Which side of a pair of scissors is more important? Which wing on an airplane do you need most? In a rowboat, which side needs the oar most? I hope these are rhetorical questions for you, or else we need to talk.
During my pre-ministry life, when I worked in a handful of different jobs to pay my way through Bible college, I have to admit that the above questions weren’t so obvious for me.
I would go to classes and study the Bible, theology, Greek, church leadership… and then I would get my uniform on and serve tables, cook, work a shift…etc. As I interacted with other employees, I became great friends with many of them, and almost everyone knew I was going to school to be a pastor. Knowing this, and seeing my good Christian behavior, they all lined up to hear me share the gospel. I really wish it happened that way (and yes, I was a pretty good Christian). I was not afraid to talk about my faith, and I even discussed it with other Christians as we had opportunity. The other people, however, who were not Christians, respected me and would apologize to me if they ever said a bad word or inappropriate joke around me. They warned each other that I would be the one standing at the pearly gates deciding who would go in and who wouldn’t.
I honestly felt like I was doing exactly what I was supposed to, knowing 1 Peter 3:15 – but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

This is a wonderful verse, but the only problem is that… they don’t ask. I am sure they did in Peter’s day. People were being martyred, miracles were happening, and everyone was very curious about this new “way” as it was called. In my jobs, however, no one ever came to me and asked me how to go to heaven, or who Jesus was. Some would occasionally bring up something, but usually for the purpose of starting a debate. I don’t know that they weren’t interested, but the waiting game was not making a difference.

In the verse at the top, from Acts 8, the people were scattered because they were being persecuted in Jerusalem. They went to Judea, to Samaria, eventually to the ends of the earth (Sound familiar?). As they were scattered, they preached. I don’t know that they got up in a church and after the worship team finished five songs, and the kids were dismissed, that they gave a three-point message. “Preach” means to proclaim, or tell. It is simply communicating an important message. As people went, they told. They certainly lived their faith also, but for them, that wasn’t enough. They knew they needed to show and tell. One without the other doesn’t work well, like half a pair of scissors, or one oar, or one wing on a plane…
In my last full-time job before my first pastorate, I had already been working there for several months before I decided to be more intentional about telling others about my faith. I figured that it would be a long time before I would work side-by-side with so many who didn’t go to church. I admit that I was motivated more out of obligation than love, but it wasn’t long before that changed. I prepared for my martyrdom knowing that I would be killed, fired, or at the very least hated for telling my co-workers about Jesus. I didn’t do it on company time, but individually during lunch, coffee breaks, or after work. Since I was already a friend with them, it was not awkward to invite them to talk with me. I intentionally led the conversations to ask them about their spiritual viewpoints, and then told them what I believed, and how to get to heaven. Within a week and a half, I had “witnessed” to over a dozen people, and lived through it. In fact, all of them appreciated it, and asked lots of questions. I gave Bibles to a few of them, and though I only worked a few months longer there, all of our friendships deepened greatly. One guy even asked me to do his wedding (I had to decline).
I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy working in factories, restaurants, or stores all that much, but God put me in those places, which meant I was entrusted with a divine responsibility to share with my co-workers about my hope. We didn’t keep in contact after I left, and so I don’t know where they are now, but I know that I did what I was called to do and if I get to see them in heaven someday, I know beyond all doubt, that the thrill will vastly outweigh the fear I went through in that factory lunchroom.

A good friend of mine is a volunteer fire-fighter. He had always dreamed of doing that, and so signed up when he moved to his community. Every so often he gets a call to get to the station to help with some emergency. That sounds cool! Unfortunately, however, he can’t go to all of them because of his schedule. Fires, of course, are not scheduled things – they just happen, and the equipped ones rush there to save lives and property.
In this passage above, the first fire arises in the new congregation. Jesus has ascended into heaven, and the apostles are suddenly inundated with a mega church. Everything had been going rather smoothly with the group as a whole. Finances were stable and the group continually grew. One of the ministries of this new congregation was to help take care of the widows. This was a huge need, and so the church helped, but racial tensions meant that some were neglected, and it began to cause a rift in the group.
Fire Alarm – Drop everything and rush to solve the problem. Come up with a program, write a policy, start a campaign… What’s taking Peter, James, & John so long to get here and fix it? Isn’t that their job?
Well, according to them – it’s not.
As a pastor, I know the responsibility to try to make sure the church run’s smoothly. If there is a glitch, or problem, I am inclined to fix it myself. Sometimes there are things that need to be done, and it’s just easier, quicker, and appears to be a better use of time to just get it done rather than find a volunteer to do it. There is something even inviting about doing the other tasks of the church, rather than spending extra time working on a sermon or praying.
The problem, however, is that I have my calling, and it’s not really my place to do some of those other things. It’s easy to take over a project that isn’t being done the way I think is best – after all, I’m the pastor. The problem with that arrogance is just that – it’s arrogant. As if, because I’m the paid guy, I know better how to run a particular aspect of the church. Yes, I am called to give parameters to those leading the team, but when it gets down to it, I’m not gifted to do some of those other things, and therefore not called by God to do them. Is that a copout from “doing my job”? I don’t think so – imagine if I got up and shoved Ryan out of the way, and said I was going to lead the next song. Oh yeah – Joyful noise. It’s probably not all that wise for me to lead the women’s ministry, or to try to be in the nursery during the worship service. Not my calling, not my place, Not my gift, not my privilege… not mine.
The Apostles were called to go make disciples. They knew that they had been trained to develop other’s spiritual walk, and that meant that they had to spend the time studying the word and lots of prayer. As enjoyable as those things are, there is always going to be a desire to do something else. If the passage is “boring”, or if the prayer time feels uninspiring, it’s easy to justify doing something else.
If they had put out the fire themselves, they would have stunk at doing it and they would have prevented the congregation from coming together to solve a big issue. They would have never let Stephen, Philip, or the other’s fulfill their calling that is recorded in the next few chapters of Acts. The guys who were chosen quickly arose and did the job well. They also soon became incredible assets to the movement Jesus started.
As I look at our church, I am very pleased to see that most of our group is actively serving Christ inside Genesis. So many of our volunteers are discovering their calling. Yet even as I am writing this, I know of some fires that desperately need some volunteers to come and solve the problem. We are very low on nursery volunteers, we have need of elders, prayer warriors are in short supply, and people who are willing and qualified to disciple others are not easy to come by (Plus other concerns as well). What I’ve experienced numerous times is that when there is a need at the church, God already has someone in the church ready to fill the need. It’s not usually someone I would have first thought of, but as they step up, and then all of us discover just how gifted, called, and blessed that person is to do the job. The previous person was doing it out of faithfulness (that is a good thing), but the next person discovers that this ministry is what they were made for (that is a great thing).
That’s the calling of God! Every Christian has a calling – not just the paid people. Every Christian in every local church from the Spokane Valley to Sydney, Australia has a calling from God. If we, however, don’t follow through with our calling, then someone who is not equipped to handle that fire is trying to do it. Although they may do it with all their heart, they stink at it, they lose their joy, and the whole ministry suffers as a result.
How do you find your calling? Pray, and look for the smoke – there’s a fire that needs your giftedness!

“So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is from men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

These are the words of one of Judaism’s most famous Scholars, Gamaliel. Among other things, he was the Apostle Paul’s teacher back when he was still Saul. Gamaliel was sitting on the counsel as the apostles were arrested. Christianity was spreading rapidly, and multitudes of people were saved daily. The leadership of Israel was concerned, and jealous. So they arrested all of the apostles, and put them in jail. That night, an angel released them. When the counsel found out, they re-arrested them.
“How can we keep them quiet?” “How can we stop them?” “Maybe threaten them further?”
It is so amazing to me that they are still asking this. Beyond question, these are the most educated people in all Israel. They know more about God than anyone on the planet at that time. They are asking the question of how to stop these guys. “We just haven’t been able to stop them because Angels keep showing up and releasing them.” Jesus was resurrected; the angels descended and scared all the guards away. All 12 of the guys were released because an angel set them free. It takes the greatest scholar in all of Israel to suggest an option that is blatantly obvious; God may be in this.
If God is in this, then you can’t win. Not only that, but also you may be fighting against God. They all stroke their beards, say hmm…and then carry on. This is their great opportunity to open their eyes just a hair, but they are unwilling to do it. In fact, they call the disciples in after that and have them all flogged. Which means that were each whipped 39 times (Tradition was that a man will die if he gets whipped 40 times).
As much as I am astonished at their unbelief, I have to admit that I don’t always have as much faith as they do. I have always struggled with this very issue. If God is in something, then it cannot be overthrown. If He is working, then HE is working. I take way too much responsibility for the work of God. Sometimes I try to take the credit, or other times I accept blame. As we are in the process of planting this church, I struggle with fear that I will really mess it up. That I am going to make a poor decision and it will all crumble. As if it depends on my great and vast wisdom to make all of the vital decisions at just the right time so that God can work. (I hope you caught the sarcasm in that). That is way too much pressure for any of us to handle.
Fortunately, God is in it, and Christ made a promise to all of us.

Matt. 16:18 “…I will build My church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.”

I know it’s pretty obvious, but I have to remind myself; I can’t do what only God can do. Only He can build His church, we only get to help. Wait, let me re-phrase that; we actually get to help. Not that He ever needs our help, but He lets us be part of the fun because of the father / child relationship we have. If God is in something, all we need to do is listen, and obey. If we do that, then He alone gets the credit if it works; and if it doesn’t, then he gets the blame if it doesn’t. I don’t need to worry about it, especially since the gates of Hell can’t beat it. Phew, it’s not on our shoulders. We still have some things that are expected of us, but that is just God letting us be part of the process of redemption. Christ always involved people in the process of miracles. Whether it was to unwrap Lazarus, or to accept a boy’s donated lunch and have the disciples hand out the stuff. He will do his work, the work we can’t. So, He is going to build His church! The only question now is, “Who wants to help?”

Peter and John are going to the temple where there are a lot of people gathered. They see a man begging for money who has been unable to walk for his whole life (over forty years). He asks these two for spare change.

“Silver and Gold I do not have.” That statement kills the idea that the apostles were rich. Some have argued that Jesus was wealthy throughout his ministry, but once when he was in the temple, he had to ask for a Denarius to borrow for his object lesson. Peter and John disappointed this guy by saying “we don’t have any cash for you.”

In every story of the Bible, it’s natural to identify with some character in the story (we usually pick the good guy, of course). I can empathize with Peter and John in that one sentence. I don’t have silver or gold.

No, I’m not complaining about a salary, or any lack of funding, but frankly we don’t have the money that larger, established churches have. I can look around at the other churches in the Spokane Valley, and covet their resources and bemoan our “lack”. We don’t have all the programs, the building, all the people, the history, the leadership, and the experience… I don’t have.

I could make a list of things I don’t have and easily use that list as a self-imposed barrier to why we can’t do more for Christ. If you are like me, you may lean on the future regarding stuff like that: “when I get that… then I can do more.”

Moses tried the “I don’t have” excuse on God as he spoke with the Burning Bush. God said to go to Pharaoh and tell him to release the Israelites. Moses was quick to say that he “didn’t have” the ability to speak well, especially in front of a dignitary. God didn’t like that reason very much. As far as God was concerned, Moses had enough. He wasn’t as gifted as some others in speech class, but his ability to communicate was sufficient to get the job done. Moses didn’t want to get involved. Can’t I just go to church and sit and listen? He tried several excuses to get out of doing God’s work. “What if they don’t believe me…?” God then asks an interesting question, “What is that in your hand?” Moses responded by saying, “A staff”. That staff became the very thing that God used to bring all of the plagues on Egypt, to part the red sea, brought the water from the rock, and all sorts of other things. It was just a stick, a branch from some tree that Moses found, and used to help in his shepherding. That dead stick became known as the “Staff of God”.

God is not looking for us to try to use what he has not given to us. He, however, has given to us quite a bit, and He is simply asking, “What’s that in your hand?” What do you have now that you can use for me? Perhaps you have no clue. That’s fine, but ask God to show you what’s in your hand that he can use. You would be surprised what God can use.

Peter and John didn’t have anything to offer this guy but one sentence. Granted, that one sentence was the authority from Christ to heal him. The truth is, however, it will always only be God doing the work. Moses’ stick wasn’t anything valuable. Peter and John had no special ability to say some magical incantation. A kid with five loaves and two fish had simply that, but Christ multiplied it and fed over ten thousand people.

God is not the slightest bit interested in a big budget, highly talented people, impressive anything to do his work. He honestly just wants us to say, “Here I am. Whatever I’ve got, I got from you, and it’s yours to use however you want.”

What an event! There were people in Jerusalem from all over the known world at the time. They were there for the feast of Pentecost. It was one of three feasts in which the Jews were supposed to be in Jerusalem (Feast of Unleavened Bread and The Feast of Tabernacles were the others). The Lord sent the Holy Spirit to indwell the believers at that time. I suppose, among other reasons, it was so that the message would go home with all of those who were there. They heard the message, they responded, and 3,000 were added to the 120 who were already praying regularly. That was quite an increase. 3,000 people came to believe in Christ during that one event.

I was speaking to a pastor recently about church stuff. We were talking about church attendance, and he said he pays no attention to numbers. I respect greatly someone who has that ability to not get caught up in the numbers game, but I don’t know if it’s wise not pay any attention to numbers. Pastors easily fall into the pride of wanting to see if their church is bigger than the other guy’s, but there are other reasons to keep track of numbers besides pride.

In this passage above, I find it interesting that someone decided to count how many people got saved that day. Why would they? Were the apostles into the numbers game? We know that they (or someone) counted when Jesus fed the 5,000 and also the 4,000. The authors also add an aside, to point out that it was that many men, and that they didn’t include women and children in the number. John records that Peter pulled up a catch of 153 fish to the shore.
So, should we pay attention to numbers when it comes to church stuff? The answer has to do with why you want to know. In the Old Testament kings were forbidden to count their troops. This was because they might actually believe that the number of troops helped them win, or perhaps too few might cause them to not have faith. David got in a lot of trouble for counting his troops, and God punished Israel by killing 70,000 men. Gideon was told repeatedly that he had too many troops, and his army went from 32,000 down to 300. All of this was because the people were too interested in numbers, and not trusting that it was God who won their battles, not troops. Aren’t numbers important? There is an entire book of the Bible devoted to, and even named – Numbers.
Why does Luke, here in Acts, record that 3,000 came to Christ? Well, I don’t think it’s in the same category as troops. It’s not a question of whether we can trust in ourselves for a victory, but rather to give God the glory for the spoil from the battle. How does God measure a victory? There is one unique word in this verse that defines the heart of the matter.

Souls

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.

The reason why numbers do matter, and why the Apostles kept track of them was not out of pride, but rather because every one person is a soul, and souls matter! God cares deeply for souls. He keeps close track of them. On that day 3,000 more people souls will not fall into that yawning abyss known as hell. That day 3,000 more souls will be spending forever in God’s presence. That day the narrow road leading to salvation got a lot more traffic. 3,000 more people that made Christ’s crucifixion worth it. 3,000 more – This time men, women, and children were counted, not for the sake of records, but because all of them were one, priceless soul. Souls matter.
We do keep track of numbers at our church. I hope we don’t fall into the prideful numbers game, but we keep track because these souls matter. I pray, and am asking you to also pray that God would add souls to our church, souls who need Christ for the first time. Please, please pray next week as we are gearing up for the Easter season that God would allow us to reach more souls for the cause of Christ

This verse is part of an answer to the question, “Are you going to restore the kingdom now?” They were hopeful, after all they’d been through that they would now get their twelve thrones, they would get their power. Jesus had made that promise that they would sit on twelve thrones over Israel (Matt 19:28). So, they were anticipating that now was the time that all of that would take place. So they ask the question, “Will we now get our authority over everyone?” “Will the bullies in Jr. High now regret how they treated us?” “Will the popular girls in High school wish they had paid more attention to us?” “Will others finally give us respect?” As you read the gospel, you find tidbits of conversations where they vied for position, political pull, even arguments of which of their thrones would be higher than the other’s. So they want to know, “Will we now get our thrones?” “Will things now, finally, get easy?” “Can we now be rich and powerful in your kingdom?”
Maybe I’m being too critical of these guys, but it’s pretty obvious that they weren’t on the same wavelength as Jesus.
Christ’s response was essentially, “No, not yet.”
“So, no power then?”
Oh yes, there is power! It will be a power greater than any you’ve known, but it’s not political, royal, or even material. I’m giving you power for one thing, and one thing only, …to be a witness.
The greatest power bestowed on mankind is the power of God Himself within us. The sum total of that power is to effectively be a witness – anywhere. Home (Jerusalem), our region (Judea), even across the country (Samaria), well, anywhere, everywhere, and for all of time. (Remotest parts of the earth). I will give you the power to tell the story of me.

Admittedly, it wasn’t the power the guys were asking for at that setting.
Were they disappointed? I don’t know, but it wasn’t long before they got their power, and a lot more understanding. In less than two weeks, they were endowed tongues of fire and the indwelling of the Spirit during a prayer meeting.

Now What?

Do we take the power being offered and spread the story of Jesus, or play it safe and keep it quiet. Would I rather plead the 5th amendment and remain silent throughout my whole life, or take the risk of going through what Jesus just went through? If I am a witness, it might cost me. Cost me my reputation, my relationships, my possessions…my power. So that’s the trade off, my power for His power.
Is it worth it?
Did those guys think so?
According to the historical record they all went around the world preaching until their deaths. They all suffered violently as martyrs, with the exception of John who died in exile. They all took the power given them and witnessed everywhere, spreading the story.
They were some powerful guys.
Well, the amazing thing is that we have the same power they did. Ok, so maybe you don’t suddenly speak in foreign languages and maybe your shadow doesn’t heal people when you walk by, but you have the same Spirit they did. The power Christ was talking about is the power given by the Holy Spirit to be a witness. We have all the tools they did and therefore the same power to be that witness. Pretty cool.
So the question remains for all of us. Now, will I use it?

Spokane Church

Many of you attend Genesis Church, though there are also many of you who receive this e-mail who do not. If you happened to be at Genesis this past Sunday, or the Su nday before, you know about my recent blunder. In all the years I’ve been in ministry, this is the first time I forgot to have us take an offering. Fortunately, after the service, our worship leader directed where to have people put their financial gifts. It’s been more of a joke that I am loosing it in my old age.
Here at Genesis, we don’t make a big deal about the finances. Some appreciate that, some don’t. I have always struggled with preaching on money. I don’t want our church to be affiliated with those groups who are always emphasizing wealth. The danger of minimizing the issue is that people who attend don’t get taught on the role our finances play in our faith (unless they study it on their own). Money, however, is a very spiritual matter.
I’ve never checked, but I have heard many people say that Jesus talked more about money than anything else. If that is true, it’s because it is such a good medium to gauge where people are in their faith. Jesus compares the gospel to be more valuable than all our possessions in the parables of the pearl of great price, and the hidden treasure. The stories of the talent’s and mina’s use money to show how much we are willing to invest in God’s work, whether it be time, money, gifts…etc. Financial debt is used as a comparison to the need for forgiveness in more than one of Jesus’ stories. Why? Well, we can all well identify with money. We all feel we don’t have enough, and it is the most obvious separator among the social classes. It’s no mystery that where we invest the most money is where our passions are the strongest.
As Jesus is sitting with his disciples, they are near the entrance of the temple. They are watching who is giving. Hopefully that doesn’t happen much today, but when that offering plate comes by, many feel the pressure to put something in. Some people give on a weekly basis, some plan for monthly, and others don’t think of giving until that time of the service, and they reach in their pockets and empty the five dollars, a receipt for gas, and a mint wrapper into the basket.
As Jesus and the guys were watching, some were making a big deal about how much of their money went into the collection boxes, and others were a bit more modest. The rich guys probably came specifically when there would be a lot of people near by. These guys wanted to look generous even if they weren’t. As the disciples were watching, a lady came who put in two small coins. They were apparently very insignificant in value – sort of like today’s penny. Well, that was nice of her, but the priests have to eat, and the building has to be cleaned, the lights have to stay on, and the website has to be maintained. Her two cents worth isn’t going to go all that far – no, it’s not going to do a thing. We can’t buy a stamp, or anything with two cents. Why even bother giving it?
I know I sound awful, but the disciples were probably thinking it. Here, however, is where Jesus steps in and recalibrates their view of the matter. Why do we give? Do we give to keep the lights on? Do we give to help support the church, pay the pastor (can I get an Amen?), or get nice equipment for the kids ministry? According to Jesus – none of them. At least that’s not the primary motivation. We give our money because it is an act of obedience. God asks us to give to him to show we trust him to provide for us. As Jesus was watching this widow, he saw someone who was not giving for a fund, but someone giving with utter faith that God would miraculously provide for her needs. This goes to show that God doesn’t care about how much you give, but rather that what you give to Him is done out of obedience, humility, and sacrifice. For him, it is the greatest blessing to see us trust him that much.

 Spokane Valley Churches

Have you ever bought anything at an auction? EBay, or a public auction? People go to these gatherings to purchase an item that they want, and they hope to get a great deal on it (of course from someone who hopes they will get some cash from junk they are trying to get rid of). Unfortunately, however, there are usually several people who want the same item also for a great deal. So the auction begins, and the offers start out low, and continue to climb. At what point do you stop? Do you go until you outbid the other guy just so you can win at whatever the cost? Though that’s the seller’s dream, it’s not the best strategy for the buyers. No, you go into an auction with the anticipation that you will walk once the item reaches a certain cost, but you had better know what your top limit is before you get there.
That is the same strategy that is taking place in the passage above. Daniel and his friends, (the guys who go to the fiery furnace later on) are taken to Babylon against their will. They grew up in a good size city, Jerusalem, but now going to Babylon – it’s a whole new level. Perhaps similar to going from Spokane to New York. These guys are teenagers, and now that they are in the really big city, they want to make friends, and become popular. They were chosen for this as a great privilege – like a huge scholarship, and have little time before they are going to be personally interviewed by the most powerful man who has ever lived. Needless to say, they had some pressure to make a good first impression.
Being Jewish, these boys had laws from God about what kinds of foods they were allowed to eat. Unfortunately, however, they are not in Kansas any longer. The Babylonians could care less for their Jewish food laws, especially since their gods just beat the Jewish God in warfare (That’s the way the Babylonians saw it). So, these teenagers are about to face a huge – huge temptation. Do they eat the food they are going to be given – which just so happens to be some of the best food known to man, or stay holy? The food will taste great, but it would also be sinful (It was likely offered to idols which is a main reason why it was defiled). Daniel and the guys knew they have a significant choice to make – with no parental interference either.
Rather than waiting until the food was sitting in front of them, they calculated their decision before dinnertime. This was a conscious strategy that they decided upon before the steak and lobster was put on their plate.
There is something quite brilliant about doing that. Being in the backseat of a car with a boy is not the time that a teenage girl wants to first consider whether or not she wants to honor God or not. If any of us know that we are prone to weakness in a particular area, experience shows us that in order to win, we need to strategize our escape route. None of us want to be responsible when the fun has arrived. Sin is always more fun than holiness (on the front end), but the cost on the back end is always more than it’s worth. So, Like going to an auction, the only way to win is that we need to first be aware of our price limit before we see the glory of that special thing you want. The closer we get to our limit, the harder it will be to say no, but if we plan ahead to say no, we will be setting ourselves up for victory!

Spokane Valley Church

A handful of guys have recently finished our first series of Discipleship books. We have now started our second book on what it means to live by the Spirit. It’s been an enjoyable study. This verse was mentioned in connection with temptation, and how to overcome it. I thought it really fit with some of the things we have been discussing lately on Sunday mornings. It is the story of Joshua and the Israelites taking the promised land after Moses’ death. They have already conquered a formidable city – Jericho. They moved on to another city, a little one that should have been an easy defeat. Unfortunately they lost the battle, and ran in retreat. Joshua is quite disturbed, and asks God why it happened. God lets him know that during the battle of Jericho, someone sinned. All the soldiers knew they were not to keep anything from the destroyed city of Jericho, but for one man, the temptation was just too strong, and so he took some stuff. So, God got everyone’s attention by making them lose the battle. When it was discovered that Achan had done it, they wanted to know why. Like the ending of an episode of Scooby Doo, the villain tells his plan and how it would have succeeded if it wasn’t for that meddling God.
Achan’s formula is almost always followed by us every time we sin. If you see the progression of verbs in these two verses, I am sure it will be very familiar. 1. …I saw… 2…I coveted… 3 … I took… 4. …I hid… (Ok, it says “concealed”, but you get the idea). That is what we do so very often. We see (Can’t help that) We covet (That’s where we cross the line), we take, and then inevitably we hide what we’ve done since we know that it was wrong. For Achan, the result was that a few million people piled a mountain of rocks on him and his family. For us, the consequences to this little downward spiral aren’t usually so drastic, but there are always consequences. Many times they aren’t apparent right away, and we may thing we simply got away with it. Sin, however, always makes it easier to do the next time. Every bad habit starts with a first time.
I am sure all of us are living with some consequences to a previous sin that we so wish we could go back in time and undo. Since that’s not going to happen, we can be miserable about the past, or we can simply accept God’s forgiveness, and move on to make sure that in the years to come we are not looking back wishing we could go back to today and undo some other foolish sin. What are you inclined to see and covet? That’s the point in which the victory comes. You can’t necessarily help seeing, but you can always stop the coveting.

Spokane Churches