Genesis 4:7

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it" ~ Genesis 4:7

 

I just read that Bibles were burned in front of a courthouse in Portland and the a statue of Jesus was decapitated in a Miami church in Florida. Wow! What is our world coming to? Is this due to white evangelicals supporting Trump, or is it due to other issues related around Christianity itself? This is a time when the word of God is needed desperately, yet it is being offered on a fire pit. Cain, in the story of Genesis offered up a sacrifice which was unacceptable to God. His sacrifice was probably a hand-made object, most certainly Coffman calls him the “first innovator”, indicating something was very wrong with the sacrifice. Perhaps his heart was not in line with God’s, or perhaps he offered what he thought was just as good as what God would want, but in that thought, it lacked. Whatever was the case, sin crouches at the door of our conscience, and once it is awakened it is hard to put to sleep. We, every one of us, are on the verge of sinning every day. Whether it is with a word that is unkind, or an action which is murderous, sin lies in wait. Ruling over our thoughts and our actions takes discipline and strength. We do not often recognize sin until it rises beyond what one can control, for sin takes over, so it is of vital importance that we remain on guard. I would be surprised to discover the plan was to set Bibles on fire and to decapitate a statue of Jesus when rioters set to the streets. Without self-control we are swept away by the emotions of a crowd. Without self-control we allow the enemy of our soul to take over and lead us on the wrong path. The promise in this scripture is to rule over sin, for what God commands, he enables us to do. Jesus came to fight the beast of our passion and sin, and bring them under control in his love.  

Pastor Julia

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