March 22, 2007

Good morning and welcome to another day in the love of Christ Jesus! I am glad to be with you in spirit for a few moments today. What is that creeping thing in our mind today? Sin is what that is, and it hasn’t been put away by our Lord just yet. Look in any newspaper these days and you will find some evidence of one of those so called “white collar” crimes. Embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, cheating on taxes, falsification of documents, and many other examples of dishonesty, appear in the media much too often. How does this start in what the world considers normal, upright citizens? Slowly, one rationalization leading to the next as an embezzler just “borrows” a few dollars to get by and then repays it. However, the next time it is a few dollars that doesn’t get repaid, and then a few more, until finally the person is caught by the trap of sin and cannot make restitution. That is one of sin’s more underhanded tactics, the chink in the armor that allows us to be speared on the shaft of sin. Often the blatant temptation of sin, the X-rated shows or the casino for example, are easy to avoid. They are out in the open and the honey pot certainly catches a lot of flies, but the sneaking, creeping aspect of temptation is much harder, even impossible, to avoid in our own strength. If you have ever been in charge of money, perhaps as an accountant or a cashier, you have probably heard that little whisper in your mind: “They won’t miss…” or “You can put it back on payday…” At first there is always the opportunity and that little whisper. We will not avoid that sneaking temptation in this world, but in Christ we can certainly spot it early and put a stop to it. Money that is not ours is never ours until given to us by one authorized to do so. An employee is paid from the money that a business takes in, but is not entitled to take that money whenever he or she pleases. Taking an unauthorized “loan” from somewhere, it doesn’t even have to be money, is the first step on the wrong path, and it shows a distrust of God to provide for us.
Trusting in God is one of the great privileges of Christian life. It is also one the world will hold up to scorn with sinful glee and attack with all of its intellect. At some point you have heard some of those attacks; “Christians trust in something they cannot hear, touch, or see, how stupid is that?” says a worldly commentator in one form or another. “Go your own way”, “Believe in yourself”, and many other slogans try to turn us away from belief in the one who can save us, Jesus Christ. Trust in God, believe in Jesus, and walk with the Lord in your life.

May God grant us all strength in this,

Bucky