This article was published recently by a friend in a church newsletter. I wanted to pass its content on to you. I've adapted it some for us here....
Jerry Bridges has written a new book entitled "Respectable Sins" - Confronting The Sins We Tolerate. In the book he makes the distinction between "wickedness" and "ungodliness". We think of sins such as murder, abortion, theft, etc., as wickedness, which they are; but there are sins of ungodliness, just not being like God. This includes sins of anxiety, frustration, irritability, worry, discontent, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, impatience, lack of self-control, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, worldliness, and gossiping.
We don't usually recognize that things like these come from a lack of trust in God. Hebrews 3:12 warns of allowing an evil [wicked] heart of unbelief to be in you. The Psalmist in Psalm 37 emphatically says don't fret...rather, rest in the Lord...for fretting leads only to evildoing. In other words, lack of trust in God will take you to "places" you really don't want to go.
It's easy to justify these things (the "small" sins) in our lives and not see them as God does...damaging and hindrances to the possibilities and potential that Grace opened to us. But if we'll allow God to help us see these things as He sees, there's tremendous hope and victory ahead for us...and I believe this is the "much more" that the New Testament speaks of... and it belongs to all of us in Jesus.
We don't have to do really "bad" stuff to displease God. Tolerating anything that can hinder His purposes and thwarts His work in us saddens his heart, the heart of our Father. The Psalmist writes (Psalm 66:18): "If I regard wickedness (of any kind) in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."
Father, give us eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to respond and order our lives accordingly.
I love you all and I'm...
Indebted,
Mitch
