Ignored stains are the worst kind of stain. It is an ugly thing to look
at; especially on top of a beautiful wood table where everyone can see. It leaves
an aftertaste for the onlookers and spoil an immaculate life. No matter how
hard you ignore it, it will mark your life unless you deal with it.
We all have our reasons why we don’t want to deal with it. It is
harmless and won’t hurt anyone, we might think. Or it will take too much time
to remove it and will take you away from what you love to do.
Others will say, “I just don’t let it bother me,” but it won’t solve the
problem. It will just increase the problem.
In Acts 24, Paul was preaching to a ruler
named Felix. Paul reasoned with Felix of “righteousness,” “temperance,” and of
the “judgment to come” (v. 25). This caused Felix to tremble. Clearly, he was
affected by what Paul had said. Instead of acting on what he had learned, he
responded, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will
call for thee.” Felix chose to do nothing about his sins. Instead, he chose
to ignore them. As far as we know, Felix never found a convenient season to
obey God.
We don’t escape responsibility from our
sins by ignoring them. Ignoring sin will cause us to be lost eternally. Instead
of ignoring sin, a non-Christian must believe (Jn. 3:16), repent (Acts 2:38),
confess Christ (Rom. 10:10), and be baptized (Acts 2:38, Mk. 16:16). The
Christian who sins must repent, pray, and confess his sins (Acts 8:22, I Jn.
1:8-10).
Don’t find an excuse or allow more time to
laps, before you do something about it. Do it now while the time is now.
Prayer
Father, I humbly bring my sin……. (name it)
to your table of grace and confess my unwillingness to deal with this. Lord,
give me the wisdom to come clean and to allow the Holy Spirit to do his perfect
work of healing and restoration in me. Wipe my slate clean, Lord, and show me
how not to sin anymore.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
©LynelleClark2023
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