Category: Sin

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Short Story: When All Is Not Bright

All is calm, all is bright...[1]

Ada found herself mouthing the words to the Christmas carol, but wondering in her heart why life didn’t feel calm or bright. Somehow, presents, family gathering, and as many cookies as she wanted still left her heart anything but calm.

Joy to the world...[2]

It’d been a hard year, filled with loss and health struggles. Ada felt exhausted after trying to do all the Christmas things. She didn’t feel joyful. Now, hearing happiness all around her made her only feel sadder somehow. And she felt bad about feeling bad; she had so many blessings too.

Ada walked towards the back of the room, in search of another cookie. On her way, she tripped.

The world went black.

Ada opened her eyes, not to the room filled with carolers, but to a dusty road. She squinted. There, in front of her, was a young couple. They looked like they belonged in a Nativity play, only more authentic.

“We’re almost to Bethlehem, Mary” Ada heard the man say.

“The baby’s coming, Joseph,” came a faint reply from the clearly pregnant woman by his side. She looked even more exhausted than Ada felt, like she’d been on a very long journey. “We’ll have to have him away from home.”

Away from home? Ada thought. Wasn’t Christmas all about being home for Christmas? Yet come to think of it, that first Christmas had Mary and Joseph away from their home in Nazareth…and Jesus leaving His home and glory in Heaven to become a man.

Ada watched, memorized, as a band of Roman soldiers passed by on the road. The other travelers so clearly resented them. I guess everything wasn’t merry and bright when Jesus came, Ada decided. In fact, hadn’t God used a census and taxes, of all things, to have Jesus born in Bethlehem? And didn’t the Roman occupation allow for the Gospel to go forth like it couldn’t have otherwise, as it brought a common language and passable roads to the whole empire?

The thought occurred to Ada that maybe God was using the tough things in her life–the things she resented–too. She couldn’t see how, but then, could the Jews back at Jesus’ birth?

Ada rubbed her head and closed her eyes for a second. Where was she anyway?

When Ada opened her eyes again, she found herself in a dark field. A smelly, woolly thing–was that a sheep?–brushed up against her. She could dimly make out the shape of men–they must be shepherds–nearby. Suddenly, an bright being–an angel!–appeared overhead.

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord,”[3] the angel said.

The angel said more, but Ada didn’t get to hear it.

She’d blinked, and found herself back in the room of Christmas caroling. No one had noticed her fall in the back of the room. The group was still singing Joy to the World.

Joy to the World. After her dream, Ada knew the joy of that first Christmas wasn’t because life was easy, people were home for Christmas, or there were presents under the tree. It didn’t come from lights or even cookies. Jesus didn’t save the people from the hardships of life. Not from the Romans. Not from tough situations. Mary’s life didn’t become easy because of Jesus’ birth. Mary would one day have to watch her son die. The joy the angel spoke of was because a Savior had been born.

Jesus came to save us from sin and death. He brought eternal life to those who would receive Him. That life means knowing God now, in life’s sadness and challenges, and one day for all eternity in Heaven, where the world will truly be bright, as the suffering and death sin brought will be completely wiped away forever.

Ada realized that her days didn’t have to be “merry and bright,”[5] but because Jesus came, Christmas, and every day, could be filled with a joy that can exist anywhere–even in a dirty stable. A joy that came from knowing that Heaven, not Hell, was her eternal destination. A joy that can only be found by believing on the Savior that has been born.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV)

[1] Silent Night

[2] Joy to the World

[3] Luke 2:10b-11, ESV

[4] Joy to the World

[5] White Christmas

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Short Story: What Will You Wear?

clothes

Samuel itched his skin again. He hated this terrible itch! Yet how could he escape from it?

His clothes. That’s what the doctor had said. He needed to put off these clothes and put on the ones the doctor had given him.

Samuel hastily changed. That was better.

But the following morning, he was back in his old clothes again, just a slightly different outfit. Not until the itch became unbearable did he remember that he was supposed to wear the doctor’s garments, which were made out of a different fabric.

Samuel realized he needed a plan. He needed to proactively put reminders to himself to wear the new garments. He even asked his brother to say something if he saw Samuel reaching for any of his old clothes.

Even with the reminders and help, Samuel still found himself itching in his old clothes at times. You see, those old clothes were hard to get rid of. They were made of a fabric that simply wouldn’t destroy here on earth. He’d tried burning them, freezing them, and more, but he couldn’t get rid of them. He tried to hide them, but they had a way of turning back up. They were troublesome clothes, to say the least. Samuel realized he’d have to stay vigilant.

I need to put them away and put on my new clothes, he reminded himself over and over again. With time and lots of help, Samuel began wearing his new clothes more and his old, itchy ones less and less. But he knew what clothes he wore would always be a daily choice.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.…But now you must put them all away: anger,wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another…Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…above all these put on love…let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…be thankful.” Colossians 3:5,8,12-15 (ESV)
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Short Story: Don’t Ignore the Flies

The fly seemed harmless enough at first. One had slipped into the house when the door was open. Simon thought about swatting it with the fly swatter, but he was busy and the fly wasn’t all that distracting. What harm could there be in letting it fly around?

The next week when Simon went to take the garbage out, dozens of tiny white maggots came oozing out of the trashcan. Simon frantically began squashing and stomping as he raced the trash outside. Yikes! He cleaned out the trash can, hoping he’d now dealt with the problem.

But the fly lived on. What harm could it cause? Simon didn’t realize yet that it was the fly that had laid eggs–eggs that had hatched into these small, flesh-eating insects.

Soon the fly was not alone. Some of the maggots had escaped Simon’s stomping and matured into flies themselves. The buzzing became more annoying. But still, Simon just did his best to ignore the flies.

And then the next week, there were more maggots. At last, Simon realized what was happening.

Eradicating those maggots wasn’t easy. It started with doing what Simon should have done from the beginning: killing the flies. Then Simon gave his whole house a deep spring cleaning. For days, he vigilantly kept a look out for the small white insects, as they kept hiding and reappearing. Some escaped his cleaning and matured into flies, which Simon had to diligently hunt down.

But hopefully Simon had learned his lesson: while he couldn’t keep flies from entering his house now and then, he needed to diligently seek to hunt them down when they did! Ignoring the flies was dangerous. What seems harmless enough can lead to a serious infestation.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”
2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV)

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Our thoughts may seem insignificant and harmless, but they matter! Thoughts of fear, lust, envy, anger, and bitterness, if not taken captive to obey Christ, can lead to serious sin infestations in our lives.

What are you thinking about today? When the flies (i.e., bad thoughts) come, are you taking them captive and reorienting your thinking to what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise? Or are the bad thoughts allowed to stay around?

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The Wedding Gown That Can’t Be Stained

Wedding Dress

Mia gazed down at her gown in awe and wonder. She still couldn’t get over the fact that the Prince had clothed her in this sparkling white wedding gown. It was so beautiful, pure, and clean—so very different from the clothes she used to wear. And best of all, she got to wear it, not just one day when she married the Prince, but every day!

To understand the magnitude of Mia’s joy, you need to know that Mia grew up on the streets. When the Prince found her, she was grimy and in rags. Now, she was His beloved bride, clothed in this amazing gown that He’d purchased for her at an incredible price.

No wonder Mia hummed to herself and had a little skip to her step as she went about her daily chores. She belonged to the Prince!

The shatter of glass intruded upon her happiness. Mia looked in horror at what she had done. The cup of coffee she’d been cleaning off the table lay in a hundred pieces on the floor. The coffee had spilled everywhere. Mia didn’t even have the courage to look down at her beautiful gown for fear of what she’d see. She felt certain without looking that a coffee stain now marred its purity.

“What have I done?” she cried, burying her head in her hands. “Oh, I’m not worthy to be the Prince’s bride! After all He’s done for me, how could I have done this!” Her whole body trembled as the tears streamed down her face. Her joy was gone.

For days, she walked with her head hung low, ashamed of herself. She tried extra hard to do her chores well, hoping somehow that would make up for what she had done, but knowing all the time it never could. She felt disgusted with herself. She couldn’t forgive herself, but rather kept punishing herself over and over.

At the same time, she was critical of everyone around her, subconsciously hoping that if she could point out others’ flaws it would make her feel better about her own. But it didn’t. She just became more and more miserable.

Worse of all, she felt ashamed in the Prince’s presence. When they met in the streets, she barely said hello. Her conversations with him, instead of being filled with joy, were filled with unspoken fear. Perhaps he wouldn’t still love her. If he only knew…

The Prince, though, already knew all about the spill. In fact, he’d known Mia would spill before he had bought her the gown. That’s why he’d gotten her a special gown made of fabric that couldn’t be stained or spoiled in any way—fabric that was spotless forever no matter what. In fact, he’d left Mia multiple notes explaining this to her and urging her to look at her gown and see that it was still without spot. He had paid an exorbitant price to buy this gown for her; she had only to realize it.

The Prince patiently kept trying to get Mia’s attention. His heart ached to see her living in guilt instead of the joy of being his beloved.

His patient love eventually won out. Oh, the joy that flooded Mia’s heart when she realized her gown couldn’t be spoiled!

I would love to report that Mia never spilled or stumbled in the mud or did anything else that would have soiled a normal gown again. But that wouldn’t be true at all. She continually stumbled and spilled and stuttered. But the next time she felt tempted to bury her head in shame and call herself a failure, she lifted it with grateful tears streaming down her cheeks. “My Prince gave me a gown that can’t be spoiled,” she whispered in gratitude, a great smile of praise filling her face. “And,” she added, “He’s promised to keep working on me.” You see, her Prince loved her enough not to leave her on the streets, but to clothe her in a spotless gown and to give her his strength and all she needed to live more and more like the princess he’d made her.

She felt like singing…and she couldn’t help but talk about her Prince to anyone who would listen.

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14 (esv)

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Isaiah 61:10 (esv)

“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:26-27 (esv)

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” 2 Peter 1:3 (esv)

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 (esv)

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Story: Swallowing Poison Again?

Jared had been brought up on a very unusual diet—or I should say unusual to us. In the prison in which he was born to one of the prisoners, it was the standard fare. All of the inmates were fed poisoned food. Yes, that’s right—the food had poison in it—the sort of slow poison that gradually weakened and killed over many years.

The amazingly good news was that Jared was no longer a prisoner. He’d been ransomed and set free. In fact, he’d been adopted by the most wonderful father you could imagine.

So you might imagine Jared’s brother Ethan’s surprise when he walked into the room and saw Jared eating poisoned food.

“Jared, why are you eating that again?” his brother Ethan asked.

Jared shrugged. “I just can’t help it,” he mumbled. “I’ve always eaten this.”

Ethan grabbed the plate out of his brother’s hands. “You can to help it!” he replied. “Father set you free—you’re not a prisoner. You don’t have to eat this anymore. There’s lots of good food to be had.”

Jared reached for the plate. “Just leave me alone for now. I’m just so tired—I need this.”

“You’ll only get more tired eating that,” Ethan remarked. “Come on, Jared, don’t you remember how this poison works? It messes with your mind, so you can’t think clearly. It takes away your energy, so you’re unable to accomplish anything of value. It slowly destroys you.”

Jared did remember. Oh, why was he swallowing poison again?

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 (ESV)

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV)

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Story: Always a Way of Escape

“We’ve got you now.”

The evil voice came over the loudspeaker, with a hideous laugh.

Sam shuddered. It did indeed seem as if he was trapped. Hedges surrounded him on every side, looming above him and alongside him, as if they were about to devour him. All around was darkness. It was hopeless. Despair gripped his heart.

“I’ll always provide a way of escape”—his father’s words rang through his mind.

Sam looked around. He sure didn’t see a way to escape this. But his father never lied. “Father, show me the way of escape,” he cried. He looked closer at the hedges. Was that an opening he saw? There seemed to be a faint light coming through.

Sam moved closer to investigate. Sure enough, where before all had appeared to be darkness, he now could clearly see a small tunnel in the hedge. It wasn’t necessarily easy fitting through it, but Sam could make it. He got on his hands and knees and crawled through the hedge. The branches poked him, but on the other side—yes, it was true—he was free!

His father had indeed provided a way of escape—he just had to look for it.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

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Story: No Way Out

“Come on, little birdy, fly out—no, not that way!” Jedediah felt his pleadings with the poor bird were in vain. He had been trying for the last half hour to rescue a poor bird that had flown into the garage and now couldn’t figure out how to get out.

It’s not that the door wasn’t open—it was. The sunshine streamednowayout into the garage. There was a way out—only the bird wouldn’t take it. It seemed determined that if it just flailed its little body against the side or roof of the garage enough times, it would break free. But all its efforts ended only in ruffled feathers and further discouragement. It felt trapped in the darkness, unable to get back out into the beautiful summer day.

“No, don’t give up!” Jedediah gently encouraged the bird, which had landed in a corner, overcome by defeat. Oh, why couldn’t the bird see that there was a wide open door waiting for it to fly through!

***

Do you ever feel stuck in the garage, so to speak? Maybe there’s an attitude or action in your life you know is wrong, but you feel stuck and unable to change. Maybe you, like the bird, have tried hard to conquer your sin, but to no avail.

There’s good news. While we can no more conquer sin than a bird can escape from a garage by flying into the walls or ceiling, Jesus has already conquered sin. The garage door is wide open—we’ve only to fly to Jesus and take the way of escape He promises to provide.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4

“For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Hebrews 2:18

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15–16