THE DEVIL DIDN'T MAKE ME DO IT, BUT HE DOESN'T MIND THE CREDIT. . .
 
So, it's the end of the night on Friday. Not a bad day at work today. The eight hours went by fairly calm and I left feeling ready for the weekend. After my regularly scheduled nap, a nice dinner made for me the other day by my Nana, and some putzing around on the internet, Erin and I went to Tim and Amy's condo for a bit. We played some euchre and just hung out for a bit. It was fun. Now I'm at home and I'm putzing around on the internet again. Although I'm kinda tired and would like to go to bed, I was also really craving a cappucino, so I got a French Vanilla one from 7-11 when I picked up milk.

The weekend's looking pretty relaxing. Tomorrow other than hitting the gym, my day is pretty much wide open. I'd like to go rent The Bourne Identity in preperation for seeing the sequel sometime this week. Other than that, nothing much planned. Tomorrow night Erin and I may go see Before Sunset or just chill out and watch some DVDs. Sunday is church and then I'm going out with some friends.

So, I've been thinking about sin a lot lately. I guess that you start to focus on that the more that you focus on God. You can't get close to the light and not realize how in need you are of a bath. And I've been thinking about a lot of the reasons we give for why we still fall prey to sin and still have to rely on our Savior day in and day out. I've been going through this book "The Enemy Within" that talks a lot about the issue of sin, and it's been very eye-opening to really focus on the reasons I keep falling into sin day after day.

I think the one thing I keep hearing from people are excuses why we sin. Like Donald Trump, Erin, and everyone else, though, I'm not a fan of excuses. So here are some of my "favorite" excuses, many of which I have used before and probably still will use again and again to dupe myself into believing my sin isn't my fault.

"I wouldn't sin if our culture wasn't so inherently evil and selfish. This world is just so godless and sinful that it's impossible to avoid sin."

"I just had a weak moment. That's not really what I'm like. I'm really a good person."

"The devil really got to me."

"It's not really wrong if you don't think it's wrong. Good and bad are in the eyes of the beholder."

Ugh. I hate, hate, HATE those excuses!! I hate even more that I still use them, even though I know the Truth. Let's face it. Our culture is only evil because culture is forged by the people in it. If culture is evil, it's because the people who make up that culture are filled with sin. Culture doesn't just "exist;" it's made.

Are we really good people? If so, why are the thoughts that drift through our mind, our jealousies, our hatreds and our outbursts sometimes our most honest moments and we have to make an EFFORT to do good.

I know that the devil does play a hand in this world. But sometimes I think that the truth is that we don't really need the devil's help sinning; he's content to leave us to our own devices.

And that last comment about our idea of what's good and wrong? That really doesn't dignify a response. If you believe in God, than you have to give up any rights for yourself to make the rules. The Creator makes the rules. If you don't believe in God, you have bigger issues that the idea of good and evil.

And what does the Bible say about this? Where does sin come from? We know it mentions the devil, but there are some truths in there that might surprise us.

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, bu sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform whaat is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:15-20

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire ahs conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:13-15
 
That's the truth. We're rotten to the core. Crooked deep down. There is not one person who does good. Even the things we do that we think are good and honorable are laced with selfish ambition and pride. I once heard someone say that even our tears of repentance need to be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Tonight I was reading about bone marrow transplants in "The Enemy Within." When someone has cancer, sometimes the last course of action is to pull out the cancerous bone marrow and replace it with good bone marrow. It's a procedure that is trying and tough and brings the patient near death. But when the procedure is over, the patient is cured.

Is there a much better metaphor to use for redemption? As we draw neaar to God, we become broken and humble and humiliated over our sin. We mourn over it, weep over it, become ashamed of it. But what does God do? When we approach Him broken and contrite, does he zap us into a million pieces? Does He banish us to the darkest sector of hell?

No, He loves us. He performs a sort of soul-marrow transplant. We're clothed and wrapped in righteousness. Robes that can't be ripped from us. And though we still struggle and sin, he still loves us as children and helps us recover and become more like Him.

In our dying to self, we can be cured of ourselves.

C-Dubbs