Sin and Temptation: Week 1, Day 1

Day 1: I Hate It When She’s Sick.

Years ago, when she was a baby, my oldest daughter Mckenzie got really sick, and there was nothing my wife and I could do about it. The day before, she played, laughed, and had the time of her life. But, on that day, she just wanted to sleep and cry. The day before, she was swinging in her swing and shouting out at the top of her lungs her favorite word, “Daddy!” But, on that day, she would only sleep in her mom’s arms and just moan. The day before, we were pushing a ball back and forth on the floor and learning how to eat solid food, but on that day, she just pushed her toys away, and she doesn’t want to eat. I hate ear infections. They drained this little girl of the exciting and full life that I wanted her to have. I wish I could’ve taken her painful earaches away. Her fever got worse each hour. She went from a normal temperature to over 104 degrees in less than 20 minutes. I wished I could’ve taken her fever and pain. I wished I were the one who was sick and placed it on myself and made her whole again.

It’s not a tough decision for me. I am her father. It’s the least that I can do. Why would I put myself through it if I could? Simple, I love her. I want to protect her. I want her to have the greatest life she can possibly have and if that means I must suffer, then so be it. I would gladly put myself through it if it meant she would be okay again. But I can’t take her pain away.

We all, like my daughter, have been sick…not physically, but spiritually. We all have let the disease of sin get into our system and separate us from the joy and the peace that we once had. We all, like my little girl, have laid there helplessly hoping for some relief, and unknown to us, He has been by our side the whole time, wanting to take our sin and the pain that goes with it away. I couldn’t help my daughter with her sickness, but He can help us out of our sin. He would gladly take the pain and guilt away and place it on Himself to make us whole again. It’s not a tough decision for Him. He is our Father. It’s what He wants to do. Why? Why does He put Himself through it? Simple, He loves us. He wants to protect us. He wants us to have the greatest life we can possibly have, and if that means He must suffer, He has already chosen to do that for us 2,000 years ago on a wooden cross. Why then would someone want to continue in sin and sickness? Why would someone keep going back to that which makes them sick? It doesn’t make any sense.

If my little girl could choose whether or not she would have had another earache in her life, I know what her answer would’ve been. NO WAY! Why? Earaches hurt. They are painful, and they take away all your fun. Sin does the same thing. Sin does hurt. It is painful to yourself and your God, and it does take away true fun in life. The old saying about sin goes like this: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

Your Dad doesn’t want you to continue to get spiritually sick. He is the cure. If you are feeling spiritually sick, talk to the Master Physician. He can and will take care of you.

Time Out:

Sin is a deadly disease. Take a look at these scriptures for even more symptoms to spiritual sickness.

Matthew 23:23-24

Matthew 25:45

James 4:17: Not doing the good you ought to do.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Why did God send Jesus to die for our sins?

Look up Psalms 103:12. This scripture gives us a beautiful description of what the Lord does with our sin. What is it that He does with it?