But I hate liver. Don't care what kind it is; I'd rather not touch it, thanks.
Which means when I sit down in a restaurant I don't start proclaiming to everybody within earshot how much I hate liver ... and then add some to my plate to enjoy, and smack my lips with glee while nobody's looking.
I hate liver, truly. And you can't tempt me with liver, no matter how it's disguised.
Not even pan-seared with gravy and onions ... and fries on the side.
-- -- ---
We hear Christians say they hate sin ... but why do so many keep sneaking sin into their lives? Or are those believers talking about the sin in the other guy's life?
"Man, that guy (or girl) oughtta cut that out!"
"Why can't so-and-so just stop what they're doing?"
"How can she call herself a Christian and carry on like that?"
Why is it that the other guy's sin is always so bad ... and always so easy to see and condemn? Do we really think the other guy's sin is SO BIG that seeing it prevents us from noticing our own?
Hmm.
-- --- --
Whether it's porn, swearing, adultery, lying, gambling, pride, jealousy, gossip, anger or not tithing: it's ALL still Sin.
I mean, Do you really hate sin, or do you prefer writing your own definition of what sin means? Or maybe you enjoy sinning in the moment, while getting your fill ... and it's only afterwards that sinning seems bad enough to hate?
Remember what I said about liver; there's bound to be a certain food you hate just as much. Let's say yours is fresh eel.
If you hate the sins in your life as much as you hate fresh eel, then why's eel gone from your life but the sin's still there?
The truth is that sin's still there not because we hate it, but because we like it. We'll peek through Scripture anxious to find new ways to justify angering God, rather than give up our sins.
Sometimes we sin to "even the score" and give ourselves what we feel we deserve: money, an emotional or sexual relationship, power, superiority, revenge or justice. Awarding ourselves a "sin bailout" to answer any need, whether physical, emotional or intellectual, isn't just pretending ... it's a warped crutch we design and clutch to make life easier and feel better about ourselves: it's a lie.
Sin is all about Lies. Lies involving others and lies we tell ourselves ... but sin points back to the same thing: a dissatisfaction with who we are.
That's the nature of sin: We want to feel or to be something else. Something better, someone else with experiences more intense and more satisfying. Sin pushes God from our attention by tempting us with easy shortcuts to get exactly what we want, instead of what God planned.
Who was it that Christ called "The father of all lies"?
-- --- --
We don't mind pursuing Righteousness, especially for 90 minutes on Sunday mornings ... so long as we can still indulge in our delightful little sin any time the mood hits. Nobody wants us to be perfect, right?
Wrong ... and what must be in the heart of a believer who'd use another's sins to justify their own?
-- --- --
Sometimes we can't imagine, and aren't even interested in imagining, what life would be like without our most funnest sins ... and some of us live life on the edge of our seats, just drooling to indulge our secret sin next chance we get.
We're so enamored of our favorite sins that we aren't even ashamed of protesting, "But I'm an adult, it's my life and besides, who's is hurting?" or "You've got your sins, too!"
Nope. Making excuses or pointing fingers isn't the same thing as Hating Sin at all.
But every sin we rationalize ... and every sin we can't let go of, is the same thing as being frustrated, chained and held captive.
And prevented from living the life God intended.
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