Welcome to my blog, or should I say to the ramblings of an old man. I doubt that my ramblings are of much value, but at least I have an opportunity to share them.  So, please be kind and humor me. If nothing else of value stands out in these thoughts, I hope that you at least sense the value I place on a daily walk with the Lord.  That walk is what has provided me with motivation and a sense of purpose throughout my lifetime.  My prayer is that you, too, are experiencing this direction and joy in daily living which is available to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.  So, thanks again for joining me.  Please don't go without leaving some comments here so I can get to know you better as our paths intersect today in this blog.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Sin

Everybody has been stunned by the charges brought against Jerry Sandusky for sexual abuse of children. How could a well known, apparently successful man like Sandusky do something like this? Unfortunately, the answer is very simple. It is because of something that nobody wants to talk about anymore, including many "politically correct preachers". It is that three letter word, SIN. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Sexual sins have not been uncommon among public figures. Just look at the politicians and prospective presidential candidates who have been forced to drop out of public office because of extra marital affairs. Then there is a recent former President who was charged with sexual encounters with an intern. He was impeached but not convicted and he held on to his position. But you say that these situations weren't as bad as what Sandusky is charged with doing. In some respects you may be right. But they were all immoral acts and they were SIN. And such actions by public figures aren't new. They have happened frequently throughout history. Today's media just makes them more visible in the news. Even the Bible records mankind as it is, sinful. What about King David? The Bible doesn't hide his affair that produced a child followed by a terrible plan that had his mistress's husband killed. But it isn't just well know leaders who do these deeds, it is people like us. It is no longer uncommon to see teachers fired because of their sexual sins with students. Pastors have lost their positions for sexual affairs. People are found with child porn. So called "ordinary" folks are charged with sexual abuse of children. Sexual abuse of children often happens right in the home. And when we hear these stories, we are shocked. Sin is no respecter of persons or position. And maybe we shouldn't be too critical of those who yield to these temptations, as evil as they really are. But for the grace of God it could be us. And we may be guilty as well. Matthew 5:28, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." And the sin of one can have such profound effects on many others. I personally have some sympathy for folks, like those at Penn State, who are being punished for their actions or lack of actions in dealing with the situation there. We can all proudly say what should have been done, but until you have walked in their shoes, you don't really know what you would have actually done. In my early years as a department chairman, charges were brought against one of my best teachers. He was an excellent and well respected coach, a father of two young girls. And he was a good friend. Yet he was tempted, gave in, and had sexual contacts with a senior girl. I never had any indication that something like this was going on and even when the charges were presented, I still found it hard to believe. Even today, decades later, I still find it hard to believe. But in this case there was proof and the teacher immediately resigned to avoid being fired. If the information had first come to me, I would have passed it on to my superiors and then stayed out of it because of our relationship. If they hadn't acted on it, would I have then gotten fired? Just be glad that you've never faced such a situation. But sin is sin and it can have disastrous results on a wide range of people. The scripture sums up our situation in Ephesians 2, "In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger." What a sad commentary on the human race, but thankfully there is more. "But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved." And this is our only hope.

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