Stop Recycling Your Sin!
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”
(Romans 8:2)
Same Old Garbage…
Every Sunday evening I fill a gray recycle bin with assorted cardboard boxes, empty bottles, crushed beverage cans and other stuff they tell me I shouldn’t throw away. Just before I close the lid and wheel it to the curb I notice that the contents look just like the junk I put in there last week.
There’s something about the rhythm of the Underwood household that produces the same garbage, day in and day out, week in and week out, every month, every year. I’m okay with that, as long as it’s only physical garbage that’s stinking up our lives.
What I don’t want to recycle is the spiritual rubble of my soul–my sin.
There are some things I just want to throw in the bin and roll it to the curb, never to return. Like my threatened male ego, my need to be right, my selfish ambition, my insensitivities to Judy....
This is what I love about being a Christian:
The Lord Jesus set me free from the most garbage-filled person in my life–me! I don’t have to deal with the same old garbage every week because I’m not who I use to be before I met Jesus. I’m a brand new person with brand new power that is stronger than my temptations, failures, and weaknesses.
Now, I wouldn’t want you to think that my garbage bin is ever empty. The more I get to know Jesus, the more junk He tells me belongs in the bin. But the wonderful truth is that I don’t need to recycle. The more I trust Jesus, the more stuff He cycles out of my life.
The next time you fill your recycle bin with the useless junk your life produces, think about the useless stuff in your heart Jesus wants you to stop recycling. And make the choice to trust Jesus and His power to deliver you from that sin.
Or better yet, stop recycling right now, by asking Him for help.
“Lord Jesus, I’m tired of living this way. I’ve been ignoring your power too long. Please help me. I’m going to trust you more today by confessing that this is wrong. And then, before I have time to change my mind or hide again, I’m going to tell someone who loves me about my problem.
I feel safe with you, Lord. Help me feel safe enough to trust others with this. Show me how your love and their’s can protect me and deliver me from this sin.”