Check your "log!" 012313

Matthew 6:24 ESV
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We've had a look at the love of money and how it can be so subtle and easy to miss.  And that led me to greed.  Yeah, ouch!

See like to think of greed as we do avarice.  If it's not big and obvious and abusive then it must not be there.  Right?  Well not really.

See, we have been somewhat numbed to sin as sin with no degrees or shades.  We have actually come to a place where we talk about "little" sins and "big" sins.  We have even come to find comfort in opposing and fighting some sins while conveniently ignoring others.

Oh, this is nothing "new" but in considering the passage in Matthew I was struck that it is a clear either/or with no buffer room at all.  So, if I am a "little greedy," or a little mammonish I'm on the wrong side of the line.

Yes, we all sin.  But we must keep the following in mind AND heart:

1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will not cease to battle sin this side of heaven but it is a battle we must keep clearly in view.  We must faithfully seek the Spirit's conviction, faithfully confess our sins and faithfully repent - knowing His promise of forgiveness is realized through the blessing of conviction and repentance.

Consider also:

Luke 6:41-42 ESV
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Our sin should be "logs" to us.  Our brothers' sins but specks.  God did not forgive me my brothers' sins but my own.  He did not die for my brothers' sin to redeem me but died for my sins.

I have no "specks" only logs.  If I have grown to see them as specks I am well and sadly deceived.  But, being received is not sin, just it's "on ramp.". If I do not seek/pray to discover my decievedness then I sin.  If I ignore my deception when it is exposed, I sin.