…a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough—1 Corinthians 5:6
It never ceases to amaze me where the inspiration for a blog post might appear. I suppose if God will use a donkey to speak wisdom to a fool (Numbers 22:21-35), He’ll take even the most mundane experience to draw us closer to Him.
The other day, I was watching an episode of Blue Bloods while working out with my husband. I’d been wracking my brain for a topic for today’s post. I considered writing about our trip to Tokyo (and I still might another time), but I wasn’t feeling inspired.
I have no idea how Sean Dietrich (aka—Sean of the South) writes a post every day when I struggle with one a week. The deadline was drawing near. It was Saturday morning, and I had more on my to-do list for the day than I had time. But during that one 45-minute workout, I gave my brain a rest and concentrated on my breathing.
And that’s when inspiration struck.
It was during the final scenes of the episode that the Holy Spirit shone a spotlight on a piece of truth that we all know but sometimes forget.
One sin can have a huge ripple effect.
Now, I know you know this. Genesis 3 is the account of the sin in the Garden of Eden, which affects all of humanity. But so often, in a moment of weakness or selfishness, we forget. The enemy is just as crafty now as he was when convincing Eve to taste the forbidden fruit.
I’d like to say it’s mostly non-believers who are prone to act without thinking through the repercussions, but sadly, that’s not the case. We’re all guilty.
Back to Blue Bloods. The episode was titled “Reagan Vs. Reagan.” Erin Reagan was prosecuting a woman (Christina) for the murder of her wealthy, much older husband. The defense attorney is murdered early in the trial, and Danny Reagan is, of course, investigating. (Sometimes, viewers are asked to suspend believability.)
What it all comes down to in the end is that the husband was having an affair with a woman he’d known since childhood (Sharon). It was her husband (Walter) who killed the man when confronting him in a fit of anger.
Sharon led a very privileged life, but because she had no purpose and was approaching the age of 60 when opportunity struck, she decided to grab a little happiness—even if it meant committing adultery.
Her lover was murdered, his young wife was dragged through a trial, and her husband would now go to prison. All because she was bored and feeling sorry for herself.
If you think I’m judging her actions, you’re wrong. There isn’t a person born (other than Jesus) who isn’t prone to sin in a weak moment. Sharon wasn’t a believer, so she didn’t even have the Holy Spirit to guide her. We do, and yet we still fail. At least, I do.
Oh, I’m not talking about adultery. But sin is sin in God’s eyes. Growing up in the Catholic church, I heard a lot about mortal sins versus venial sins. If you broke one of the Ten Commandments, it was considered a mortal sin. Much more serious than a venial sin, although I could make a case that every sin is a mortal sin.
A “little white lie” is still a lie. God doesn’t rate them according to our rationalization.
And when Jesus spoke on the Sermon on the Mount, he upped the ante quite a bit. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart’”—Matthew 5:27-29.
Jesus continues with a list of offenses that may seem trivial to us but are unrighteous in the eyes of God.
If we think of Jesus as only a gentle, gracious, and loving God, we miss out on the magnitude of what He did for us. If we miss out on that, we won’t take sin seriously.
As a parent, I tried to teach my kids that actions have consequences. You can’t read one chapter in the Old Testament and not see this playing out over and over again. Sin doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on spiritual warfare. Let me revisit that for just a moment. Jesus tells us in John 10: 10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” One slip-up on our part gives the enemy a foothold into our lives. Then He goes on to say, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
I just finished the book of Judges yesterday morning. The last few chapters are probably the most gruesome, perverse pieces of scripture throughout the entire Bible. After I finished reading, I listened to Tara Leigh Coble’s Bible Recap where she said, “Joy in the moment apart from God is fleeting and can have far-reaching consequences.”
One slip, one sin has the power to destroy friendships, families, and even nations. Destruction is as quick as a house of cards.
How grateful I am to know that the Lord is bigger than our failures—and He can use every one of them for His glory. Still, when I consider what Jesus did for me, it grieves my heart when I fail at all.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart—Hebrews 12:3.`
