The Solution to Sin

Sin is awful! Mostly because it makes me feel guilty. It draws me away from God and I don't feel worthy of His love. 

So the solution to sin? Love.

I'll tell you a story. A long time ago, I had a boyfriend. Oh how I "loved" him. He gave me everything I ever asked for not expecting anything in return. As a result, I started to take advantage of him, I would wake him up in the middle of the night just because I could not sleep. He never complained. He just gave. And I received. I was selfish. It all came crashing down soon enough! There's so much you can give without getting anything in return. Give and Take. Phileo. That's the human-life. The human kind of love. This is not the love I am referring to.

As Christians, we live the God-life. Agape. Our standard for love should be based on God and not a trade by barter system. Now some of you may compare yourselves to my story saying, "Umm.. I am not like you. I would never do that. I love my family, friends and significant other." So you love your best friend? Good job! The quote above says it all.What's the fun in loving those who love you. Haven't you ever felt a thrill of excitement by offering help to a stranger? It's this unexplainable feeling of warmth + joy + peace all wrapped up in one.

We talked earlier on how fear and selfishness are the only two reasons why we sin. For me, I struggle more with selfishness. I am so overly concerned with my appearance, brains, attitudes, friends and so much more. It's always been all about me. So, let's get rid of fear and selfishness.

How to eradicate fear:
 1 John 4: 18 says "No fear exists where his love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear..." 
Like I said yesterday, Fear indicates a misdirected trust but Love trusts God always! If you love God, trusting him always, you have no fear in you because regardless of the circumstances that you may be facing, there is something that stands true more than anything else, God and his love for you. The Lord is your shepherd, even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you should FEAR NO EVIL! In the same way, if you are capable to replicate this God-kind of love to God and others, you would not fear any person or circumstance because of the knowledge of God's love residing in you.

How to eradicate selfishness:
J.R. Miller rightly states that "Love is always ready to deny itself, to give, sacrifice, just in the measure of its sincerity and intensity. Perfect love is perfect self-forgetfulness." How could you sin when your focus is on something else? Forget yourself! Seek ye first God's kingdom, and everything, I mean EVERYTHING ELSE will be added unto you. 
Let me give you a hint. The moment you start to pray to God that you want to stop sinning, you are still being selfish. Why? Because it's still about you. You don't like the way sin makes you feel so you want to stop. No, a thousand times No. Just forget yourself. Focus on satisfying God, loving him and others; months later, you will find yourself without sin. You will be so past it, you won't even realize it. 

So how do we get this God-kind of love? Hmmn.. just thinking about how I started to have the God kind of love excites me..

I'll see you tomorrow!

Or will I?