Tag Archives: sin

How Bad Could It Hurt?

17 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Devotional, Life, People, Raising The Mug

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Rubber Mallet

So I slammed my thumb with a rubber mallet one day. I wasn’t being particularly careful because in my mind I was thinking, “It’s a rubber hammer, not steel. If I hit my finger, how bad could it hurt?”

It hurt ………….. a lot.

Sin has a way of using the same argument to entice us into doing something we know we shouldn’t. “How bad could it hurt?”

Isaiah 59:1-2 (NIV)

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your iniquities have separated
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.

Most of the time when we fail, we look at the earthly consequences: I ran a red light and got a ticket; I didn’t study for my test so I received a bad grade; I was late for work three days in a row and I got fired. We pay attention to those consequences because they are right in front of us.

The full consequences of sin are not always so obvious; we may not discover until much later the depth of its destruction. One of the most difficult things to understand is how it affects our relationship with God. It’s not as though God doesn’t expect us to sin. He knows how weak we are. But when we sin, what do we do? Run and hide; pretend like nothing happened?

Unconfessed sin separates us from God. It creates a barrier between us and Him until we have been reconciled. However, Paul wrote in Romans 5 that “where sin increased, grace increased even more.” We have a very forgiving Father whose arms are always open and ready to receive us when we repent. But that’s the key isn’t it? We need to repent.

A rubber mallet may not appear dangerous, but try whacking your finger with one. Sin needs to be confessed and repented. Don’t assume it is safe to ignore.

Mugs up!

 

 

 

Something Out Of Nothing

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Devotional, Life, Raising The Mug, Travel

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Christ, , gems, glory, , , illumination, , , , , ,

Cristales_cueva_de_NaicaFB

Sometimes reality is so fantastic that you find it nearly impossible to believe. For example, the Crystal Cave discovered in the deserts of Mexico. The size of the crystals are so enormous, it’s like something out of a fantasy movie.

“Buried a thousand feet (300 meters) below Naica mountain in the Chihuahuan Desert, the cave was discovered by two miners excavating a new tunnel for the Industrias Peñoles company in 2000.

The cave contains some of the largest natural crystals ever found: translucent gypsum beams measuring up to 36 feet (11 meters) long and weighing up to 55 tons.

“It’s a natural marvel,” said García-Ruiz, of the University of Granada in Spain.” national geographic

To see more photos you can click here

The natural world is so full of unbelievable wonders, like this cave. Who would have ever thought that there could be something so amazing buried so deep beneath the surface of the earth? What an incredible discovery!

God not only creates unbelievable things in the earth, he creates unbelievable things in our hearts.

2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

God’s ability to create and recreate is not limited to the physical world, it extends to the spiritual world as well. He looked inside us and made something out of nothing, making light shine where there was only darkness. Without the light that he put in us, that is his Holy Spirit, we would not have the ability to perceive and understand who he is anymore than we could explore a crystal cave in the dark. In the cave, light is not only necessary to see where you are going, it illuminates the glory and beauty of the crystals. The Spirit within us illuminates the glory of God displayed in the face of Christ.

I pray this day that your hearts will be bright, fully illuminated by the Spirit of God.

Here’s to a great new day! Mugs up!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Your Vineyard

23 Saturday May 2015

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vineyardI can’t remember the last time I washed my truck. Well, that is until last Sunday afternoon. And don’t even ask when it was last vacuumed. Probably only once or twice since I bought it in 2010. I will say I’m reasonably good about keeping the engine maintained.

Maintenance – every Christian needs it. You can’t ignore things like prayer, study, and worship. These are the things that keep your faith motor running in optimal condition. Like my truck that gradually gets filthy from lack of proper care, it’s easy to overlook the maintenance that your relationship with God needs. You don’t notice how shabby things are until something breaks. You get busy and put off that Bible Study; you’re tired and don’t feel like getting up on Sunday for worship so you sleep in. You meant to pray last night but you fell asleep.

Proverbs 24:30-34  (ESV)

30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,
    by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
    I looked and received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

An established vineyard doesn’t just happen. It takes a minimum of three years after planting your first vines to get a harvest. And in the meantime, there is pruning, weeding, and watering that must be done. A successful crop doesn’t happen by itself; it takes a lot of sweat effort.

So why would you go to all the trouble to plant and establish a vineyard only to abandon it and let it be overrun by weeds?

The writer of Proverbs 24 describes a person who does just that. Someone who owns an established vineyard, but they have let it go unattended. He calls this senseless because here they have a perfectly good vineyard with an opportunity to earn valuable income, yet the owner doesn’t have any interest in maintaining it. He allows it to be overgrown by weeds and go to waste. Out of laziness he permits thorns and nettles to cover the ground making it virtually impossible to harvest a crop.

Nettles are really nasty little weeds; they are covered with tiny, nearly invisible hairs that produce an intense, stinging pain, followed by redness and irritation when coming in contact with the skin. Once established, they’re difficult to eradicate because they spread by seed and an intense underground root system. You can imagine how difficult it would be for a person wearing sandals to work in a vineyard that was covered in nettles.

The sad condition of this vineyard didn’t happen overnight; it occurred little by little from lack of consistent care. That is the warning issued in these verses – you can’t ignore regular maintenance. If you do, you’ll allow vicious weeds to take over. Your Christian faith is no different. If you ignore things like study and prayer, your faith will inherently become weaker and other unwanted issues will begin to creep into your life. If you’re not careful, you’ll have an overwhelming amount of work to do before your life will become fruitful again.

Daily maintenance. It’s a lot easier to keep things neat and organized if you work at it every day, little by little.

I’m pouring myself a cup of something hot and delicious. Here’s to another productive day!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

I’m Too Far Gone

12 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Devotional, Life, Raising The Mug

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photo courtesy of Roch Hart – flickr.com

You’ve heard the excuses …….. all the reasons people tell you why they can’t become a Christian. One of the most popular is, “I’m too messed up. I’ve done too many bad things. God wouldn’t want me.”

Really?

You may have committed murder ……… but if you have, look at Moses and David. Exodus 2, 2 Samuel 11

You may committed adultery ……… but if you have, look at the woman at the well and David again. John 4, 2 Samuel 11

You may have been a prostitute ………. but if you have, look at Rahab. Joshua 6

You may have been an embezzler ………. but if you have, look at Zacchaeus. Luke 19

You may have been involved in terroristic activity ……… but if you have, look at Simon the Zealot. Matthew 10:4

You may have attacked someone with a deadly weapon ………. but if you have, look at Peter. John 18

You may have lied about your best friend to save your own skin ……… but if you have, look at Peter again. Matthew 26

You may have stood by and watched an innocent man be killed …….. but if you have, look at Paul. Acts 7

I seriously doubt that there are worse sins you could commit. I don’t believe there is anything a person could do that would ultimately push themselves so far from God that they couldn’t be reclaimed.

God is in the business of redemption. It was his goal from the beginning of creation when Adam sinned, it was his purpose in sending Jesus to die on the cross, and it is still his primary focus in his relationships with men and women.

No place is too far.

Psalm 139:7-12

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

Thank you Lord that we cannot put ourselves anywhere that is out of your reach.

I’m sipping a full hot mug. How about you? Here’s to making today the best day of your life!

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

The View From Under The Bus

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Thrown under bus button

We have a phrase in English, to be “thrown under the bus.” What it means is for someone to take the blame for something they didn’t do. It’s a cliché that is not well liked by many people. Think about it. It’s a morbid idea to throw someone under a bus.

“Throwing someone under the bus” is just a another name for blame-shifting. You don’t want to get in trouble for whatever problem you created so you conveniently suggest that someone else caused it. Once you tell a lie to get yourself off the hook, you have to continue the lies to cover your tracks. (No pun intended)

Not nice ………. not nice ………. No one likes the view from under the bus.

So here’s the thing …………. we’ve all thrown someone under the bus. It was Jesus. Only in his case it was more like an eternal fleet of buses. He took the blame for every bad thought or action we ever did and every bad thought or deed we will do in the future.

John 11:49-52 (NIV)

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.

1 Peter 2:22-25 (NIV)

22 “He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

That Jesus would take the blame for our sin is one thing; that he would do it willingly without one word in his own defense is another. But he did, knowing full well what it meant.

Shouldn’t we be thankful?

Mugs up! It’s a new day with new challenges and new opportunities. Let’s make each one count! And, uh ………. let’s avoid the buses.

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Only One Bite!

06 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Devotional, Life, Raising The Mug

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apple bite2

Everyone is familiar with the story of Adam and Eve. God made them, put them in the garden, told them not to eat a certain fruit, they ignored, ate the fruit anyway, cast out, mankind cursed. Frequently, the deed is portrayed as a bite, a taste. But I think it was more than that ……….. much more.

Genesis 2:15-17

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Genesis 3:6-7 NIV

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Some interesting notes about the account:

First of all, look who the command to not eat the fruit was given to ……….. Adam, not Eve. The command was given before Eve was created. Note that Adam was never called “Adam” until after the Fall. Before that he is simply referred to as “the man,” which, by the way, is what Adam means.

Where was Adam when Eve was being tempted? Verse 6 of Genesis 3 says he was with her, but he is never mentioned in the conversation with the serpent. Hmm…

Here’s an interesting question – how old were Adam and Eve? Were they teenagers, young adults, middle age? Scripture doesn’t say.

When they sinned against God by taking the fruit, it was more than just one bite. Genesis says they ate the fruit. In other words, they bit, chewed, swallowed, and consumed. They made a meal of it. They ate it and enjoyed it first and foremost because it was good for food. They probably ate more than just one fruit. Why stop at just one when you have a tree full in front of you?

Their eyes were not immediately opened to their sin. How do I know? Because Eve felt no shame about being naked when she first gave the fruit to Adam. It wasn’t until after he had eaten, and we don’t know how long after, that they understood the gravity of what they had done. Then they felt shame.

With their disobedience to God and their consumption of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve introduced sin, death, and decay into the world. Sin makes us compulsive – we can’t stop once we begin. What starts as a taste quickly becomes a bite, then a meal, then an all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s never just one bite ……….

Mugs up! Lord spare us from the temptations of this world and give us the power to repel the things that entice us the most.

All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com

Trespassers Will

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by in Raising The Mug

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The story of Winnie The Pooh includes a chapter where Pooh is introduced to Piglet’s house which has a sign in front that says, “Trespassers Wil.” Piglet explains that it was the name of his grandfather. You and I know what the sign would have said when it was new is “Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.”

I saw plenty of those signs in my ambling through the woods when I was a kid. I mostly ignored them and did as I pleased. I figured farmers put those up for adults and rabble rousers; they didn’t apply to little boys exploring their land. And in fact, I never had anyone chase me off their property.

Maybe it was because of the confusion surrounding those signs, but…..I never understood the Lord’s Prayer when I was young. We always recited the King James Version which includes these lines,

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

The only time I had ever seen the word “Trespass” was on one of those signs in the woods. To my young mind, I couldn’t think of a time I had been on anyone’s land that I should ask forgiveness, since as long as I caused no damage, the property owners didn’t seem to mind me being there. Puzzling……

And then, on top of that, I couldn’t remember a time when someone had been on our property who might also need forgiveness. Hmmmm, more puzzling …….

As I thought about that sign, I realized that a trespasser’s will is the problem. We will to do certain things, meaning we choose to do them even though they may be wrong. Rebellion, choosing to force my way, that is sin. Many sins are completely unpremeditated and done inadvertently while others are done blatantly; whichever, God knows them all.

Psalm 51:3-4

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.

Ultimately, all sin is against God. It may or may not be against another human being. I could even sin against myself; any self-indulgent act that I commit can become a sin against my own body. I can eat too much, watch too much TV, stay up too late, etc. All of those things hurt me, but they also hurt God because he wants me to be healthy and happy.

All sin is harmful and it saddens me to see people who are trapped in situations they have gotten themselves into. I know in many cases it starts as something simple then gradually progresses until they become completely overwhelmed. They feel like there is no escape.

Sin is a powerful force to be reckoned with. But there are ways to avoid sin and I believe God gives us strength and opportunities to succeed. See Deut 31:6, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 4

To trespass is to go someplace that you are not allowed to go. The same is true with sin; there are some places we just shouldn’t go. The best remedy for all sin is to avoid the place where it begins.

Remember what Hunk (the scarecrow) told Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz?”

HUNK
Now lookit, Dorothy, you ain’t using your
head about Miss Gulch.  Think you didn’t
have any brains at all.

DOROTHY
I have so got brains.

HUNK
Well, why don’t you use them?  When you come
home, don’t go by Miss Gulch’s place.  Then
Toto won’t get in her garden, and you won’t
get in no trouble.  See?

judy-garland-as-dorothy-with-farmhand-hunk-played-by-ray-bolger

When it comes to sin, we sometimes act like we have no brains at all. The way out of trouble is to not get in it to begin with.

I lift the mug today and say, “Beware of the trappings of sin! Choose to avoid it at all costs! It will only bring trouble and ruin into your life.”

 All verse quotes courtesy of biblegateway.com
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