What Sin Really Costs

The other day I was pulled over for speeding and I got a $240 ticket. Like everyone who gets a ticket - I don't think I was going as fast as the officer said I was, etc. But let's leave that aside for a minute. I'm appealing the ticket, but if I am charged with the moving violation it won't cost me $240. It will cost me closer to $840. How you might ask? When you get a ticket and it goes on your record your insurance goes up about $100 a year for six years! That's right. Six years! Not months. Years!

Now lets look at the payoff for speeding...If you speed a considerable amount over the speed limit for like three hours you might save 30 minutes (if you're lucky). That's not that great. Now lets look at what you'll pay for speeding...If you get caught and get a ticket you'll have to pay $28 for every minute you sped ($840 - the total cost of the ticket - divided by 30 minutes - the time you saved by speeding = $28 fine per minute you sped). Even a quick analysis like this shows that speeding is NOT WORTH IT!

And the same is true OF SIN. It's not worth it. The payoff is little (i.e. whatever pleasure you derived from your sin), but what you pay is great (i.e. the consequences). Like a speeding ticket - there is a hidden price tag that Satan loves to hide from us. The price is never $240, it's always $840.

Creation Testifies of a Creator

I recently went to Ogunquit Maine and while I was there Kristin and I did some sight seeing along the coast. At one point I came across the rocks in the photo to the right. I don't know how well you can see the rock formations in the picture - but someone clearly piled a couple of the rocks on top of each other and made a little monument - a "I was here" memento.

I couldn't help but think, when I looked at the rocks, that SOMEONE was behind the rock monument. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that SOMEONE put the rocks one on top of the other. Intuitively I knew that it wasn't an accident. The waves didn't come crashing in and assemble the rocks like that. SOMEONE created that monument.

Here's a principle I derived from this rock example. Where there's CREATION there's a CREATOR. I think one of the biggest testiments to the fact that God is real is the earth we live on! If it defies common sense that six rocks came together, like in the picture above, ALL ON THEIR OWN - then how much MORE SO does it DEFY common sense to think that the earth just came together all on it's own? I mean have you ever seen Planet Earth or Life (by BBC Earth)? Our world is amazingly complex!

Romans 1:19-20 teaches that knowledge of God is available to all...THROUGH CREATION. We have no excuse for not believing in God. THROUGH CREATION he has made it abundantly clear that he exisits. Where there's CREATION there's a CREATOR. One commentary I read said "The witness to God in nature is so clear and so constant that ignoring it is indefensible." And I agree. It makes me sad - but it's true. We will have NO EXCUSE for not believing in God when we someday stand before him.

Every Job is Important

Every serving position at New Day is important. Not all roles are prominent, but every role is important. I never want anyone at our church to underestimate the importance of their role. Every job is important. To help that truth sink into your heart I want to share the following story...

Years ago two teenage boys came to an evangelistic meeting that was meeting in a tent. They tried to get in but it was packed out. It was wall to wall people. These two teenage boys couldn’t get in to hear the speaker. But there was an observant usher and he saw these teenage boys trying to get in and he said “Let me help you, fellows.” He took these two teenagers and personally escorted them down to the front row and got them a seat. One of those two boys was Billy Graham. That night when Billy Graham gave his life to Christ it set him on a course for ministering the rest of his life and the world was changed.

Sometimes we think the role we play at the church isn't as important as another role. But we can't think that way! Every role is important. We never know the impact we'll have on all eternity when we serve faithfully - even in roles that don't seem as significant as others.

The Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines

My growth group is studying through The Life You've Always Wanted by John Ortberg, who's a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church. And in this book the author has presented a familiar truth in a fresh way. Let me pass it along...

Spiritual disciples are to life what practice is to an athlete. An athlete practices so that he can perform during the game. If his practice doesn't help him peform better in the game then what's the use? Similarly, a Christian practices spiritual disciplines (such as prayer, Bible reading, church going, giving, etc.) in order to love God and people better. If the practice of those disciplines aren't resulting in more love for God expressed through loving actions towards others, then what's the use? The disciplines are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves.

Yet, some so called "Christians" are the crankiest, judgmental, condesending people around. This should NOT be so. So what if they go to church, read their Bible, give in the offering, etc. If they don't show their love to God by demostrating loving actions towards others, they've really missed the point.

Spiritual maturity is measured by God by how much we love him and others. Our love for God should always be expressed through loving actions towards others. Specifically, God measures our spirituality by how 1) kind and 2) patient we are with others. Because love is both patient and kind (I Corinthians 13:1).

So I think we all need to ask ourselves: Are the spiritual disciplines I'm practicing resulting in me being more loving to God and to others? As a result of my spiritual disciplines am I growing in my patience and kindness towards others? If the answer of either of these questions is "no" then you need to ask yourself "What will I do about this?"