister of Australia who preached on sin. One of his church officers came afterward to talk with him in his study. He said to the minister: "Dr. Howard, we don't want you to talk so plainly about sin, because if our boys and girls hear you talking so much about sin, they will more easily become sinners. Call it a mistake if you will, but do not speak so plainly about sin." The minister took down a small bottle of strychnine that was marked "Poison." He said, "I see what you want me to do. You want me to change the label, such as 'Essence of Peppermint.' Don't you see what would happen? The milder you make the label, the more dangerous you make the poison."

What Makes Sin Sinful?
What makes sin sinful? I remember when I was in the army I was brought before my commanding officer because while I was on night duty I had opened a telegram I wasn't supposed to. Nobody had told me this. I thought it was part of my duty to open it and to communicate its contents to the officer on duty. I ended my defense with the words of Paul, "Sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Romans 5:13). I was not punished. They saw the reasonableness of my contention that one cannot break a law that does not exist.

Lure of Sin
Spurgeon was right when he said, "Where the most beautiful cacti grow, there the venomous serpents are to be found at the root of every plant." And it is so with sin. Your fairest pleasures will harbor your grossest sins. Not Welcomed
It is only natural when you are eagerly expecting someone to welcome him with open arms. Just imagine the disappointment of a father returning to his family from the war to find that he is not recognized. All along the family has been praying and waiting for his return, yet when he arrives he is not welcomed. There could be no greater shock to a father than that. A welcome by one's own family is the instinctive hope of all. "He came unto His own and his own received Him not."

Wrong Standard
Pride comes from the fact that we measure ourselves by earthly standards, instead of by God's standard for us. We are like the little boy who came to his mother and said, "Mamma, I am as tall as Goliath; I am nine feet high." "What makes you say that?" asked the surprised mother. "Well, I made a little ruler of my own and measured myself with it, and I am just nine feet high!"

Don't Gold Plate Your Life
Ruskin told of visiting a famous cathedral in which there are a number of colossal figures high up among the heavy timbers that support the roof. From the pavement these statues have the appearance of great beauty. Curious to exam them, Ruskin climbed to the roof and stood close beside them. He was disappointed to find that only the parts of the figures that could be seen from the pavement were finished. The backs were rough and unsightly.

Sin Is Sin
Spurgeon writes: "The shops in the square of San Marco were all religiously closed, for the day was a high festival. We were much disappointed, for it was our last day, and we desired to take away with us some souvenirs of lovely Venice. Our regret soon vanished, for on looking at the shop we meant to patronize, we readily discovered signs of traffic within. We stepped to the side door and found, when one or two other customers had been served, that we might purchase to our heart's content, saint's day or no saint's day. After this fashion, too many keep the laws of God to the eye, but violate them in the heart."

Indulgence
Thomas Manton says on indulging: "There were but two common parents of all mankind, Adam the Protoplast (the first created), and Noah the Restorer, and both failed due to appetite, the one fell by eating, and the other by drinking." A Lost Inheritance
The son of a rich father forsook his fine home for a life of crime and immorality, bringing disgrace to his family and causing his father many years of deep sorrow. One day he learned of his father's death and decided to return home at once. He wanted to be present at the reading of the will to see if he had been left anything. He thought possibly his father out of kindness had bequeathed him something. Together, with other members of the family, he assembled at the lawyer's office to listen to the reading of the will. The first part of it was a long recital of his son's sins. Father had set them down carefully, one by one, expressing the grief of heart which he had borne for so many years. The son became more and more restless as he heard that sad story of his evil doings. He began to fidget and fuss in his seat, obviously disgusted with the whole proceedings. Finally, he could stand it no longer and grabbed his hat, rose to his feet, stomped out of the room, and slammed the door behind him. But he left too soon. For the second part of the will said that his father had left him $25,000. He could not subsequently be located and thus never got the money for the simple reason that he declined to hear about the sins which he refused to confess. He lost his inheritance.

Us Only
There was a small Christian sect of an exclusive nature which was holding a convention. Outside the auditorium there was displayed the motto, "Jesus Only." A strong wind blew the first three letters away, so that the sign read, "Us Only." Isn't that too often the sign that our prayers, attitudes, and behavior present to the world? And then we expect God to bless us. No Repentance, No Pardon
Caleb Young, in Kentucky, thought that a man in the state's prison who was serving a life term had been too heavily sentenced. Bringing influence to bear upon the governor, he obtained a pardon for the man. He went to the prison and had a talk with the man. He said to him, "If you were to be released from this place, what would you do?" The man vindictively replied, "I would go and shoot the judge that sentenced me, the lawyer that prosecuted me, and the witnesses that testified against me." Mr. Young said nothing to the man about the pardon. He went out of the prison and tore the pardon to pieces.

Vanity
Two geese about to start southward on their annual autumn migration were entreated by a frog to take him with them. When the geese expressed their willingness to do so, if a means of conveyance could be devised, the frog produced a long stick and got the two geese to take it at each end while he clung to it by his mouth in the middle. In this manner the three were making their journey successfully when they were noticed from below by some men who loudly expressed their admiration of the device and wondered who had been clever enough to discover it. The vainglorious frog, opening his mouth to say, "It was I," lost his hold, fell to the earth, and was dashed to pieces. Beware, Christians, lest you meet with the same calamity as that of the frog through your vain-glorying in self.

Sinner Like You and Me
There was a criminal who was awaiting execution. A minister went to visit him, but there was not much response to his exhortation. On his way back home, the minister met one of his elders and told him about his experience. He asked the elder to go and see the criminal. The elder came back with great joy in his heart for what had been accomplished with him. The minister was very anxious to know why he had failed and the elder succeeded. This is what happened. As soon as the elder saw the criminal, he sat beside him, took his hand in his and said with much fervor and simplicity, "Wasn't it only the great love of God to send His Son into the world to die for sinners like you and me?" In a moment the fountain of the man's heart was broken up and he wept bitter tears. Afterward the criminal said, "When the minister spoke to me, it seemed like one standing far above me, but when that good man came in and sat down by my side and classed himself with me, I could not stand it any longer."

Sin's Chain
An overladen coal barge stood in the river. A sailor reported to the captain that the water was gaining upon the vessel, but the captain drove him away with scoffing. Twice, thrice the warning was repeated, but each time it went unheeded. At last the barge began to give evidence of sinking. The captain ordered the men to the boats. As they took their places, he said, "See, I told you there was plenty of time." Then he took out his knife to cut the cable to the barge. He fell back with a cry of horror; the cable was an iron chain. A Sinner Who Didn't Think
A young man once said to a preacher, "I do not think I am a sinner." Then the preacher asked him if he would be willing for his mother or sister to know all he had done, said or thought, all his motives and all his desires. After a moment the young man said, "No, indeed, I certainly would not like to have them known-not for all the world.

Forgiveness Necessary
When Mr. Wesley was on a voyage with General Oglethorpe to Georgia, the General threatened revenge upon an offending servant, saying, "I never forgive." "Then I hope, sir," said Mr. Wesley, "that you never sin." The General saw the force of this remark and modified his action toward the servant.

Avoid Strife
A man let an offender go instead of avenging himself for an insult. He was criticized in consequence, and he said to the friend who chided him, "Tell me, my friend, if you were climbing a hill, and a great stone or block rolled down toward you, would you consider it disgraceful to step aside and allow it to roll past? If not, what disgrace can there be in avoiding and giving way to a man aroused by anger until he has had time for reflection, and his agitated mind finds rest in repentance?" There is an old legend that tells of Hercules encountering a strange animal on a narrow road. He struck it with his club and passed. Soon the animal overtook him, now three times as large as before. Hercules struck it fast and furiously, but the more he clubbed the beast, the larger it grew. Then Pallas appeared to Hercules and warned him to stop. "The monster's name is Strife," he said. "Let it alone and it will soon become as little as at first." This is valuable advice for those of us Christians who engage in counterblows, thinking that only thus can we stop the blows.

Strong but Weak
Edinburgh Castle was captured only once in the whole history of Scotland. Its defenders thought that the steepness of the rock on one side made it inaccessible and impregnable, so they put no sentries there. In the grey mist of the early morning a little part of the enemy crept up the precipitous slopes and surprised the garrison into surrender. It was captured at its strongest point. Paul said, "When I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10). Yet the reverse is often true also. "When I am strong, then am I weak."

Treasure in Heaven
When a friend once wrote to Dr. Livingston about the sacrifices he was making in spending his days among the savages of Central Africa, he made the spirited reply: "Is that a sacrifice which brings its own best reward in healthful activity, in the consciousness of doing good, in peace of mind, and in the hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with such a thought! I never made a sacrifice." May we, too, seek "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," rather than our own selfish satisfaction.

Christian Forewarned
A man once remarked that he could not swallow what the preachers called "original sin and Adamic nature." "My good fellow," said a Christian to him, "there is no occasion for you to swallow it-it's inside you already." The sooner we realize that grim fact in our Christian lives, the better. "Forewarned is forearmed" is especially good advice for the Christian. Dangers inducing us to sin are not all found outside ourselves; they are also inside; and sometimes the enemies within are stronger and more furious than those without. The Regenerated Sinner
An old Scotch minister was really disturbed when a fellow minister came to preach in his church, because to his surprise he gave a sermon to sinners. The Scotch minister could not keep the disappointment within him, so he turned to the visiting preacher and said, "Well, Rev. McDonald, that was a very good sermon which you preached, but it is very much out of place. I do not know one single unregenerate person in my congregation."

Sick Sheep
A visitor saw the shepherds in Nazareth bringing their flocks to water them at the well. When the sheep had drunk their fill, the shepherds called and their sheep followed them. The visitor asked the shepherds if the sheep always followed their own shepherds when they called them. "Yes," said a shepherd, "except under one condition." "What is that?" "The sheep that do not follow the voice of the shepherd are the sick sheep. If a sheep is healthy, it will always follow the shepherd, but if there is something wrong with the sheep, it will follow anybody."

Feel in Your Pockets
A neighbor heard that a poor woman was reduced to extreme poverty by the loss of her cow, which was her only means of support. He was personally unable to replace the cow for the poor woman, so he went around soliciting funds. Each neighbor offered sorrow and regret, but none practical assistance. He became impatient, and after being answered as usual by a plentiful shower of feeling, exclaimed. "Oh, yes! I don't doubt your feeling; but you don't feel in the right place." "Oh," said one, "I feel with all my heart and soul." "Yes, yes," replied the solicitor, "I don't doubt that either; but I want you to feel in your pocket." If we can feel in our pockets but don't, we commit sin. The Constant Dissenter
We read about a church which was calling a new pastor. There were only a few negative votes, the great majority being in favor of the nominee. A gracious member of the minority moved to make the choice unanimous. But one man in that minority, a stern old Scotchman, was by no means disposed to make any such soft surrender of opinion, and he wasted no words. His ultimatum was quick and straight: "There is one thing ye might as well understand right here and now. I'll let you know there'll never be anything unanimous in this church as long as I am in it." No Trespassing
In olden times gardens used to be enclosed. In Palestine every garden was enclosed by a wall-as was Gethsemane-or by a prickly hedge. "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse" (Son_4:12). To separate one's garden plot from the open field and shield it from harm was always the gardener's first care. Man in his sinful condition also shuts himself in. He discourages others from entering his property. He is afraid they will harm him. But Christ has commissioned His followers to plant the seed of the gospel and to water it in the hearts of men. This Wonderfully Made Body
Of course, the body compels a great deal of admiration as the farmer cannot help admiring the smooth shiny seeds from which a beautiful field of wheat will one day emerge. If you fully understand what is in your body, how intricate, how methodical all its functions are, you cannot help but admire and honor it. You could not possibly create such a masterpiece. Scientists may make a living virus, but that's far from constructing a whole living body. But this wonderfully made body has been corrupted by your sin and mine. We have caused corruptibility to enter the cosmos, which includes our bodies.

Avoid Boasting
We should not let the sickness of other Christians lead us to brag that we are well because we are sinless while other Christians are sick because they are sinners. The proud heart is detestable to God. Perhaps we need to pray the well-known prayer of an early Wesleyan preacher: "Lord, save me from that good man-myself." It must be awful in the sight of God to see His children boasting of their health while condemning others because they are sick.