“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven (sin) leaveneth the whole lump?” 1 Corinthians 5:6
The other day I read an article about the latest weight loss craze for some in Hollywood …crystal meth. That’s right, crystal meth! One unnamed doctor said a young star was trying hard to lose weight and found that crystal meth was an instant hit. It gave her a high, incredible energy, and took away her appetite. There was a slight problem with it, however. Over time it turned her into a meth junkie. This young star thought she could control it. She thought it would be okay if she just used a little. But a little meth is like a little leaven… it grows, spreads and takes control… then it destroys all of a person’s life.
SIN IS A PASSING PLEASURE.
The problem most of us have with sin (a little leaven”) is that it is pleasurable. Immorality is pleasurable. Gossip is pleasurable. Laziness is pleasurable. Partying and indulging the flesh in its corrupt desires are pleasurable. Just living like we want to live with no restraints is pleasurable. The problem is the pleasure doesn’t last. The Bible speaks of “the pleasures of sin for a season“ (Hebrews 11:25). Sin is indeed pleasurable, but it is pleasurable only for a season. Sin is a lot like piling up debt on a credit card. It’s an easy thing to do, but when the season is over, the bills come in like a flood!
SIN IS LIKE A BAITED HOOK.
James warns us about temptation this way, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. The word “enticed” is from a Greek word meaning “to lure away.” It’s a fishing term. When fishing you use a bait to lure or entice a fish to bite the hook. It’s no secret…I love to fish! Anyone who goes fishing knows you need to have the right bait. Fish don’t bite a bare hook, they bite a tasty minnow… or, as in the case with artificial bait, what they believe to be a tasty. As the fish takes a nibble, there is temporary pleasure. The pleasure quickly fades away, however, when that fish is hooked, cooked, gutted and grilled. The bait was temporary pleasure that brought a lifetime of pain. And so it is with sin.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
Will you take an honest look at your life today? Are there areas of compromise, areas where you have given in to sin and made friends with sin, saying to yourself, “Oh well, what can it hurt? After all, it is just a little, minor, insignificant thing (we don’t like to call it sin, do we?).” Listen: don’t be fooled like the fish. In our verse for today, God’s Word reminds us that a little sin is like, “a little leaven (sin)” and like a little leaven, it “leaveneth the whole lump.” Sin will grow and spread, stealing away your joy, peace, and relationship with God.
LEANING TREES.
A few years ago, I was driving down the interstate after an ice storm. I noticed several trees that had fallen under the weight of ice on their limbs. As I continued to look at the icy trees, I noticed that many of the trees stood up straight despite being covered in snow and ice as well.
The Lord seemed to impress upon my heart this question…” Why did several of those trees fall and others stood and seemed unaffected by the weight of the ice?” As I thought about it, He seem to show me. The trees that fell were already leaning before the ice storm! I understood right away the spiritual lesson He was showing me in the fallen trees. No one falls into sin and ruin suddenly. And no one falls away from God in one fatal swoop. They drift away slowly as little sins begin to take over.
Let me encourage you to live your life in the light of God’s truth and holiness. Keep upright! Catch yourself, you feel you’re leaning the wrong way. Don’t let little sins have a place in your heart. Don’t let little sins accumulate and weigh your heat down. Repent of sin and keep your heart clean. Like a careful gardener, take time every day to search your heart and pull the weeds while they are small and few. Make it your goal to practice Psalm 139:23-24) so that your heart stays pure and cleansed before the Lord. The Psalmist prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Think it over . . .
Doug Pierce is a Church planter and a pastor. In 2003 he started, and continues to pastor First Independent Methodist Church in Madison, Mississippi. His #1 priority is to glorify God in all aspects of ministry. He does this through teaching his congregation to Love God, Love One Another, and Love Others to God. Prayer, outreach, and church growth through evangelism are vital parts of his ministry. He and his wife Suzanne live in Madison, Mississippi where they also enjoy their children and grandchildren.
Image Created Using DeepIMG
“Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven (sin) leaveneth the whole lump?” 1 Corinthians 5:6
The other day I read an article about the latest weight loss craze for some in Hollywood …crystal meth. That’s right, crystal meth! One unnamed doctor said a young star was trying hard to lose weight and found that crystal meth was an instant hit. It gave her a high, incredible energy, and took away her appetite. There was a slight problem with it, however. Over time it turned her into a meth junkie. This young star thought she could control it. She thought it would be okay if she just used a little. But a little meth is like a little leaven… it grows, spreads and takes control… then it destroys all of a person’s life.
SIN IS A PASSING PLEASURE.
The problem most of us have with sin (a little leaven”) is that it is pleasurable. Immorality is pleasurable. Gossip is pleasurable. Laziness is pleasurable. Partying and indulging the flesh in its corrupt desires are pleasurable. Just living like we want to live with no restraints is pleasurable. The problem is the pleasure doesn’t last. The Bible speaks of “the pleasures of sin for a season“ (Hebrews 11:25). Sin is indeed pleasurable, but it is pleasurable only for a season. Sin is a lot like piling up debt on a credit card. It’s an easy thing to do, but when the season is over, the bills come in like a flood!
SIN IS LIKE A BAITED HOOK.
James warns us about temptation this way, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. The word “enticed” is from a Greek word meaning “to lure away.” It’s a fishing term. When fishing you use a bait to lure or entice a fish to bite the hook. It’s no secret…I love to fish! Anyone who goes fishing knows you need to have the right bait. Fish don’t bite a bare hook, they bite a tasty minnow… or, as in the case with artificial bait, what they believe to be a tasty. As the fish takes a nibble, there is temporary pleasure. The pleasure quickly fades away, however, when that fish is hooked, cooked, gutted and grilled. The bait was temporary pleasure that brought a lifetime of pain. And so it is with sin.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
Will you take an honest look at your life today? Are there areas of compromise, areas where you have given in to sin and made friends with sin, saying to yourself, “Oh well, what can it hurt? After all, it is just a little, minor, insignificant thing (we don’t like to call it sin, do we?).” Listen: don’t be fooled like the fish. In our verse for today, God’s Word reminds us that a little sin is like, “a little leaven (sin)” and like a little leaven, it “leaveneth the whole lump.” Sin will grow and spread, stealing away your joy, peace, and relationship with God.
LEANING TREES.
A few years ago, I was driving down the interstate after an ice storm. I noticed several trees that had fallen under the weight of ice on their limbs. As I continued to look at the icy trees, I noticed that many of the trees stood up straight despite being covered in snow and ice as well.
The Lord seemed to impress upon my heart this question…” Why did several of those trees fall and others stood and seemed unaffected by the weight of the ice?” As I thought about it, He seem to show me. The trees that fell were already leaning before the ice storm! I understood right away the spiritual lesson He was showing me in the fallen trees. No one falls into sin and ruin suddenly. And no one falls away from God in one fatal swoop. They drift away slowly as little sins begin to take over.
Let me encourage you to live your life in the light of God’s truth and holiness. Keep upright! Catch yourself, you feel you’re leaning the wrong way. Don’t let little sins have a place in your heart. Don’t let little sins accumulate and weigh your heat down. Repent of sin and keep your heart clean. Like a careful gardener, take time every day to search your heart and pull the weeds while they are small and few. Make it your goal to practice Psalm 139:23-24) so that your heart stays pure and cleansed before the Lord. The Psalmist prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Think it over . . .
————-
Doug Pierce is a Church planter and a pastor. In 2003 he started, and continues to pastor First Independent Methodist Church in Madison, Mississippi. His #1 priority is to glorify God in all aspects of ministry. He does this through teaching his congregation to Love God, Love One Another, and Love Others to God. Prayer, outreach, and church growth through evangelism are vital parts of his ministry. He and his wife Suzanne live in Madison, Mississippi where they also enjoy their children and grandchildren.
Image Created Using DeepIMG
Yes, a small leakage capsizes a ship.
Pleasure is almost the opposite of Joy. We can have pleasure in doing sin, but can have joy as we face hard circumstances. Joy is having assurance in Christ as our Saviour
Your Friend- His servant,
Isaac Otieno