It’s
Just One Sin
Imagine one sin as one nail that pierces Jesus’ flesh. All it takes is four sins to nail Christ to
the cross. I know, therefore, that I
have nailed Christ to the cross many times over—sometimes in the period of only
one week, one day even! This is a
sobering thought. Was it right that I
treated the clerk unkindly because she was grouchy and unfriendly? (Treat others—not just those you like or
think deserve it—as you would like to be treated). Was that gossip session really so
innocent. Would I like it if someone
said about me what I said about that person during my “friendly” visit. Could I have, instead, found something
positive and uplifting to say? I sure
hope so and will try to the next time.
That little white lie I told doesn’t really matter, does it? Is a little white lie okay, but not okay if
it’s a big, fat lie? And who determines
which is which? I was not at all happy
for the friend who got the new expensive purse I have been coveting. Jealousy is really not attractive on me or
anyone else. I will try to be happy for
her happiness. What are some of our
idols that we worship today? It could be
money, popularity, things, a person. Is
it less idol worship than when our ancestors worshipped false gods made of
stone? I don’t see how it is less
sinful. It seems that sin is sin.
If we stop to think before we act carelessly and/or sinfully—stop and
think right before we act— maybe we can stop one nail. Stop and think, “This act or this word or
this thought will put one nail in Jesus,” and maybe, just maybe, hopefully, we
will rethink what we do or say. When we
think of a sin as a nail piercing Jesus, it should not be so easy to tell
ourselves it won’t matter this one time—because that one time is one nail, and
it only took four nails to keep Jesus on that cross. Don’t do what you know is sinful no matter
how small or inconsequential you think the sin is. Sin is sin, and a nail is a nail. Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem
us. We can never repay Him, but we can
love Him with all our hearts, minds and souls—and love others like He asked us
to. NO MORE NAILS!
