Cleaning my home is not my preferred choice of activity most days, but I do enjoy the fruit of my labor once the task is done. I don’t mind the dusting or the vacuuming; it’s the endless prerequisite task of straightening that bores me.
The other day, when I found a small puzzle piece, I was tempted to throw it away. I had bigger tasks to tackle and didn’t want to be sidetracked. I realized, though, that without that small piece the puzzle would remain forever incomplete, and the other pieces would soon follow the one into the trash.
Like throwing away an inconvenient, left-behind puzzle piece, we may find it tempting to brush aside what we define as a small issue of sin. We reason that its impact will be minimal because it seems inconsequential. The call for every believer, however, is to pursue character that reflects God’s own (Philippians 1:6,9-11).
Reminding us of God’s love for us, the Song of Solomon reveals that we have a role in protecting our love relationship with Jesus: “Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!” (Song of Solomon 2:15).
When describing the death that sin brings, Romans 6:23 doesn’t differentiate between size or category. Any sin we willfully hang on to brings separation from God (Isaiah 59:2) and eventual death. In our spiritual lives, we can keep away the little foxes by:
• Guarding our hearts. The enemy often uses our desires and temptations to open the door to sin (Proverbs 4:23).
• Confessing our sins. Admitting our failings reminds us that in our own strength we miss the mark, but through God transformation is possible (Romans 6:7).
Keep dealing with the small sins in your life, before they lead to something much larger and more costly.
More:
• Psalm 32:2
• Hebrews 12:1
• Revelation 3:19
Next:
What sins have you been excusing as “not a big deal”? Why must repentance be an action as well as a posture of our hearts?
Brianbenyosef on December 9, 2010 at 7:32 am
My memory is slowly deteriorating, so I don’t remember what book or verse, but the Bible does say that no one sin is greater than another. I am guilty of so many small sins. It breaks my heart to think of what GOD must see in me. It is so hard to change. Some things I know are wrong and others I have to be told are. For example I sometimes take the lords name in vain, then I apologize but by then it’s too late. I am trying to change my actions and thoughts but it takes time. GOD knows I am trying but I still offend him. I pray for his grace and guildance daily. Thank you for this post. It reminds me to be vigilant! Bless you as always, and Shalom.
GrowinginChrist on December 9, 2010 at 8:39 am
Hang in there Brian. We are all born into a sinful world, because of the sin in the garden of eden. Often times we sin unawares. As we can even sometimes sin in our dreams. Thats where Gods’ grace comes into play. Be strong and of good courage. I’ll pray for you and you pray for me. Bless you.
daisymarygoldr on December 9, 2010 at 10:50 am
Little foxes haunt me. They spoil the vine and leave me hanging like a barren branch, bereft of fruits. What scares me most is the thought of Jesus coming to look for fruits and finds none on my tree.
It is important to constantly be on the guard—to watch and pray about seemingly little carnal things which like little foxes sneak into my life and steal the fruit of the Spirit.
And if I am not careful, then those seemingly small sins will slowly sap my spiritual energy to make me sick and ultimately cause me to die.
A little folly ruins a good reputation and no matter how holy and godly or wise and mature my faith is, one little fault can completely destroy my Christian testimony.
Thanks for the much needed reminder to look out for those insignificant yet significant little pieces!
Soldier4Christ on December 9, 2010 at 11:51 am
I praise God for this devotional, it not only hits home it reminds me that I am not in this battle alone. I can so relate to what you all said is going on in your lives Brian,Growing and daisy. I will also be praying for you and hope that you all will pray for me as I struggle with my own little foxes.
AManofGod on December 9, 2010 at 11:52 am
Beautiful blog today!
Desires and temptations can surely be a gateway for the devil to attack us. Any thing put into an improper place or given an improper amount of importance can be a sin. I heard a minister say that loving your children is a beautiful thing and justifiable before God, but if you place your children AHEAD of God in importance you are committing a sin. A lot of overbearing parents need to know this.
Even the most well intentioned among us can sin inadvertendly by placing more importance on something that it deserves. Nothing is more important than our relationship with The Heavenly Father.
AManofGod
pjp on December 9, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Nice one Daisy…. God Bless.
mprez2006 on December 9, 2010 at 8:27 pm
thank you, i appreciated this!