A Vision of Sin

"You have heard that the law of Moses says, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart." -Matthew 5:27, 28(NLT)

The Challenge:If sin is planted in your heart, get rid of it as soon as possible - or else it will take root and be very difficult to deal with later.

The Vision: I first saw us as the purest soil; dark, moist, and perfect. Then I saw lust, representing any sin: a tiny, tiny seed that I had planted below the surface; barely noticeable. I quickly realized that if I were to dig the seed of lust out from the soil as soon as I saw it, it would do little damage to the soil (my life). Sure, the surface was broken a little but you can't get rid of sin without some brokenness.

Then I saw what would happen if I decided not to deal with the sin immediately - just ignore it, or worse, feel okay about it staying in my life. The seed slowly began to grow below the surface, rooting itself before it was to breach into the sunlight. After it developed a complex root system, it broke into the open air, where everyone could see it, and sprout into a large tree. The roots of this now massive tree infiltrated every part of the soil. You could no longer dig it up without serious damage to the soil. It sucked the nutrients from the soil and disrupted it's balanced state.

Sin is sin - whether we just plant the seed or let it grow, it will affect our lives. It is better to get rid of sin sooner than later. Jesus went even so far to say afterwards, "So if your eye causes you to sin - even if it is your good eye - gouge it out and throw it away… It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." He's not wanting us to go get a stick and thrust it into our anterior cavity (or your eye) - but, He is very serious about staying away from sin.

Christian men especially, need to hear and take heed of the warnings a father gives his son in Proverbs, chapter 5.

Proverbs 5:8, 9 - "Run from her [the immoral woman]! Don't go near the door of her house! If you do, you will lose your honor and hand over to merciless people everything you have achieved in life."

Proverbs 5:21 - "For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his incredible folly."

I'll end with this - Jesus' words to the adulteress (ironic, or is it?) pictured above from John 8: "Go and sin no more."