Don’t Sin Today

As a believer my approach to God is one of simplicity, and as the writer of this blog I endeavor to boil down ideas, current issues, truths & lies to their base elements. My question is always, “What is the real issue here?” This causes me to be a constant listener and observer, and sometimes I see and hear things that simply resonate God’s truth.

One such incident was a phone call with a friend who pastors a church in Ukraine. My friend invited me to a conference to preach on evangelism, and during the conversation he began to relate to me a difficult pastoral situation that he was dealing with.

Some Christians had created such a mess with their lives that he simply could not untie the knot that they had made. The main reason is that they had kept the knot secret for so long no one could remedy the problem. If they had sought help early on much pain could have been avoided. I sighed over the phone, and exclaimed, “What could be done?”

“Don’t sin today”, was my friend’s response. This really struck me, and I have been thinking about it ever since. Don’t sin today! He was not telling the people who made the mistake; he was telling me. He was telling himself. He was telling his church not to sin today.

The real impact of this was simple and profound. Daily sins that grow and go unchecked often lead to public disasters. The Bible says that it is the little foxes that spoil the vineyard, and seemingly insignificant unchecked sin can have an eroding effect on every aspect of life. Like a house built over a sinkhole all seems fine until one day the headlines say: Million Dollar Home Swallowed Up, Major Ministry Swallowed Up, Family Swallowed Up or Corporation Swallowed Up.

“Don’t sin today” has another implication apart from scaring our pants off (for some it should scare their pants on). It is impossible unless we are walking with God every day. Not walking with God today is a sure plan for sinning today. The two are mutually exclusive. I fear God just writing this…

Now walking with God does not imply "going on a walk" with God. We also need to be going where He is going. This relates to being a fisher of men because that’s where He is going. Matt 4:19 Not being a disciple and not building His kingdom means that we are essentially building our own kingdom. This is also a sure recipe for sin and disaster either today or in the near future.

God’s wisdom for us is simple and direct.

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Ps 4:3,4

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 1 Jn 2:1,2