Devotion for October 16, 2008

Let No One Deceive You

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor [is] he who does not love his brother(1 John 3:7-10 NKJV)

Sin is a patent fact-its reality does not need to be argued. Sin is a fact of experience, of observation, and of revelation. Sin is something I feel in my own heart; it is something I see in others, even in my best friends and loved ones; and it is something revealed in the Bible. The policeman pursues it, the physician prescribes for it, the law discovers it, conscience condemns it, God controls and punishes it, and yet nobody likes to own it. But as a matter of fact, sin is all that anyone owns; he is a steward of everything else he may possess. Obvious as sin is, there is a proneness to treat it like some folks treat their trashy relatives; it is ignored and even denied.

  Sin is a cheat, a deceiver, and a destroyer. It promises pleasure and pays off in pain. It promises life and pays off in death. It promises profit and pays off in poverty-the loss of all good. Every sin is committed for profit. Nobody would sin if he did not think it would profit in some form or other. There is profit in sin, but it is short-lived. Moses took a long look and made the wise choice. He chose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. He chose in view of the Day of Judgment-C.D. Cole.

 Moses was able to make that choice because the Seed of God was in him. It is no small thing that a man turns away from sin. Sin is a merciless taskmaster which never unshackles its slaves. Only by the Spirit of God is a man set free from his bondage to sin.

 Therefore, as John says above, "Let no one deceive you." "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin [leading] to death, or of obedience [leading] to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16 NKJV) There are many who speak lightly of sin, or scarce mention it for fear they will be seen as harsh and unloving. However, it is not the one who warns you of sin that is unloving, but he is unloving who is willing to leave you to suffer the consequences of sin for his own popularity.