two truths & a lie...

I love Diet Coke. Period. Diet Dr. Pepper.......even better. I truly love them, have enjoyment whilst drinking them and crave them at certain times. I wouldn't say that I'm addicted in the sense that I can't stop, but I would say that I'm addicted in the fact that I LOVE them, would choose them over any other drink option any day, any time (breakfast, lunch or dinner) and suffer withdrawals when not drinking them. Yeah, ok.......I'm completely addicted.

I've known about this addiction issue for quite some time, but this is the first time that I've been comfortable enough to admit my addiction. After all, the truth sets you free, right?

Interestingly, my addiction began as repulsion. You see, I was addicted to Coca Cola Classic before I made the switch to Diet Coke. That addiction was much the same. Loved it over every other drink option and drank it readily and often. Shortly after Jeffrey and I got married, our shared love of Coke resulted in our shared newlywed weight gain. Add the birth of Maggie and preceding pregnancy and sympathy pounds to our mix, and we were two plump, carbonated parents! We decided that something had to change. Mind you, we were not prepared to address our love of carbs of all shapes and sizes, nor our propensity for fast food due to our hectic travel-heavy lifestyles, but we zeroed in on the one thing we thought we could do. Switch from Coke to Diet Coke. You see, one 12 ounce can of Coca Cola Classic has 39 grams of sugar and 140 calories!! Multiply that times the several we drank each day, not to mention the larger quantities that come as a result of the drive-thru window and their drink sizing.......and we were probably consuming in Coca Cola what should have been our entire caloric intake for the day! So.......we decided to make the switch. After all, the nutrition facts on the back of the Diet Coke can reveal a long line of (0). No fat, no carbs, no protein and best of all......NO CALORIES! So, our choice was made. The first taste of Diet Coke was nothing short of revolting to us. Where oh where was the sweet, syrupy goodness we'd grown up loving? This was a fraud! A sham! A shameful copycat of a finer soda beverage. Jeffrey was done. He'd had enough. If he couldn't drink Coke, he'd just switch to water. He wasn't putting that Diet Coke filth in his mouth again.....and he hasn't since. I made the switch though. It was a gross, saliva-repulsing process, but I finally hooked myself on the substitute. Oh, and we lost over 25 pounds collectively by changing nothing else but our choice of soda.

Fast-forward 9 years. Now, the taste of Coca Cola is repulsive to me. It tastes like drinking maple syrup. Jeffrey still doesn't consume soda and I'm still hooked to Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. I mean, it's true what they say......"Diet Dr. Pepper really does taste more like regular Dr. Pepper." This addiction hasn't come without a reprieve here and there though. A couple of years ago, I got on a SUPER healthy kick, switched our family to organic foods, cut out carbonated beverages......PERIOD, began exercising P-90X style, lost 30 pounds, easily wore those designer jeans mentioned in the previous post and was militant about foods, cosmetics, calorie contents, empty calories, whole foods, green living, natural instead of processed and all that goes with it. I loved it! I was healthy, my family was healthy, we felt good and life was good. Then, along with job changes and life changes, our income didn't support the expense that comes along with that lifestyle and my emotions didn't support the expense that comes with enduring some massive hurt at the hands of people and circumstances. Before long, I justified treating myself with Diet Coke (because after all, I deserved it after all I'd been through) and before I knew it, my treat was an addiction.

Along with the return of my addiction, I began to notice some other interesting changes. You see, when I was consuming primarily water or juice beverages, my skin was clear, my stomach was flat, my migraines were significantly lessened and my aching joints and muscles weren't nearly as noticeable. My hair was healthier, I generally smelled better as a person (weird, I know) and my teeth were whiter. As I began to introduce Diet Coke back into the mix, the water and all other beverages phased out. It just didn't taste as good to me! Along with the water, all of the benefits of the water left as well. For me, the spiritual application has become painfully clear over the last few years. Yes, often times it takes years of being beat over the head before I embrace something. I may be a bit stubborn (sarcasm intended).

I drank Diet Coke because I liked it and I was thirsty. I also actually thought it was quenching my thirst. And it did in the short term. But I was always thirsty again. I'd bought into the lie AND I had received no nutritional or lasting value from the Diet Coke. The side effects of Diet Coke aren't just in what I don't gain from it, but also in what I lose in my addiction to it. Any time I sin, I'm choosing to believe a lie instead of the truth. I choose to believe that it will make me happy, cause me to feel good, not really hurt me in the long run or that no one will ever know. I exchange truth for lies. In the same way, sin tricks us into thinking we're gaining something yet we're always losing, because sin always leads to death. Maybe not our physical death initially, but there is always death of something. Innocence, trust, purity, self-control, humility.......the list is endless and full of casualties as a result of sin. For the sake of this illustration, the water of my spiritual life is the Word of God. Spiritual nourishment, lasting joy, peace amidst the storms of this life and anything else beneficial are found there. Any attempts to nourish myself spiritually in place of the water of the Word of God are false, artificial and imitation substitutes for what my soul really needs. Spiritually, my Diet Cokes are the sins that I hold so dear, cling to and dress up like something other than sin, or explain and rationalize away. I have bought into the lie that I'm somehow more satisfied with them, otherwise I'd have dropped them long ago. I've exchanged the truth for a lie.

Interestingly, in recent years Diet Coke and other diet sodas have increasingly been linked to a variety of disorders and diseases mostly in connection with the artificial or substitute sweeteners that make it calorie-free. Has this caused me to pause and think about whether or not I should drink it? Of course! In the long run, has it really changed much for me, regardless of what I know? No. I suffer the effects as well. Headaches, fatigue, aches and pains, face breakouts, unhealthy hair, stomach issues and digestive issues among others. For some reason, I cannot seem to strike a healthy balance between my dance with Diet Coke and the water my body so desperately needs. The Diet Coke wins every time. I've noticed that with my sin too. Do I know the side effects of holding my "respectable sins" so dear? Of course! Does it change anything? Not really. I also can't strike a healthy balance between my sins and the Word of God. You see, the Word of God doesn't share. If I love one, I hate the other.

Even as this analogy has been chipping away at the walls of my soul for awhile, another layer was exposed about two weeks ago. As we were in a neurologist appointment discussing my Dad's Parkinson's Disease, the doctor made an amazing point. She said that in these hot spring and summer months, it's great to drink water and that it's ultimately the best for you, but unfortunately, the heat is so intense, that the effects of the water are sapped away far more quickly than usual. The benefits of the water are not decreased, but the ability of the body to exist on them as long is. She said that it's crucial to begin supplementing with electrolyte-enhanced water whenever possible. The electrolytes in the water bond to the red blood cells in the body keeping them hydrated longer. Electrolyte drinks carry fluids directly to the bloodstream. Blood volume is raised and fluids return to healthy levels. I was amazed. I realized that I don't even have Parkinson's and had been having some of those same symptoms. It didn't help that Diet Coke was also taking center stage as my beverage of choice.

The more I've pondered, the more the illustration has become clear. Spiritually speaking, the Word of God is fully sufficient, is living and active, and in it is everything we need for life and godliness. But, in this sin-filled, daily compromising, media saturated, godless world we live in, it is a necessity to supplement the Word of God with the spiritual electrolytes of accountability, prayer, worship...both privately and corporately, theologically sound teaching, missions, solitude and other spiritual disciplines. It's not enough to get out of bed, pour a cup of coffee and read the Bible before I enter my day and think that it and reading a few well-worded spiritual tweets will last me through all that will confront me in that day. I must nourish myself with the word AND the spiritual disciplines of life. I must be in community with other believers. I must be in relational accountability with like-minded, mature believers. Oh...I also have to put sin to death in my life. Unlike drinking an occasional Diet Coke, which isn't a sin, there can be no part of me that believes "well, that sin isn't so bad...and I'm not quite ready to be done with it yet." I have to mortify, or put to death, sin in my life. For the sake of our illustration....Diet Coke can't exist as a primary beverage in a healthy world. A physically healthy person must be nourished by water and electrolytes. They are the truth. Nourishment at the hands of Diet Coke is a lie.

Respectable sins (you know, the ones you're thinking of right now...) can't exist in a world where we're spiritually healthy. They have to be put to death intentionally and often. I must be nourishing myself with the Word of God and the spiritual practices that supplement my growth in Him so beautifully.

In case you're wondering......yes, I'm trying to quit Diet Coke. It truly is a refreshing, carbonated lie. Will I be perfect? Probably not. But, you'll see me carrying around my Camelbak full of water and my Vitamin Water Zero pretty religiously. They're the truth.

My goal is also to put sin to death in my life. Will I be perfect? No. Should I still strive to do so? Yes. My amazement at His sinless sacrifice on my sinful behalf should always result in my desire to do what pleases Him. I won't be perfect. But isn't that what's so amazing about the grace of God? Always.

peace.

jeaneology...

Citizens of Humanity, 7 For All Mankind, True Religion.........

Designer jeans. I. Love. Them. Once upon a time, I was a regular Old Navy or Gap jeans kind of girl and I was perfectly content. I didn't even know that I wasn't fulfilled in my experience of jeans. Then one day my sister-in-law introduced me to my first pair of designer jeans. I remember it like it was yesterday. I put them on, and I felt.......AMAZING. I hadn't known prior to that moment that I could be THAT happy in a pair of jeans. I hadn't known that my life was missing anything.....but it was......oh, it was.

It's been 6 years and two children since that pivotal moment and for the first time other than pregnancy I'm without my designer jeans. Oh, they're still in my closet, but our connection is gone. It has been for about 6 months now. Why, you may ask? Well, I'd love to tell you that it's because I've sold them all and given the money to charity, or that I've since realized that I don't need designer jeans when regular old Jordache will do. But, I'd be lying. The real reason lies in the number 22. Twenty-two. The big TWO TWO. That number represents the amount of pounds that I've gained since Christmas. Twenty. Two. Pounds. I discovered this tonight. I had a sneaking suspicion it was close to that, but tonight I stepped onto the dreaded scale. Sadly, those pounds won't fit into my designer jeans any more than a Delta jet can fit into a ziplock bag. It's absolutely impossible. The sad part is.......it was all preventable.

Now, before you start judging me (more than you already are for the fact that I didn't sell them and donate the money to charity.....) let me assure you that I did not pay full price for any of my jeans. In fact, several of them were free. Having a relative that works in a high end department store has its perks. So does being smaller than someone else who gained weight and can no longer fit into their designer jeans. It's funny, but as much as I can't live without my designer jeans, I also refuse to pay full price for any of them. Double standard? Probably.

I told a friend of mine that I was certain I'd gained at least 20 pounds since moving to Atlanta from California and she said. "Absolutely not. There's no way. You can't tell at all." That actually kept me going for awhile! "People can't tell I've gained weight. Sweet! I have always been able to dress to accentuate the positive and downplay the negative. I'm doing good!" The problem is...I only LOOKED like I hadn't gained 20 pounds. That didn't change reality. I have gained 20 pounds whether I look like it or not. And believe you me, without all of my strategically placed clothes, I most definitely look like it.

Here's the thing. I didn't gain 22 pounds overnight. I also didn't suddenly wake up and realize that I was gaining weight. I didn't try to gain weight. I gained weight because I made no effort to stop it. I ate what everyone routinely eats, I paid less for groceries rather than more. I was lazy, I compromised, I was indulgent, I took the easy way out, I caved........and now I'm paying. Let's be clear. Gaining weight is what naturally happens to a vast percentage of the population if there is no attempt made to stop it. Staying thin (and healthy) actually takes work. Fighting is required.

About the same time that I felt myself getting dissatisfied with my temporary Target jeans and my expanding waistline, the Holy Spirit started pressing in on me in a very familiar way. See......I've been really digging into this idea of holiness for about 5 years. I've been studying, digesting and wrestling with all of the implications of scripture's exhortations to us as believers. We are commanded in no uncertain terms to BE holy. Everything about the pursuit of holiness requires active and in many cases aggressive steps on our part. We are naturally prone to getting really fat on the pleasures of this world. Because of our ongoing battle against sin and our flesh, we are not naturally holy. We begin to be worldly because we make no effort to stop it. We watch or listen to what everyone routinely watches and listens to, and have less convictions rather than more. We grow lazy, we compromise, we're indulgent, we take the easy way out, we cave, we abuse grace........and we pay. The chance for holiness for me required a priceless sacrifice on Jesus' part. It wasn't free like my designer jeans. But glory to God.........with diligence, the indwelling power of the Spirit and the glorious grace offered to me, I CAN BE HOLY. I don't have to just LOOK holy, I can actually BE holy.

Unfortunately, much like my weight, I think I've learned how to dress to hide my unholiness. After all, I am practically a professional christian. I work in ministry, I work at a CHURCH for crying out loud. I lead worship, I lead children, I'm a pastor's kid, I married a worship leader, I can quote scripture, I've never been drunk, I own multiple Bibles, I have favorite sermons, favorite worship songs, eat Chick-fil-A and only use Apple products. For all intents and purposes, I look like a holy person. But, lately, God's been convicting me that looks are very deceiving. If I'm not careful, I'm tempted to hide behind the fact that everyone thinks I've got this holiness bit together. It's then that I realize that He always sees me without my holiness clothes on and knows just how fat I've gotten on what this world has to offer. I don't have to work very hard to be comfortable in this world. I don't even have to work very hard to be assumed as holy around other believers. Jerry Bridges calls this "cultural holiness." He says:

"Many Christians have what we might call a "cultural holiness". They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God."

THAT is what I want. I don't want to just be like the other Christians around me. That's becoming more and more scary by the day. We've validated the phrase "what one generation tolerates, the next embraces." I want to know what it means to put sin to death in my life, to appropriate the grace of God to the situations I face each day, to love others as He did, to esteem others as better than myself, to deny myself the things that erode my spiritual health and to take up my cross daily. You can't fake that stuff. There are a few people in my life who are pursuing this full force and it's a beautiful thing to watch.

I'm not satisfied with these 22 pounds. They have to go. Not just because I want to get back into my jeans.......but because I want to be healthy. I'm not satisfied with my cultural holiness either. It has to go. Not just because I want to look like I've got it together to those around me........but because I want to be holy.

I'm so thankful to God for the ladies around me who've committed to this journey also and meet weekly to encourage one another and exhort each other. I have no delusions regarding how easy this will be.......I know it won't be. And since it will not be completed on this side of eternity, I already know the value of having encouragers and exhorters who are in it for the long haul. But......blessing follows obedience and obedience requires heeding the promptings of the Spirit in my life. So.....I continue on the journey. Hope to see you along the way. Maybe when we do see one another, I'll be back in those beloved jeans.

"The moment we make up our minds that we are going on with this determination to exalt God over all we step out of the world's parade. We shall find ourselves out of adjustment to the ways of the world, and increasingly so as we make progress in the holy way." A.W. Tozer

peace.

something old, something new...

I've had much occasion to ponder new beginnings, new opportunities, new horizons and all other things new over the last 5 months. We've moved into a new situation, I've started a new job, the kids have been in a new school, we've plugged into a new church (that just recently moved into a new building), new acquaintances have been made, new goals, dreams and visions launched........ all things new.

Along with the excitement and anticipation that accompany newness, however, there is also the palatable sense of loss, sadness, nostalgia and remembrance that also tag along. Relationships left behind and familiarity upended leave a pretty substantial and gaping hole where comfort and warmth once were. Sure, it won't last forever, but for a time, there is a profound sense of loss. Sometimes in the midst of all the newness, the sadness of what's been left behind creeps up when you may least expect it.

We are walking through this with our children right now, and especially with our oldest, Maggie. We had the chance to return to California this weekend for the wedding of one of our dearest friends in the world. The whole family was in the wedding, we got to hang out with the people we love, visit the places we've missed (namely: JAMBA JUICE!) and get that old feeling of familiarity that we had when we lived there. Maggie and Jack went by their old school and were welcomed with open arms by all their classmates and teachers as if no time had passed and they'd never left. All this was well and good......until it was time to leave. Maggie is our deep feeler. She feels emotions all the way to her soul and it is quite a deep well. As the time approached for wedding festivities to end, I could see the waters of Maggie's deep soul well begin to churn. Now, she's no drama queen, so she tries quite adeptly to keep everything in check and stay in control. But.....before long, once we were out of the "public", she began to cry. Not those annoying tears where you think "good grief, get it together child!", but the kind of tears that signal deep hurt and loss. She really couldn't see past leaving Breanne's wedding, California, her friends and all she'd known. She couldn't imagine how going back to Atlanta would ever feel good.

I have to say that sitting there in that moment, I could totally relate. It was so nice to be around the people that know us best, who'd walked through some of the roughest times of our life with us and who know us inside and out. It was nice not to have to even think......it was nice just to be.......and to be there. We encouraged Maggie that this was not the end and that there would be other visits and longer visits and more communication and more experiences. But I don't think much of that really comforted her. In retrospect, it doesn't really comfort me either. What Maggie wanted to keep a grip on, and what I now realize that I want to keep a grip on is that familiarity. The comfort. The normalcy. The security.

It seems to me though, that God has not designed us for comfort and security on this earth. He's designed us for Himself. I'm encouraged to be less concerned about how I feel here on earth and more concerned about how I am with God. I want the comfort, security and familiarity I feel to be that of His presence and favor......of His direction, guidance and correction.....the assurance that regardless of what my earthly surroundings may look or feel like, that He is the constant in my life that I can unquestionably count on and know will never leave me with a sense of loss and sadness. I want to teach Maggie, and all of our children, how to navigate through the changes that this earthly life will bring while knowing exactly Who they can cling to and trust to take them from season to season.

Even as I write this, I am sitting in the airport in Houston......halfway from California to Atlanta......and heading into another season of newness. A new house for our family in just ten days, a summer without weeks of camps for the first time in fifteen years, a brand new children's ministry adventure in just two weeks, another new school for the kids in a few short months and whatever else God may have ordained for our journey that we can't even comprehend yet. I feel the tugging. I wanted to stay in California. I wanted to just pick up where we left off there. Yet, I want to come back to Atlanta......to pick up all we have there as well. As it turns out.....seems I have a pretty deep soul well too.....and it's been churned a bit. Above all, it makes me run full tilt toward my Father who understands every bit of it. I'm so grateful that He holds me and helps me navigate as I hold my daughter and help her navigate.

Weddings are such beautiful things and this weekend was no exception. Getting to watch two people whose lives have intersected and see the newness that God is bringing about in them was emotional. Pondering the future that lies before our little family and seeing all the new beauty that God can bring from old ashes is emotional. Getting to participate in even a small way in the giant story of newness that God is writing through history is emotional. But at the bottom of all that emotion, by the grace of God alone........there is peace.

rescue. (& reasons 25-35 on the lent list...)

Tomorrow is the day. Good Friday. The day we get to contemplate and celebrate the cross. Truthfully, I cringe at the reminder that I should be doing it every day, but am grateful for the chance to do it corporately tomorrow.

I will be getting to hang out with some children that I get the privilege of watching while their parents are in big church! As I've been praying and pondering through how the evening will go, one word has stuck with me: RESCUE. It's all about RESCUE. The cross is all about RESCUE. Good Friday is all about RESCUE. So, that's what we're going to talk about. RESCUE. I mean, even a child gets the concept of rescue. We'll see pictures of life preservers and helicopters and rescue dogs and ambulances. Then, we'll talk about what situations you might find yourself in and need rescuing. And after we've talked through all those symbols of rescue, we'll talk about the greatest symbol of all.......the cross.

I don't know if you've ever heard of The Jesus Storybook Bible, but if you have children (and in my opinion, even if you don't!), you need to get online and order it right now. It's stories from the Bible retold in such beautiful language that I have yet to read one without chills. Just put "The Jesus Storybook Bible" in your search engine and you'll find it. It was written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. The tag line is "Every story whispers His name" and every story truly does. The whole point is to begin to see that every single solitary event in the Bible is truly about Jesus and leads to Him. My kids LOVE it. And I love what they're learning and hearing. Anyway......

We'll be reading two stories tomorrow night. One is the story of when sin first entered the world. It's called "The Terrible Lie". My favorite line from this story is: "Before they left the garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve: 'It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you!'" The other story we'll read is of Jesus' crucifixion. Its title is "The Sun Stops Shining." My favorite line from that story? "Then Jesus shouted in a loud voice, 'It is finished!' And it was. He had done it. Jesus had rescued the whole world."

RESCUE. We had to be rescued because of our sin. The means of our rescue was a brutal, tortuous death by the Son of God, because only the death of His sinless life could satisfy His Father's wrath toward my sin-filled one and my eternal separation from Him. And so.......our journey toward the contemplation of the cross ends with these 10 reasons not to sin. Read them slowly. Let them in. Past the numbness. Past the apathy. Past the tradition. Awaken to the cost of the cross.

#25: Because sin and guilt may harm both my mind and body.

#26: Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.

#27: Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.

#28: Because my sin is adultery with the world.

#29: Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.

#30: Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.

#31: Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.

#32: Because to sin is to not love Christ.

#33: Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.

#34: Because my sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it's worth anything on its own.

#35: Because I promised God would be Lord of my life.

peace.

reasons 23-24 on the lent list...

Reason #23 not to sin...

Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.

I do not know why the example of destruction that we often see in the people around us doesn't impact us more, but sadly, it doesn't. We're stunned into awed disbelief for a short time, but then things become numb and "normal" again and we continue to swallow the lies of the enemy. Other people were destroyed by those sins, but it's different with us, right? We're in better control......


Reason #24 not to sin...

Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
 
One of the hardest things about being a parent is watching your children learn important lessons the hard way. There's always a balance between protecting them from consequences and letting them learn the hard way in hopes of instilling a valuable lesson that won't have to be repeated. Imagine all the more what it would be like for those on both sides of eternity as they watch our small vapor of life and see the ways we squander chunks of it in sin.

"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." - Psalm 90:12 (NLT)

reason #22 on the lent list...

Reason #22 not to sin.....

Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.

As I thought about how sin steals from us, I looked up the definitions of "steal" and "rob". Sin as a thief takes on some eerie significance when these definitions are applied......

STEAL (From Merriam-Webster:)

to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice
to come or go secretly, unobtrusively, gradually, or unexpectedly
to steal or attempt to steal a base

to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully
to take away by force or unjust means
to take surreptitiously or without permission
to make oneself the focus of
to appropriate to oneself or beyond one's proper share
to move, convey, or introduce secretly smuggle

to seize, gain, or win by trickery, skill, or daring
to reach safely solely by running, usually catching the opposing team off guard

ROB (From Merriam-Webster:)

to steal from to take something away from by force
to take personal property from by violence or threat
to remove valuables without right from (a place)

to steal to take away as loot
to deprive of something due, expected, or desired  


This is what sin does to my reputation and to my testimony. In many cases these losses can never be regained. Many of us would probably say that we try not to worry what others think and that we are content in knowing that God's opinion is the only one that matters. We say things like "God is my defender and the keeper of my reputation." And though that is true and we shouldn't give undue weight to what others think, it is VERY important what they think about God as a result of watching our lives or interacting with us. When I'm sinning, I'm jeopardizing my chance to reflect Christ purely. Ruined reputations and stolen testimonies are a big deal. Just ask anyone who's been through it.

John 10:10 says "the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy" and sin is the primary weapon in that arsenal. Recognizing the enemy's intent to defraud is a necessary step, but refusing to give ground and jeopardize the reputation and testimony that hang in the balance are crucial to victory.


peace.

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.