Big Sins and Little Sins

 

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:8-13 ESV).

 

Charles Spurgeon is responsible for the quote in the meme I have chosen to accompany the devotional today, though it is based on the Scripture found in the Song of Solomon: “Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom” (Song of Solomon 2:15 ESV). The context of the quote comes in the explanation of the grace of God forgiving all sin. In the 19^th Century there was a pronounced effort to separate sin into two categories within the Protestant Church. Spurgeon recalled the verse and went on to preach a lengthy exhortation that there was no difference between sins. While consequences may be different, the act of sin was simply a manifestation of the human nature. The only answer was the work of grace through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

 

Our reading today is clear in explaining the destructive nature of sin. We cannot trivialize our wrongdoing. James wrote about showing favoritism to certain people while ignoring or putting down others. It’s easy to think that favoritism is no big deal and that many other sins are more serious or offensive to God. But James pointed out that even one sin makes us guilty. I once heard this memorable saying from an old preacher: “No sin is too heavy for Christ to bear, and no sin is too light for Christ to spare.” Committing one sin is already too many.

 

Naturally that causes us to wonder if anyone can be saved. Like the disciples we can easily lose hope. However, we must recall that our salvation is secured by the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 John 2:1-2). He shed his blood to pay the price for all of our sins, whether they are big or small in our human eyes. That is GREAT news! None of us can say we have not sinned. And anyone whose heart has been touched by the Holy Spirit can say every sin has been forgiven. Isn’t it time to get the foxes out of your vineyard?

 

The Devil Made Me Do It

 

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:8-13 ESV).

 

From the time of the fall into sin, people have tried to hide from God in many ways. Typically this looks like blaming someone, or something, other than ourselves. Our reading today is the account given to Moses of the first sin. Adam and Eve realizing their sin, thought to avoid any confrontation with God and hid from Him. When God found them they began to blame others; Adam blamed both God and Eve; Eve blamed the serpent and indirectly God for creating such a thing. Of course the Scripture is very clear in assigning ultimate responsibility for our choices to us as individuals. “The devil made me do it” is not an accurate or truthful declaration; nor does it absolve us from responsibility.

 

It should not be a surprise that this would lead to the desire to hide from God. Today many publishers and media outlets compete to attract people’s attention by making outrageous statements. Some have even said, “God is dead,” and, “God is not good,” adding to the ways of hiding from God by going on the offensive against him. There is nothing new about such claims. Even 3,000 years ago, King David heard similar remarks and wrote, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).

 

Adam and Eve hid from God because they were afraid. They knew they had disobeyed God and that evil had gained a foothold in their hearts. In their shame, they could not face the Lord as he came to meet with them. Adam tried shifting the blame to Eve. By rupturing their relationship with God, they ­became estranged from one another. Some play the blame game by saying that evil in the world is God’s fault, and they refuse to believe in him. As alienation from God grows deeper, people hide from one another. They fear that if their real selves became known, no one would like them. But God forgives. That is the declaration of the Gospel, the Good News. Jesus paid the price we could never pay, and died the death we deserved. Turn to Him and be set free from your sin!

 

A Great Meal

 

On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” And they did so, and had them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. (Luke 9:10-17 ESV).

 

I have been able to eat at many places all across the globe. And, I can honestly say that some of the best meals I have ever eaten were “home” cooked. I can remember the days spent with my Dad when he was preparing and tending the meat he barbequed daily at store. His sauce was typically “Texas style,” as were the ribs he put on the pit. I developed a love for grilled meats (especially pork ribs) in those days. My sons have taken up the same habit and often out-cook me!

 

Recently I decided to duplicate my Dad’s technique and sauce for a meal with Kyle and his family. It was very good. However, it was made better by the conversation while we ate.  Of course I am not saying bad food is somehow made “good” by conversation and fellowship. Although good food without good fellowship does make a difference. In fact, even though I ate way more than I should have, I remember leaving that meal totally satisfied because every­thing about that night was amazing. I was full; I had family around me; I knew I was in the right place in my life; I felt blessed by God.

 

In our reading today, Jesus looked out over the crowd he had been teaching all day and knew that they were hungry. They were hungry for physical food, but I think they were hungrier for purpose and meaning. So Jesus fed them, completely. He multiplied a few loaves and fish far enough to feed a massive crowd. But even more, he satisfied their need for the sustaining bread of life that comes only through him. The only food that sustains our faith forever is the food that Jesus gives: the fullness of life that comes through his presence and mission and Word in our life. If we try to fill up on anything else, we will be hungry again. That’s the ultimate fellowship experience.

 

A Solid Foundation

[Jesus said] “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27 ESV).

 

The Great Galveston Storm came ashore the night of Sept 8, 1900, with an estimated strength of a Category 4. It remains the deadliest natural disaster and the worst hurricane in U.S. history. From 6,000 to 12,000 people died on Galveston Island and the mainland. Texas' most advanced city was nearly destroyed. Survivors wrote of wind that sounded "like a thousand little devils shrieking and whistling," of 6-foot waves coming down Broadway Avenue, of a grand piano riding the crest of one, of slate shingles turned into whirling saw blades, and of streetcar tracks becoming waterborne battering rams that tore apart houses. “The animals tried to swim to safety and the frightened squawking chickens were roosting everywhere they could get above the water," Pauls remembered. "People from homes already demolished were beginning to drift into our house, which still stood starkly against the increasing fury of the wind and water."

 

It was indeed a terrible storm. However, I was living on the island when Hurricane Carla struck. It ranks in the top five most destructive storms to hit the United States. Yet, the destruction and death toll, while terrible, was nothing compared to the 1900 Storm. The difference was in the construction techniques employed in those intervening years. With just the seawall on the gulf-side of the island untold destruction was averted.

 

That is the background for our reading today as Jesus gives some building advice for our lives. He is talking about building our lives and making sure their foundation is firm, made up of wisdom and faith in him. This foundation requires two things. It first involves listening to Jesus’ words. Listening is ­really important and can be hard to do. Listening often means putting aside our own ideas or agendas and paying ­attention for a while.

But listening is only the first step in the foundation of our faith lives. The next step is doing what he asks of us. If we only listen and don’t do what is asked, we haven’t really accomplished anything. Our faith can be filled with knowledge and belief, but if it isn’t tied to action, it rings hollow. Make sure you’re the house of your life is built on the foundation of faith. That is the way of life Jesus is calling us to.

 

Rebel Corner

 

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11 ESV).

 

I am fully aware without a deluge of email or comments that the picture I’ve attached today is not as culturally acceptable as when it was taken on one of our early trips to the Smokies in 1975. It is “Rebel Corner” in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It has long ago been remodeled and updated, although it still is the center of souvenirs and mementos for the tourist. In all our years of traveling with our children to the Smokies, my favorite part was our obligatory ride through the national park and Cade’s Cove. The boys liked it as well, enjoying the wildlife and panoramic views. However, they were also drawn to the “stuff” of the souvenir shops. And, yes, we did come away from each of those stops with various mementos, including at least one Stars and Bars Confederate flag, a coonskin cap or two, and several Indian headdresses.

 

Well, back to our reading. I hope you notice how easy it was for the disciples to get sidetracked by relatively meaningless stuff. We are often surrounded by magnificent events or people or tasks, and all we do is “take in the gift shops.” We miss what is really there because we are distracted by the trivial. Peter and the others had good reason to be fishing. It was their livelihood. They probably thought they would be fishing every day for the rest of their lives. And there wouldn’t have been anything wrong with that. But God had something else in mind for them. We should take care not to be distracted by the ­trivial things in life and miss what God might be calling us to do. The gift shop isn’t all there is. He has so much more in store for us all.