Occasions of Sin

What situations are most likely to cause you to sin? We all have weaknesses, the things that push our buttons, and cause us to react in uncharitable ways. According to E. B. Pusey (1800-1882), and English Anglican theologian, knowing the occasions of our sin is an important step in conquering temptation:

“It is of the very greatest moment to know the occasions of our sin, and the way in which it shows itself. To know the occasions, puts us on our guard; to know how our sin shows itself, gives us the means of stopping it. Thus, as to these occasions; one is made angry, if he is found fault with roughly, or even at all, or slighted, or spoken slightly of, or laughed at, or kept waiting, or treated rudely, or hurt even unintentionally, or if his will is crossed, or he is contradicted, or interrupted, or not attended to, or another be preferred to him, or if he cannot succeed in what he has to do. These sound like little things when we speak of them in the presence of God, and in the sight of eternity. But these and other such like little things make up our daily trials, our habits of mind, our likeness or unlikeness to God, who made us in His own image; our eternity.”

Spend some time today pondering circumstances that are problematic for you; then make a resolution and a plan for doing better when they reoccur (because they will!).

For more quotes by E. B. Pusey see:

Know Yourself/Know God

Have Patience

Victorious Faith

New Month/New Theme

Yes, it’s a new month already, and I’ve chosen a theme. It’s something important, but something most of us don’t like to think about. Can you guess? SIN.

Nobody likes admitting that they are a sinner. We would much rather say we made a mistake, or an error in judgement. If we are forced to face our sin, we tend to downplay it. Our sins are just small ones — the white lie, the harmless flirtation, the flash of anger. Surely these are just part of being human, and how could God condemn us for that?

Sad to say, this is not the case. The Bible clearly tells us that all sin is “lawlessness.” We’re criminals and we deserve punishment. Happily, God has provided a way out through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. On the last day we will be judged, but we won’t receive the sentence we deserve.. We will be clothed in the righteousness of Christ

So this month I’ll be writing and thinking about sin — what tempts us, how to avoid temptation, how to recognize our sins and repent, and more.

As usual, I may go off topic to review books, discuss what I’m studying and more. Stay tuned to learn how God is at work in my life and yours! He loves you and so do I!

I Can Do Better

This was the daily quote in my devotional reading recently:

“Do not try only to abstain from sin, but strive, by God’s grace, to gain the opposite grace.  If thou wouldest not slip back into sin, thou must stretch forward to Christ and His holiness.  It is a dull, heavy, dreary, toilsome way, just to avoid sin.  Thou wouldest not simply not be impatient;  thou wouldest long to be like thy Lord, who was meek and lowly of heart.  Thou wouldest not only not openly murmur;  thou wouldest surely long, like the beloved Apostle, to rest on Jesus’ breast, and will what He wills.”

Edward B. Pusey

I realized this is what I have been talking about with my reunion group friend. I have shared that I can usually refrain from “outward” sins.  In other words, I do a pretty good job of avoiding sinful behavior.  However, I still struggle with things like a poor attitude, lack of gratitude for the good things God has given me, or uncharitable thoughts.  The author of this quote has it exactly right:  I need to pray to not only to do what is right, but to really want to do it.  I need to do good not just because it is my duty, but because it brings me joy to please God.

This reminds me of the famous love verses from 1 Corinthians, chapter 13:

” If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[ but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

If I obey God without love for Him and for others in my heart, it’s meaningless.  I’m like the Pharisees in the Bible, and Jesus called them “white-washed tombs.”  In other words, they looked good, but were dead inside.  I must develop the qualities of a truly loving disciple.

^“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”  1 Corinthians 4-7

This certainly isn’t easy, and I can’t do it on my own.  I need the help of the Holy Spirit.  I’m praying for that.  Will you join me?

For more quotes by E. B. Pusey see:

Advice From E. B. Pusey

Victorious Faith

Being More Than Conquerers

 

Am I Habituating?

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

If you follow our blog, you know I’ve been currently dealing with a difficult situation.  Due to water damage, our condo is currently unlivable, so we have moved in with friends and are cooking at our daughter’s apartment.  This has been going on for a few weeks now, and I’m starting to adjust.  What seemed uncomfortable is becoming normal.  I’ve started to habituate.  Now in this instance, habituating is probably good.  I’m developing a new routine and that allows me to feel better about my life and the things that are going on.

However, we all habituate in less healthy ways.  Consider our television viewing habits, for instance.  When I was a child in the 1950’s, the “I Love Lucy” show could not even portray a married couple sharing a double bed, or use the word “pregnant” (referring to a married woman).  Now we routinely see unmarried couples unclothed and embracing on the screen, and the words we hear are certainly not fit for children (or sensitive adults) to hear.  We’ve habituated to the world’s standards, and they are very, very low.

In the same way, when we’re around people who gossip, brag, complain or criticize others we can easily find ourselves falling into the same patterns and developing the same mindset.

We may be told so often to “look out for number one,”  that we begin to find cheating on our taxes, running a red light or cutting corners at our job to be acceptable.  After all, doesn’t everybody do it?

As soon as we begin to tolerate such behavior, we’ve habituated to sin.  Pretty soon, we don’t even recognize it as sinful; and  then we start believing that sin doesn’t really exist.  People simply “make mistakes.”  We say sorry (because we got caught) but inside, we don’t really repent.  We become more and more self-centered, which is the very definition of sin.

The verse above warns us about this kind of faulty thinking.  We need to be influenced by the WORD not the WORLD. We can’t avoid sin unless we avoid all people (including ourselves);  but we can “transform our minds” by reading and meditating on God’s Word, praying, and  attending worship So today I challenge you (and myself) to take a realistic look at our lives.  What sins have become habitual?  What can we do to “habituate” to Godly behavior instead?

 

 

Making the Most of Time

If you read through Chapter 5 of Ephesians, you’ll get some advice about spending time.

1. Be imitators of God;  walk in love and sacrifice yourself for others
2. Stay away from immorality of all kinds (this includes silly talk, covetousness ,impurity and drunkenness, not just the “big” sins)
3. Give thanks to God for everything. Praise Him with music.
4. Don’t be deceived by false teaching, or associate with those who are.  Look to Christ for the truth about things
5. Be filled with the Holy Spirit

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil.  Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  Ephesians 5:15

If we’ve studied the Bible, learned from Christian teachers and pastors, we really have no excuse for wasting our time.  We know what it is to serve God;  we know certain things are His will, and others are clearly not.  Often we just choose to do something else. Often we tell ourselves, everyone does it, it can’t be so bad. We think there will be plenty of time to repent and  make things right with God.  Sadly this is not always the case.  And the further we walk away from God, the harder it is to come back.

The best advice for spending time?  You hear it every Sunday at the end of the service:

Go in peace, serve the Lord! 

If you do this, you can be part of God’s redemption story.  What better way to use your time?

 

Run Away

In addition to telling us what to pursue, the Bible gives us quite a list of things to flee, or run away from.  Chapter 6 of 1 Timothy lists some things to avoid:

• Craving for controversy
• Quarrels about words
• Envy
• Dissention
• Slander
• Evil suspicions
• Love of money

Ending with the admonition:

“But as for you, O man of God flee from these things.” 1 Timothy 6:11

In the first letter to the Corinthians Paul says we are to:

“Flee from sexual immorality …”(6:18)

“…flee from idolatry.” (10:14)

Most of these things, sadly, come up in everyday life.  If you think they don’t, remember looking lustfully at another person can lead to adultery and anything we love more than God is an idol.  That makes them pretty common, not to mention the “lesser” evils mentioned by Timothy–envy, quarrels, etc..  So how exactly do we “flee” from these things?

Well, we all know our own weaknesses.  If yours is gossip, don’t hang around with the folks who like to do that.  Take a walk instead of indulging in idle words with coworkers at lunch.  Is it greed?  Make a resolution to tithe or better yet, support a worthwhile ministry in addition to your tithe. Is it lust?  Throw away the magazines and avoid the internet sites that encourage it. Read something worthwhile instead. Tactics like this are well known to mothers of toddlers and teenagers:  we call it “distract and replace.”

Dwell on God’s Word instead of your sinful inclinations.  When you notice yourself falling into quarrelsome or suspicious thinking, have a Bible verse ready for meditation.  If things get really bad, call a godly friend you know will calm you and guide you in the right path.

Will fleeing always work?  Of course not.  I fall into bad habits of negative thinking and speaking all the time.  However, when we consciously lean away from sinful behavior, in time an improvement is visible.

“..beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”  2 Corinthians 7:1

Run from sin.  Run hard.