I Think 100 Cookies Will Help Me Feel Better
By Justin Talbert
“Daddy,” moaned my sick 4-year-old from bed. “My tummy hurts. I need a hundred cookies. It will fix me.”
I started to laugh … Until I realized I use the same logic.
In some sense, I am (we all are) spiritually sick and hungry. That’s why we go looking for satisfaction. For a cure.
But when we don’t look to Christ, things get frightening real quick. We step into the realm of sin.
And here’s something I’ve learned all too well: sin brings about personal ruin. By “sin,” I mean any rebellion against God. And by “personal ruin,” I mean … personal ruin!
Even if done in private, when not confessed and dealt with, sin will affect our relationships. It can even wreck our marriages.
Sin, any sin—from lying to gossip to porn to shoplifting—subtracts from our humanity. And since we’re one flesh with our spouse, the ruin is felt. Left unattended, its roots grow deep enough to meddle with the very foundation of our marriage—Jesus. And our relationship with Him. Like an infection, it spreads, often silently, always dangerously.
So let’s work with God to kill our sin. Yes, the one you’re thinking about right now. Our identity with and in Christ enables us to both see sin for what it is—a blinding lie, a false promise—and then put it to death.
It’s an intimidating endeavor! It helped me to admit that sin does bring pleasure. Like, when I disobey God, it actually feels good.
Admitting that brought perspective to my daily sin. I gossip because the temporary pleasure gives me a social high. Shoplifting could grant me a shot of adrenaline—and a free TV (haven’t personally done this, but you get the point).
Ah, but here’s the key: This kind of pleasure does not translate to happiness. Bingo. Sin creates a hungrier life, not a happier life.
Kinda like eating a hundred cookies. Ish?
Listen to Alex Kendrick talk about how “Sin Is Like a Weed” on this episode of FamilyLife® Today.
The Good Stuff: Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)
Action Steps: Killing sin is usually a team sport. Grab your closest friend(s) or pastor and say, “I’m at a point in my life now where I need to take my holiness seriously. Here’s what I’m struggling with. It’s bad. And I want it dead. Will you link arms with me?”
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