Sin

Sin

MY QUESTION for GOD

How do I handle persistent, stubborn sin?

A MOMENT with GOD

I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest.

Nehemiah 5:10

People can be stubborn, but so can sin. Stubborn sins are deeply rooted sinful habits that we just can’t seem to shake—and don’t really want to. We all have them, and we keep them hidden as much as we can, but they still distract us. Because sin is often disguised as desirable or harmless, we don’t want to give up the ones that give us pleasure. We like the way they make us feel. That’s why these are stubborn sins—their roots have grown deep down inside us. Greed was one of those stubborn sins affecting several of the wealthy lenders in Nehemiah’s day. They were charging exorbitant interest rates and creating a class of poor people. Instead of setting a ceiling of maximum interest rates, Nehemiah banned interest-bearing loans altogether. And this decree affected Nehemiah personally. He had been lending money and grain, undoubtedly at a just rate of return, but he was willing to give it up in order to root out the abuses connected with making loans. This passage isn’t teaching that it’s wrong to charge interest on loans, but it is pointing to several key principles for defeating the stubborn sins that will sooner or later affect your Christian influence: (1) Make a clean break; a gradual withdrawal from your sinful habit won’t be effective. (2) As much as possible, avoid any situation that will tempt you in that area of weakness. (3) Do whatever it takes to help your Christian brothers and sisters live by God’s standards, even if it is personally inconvenient for you. You might have to make a lifestyle sacrifice for the good of those you lead, but deeply rooted sin must be pulled out altogether, not simply pruned.

DIVINE CHALLENGE

SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART; TEST ME AND KNOW MY ANXIOUS THOUGHTS. POINT OUT ANYTHING IN ME THAT OFFENDS YOU, AND LEAD ME ALONG THE PATH OF EVERLASTING LIFE.   Psalm 139:23-24