Baptist City Blog

Wearied With the Journey

John 4:6

“Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.”

One of the things that is encouraging about the Scriptures is that God is not afraid to show us the physical side of Jesus Christ. Though Jesus is the Son of God, and always has been, He also put on robes of flesh to show every person how to successfully live the Christian life.

The verse above says, “Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey,…” Jesus got physically tired just like you do. While doing the will of the Father, Jesus’ body became weary. You must notice that Jesus was not weary with doing God’s will, but He became weary with his physical journey. He got tired, just like you get tired. He was physically worn out, just like you get physically worn out. How he handled the weariness of the journey shows how every Christian should handle themselves when they are weary to keep themselves from becoming weary with the journey of serving God. Let me show you three thoughts about Jesus that will help you when you become weary with the journey.

First, it is normal to become weary in serving the LORD. You must remember that you are in a spiritual war. You are not a bad or wicked person because you become physically weary. I remember as a young man hearing men talk about the little sleep they got as they served the LORD. I thought that I must be very unspiritual because I just couldn’t keep going on the rest I received, and it was more rest than these men. I soon realized that there was nothing wrong with becoming physically weary. You must be careful that you don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are unspiritual because you are physically tired. Everyone has a different physical makeup, and as long as you are not using your weariness as a crutch to not serve the LORD, then it is normal. If Jesus became weary, then you will become weary as well.

Second, you must take time for physical rest to keep yourself from spiritual weariness. There are a few times in the Scriptures when Jesus took time and rested. If you are not careful, you will spiritually kill yourself because you feel guilty every time you take time to rest. Nobody can go nonstop without it eventually breaking them down. If you don’t get rest, your physical or spiritual body will break down. When your physical body breaks down, you will lose your health and the strength to be able to serve the LORD to your capacity. If your spiritual body breaks down, you will most likely succumb to sin’s temptation. You must have time to rest so that you can serve the LORD your entire life.

Third, in your time of rest, continue to help. You will notice that even when Jesus was taking time to rest, His spiritual awareness did not stop. He still helped people as He rested. Isaiah 40:31 teaches that the way to gain strength is to “wait upon the LORD.” Keep your eyes open to witness to people, for nothing will recharge you like winning someone to Christ. Though you’re resting, God will still send someone your way whom you can help to help recharge your spiritual battery. Don’t stop resting your spiritual awareness in times of physical rest.

Your goal in serving the LORD should be to serve Him your entire life. If you are going to be successful at this, you will need to take some time to rest. Don’t run yourself into the ground and wish you would have listened. God knows you will get weary with the journey. So, when you become weary, follow the Saviour’s example of resting, yet waiting.

But Some Went Their Way

John 11:46

“But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.”

There is a story about a vessel that cruised the Mediterranean in search of a bank that existed beneath some treacherous waters. After the captain of the ship had exhausted all of his resources to find this bank, he declared that this supposed bank was simply a dream. On the same ship was an officer who believed differently. He organized his own expedition and discovered the rocks and reefs, and reported it so that it could be added to the charts so ships would be safe.

When the captain heard of this, he mocked its discovery. He said the next time he sailed those waters he would sail his ship over that spot to prove this officer wrong. Two years later, this captain was sailing to Naples. One windy night he examined the charts with the master of the ship, and saw these reefs on the chart. Again, he mocked that these reefs were not there, and declared that he would sail over that exact spot to prove them wrong. To demise of this ship, this captain sailed over those reefs only to break up the ship. Everyone escaped safely to land, except the captain. He died in those waters because of his unbelief.

In the verse above, there were people who knew that Lazarus had been dead for three days. They saw what everyone else saw. They knew that the stone had been rolled over the front of the tomb. They knew that his sisters had mourned for several days. They also saw Jesus come to the tomb and ask for the stone to be rolled away. They heard Jesus call for Lazarus to come forth. They even saw Lazarus with the grave clothes wrapped around his body come out of the tomb. Yet, their unbelief caused them to walk away and deny the miracle they had seen with their own eyes. Their unbelief eventually led to the efforts to destroy Jesus. Sadly, these people knew the truth, but chose to believe the lie in their heart because of unbelief. Just like the captain of the ship, their unbelief led to their eventual eternity in Hell.

Unbelief is an amazing tool that will destroy the best of people. Unbelief has caused many people to hear the truth, but determine the truth is a lie. Many people have destroyed their life all because they would not believe the truth.

Do you find yourself being so stubborn that it doesn’t matter what you have seen, you go your own way because of unbelief? You must be careful that you don’t allow unbelief to be your demise. Many Christians have heard the truth proclaimed from the pulpit, but walk away in unbelief thinking they knew better, to their own demise.

You must understand that one of the greatest tools Satan uses is unbelief. If he can get you to simply doubt, then he can win the battle. God is a God of absolutes. God does not want us to live in a world of unbelief. God plainly tells us in His Word what is right and wrong. You must be careful that you don’t allow unbelief to cloud your judgment and miss the blessings of God.

The promises of the Word of God are for you. The only thing that will keep you from seeing God perform the miraculous in your life is for you to doubt His promises and power. I encourage you to always take God at His Word. If God says He is going to do something, then He will do it. If God says something is wrong, then it is wrong. Unbelief will keep you from seeing God’s promises come true. Don’t cheat your life, and the lives of those whom you influence with your unbelief. Become a person who trusts the power and promises of God. It is when you trust His power and promises that the Christian life will become real and exciting to you.

Christianity 24/7/365

Acts 2:46“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,”

It is no wonder that God blessed the early church in a tremendous way. When studying the Book of Acts, you see that Christianity was not a once a week act; rather, Christianity was 24/7/365. These people took serving the LORD seriously. They understood that Christianity was a way of life, and not a penance that must be paid on a weekly basis.

Two words are important in understanding the success of these Christians. The two words are “daily” and “continually.” You see that these Christians didn’t think that Christianity was only for Sunday morning and night. Daily and continually they served others, praised God, led people to Christ, preached and taught the Word of God, and walked with God in the Scriptures and prayer. These things were not just a once a week action, but they were a daily action that they continually performed. This is why the early church saw such great growth. This is why the early church saw the power of God perform such miraculous actions. This is why the early church saw people saved in abundance. To them, Christianity was a way of life. To them, Christianity was something that was to be done 24/7/365.

If you want to see God do miraculous things in your life, then Christianity is going to have to become a way of life. You will never see God doing great things in your life when Sunday is the only day that is the LORD’s day. Christianity is not one and done. We have seen so much Hollywood and television Christianity that is a performance that we forget that true Christianity is to be lived 24/7/365. When a person makes Christianity their way of life they live 24/7/365, that is when God begins to do great things through their life.

One may wonder why we don’t see great Christians like those of the past. My answer to that would be that Christians in the past understood that the Christian life was their life. They were not part-time Christians, but they were full-time Christians. They didn’t have a full-time career and served God part-time, rather, they served God full-time and had a part-time career. Their job was a necessary part of life to pay the bills so they could serve God in a greater manner. They didn’t put God on the back burner and bring Him out every Sunday; rather, every day and in every place God was their life. On the job they talked about Christ. Every morning they spent time reading the Scriptures and talking to God in prayer. Every day they praised God in the public arena. They witnessed to every person with whom they came in contact. Every need a person had they saw as an opportunity to be a help to someone. The Christians of the past realized that Christianity was to be lived 24/7/365.

Let me ask you, are you living Christianity 24/7/365? Is Christianity a way of life to you? Let me challenge you to make the Christian life your way of life. Let me challenge you not to put God in a box and bring Him out on the weekends. If you really want God to use you in a great way, then you are going to have to serve God 24/7/365.

Give Wrath Some Space

Romans 12:19

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”

Has someone ever done something that angered you so much that you wanted to retaliate? I imagine everyone has faced this at some point in their life. Life is filled with hurts and injustices. It is in these times when our Christianity is tested and our testimony is on the line. All it takes is one act of retaliation to ruin a testimony that you worked so hard to build.

There is a process that many people go through that leads to retaliation. First, a person has been hurt or experiences an injustice. Someone does something to you, and you are hurt by this person. Normally, this is not done by your enemy, for you would expect this from them, but this is done by someone to whom you were close. This hurt or injustice, if not quickly dealt with, leads to anger. Anger is a human response to hurt and injustice. It is at this point when you must be careful, because anger not dealt with properly will lead to wrath.

Wrath is simply anger that wants revenge. It is like a time bomb ready to explode inside you. When wrath is present, then you must be very careful, because wrath can come out and do many hurtful things that you will regret later in life. God says that you must “…give place unto wrath:…” In other words, you must give wrath some space. Giving place for wrath simply means that you must give God the time to work out your situation. Notice, God said that vengeance belongs to Him. God is teaching that you must allow Him the time to take care of your situation. Let me give you some thoughts about dealing with hurts and injustices.

First, don’t react to hurts or injustices. God says, “…avenge not yourselves…” God is simply trying to teach you that you must not react when someone hurts you or when you experience an injustice. These are going to happen, but you must learn that reacting will hurt you more than it will hurt the one whom you want to retaliate against.

Second, trust God and wait on His timing. God knows when you have done nothing wrong, and He will take care of the situation in His timing. God’s timing will not always seem to be quick enough, but He knows the best time to deal with that person. The difference between how God deals with a situation is that God exercises vengeance to restore someone, and we exercise vengeance to hurt someone. God knows when you have done nothing wrong, and in His timing He will take care of the situation. You must give it to God and let Him fight the battle for you.

Third, sometimes the best reaction is to step away. When you have been hurt, you simply need to give yourself space away from that person so that you don’t do something dumb. I’ve learned that when I’m angry, the best thing I can do is step away until my passions subside.

Last, do good to overcome your evil desires. Verse 21 says, “…overcome evil with good.” The best way to stop your desire to hurt someone is to do good to them. When you find out they have a need, then do what you can to help them. This will certainly take God’s help, but this is how you deal with those whom you want to hurt.

Christian, you have worked hard to have a good testimony, and all it takes is one moment of retaliation to ruin it. Be careful that you don’t let your anger turn to wrath. Give yourself some space by letting God act in your place. God knows how to avenge your wrong. Trust Him, and you will find that He will deal with it better than you can, and He will keep your name from being tarnished.

The Key to a Happy Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:4

“The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”

God intended for marriage to be one of the most enjoyable relationships in life. A good marriage shows what Christ’s relationship to the church should be like. As Christians, your marriage should be something that you cherish.

As enjoyable as marriage is supposed to be, it can also be just as distasteful. When I think of a happy marriage, I think of my grandparents who were married for seventy-two years. I admired their relationship and the joy they had together. On the other hand, I have watched couples who made marriage look so miserable that if one were single, you might give a second thought about ever getting married.

The difference between an enjoyable marriage and one that is horrible is found in the verse above. The key to a happy marriage is having the right mindset. The verse above teaches that the husband and wife do not have “power” over their own body. In other words, they don’t belong to themselves, but they belong to their spouse. This is the difference between those who are happily married and those who’s marriage is disastrous. Those who are happily married are not involved in the relationship for themselves; rather, they seek the welfare of their spouse. This mindset will determine whether or not you have a happy marriage.

Society has pushed that a married person doesn’t have to do what their spouse tells them to do. This mindset has created selfish marriages. Husbands don’t think of their wife, they only think about what they want. Vice versa, the wife is doesn’t believe the husband has a right to tell her what to do because she is an adult. This mindset has created marriages that are filled with strife, because neither is willing to let their spouse tell them what to do. You can look at every divorce and see that there was a selfish mindset between that couple.

If you want to have a happy marriage, then you are going to have to change your mindset to realizing you belong to your spouse. The Scriptures teach that your spouse has every right to your body. The mentality that you don’t have to meet your spouse’s need is unscriptural. You don’t own your body, your spouse does. When something is owned, it really doesn’t have an opinion. In other words, you should set your opinions and selfishness aside, and allow your spouse to have the ownership of you as the Scriptures teach.

The way this is accomplished is found in the previous verse. God says, “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.” The word “benevolence” means, kindness. In other words, learn to be kind to your spouse at all times. The desire in your marriage should be to find ways to be kind to your spouse. When you take on the mindset that you belong to your spouse, it will not be hard to find ways to show kindness.

Let me encourage you to be careful about having the worldly mentality that your spouse doesn’t have a right to tell you what to do. The key to a happy marriage is realizing your spouse literally owns your body. When you adopt this mentality, you will find it easy to want to please your spouse. You will find it easy to “render…benevolence” to your spouse. It is your choice, you can be selfish in your marriage and have a horrible marriage, or you can adopt Christ’s counsel that you belong to your spouse and find that marriage is the most enjoyable relationship you can have apart from your relationship with Christ.

Godly Sorrow Vs. Worldly Sorrow

2 Corinthians 7:9-10

“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

We see in the verses above that there are two sorrows you must deal with in life. When I talk about sorrow, I am talking about a person being sorry when their sin is revealed. When a person is caught doing wrong, their heart will either have a godly or worldly sorrow. Each sorrow leads to a different end, and each sorrow truly reveals the heart. Let me show you each of these sorrows.

The first type of sorrow is godly sorrow. Godly sorrow is a sorrow that is caused because you know you did wrong, and you want to get right with God. This sorrow always causes a person to get right and change what they were doing. Often a person will say they are sorry, but godly sorrow will cause them to change their ways.

However, there is a worldly sorrow that only leads to death. Worldly sorrow is when a person is sorry that they got caught. They are not sorry that they did wrong, only that someone caught them. You can identify this sorrow by how they respond to being caught. Worldly sorrow causes a person to lash back, attack the one who exposed their sin, cause them to try to explain their sin away, point the blame to someone else, try to change the story so they can continue their sin, and will cause a person to become bitter towards the one who exposed their sin.

Let me explain by showing you two different people. Saul had a worldly sorrow. When the prophet came to Saul to expose his sin, he tore the prophets garment wanting to save his reputation with the people. Saul was more concerned with his perception with people than he was with correcting his sin. Saul’s sorrow led him to attack those who were closest to him and those who wanted to help him the most. On the other hand, when the prophet came to David, he had a godly sorrow. Instead of attacking the prophet, David’s godly sorrow caused him to get right with God. David’s godly sorrow was not as concerned with how the people saw him, but rather with getting his relationship right with God. The end of these two men show their sorrow as Saul’s sin caused his death, and David’s spirit was revived.

Worldly sorrow always causes death. Romans 6:23 teaches, “For the wages of sin is death…” Christian, you can get upset with those who expose your sin, but you truly need to get right with God and turn from your sinful ways. Instead of getting upset with the messenger when you do wrong, you need to have godly sorrow that will lead you to changing your ways. Godly sorrow always lead to happiness. I challenge you to have such a tender heart towards God that when your sin is revealed, you accept the admonishment and change your way. This is what leads to true happiness.

Let me take this one other direction. If you are a leader who must confront someone with their sin, you must determine whether their sorrow is godly or worldly. Knowing the difference will determine how you must deal with that person. As a parent, you cannot allow worldly sorrow in your home. You need to work with your children so that they understand the death that sin brings. As a leader in the church or workplace, a person who has godly sorrow can be trusted, but a person with worldly sorrow will hurt you and others around them; you cannot allow them to hold any leadership positions. Knowing which type of sorrow a person has will determine their usefulness. Only use those who have godly sorrow, for their heart is tender towards God.

Watch Out For the “Who”

Galatians 5:7

“Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

God likens the Christian life to a race. Normally a race is an individual sport where only one person receives the prize; however, the Christian race is a relay race in which everyone can receive a prize. What is interesting about the Christian race is that though we are all on the same team, some on the team will receive a prize and others will not.

Twice in the Book of Galatians, God asked these Christians who caused them to fall away from the truth. He did not ask them “what” caused them to fall away from the truth, for things are not the greatest cause of compromise. Certainly, there are some who left the truth for the pleasures of this present world, but things are not the common thread for which someone compromises from truth. God asked these Christians “who” caused them to fall away. It is commonly a person who will cause others to compromise.

There are two ways that people cause compromise. First, God asks in Galatians 3:1, “…who hath bewitched you,…” The word “bewitched” means, charmed or fascinated. In other words, some people compromise because someone was charming enough to get you to leave the truths of the Word of God. Being “bewitched” is almost like someone cast a spell over you with their charming words and fascinating personality. God is warning you to watch out for the suave personality who can speak so well that they can charm you away from truths of the Word of God.

The second way people cause you to compromise is found in the verse above when God says, “…who did hinder you…” The word “hinder” means, to beat back. God is warning that if you are not careful, you will become so tired of being beaten up from the attacks of others that you will finally give in and compromise. These attacks are not always from the heathen or even liberals; rather, these attacks often come from within your own ranks. Many people have become so tired of being beaten up that they compromise. Let me give you some cautions about these thoughts.

First, be careful with whom you associate. If people can charm you into compromise, then you must be careful to whom you listen. Many people listen to and read the books of liberals for the sake of ideas, only to allow their charming words to pull them away from the truth. Christian, be very careful about whom you allow to influence you. Anytime you read someone’s book, listen to them teach or preach, you are allowing them to influence you. Don’t let them charm or fascinate you away from the truth.

Second, no matter how good someone says something, always make sure what they said is confirmed by the Word of God. There are many people who have been fascinated by an individual that they take their statements as gospel. Let me warn you that nobody should ever be given that open sheet in your life. You should make sure everything you hear from others is confirmed by the Word of God. Make God’s Word your final authority.

Third, never let the battle tire you into compromising. It does get tiring fighting battles. If you are not careful, the Devil will get you to compromise because you are tired of fighting. Don’t let the battle cause you to compromise. Don’t give up! The Devil will keep sending battles your way just to get you to compromise if he knows that’s what it takes to get you to surrender.

Christian, always be careful of the “who” in your life. The “who” will cause you to compromise more than the “what.”Let these guidelines guide you so that it can never be said about you, “who” was it that caused you to compromise.

Unlocking the Door to Limitless Accomplishments

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Imagine having the ability to accomplish anything you set your mind to do. If you could do something like this, your future potential would be tremendous. The confidence that you would have going into each project would be astounding. Well, there is a way you can unlock the door to be able to accomplish anything you set your mind to do. The verse above shows how to unlock the door so that there is no limit to what you can accomplish.

First, you must take personal responsibility for your own actions. The very first word in this verse is “I.” You will never be able to accomplish anything until you take personal responsibility for your own actions. Excuses cannot be a part of your life. Excuses are simply a crutch for laziness and lack of initiative. The door to limitless accomplishments starts to unlock when you decide to lay aside every excuse and take personal responsibility for your own actions.

Second, you must believe that you can accomplish what you set out to do. Notice this verse says, “I can…” If you don’t believe that you can accomplish what you are doing, then you surely are not going to do it. Half of the battle is in your head. Whenever you start a project, you must remove all doubts and carry the belief that it can be done. This is part of the key to unlocking the door to limitless accomplishments.

Third, you must not put a limit on what can be done. Notice the verse above says, “I can do all things…“ It did not say some things, but “all things.” Don’t put a limit on what God can do through any project. Leave the door open for the LORD to do greater things than what you could imagine. I fear we often limit what God wanted to do because we close our mind to the possibilities of what God wanted to do. Don’t ever get to the point where you think that part of what you are doing is possible, but there is a limit to what can be done. Go into every project with an open mind and heart for God to do more than what you thought could be done. When God opens greater doors, don’t slam the doors shut, but walk through them and trust the God Who opened them for you.

Fourth, here is the key to this whole verse. The key to unlocking the door to limitless accomplishments is getting God involved in every step. Every accomplishment must be done through Christ, or else you will find yourself hitting the ceiling and limiting your potential. Don’t let Christ be an afterthought, but let Him be the One Whom you rely on throughout the whole project. Start every project with prayer, then continue to bathe it in prayer as you work through the project.

God says when you do all these things, He will strengthen you. In other words, God is saying that if you will do all these things, that He will give you the strength to overcome anything that may try to hinder you from accomplishing the tasks that you attempt. You may not have the strength when you start the project, but if you will follow each of these steps, you will find the strength you need at the moment you need it.

Where are you in this process of unlocking the door to limitless accomplishments? Christian, I challenge you to raise your horizon on what God can do through you. You ultimately determine what God can do through you by how much you follow His advice in this verse. Unlock the door in your life to limitless accomplishments and step out and go after what the LORD has laid on your heart to do.

The Importance of God

Numbers 6:6-7

“All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.”

One of the things I appreciated about my mother is that she never stopped teaching me. To the day of her death my mother taught me the importance of God. One month before she went to Heaven, I was at my mother’s hospital bed, when she made me promise not to cancel a meeting when she went to Heaven. She expressed to me that she would be fine because she would be in Heaven, and that God’s work shouldn’t be cancelled because she was gone. Though it was difficult to fulfill that promise, I’m glad she taught me that God is more important than anything or anyone.

This principle is taught in the verse above. God commanded the Nazarite not to defile his body by touching the dead, even if the dead were an immediate family member. God said the reason they could not touch the dead is because they were consecrated to God. In other words, God took preeminence over family, friends and possessions. He took preeminence because they were consecrated to Him.

The word “consecration” in the verse above means, “to be declared or separated for God.” In other words, when a person took the Nazarite vow, they declared themselves for God. They set themselves apart for God’s service. It is similar to a person enlisting in the armed forces. For four years that person declares themselves as a soldier for their country. They belong to their country until that vow is over. Likewise, the Nazarite set themselves apart for God, and He took preeminence over all.

The importance of God can certainly be seen in this verse. Too many people today don’t understand God demands that He take preeminence over everything in their lives. You may think you didn’t take the Nazarite vow, and you surely didn’t, but when you got saved you signed yourself over to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” You can see that when you got saved your body became the “temple of the Holy Ghost;” therefore, God should take preeminence over everything in your life because you belong to Him.

Furthermore, God commands in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Christian, you have no choice but to put God first in every area of your life. That means that God should never be pushed back for something else. If you must choose between God and something else, you always choose God. He is more important than anything in your life.

Though you may think that if you do this you will lose in life, that is not what Matthew 6:33 teaches. This verse teaches that if God takes preeminence over everything in your life then He will be sure to take care of you. When you make God more important than anything, including family, then He will be sure to add to your life.

My question for you is this, does God take preeminence in your life? Is God of more importance than your job, money, friends and family? This is what God desires, and this is what He demands. You will never lose when you make God the most important aspect of your entire life.

It Catches Up

Numbers 20:28

“And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount.”

There are many stories in the Scriptures that sadden me as I read them, and the story from the verse above is one of them. Aaron had a big part in Israel coming out of Egypt. He was Moses’ right hand man. He stood in the beginning with Moses when nobody understood that he would lead Israel out of Egypt. When others attacked Moses, Aaron was always by his side. When others questioned Moses’ leadership, Aaron was the one who vindicated him. Aaron could have easily hurt Moses and caused division in Israel, but he did not.

Yet, one action caused Aaron to miss the Promised Land. That one action led to the verse above when it says, “And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar…” I can only imagine the humiliation this must have brought. For close to forty years, Aaron wore those garments. For forty years Aaron was the high priest, but his actions finally caught up with him and caused him to be stripped of his garments.

Christian, sin always catches up to people. I have watched many people think they got away with something, only to see it catch up to them in the end. This story of Aaron being stripped of his garments can teach us several lessons that we must keep fresh on our minds.

First, one bad action can ruin years of many good actions. Honestly, this seems unfair, but it is simply the way of life. If you were to honestly look at Aaron’s life, you would find more good than bad, but one bad action cost him his dream. You must always remember that all it takes is one bad decision to ruin years of hard work. It only takes one time to destroy everything for which you have worked. Don’t let one bad action ruin years of hard work.

Second, sin always strips you of your dignity. The humiliation that Aaron experienced must have been great. To have the robes of the high priest stripped from him and given to another had to be humbling. Here was a man who was second-in-command, yet one action took that from him. You must always remember that sin will humiliate you and strip you of your dignity. Sin doesn’t care who you are or what you have done, the only thing it cares about is taking your dignity from you. Always remember that if you choose to sin, you choose to let it strip you of your dignity.

Third, your actions will catch up to you. You may think that you have gotten away with what you’ve done, but it will catch up. Many years had passed from the time that Moses and Aaron smote the rock, but it caught up to them. I have never found the person who is fast enough to outrun sin. Sin always seems to outrun any person. Always remember that you will not get away with what you are doing.

Finally, God still forgave Aaron. This is my favorite thought about this story. Though sin caught up to Aaron and he was stripped of his dignity, he still went to Heaven. Christian, God is in the forgiving business. If you will fess up to what you have done, you will find that God will forgive you. The best way to keep sin from stripping you of your dignity is to confess your sin to God and let Him forgive and cleanse you from it.

Don’t ever forget that sin takes and never gives. Sin has horrible consequences, and you must daily ask God to keep you from sin’s temptation. When temptation comes, always remember this story of Aaron and remember that if you yield to sin’s temptation, this will eventually become your story.