Sin

When we follow hard after Christ, parts of the journey will involve suffering—some type of persecution for our faith. Peter’s statement could be said like this: If you are going to suffer, make sure you suffer for the right reasons.

In our passage today, Peter likens these sinful snares to soldiers coming to make war. Equipped with the tanks of anger, missiles of greed, swords of lust, and automatic weapons of pride, these “soldiers” come to attack your soul. These soldiers of sin seek to destroy us or render us useless and ineffective. A broken and wounded follower of Jesus is just as useless as one who has been wrecked.

Today we read an amazing story about amazing grace. A woman who had led a sinful life was ready to head in a different direction, so she found the Great Agent of Change. This account is a powerful reminder: Jesus did not turn sinners away…whatever their sin…neither should we.

Before Jesus, I served the god of ME. I lived in the throne room, sitting on my royal throne and calling out with my royal voice. But it was all a façade. The god of ME was a pitiful and powerless god. One day, though, everything changed.

Our past is the “used to be me,” but thankfully, we don’t live in the past. As Christians, we have been changed by the powerful work of Jesus! Check this out.

It is important to understand that in the Old Testament, there are three strands of laws. These laws are essential for us to learn about God and find transferable principles. However, there is only one strand that never goes away. We could call them “The Sticking Laws.” Let’s check this out.

Have you ever caught a fox? Neither have I. But I am assuming that chasing and catching a fox would be quite a feat. Solomon uses this picture of catching foxes to remind us of little things that can do considerable damage.

We are sinners and cannot pay our debt. Our best efforts fall short, so God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He is our Ga-al, our Redeemer. He sent his son to release us.

As we enter a new year, remember that Jesus is our Savior. Let’s keep our focus on him.