Every time our family plans a summer vacation, I get so excited. My family is the one thing I treasure most on this earth so it brings me great joy to plan even the smallest of details.
Our planning usually begins in January when my husband and I, our four grown children, and their spouses get together for dinner. We start by talking about the location we would like to visit, our budget, the inclusions the house has to have that we will be renting, and who will be the contacting person. Once the deposit is made we begin planning the rest of the details in the months that follow.
It never fails, two weeks before it’s time to leave for the vacation; I find it hard to focus on anything else. Between preparation at work and getting last minute things at home in order, packing, and just anticipation, there is hardly any room for any other thoughts.
However, before I knew it the time flew by and we were making our 10 hour drive back home from NC. Our vacation will now become another fond memory of the laughter, and time shared with one another.
Although the ride home this past Saturday was long, and even longer for my husband who did all the driving, God used that time to speak to our hearts. Somewhere along the way we tuned in to a sermon from a Pastor that I frequently listen to. The sermon was titled “Church Masks“the first part of a series that he will be doing for the next couple of weeks. The Pastor spoke about several topics, but one of the points he touched on was how as Christians we can be quick to point out other people’s sin, like as if we were “sin police”
After listening to the sermon and asking the Lord to forgive me for being quick to point out other people’s sin instead of looking at my own, it made me think of things that do not please God. In fact, I thought of those things the bible says God hates, which we find in Proverbs 6:16-19;
These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
Hate and abomination are very strong words, and I must confess I wouldn’t have expected some of those things to be on this list. I would have expected, “hands that shed innocent blood” but a look, or a lie, not so much.
Somehow we think, if it’s not something drastic that broke the law, or infidelity, drinking or doing drugs then it isn’t so bad. However you decide to label them, big or small, sin is sin. Although, I kept wondering what it was about these six acts (excluding the shedding of innocent blood) that God would categorize as an abomination.
After I looked closely at the common denominator and read some commentaries, I realized they were actions that were planned out in the heart. They were not just a temptation that we gave in to, but a condition of the heart, a condition that we often refuse to allow God to examine because of our pride, and due to that we not only hurt other people but, God also.
I may be tempted to think because I don’t commit any outward sins that would make me a good person, but the bible is clear, “our hearts are deceitful above all else” (Jeremiah 17:19), and “there is no one good, except God alone” (Luke 18:19). But we don’t have to feel hopeless or worthless as a result of these scriptures.
Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we are all born with a sinful nature and because of that we are capable of sin. On the contrary, when God created the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, He created them in His image and for that reason we are capable of doing good, because God is good. But due to our sinful nature, and our deceitful heart, we needed help that only God could give, that’s why He gave us Jesus. It’s only through Him that we can accomplish any long lasting goodness.
Through the gift of Jesus Christ, God is able to do for us what He promised the Israelites in Ezekiel 11:19; “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
They will be my people, and I will be their God”
It’s only when we put our faith in Jesus Christ that we receive God’s Holy Spirit which in turn gives our spirit new life. At that time, God begins to remove our heart of stone to give us a new heart of flesh, a heart that seeks after things that please God, not acts that abhor Him.
I encourage you today to be a person who allows God’s Spirit to search your heart. As we each do that, we will not be a people who focus on the short comings of others, but we will take a look in the mirror and ask God to help us change our ways. It will be then and only then, will we begin to make a change in our world.
