I made a mistake the other day. My wife and I bought some clear containers from Bed Bath & Beyond for storing our dry goods (we like consistency). I pulled out the container storing the Quaker Oats, but found it empty. Luckily we had just made our monthly Costco trip so there were two 50lbs bags (I’m exaggerating) to refill the container with.
I decided to first wash the container before pouring the oats in (hygiene, people). While it was air drying, I opened one of the 50lbs Quaker Oats bags in preparation. Bad idea. If you’ve ever seen those Quaker Oats bags from Costco, then you know what I’m talking about. They’re very top heavy when full.
As you may have guessed, I soon forgot about the bag until I found oats all over the kitchen counter and floor hours later. The experience, though slightly demoralizing as my dear wife helped me clean everything while I stared in bewilderment, taught me a valuable lesson: it’s better to deal with things as they come rather than push them off. (Had I been taught this lesson earlier when I forgot to turn the faucet off while refilling a Brita pitcher? Yes, but that’s besides the point.)
My spilled oats experience reminded me how important it is to deal with sin. The Bible teaches us that apart from Jesus, we are sinful (Romans 3:22-23). We inherently seek to serve ourselves rather than God, which is the problem. Sin, in a general sense, is choosing to serve yourself rather than God (Romans 1:18-32). The only way that we can be changed is through the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24) and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). As we have been forgiven so are we to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32) and stop living for ourselves (Romans 6:11-12).
This is no easy task. I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes ignore sinful habits in my life. I think, “It’s not that big of a deal,” or, “I’ll deal with it later,” only to find myself drowning in what was once a “small problem.” Like I learned with the oats, it’s better to deal with sin then and there. Our God is faithful and will always forgive us when we ask (1 John 1:9) so let’s not refrain from asking!
Unconfessed sin prohibits us from being the people we were made to be in Jesus. In Jesus, we are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The penalty He paid for our sins covers all of us once and for all (Romans 6:8-10). We now have the freedom to live without the chains of sin (Galatians 5:13-25) and are thus called to use that freedom to live for the glory of God.
So I ask you: how’s your heart? Are there sins that you’ve been ignoring that you need to confess? Are you living the life that you’ve been made to live in Jesus? I took some time this morning to consider areas where I’ve ignored sin and confessed them to the the Lord. I’m trusting that by continuing to ask Him for His help, I’ll have victory. Perhaps He’s calling you to do similarly right now. There is no time like the present to make yourself right with the Lord.
Temitope 