Hebrews 11:24-26 – By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

THEME OF THE DAY: IT’S A DAILY CHOICE. As Christians, we really don’t have to continually fall to temptation and sin. Now before we go back to back with a theological debate over our remaining sin and the truth we do sin, let’s consider these scriptures. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:6, 14). And from the Apostle John, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). Another important part of scripture affirming we don’t have to sin is found in Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery. After our Lord forgives her, He says, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more” (John 8:10).

When it comes to the Christian life and our sinning, it really is a matter of choice. I know this is hard truth, but Biblical truth. As Christians, God has given us everything we need to fight and overcome sin – all sin. And He has made provision in His Son as our advocate when we do sin, but don’t let the intercessory work of Jesus become a license to sin or become an attitude soft on sin (1 John 2:1-2). Again, let me emphasize the truth that we simply do not have to fall into sin. It will always be a choice. We see that in today’s scripture with Moses, but let’s explore this a little deeper from the angle of the fact we do sin when we need not sin.

First, we sin out of an impulsive act of being spiritually undisciplined and lacking Holy Spirit self-control. The greatest example of this is when emotions run high, things are not going the way we want, and we unleash a barrage of unkind, unhealthy, unedifying, and sinful speech. It could be in the context of parenting rebellious children, a tense moment in a marriage, a strong disagreement among Christians, or unfair treatment on the job. The words that come out of our mouths reveal the condition of our hearts. And here is the truth about our speech. If we are not daily seeking to abide in Christ through His Word and prayer; if we are not daily cultivating a life under the control of the Holy Spirit; and if we are not renewing our minds in the truth of the Bible, we will commit some impulsive act of sin and that will likely be in our speech. And if we don’t recognize this, we will live in a state of unreconciled sin with the Lord over words we spoke to someone that grieved His Spirit. I am afraid there are too many Christians lacking joy and intimacy with the Lord because of sins of speech impulsively spoken of other Christians or unsaved people which have never been reconciled. The cause of this sin is single. An uncontrolled tongue producing sinful speech comes from a heart not controlled by the Spirit of God who disciplines the mind, guards the heart, and ultimately constrains our speech” (Ephesians 4:29-32). And this sin of the tongue is willful because it came from a life which chose not to get close and stay close to Jesus and learn the Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled life.

Next, we sin out of doing the opposite of what Moses did in today’s scripture. We choose the fleeting pleasures of sin instead of identifying with the Lord Jesus. What a thought! To choose the thing that killed Jesus and the very thing He delivered us from is the highest display of disrespect. Let that sink in. When we sin, we are basically saying to the Lord Jesus, “I value more my sinful passions and desires than You.” Remember, sin is a daily choice. We either choose to allow it or fight against it. May God help us choose wisely.

PRAYER: “Father, show me the glory of holiness that outshines the fleeting pleasures of sin.”

QUOTE: “The greatest deterrent to sin is the loveliness of Jesus. No Christian would willfully sin against such beauty”.