Issue 1545 – Good Idea? – September 9, 2024
“It seemed a good idea at the time.” I wonder how many incredibly dumb ideas have been talked about in retrospect with that line as an opening. I am sure all of us have been there at one time or another.
It seemed a good idea at the time. I am not certain who thought it up but using an old canoe instead of a toboggan just seemed to make sense. The trial run with one operator seemed to go okay, so the canoe was dragged back up to the top of the hill.
If you sit them correctly, you can fit a lot of people in a canoe. A quick shove sent the heavily laden canoe hurtling down the hill at breakneck speed. Everyone on board was screaming with delight and impressed with the idea’s brilliance.
It was not long before the first problem became apparent. You cannot steer a canoe full of people on an icy, snow-covered slope. You go where the slope wants to take you.
The second problem was that a big tree was dead ahead. The third problem is that a canoe has sides, and people cannot bail out like they could from a toboggan.
The result? One destroyed canoe and a variety of bumps and bruises. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. Do not try that one at home.
Slipping into sin can be like that canoe trip. It can seem like a good idea at the time. The trial run(s) may even go without incident, and you may think you escaped unscathed. In the long run, though, sin always leads to some wreck.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:12-15
Being tempted is not a sin. The sin starts when we begin to think it over, and it begins to “seem like a good idea at the time.” If we do not get out, a wreck of some kind is inevitable before we go further. There is no such thing as a sin that no one knows about. You know about it, and God always knows, even if you manage to hide it from the rest of the world.
The longer you stay in sin, the more potential for damage that it does. It hardens your heart and dulls the whisper of the Holy Spirit in your ear. Each “successful” trip down the hill of sin leads to more. The longer you spend on the slope, the greater the damage potential for you and others. The longer you spend on the hill, the icier it gets and the faster you go downhill.
Ignore that nagging voice that tells you that it will be okay. Sin is never okay in the eyes of God. Even sins that are socially acceptable and legal under the law of the land will never be alright with God. All sin remains sin and unacceptable to a holy God.
Fortunately, when we do slip, we can turn to Him to be cleansed,\.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:9-10
Until next time, when you are tempted, get off the slope early.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)