Small Sins; Dangerous Effects

“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers (and sisters), as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.” Romans 12:1-2 (J.B. Phillips Translation)

Nestled in the foothills of majestic mountains, the building with its glass-paned roof was an architectural wonder. But now it is wrapped in a protective shell as construction crews remove the roof which leaked when wind whipped through the area and heavy rain or snow fell. Soon new glass with metal supports will allow visitors to again view the snowy clouds against the blue sky.

Investigation proved that several of the metal supports which would have prevented much of the damage were misaligned, some by as little as 5/8 inch (approximately 1 ½ centimeters). Such a small space to cause near irreparable damage.

How often do we ignore the “small sins” that seem to be of minimal importance? Surely exaggerating the truth or whining or harboring a critical attitude can’t be that bad? Too often if these aren’t recognized and confessed, they lead to a deeper and more consistent pattern of self-seeking or complacency.

This does not mean that we scrape around our every action or attitude to see whether or not it is sin! A man once said that he found the Holy Spirit quite capable of revealing sin, and therefore thanked God for such revelation. The next blessed, holy and cleansing act was simply to agree with God (i.e., confession) about the sin and praise Him for forgiveness. If the man was unsure about the action or attitude and God did not reveal it as sin, he simply walked on in the freedom of forgiveness.

A misalignment of less than an inch is costing millions of dollars for repair. God who loves us asks that we give him our bodies—our buildings—as holy sacrifices so the world can clearly see Him through us.

By Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission

Small Sins; Dangerous Effects

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