04 • 20 • 21

Real Talk about Little Sins

“They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” Jeremiah‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This morning I was reading in the book of Jeremiah the prophet. He wrote to the Israelites warning of their rebellion against God and the consequences of rejecting Him. Not only would they experience God’s wrath, but sin always costs.

Presently, God is speaking to me directly regarding a lack of discipline in my life that’s been leaving me unsettled and lacking joy. I’ll tell you a little secret but keep it between us. I was at the church the other evening and stopped to pick something up in my office. As I headed down the hall past Angela’s office door, I remembered she had a bag of chocolate candies in her cabinet. She’s always been very generous, offering them to us when we crave a little something sweet. I wasn’t hungry, but I thought it would be nice to have a little chocolate for my ride home. (I know it’s only 2 miles.) I reached into the bag and grabbed not one but six pieces of chocolate. While I dug through the bag for my favorites, I had a conversation with myself. “These little chocolates are like one bite each. If I eat six, it will be like eating a candy bar. What crime is there in eating a candy bar?”

When I got home, I was chatting with a friend, telling her how frustrated I was with myself. “I told her how I had just eaten six pieces of chocolate, but I wasn’t even hungry. Why? To be honest, I have felt convicted about my careless eating for a while now. But I’ve reasoned it away.

“I’m super busy, too busy to think about eating healthy.”

“I worked hard today. I should enjoy some tasty food in excess to celebrate.”

“I’m craving Mexican. I could down a basket of chips all by myself.”

“I’m eating on the run. What treats can I find in the convenience store while I fill my car with gas?”

While we talked I thought to myself. “So what’s the big deal about getting a little too stuffed at a meal or eating just because you like the taste?” Well, for me, when I give in to the sin of over-indulgence I then become frustrated with myself. This gives way to complaining, which turns into yelling at my kids. Then I’m feeling guilty for my grumpiness and irritation, which sends me to the pantry for a snack.

I shared all of this with my friend and she expressed she deals with the same challenges. Although her scenarios were different than mine, she said, “Tammy, I just had to acknowledge it as sin. It’s a sin when you know to do right and don’t do it – down to the smallest areas in life.” Her words were like a punch in the gut. She was right. She was absolutely right. And she was willing to call overindulgence what it really is, sin.

For me, eating at times becomes an idol. And the way it tends to stay on the throne of my heart is the fact that I treat the whole thing casually. “It’s not really sin. It’s just a rough patch in my life.”

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James‬ ‭4:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Cor 6:19-20

Speaking of rough patches, are things like complaining, or impatience, or a little road rage really grave sins? What parent doesn’t yell at their kids now and then? Is it really that bad to get annoyed with a rude customer service rep after waiting on the phone for twenty minutes for help? What about careless words? Are they a big deal if I mean no harm?

We often gloss over our little sins and go on with life. We don’t heed God’s instruction in the small things. Because, frankly, my life looks a whole lot better than “so and so’s.”

While describing our sin as personality flaws and hang-ups and just being a “hot mess,” we look for alternative ways to draw close to God than to deal with the small stuff. We negotiate. We assume God will deal casually with us. We tell ourselves God hates sin, but what we often mean is God hates the big sins. The obvious sins. He is only slightly annoyed with our daily, minor sins – perhaps known only to us. Certainly, God understands that we aren’t perfect. Right?

God’s been pressing in. I feel the weight.

Joy comes from obedience, not outward “piety” but inward humility and surrender to God.

When I ignore God’s conviction, even in small matters, it’s as though I have a bone out of joint. I can do my life, but joy and Peace are elusive, and God can often feel distant.

You’ve probably heard the quote by John Owen, but the truth is timeless. “Be killing sin (big and small), or it will be killing you.” (emphasis mine)

Why would God be interested in putting our sins (BIG AND SMALL) to death?

Well, God is holy.

Christ paid the ultimate price for our sin that separated us from God.

Only because of this great sacrifice can we approach a holy, perfect God.

Christ’s blood washes us clean.

Sin is ugly and destroys us like a cancer.

And God knows the wages of sin is death.

But little sins seem to be of no real consequence. Just like a BB gun can’t kill you, my little sins only leave sting. Don’t believe it!

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12

As I close, let’s look at the verse I shared at the top of today’s blog.

“They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”
Jeremiah 6:14

Who were “they?”

They were the priests and the prophets – those who were to guide Israel in the things of God.

The problem is, they were assuring Israel that God would somehow overlook their disobedience. They wanted to heal the wound of conviction with words of peace but not repentance.

They wanted to heal the wound of conviction with words of peace but not repentance.

“No worries. You’re good.” They lied to the people. Rebellion was in the heart of all of Israel. I thought about my own life and how I seek to be “godly” while harboring small sins God has condemned.

“There, there, Tammy. It’s okay. God understands.”

God understands that sin, paint it any way you want, in doses big and small, leads to death.

God is hard on sin because He is full of love and rich in mercy toward us. He is better to us than we are to ourselves. God knows that sin will eventually destroy. And He wants us to be free to walk with Him in true peace. And He warns us of the dangers of sin:

7Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:6-8

So what do we do? Do we utter words to ourselves in hushing tones, “Shh, shh, shh, Peace. Peace. God will understand.”? Or do we deal brutally with our sin – no matter the size, so that we can walk in freedom and peace made available to us by His Son?

Let our prayer be for God to show us our sin as He sees it and for Him to help us do away with it in our hearts and lives.

“Father, I begin my day confessing my absolute need for You to empower me by Your Holy Spirit to see sin and put it death in my life. I need Your prompting. I need Your mercy. I need Your wisdom and help. Guide my steps as I seek to live in You. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”