From His Heart 20 September 2021 Devotional Message By Pastor Jeff Schreve
Topic: But It’s Only a LITTLE Sin
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Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?
1 Corinthians 5:6
The other day I read an article about the latest weight loss craze for some in Hollywood – crystal meth. One unnamed doctor said a young starlet 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 slight problem with it, however. Over time it turned her into a paranoid, meth-mouthed junkie. This young starlet 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 pervades all of life, bringing destruction in spades.
SIN IS A PASSING PLEASURE
The problem most of us have with sin (“a little leaven”) is that it is pleasurable. Immorality is pleasurable. Gluttony is pleasurable. Gossip is pleasurable. Laziness is pleasurable. Partying and indulging the flesh in its corrupt desires are pleasurable. The problem is the pleasure doesn’t last. The Bible speaks of “the passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25). Sin is indeed pleasurable, but it is pleasurable only for a season. When the season is over, the bills come in like a tsunami.
SIN IS LIKE A BAITED HOOK
Anyone who goes fishing knows you need to have the right bait. Fish don’t bite a bare hook, they bite a tasty morsel … or, as in the case with artificial bait, what they believe to be a tasty morsel. As the fish takes a nibble, there is temporary pleasure. The pleasure quickly fades away, however, when that fish is hooked and cooked, gutted and grilled. The bait was temporary pleasure that brought a lifetime of pain. And so it is with sin.
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. Little sins are like a little leaven. They will grow and spread, stealing away your joy, peace, and relationship with God. No one falls away from God in one fell swoop; they drift away slowly as little sins begin to pervade. As the song so aptly states, “It’s a Slow Fade.”
Let me encourage you to live your life in the light of God’s truth and holiness. Don’t let little sins have a place in your heart. Like a meticulous 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.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.”
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
