THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

November 29, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

I remember several years ago having a conversation with someone about sin. She said that she thought something (that she did) wasn't really a sin if she did it in moderation. I asked, "So it's okay if you sample sin, but don't indulge?"

There are things that we all struggle with and we all sin. In fact, when the people brought the women who had been caught in adultery before Jesus, what was His reply? "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." Paul wrote in Romans that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

1 John 1:8-10 says, "If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (unrighteousness). If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.

But does that give us an excuse to sin? Are we to intentionally sin thinking, "It's okay! God knows I'm just human so will sin. All I have to do is ask God's forgiveness and all will be well!"

James 4:17 tells us this: "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it."

In Romans chapter seven, Paul writes about his struggle with sin. He writes, "The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing the wrong; it is sin living in me that does it."

Have you ever felt that way? You want to be good and do what it right, but find yourself failing. You don't want to do wrong, but then do it anyway. There is an internal struggle going on. That is when your desire is to fully please the Lord, yet you find yourself doing things that you don't want to do. You aren't intentionally going out and sinning and doing things that you know are wrong. When you do things that are wrong, you are quick to confess your sin and allow the blood of Jesus to cleanse you.

Paul writes, "Oh what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

There is a difference between intentionally sinning and unintentional sinning. When you do something, knowing that it is wrong and feeling conviction telling you not to do it, but you do it anyway... that is intentional sinning. The longer you do this, the easier it becomes to block out that voice of conviction and justify that your sin is not so bad.

There is someone whom I used to be friends with several years ago. She would often laugh and tell me, "I don't really lie. I just embellish the truth to make it sound better." The truth was, she knew that what she was saying was not honest and was indeed a lie, but she would justify it by saying that it was partially true so it was okay. That's how she has lived her life. Now, I'm not sure she even knows when she is lying and when she's telling the truth, because she has spent probably 95% of her life speaking lies in order to try and make herself look like the victim or to try and cover her own wrongs... or just because it's convenient.

That is an example of intentionally sinning, then trying to justify why it's okay. "I'm not really sinning, because there is some truth in what I'm saying....."

When we submit our life to God, that desire to sin decreases and our desire to please Him increases; or that's how it should be.

Paul also wrote in Romans chapter 6, "We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him." Later in that chapter, Paul continues, "Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Give yourself completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life."

Being a new creation in Christ means that we no longer are the person we once were. We don't allow sin to control the way we live or the decisions that we make. We don't give in to sinful desires or temptations. We give ourselves to God, because that old sinful man is dead, and now we have new life in Christ!

Don't sample sin, thinking it's not going to hurt you or anyone else; because if you aren't careful, it may become an indulgence.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

There were several people who came to Jesus to be healed, but Jesus also told them their sins were forgiven. That outraged the church leaders who held fast to the laws of the Old Testament. Moses had given strict laws that the Israelites were to make very specific sacrifices when they had sinned. Some of the old church leaders were making quite a bit of money selling animals that were 'approved' for sacrifices. And to others, it looked like Jesus was contradicting the Law of Moses (the Word of God). They didn't realize that Jesus was the sacrifice to cover all sins then and for all time.

Many of the Israelites were poor. Anyone too poor to pay the price for 'approved' animals weren't able to make the required sacrifices. So to them, a single sin would mean they couldn't go to the tabernacle, and would never be allowed to enter into heaven. To them, if they failed once, they might as well keep going.

But Jesus broke that chain. When we make mistakes, we no longer have any reason to give up. We can be forgiven. And we don't have to pay extortion prices or give up all we have to be forgiven. It has already been paid.

ON THE MENEWE:

Cranberry Almond Bark Candy

Okay -- here's the deal (from my nephew's wife) on this one! I just estimate the cranberries and pecans, generally using more than the recipes calls for.

Save some pecans to press into the top.

Melt the entire package of almond bark. Add the cereal, cranberries and pecans.

Spread on parchment lines baking sheet (you can press reserved pecans into the surface, if desired).

Refrigerate until hard. Break into bite-sized pieces. Store in airtight container.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I get my nephew's two youngest kids, who are in kindergarten, and their cousin on the school bus in the mornings. The bus stop is actually next door to their house. I keep the kids in the front yard and let them play, while I watch for the bus. I can look down the street and see the bus coming around a corner a few houses down. As soon as I see it, I always say, "Here comes the bus!" The kids run next door and get there before the bus arrives at the stop. There are a few other kids who wait next door in the driveway at the bus stop. When they hear me say that, they will get up or stop playing and start lining up. One morning one of the boys asked me, "How do you always know when the bus is coming?!" From where they are standing, you can't see down the street. When I told him, he said, "OH! I didn't know how you always know when it's coming!"

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. - C.S. Lewis

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org