reasons 10-21 on the lent list...

12 days.....

It was a rather unexpected hiatus, but a hiatus nonetheless. I've always been a bit of an overachiever. In much the same way that my eyes are often bigger than my stomach, or that I say "yes" when I should probably say "no", to think that I could pull off a daily blog and the demands of the Passion Fort Worth conference was probably a little unrealistic. I could go on for days or longer and hopefully I can put it all down in words at some point, but Passion Fort Worth was truly life-changing and perspective-shifting for me. Things were clarified and cemented so well that I am almost restless as I attempt to process it all and assess its impact on my daily life. Nevertheless, I am still convinced it's necessary and hopefully life-changing to focus on the reasons I do not want to sin as I head toward the celebration of the events that freed me from the bondage of that sin. And so we press on.......

We've got 12 reasons coming up. They are each deeply impacting in their implications if we'll let them take root.

Reason #10 not to sin: Because my sin saddens the godly.
You have only to think of how you'd feel if "so and so" found out about your sin, or to know the immense sadness you've felt in discovering the sin of another for this to be an effective deterrent.

Reason #11 not to sin: Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
The thought of cementing for the enemies of God that our religion really is worthless and ineffective is distasteful enough. The fact that they'd have any reason to rejoice is something I want no part of.

Reason #12 not to sin: Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained what in reality I have lost.
Oh, how true this is. Do we not believe we've gained pleasure or status or love or peace or happiness or safety or stature or position when we sin? In reality, we've lost those things haven't we? As Andy Stanley says.......we sacrifice the eternal for the immediate.

Reason #13 not to sin: Because my sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
This reason is beyond sobering to me. Truthfully, we take spiritual positions and leadership far too lightly these days. We take a "well, nobody's perfect" stance on qualifying for leadership and though it's true that nobody's perfect, scripture has a well-defined list of qualifications for spiritual leadership and we'd do well to keep them in the forefront of our thinking.

Reason #14 not to sin: Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
My children would readily agree with this. The consequences are never worth the risk. This reason completely debunks the whole "it was totally worth it" myth in regard to sin. Consequences handed down by Almighty God in response to our sin are never worth the sinning in the first place.

Reason #15 not to sin: Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
I remember that my Dad used to explain repentance to me as "agreeing with God about my sin." That's a little different than "I'm sorry" or "Please forgive me". It's "God, I agree that my sin is an afront to Your holiness and that you can have no part of it and that it separates me from You in terms of intimacy and effectiveness for Your kingdom. I agree that I have lifted myself up against you in my sin and have attempted to steal Your glory." At this point, we begin to get on a right footing again. But oh, what a painful process repentance is. Until we are viewing sin the same way that God views it, we're not truly repenting.

Reason #16 not to sin: Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss. 
John Piper spoke at Passion last week and referred to life as a "tiny vapor's breath". It's so true. In our sin we sacrifice eternal joy and crowns for counterfeit pleasure in this vapor's breath of life. What an unbalanced and ridiculous trade. 
 
Reason #17 not to sin: Because my sin may influence others to sin.
More than once this has been true of me and I'll be held accountable for what I did with my influence. The thought sickens me quite frankly. I always have two choices to make. God, save me from using my influence to encourage others to sin by following my example. May I always lead people toward You and Your holiness.

Reason #18 not to sin: Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
Though I believe that every person that God intends to be saved will in fact be saved, there is always the possibility that I could squander an opportunity to be part of that process because of sin. What a trade...the chance to participate in the salvation of another...for sin. Gross.

Reason #19 not to sin: Because my sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
Until we get this, and I mean really GET IT, I don't know how much lasting victory over sin we will experience. Every time we sin, we're making light of the work of Christ on the cross. This floors me. Every time I read it, it floors me. My cavalier attitude toward sin at times is only made more disgusting when coupled with the fact that I'm actually making light of the cross. I think most of us like to think a little more highly of ourselves than this and say that we're not making light of the very thing Christ endured to free us. But aren't we?

Reason #20 not to sin: Because it's impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
From the book "Reshaping It All" - "An old native story describes how a young man was confused. Not knowing how to deal with his confusion, he approached an elder for some wisdom. Telling the elder that a lion and a bear constantly wrestled in his mind, the young man wondered which one would win. The old man looked at him, put a hand on his shoulder and wisely replied, "The one that you feed." Which one do you feed? Do you feed your flesh by pampering it, giving in to every cry? Or do you feed your mind with the Word of God which equips your spirit?"

Reason #21 not to sin: Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
Psalm 66:18 - "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."
John 9:31 - "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will."
Oh God, save me from ever having you turn a deaf ear to me because of my unrepentant heart.

peace.