DO NOT GIVE UP!

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father" (Ephesians 5:18-20).

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).

There are many Christians who are caught in sins of compulsion. It seems that they cannot stop! The rest of us do the respectable sinning, a little gossip now and then, a little disrespecting or favoritism, etc.--everybody does it, but it is just as sinful!

It could be that the little sinners are in more danger than the big sinners because it is so common we stop recognizing the little sins as sins, and thus stop confessing them. Those who are caught in the compulsive sins, like the different kinds of addictions, are keenly aware of their sins, but seem powerless to stop them.

Praise God! He is not like people. If we wrong another person and ask for forgiveness, we might be forgiven perhaps up to seven times, but we all reach our limit. With God, His forgiveness is 70 times 7--infinite! Do not give up on recognizing your sin and asking God for forgiveness!

God has given us the power through the Holy Spirit to live lives that bring glory to His name. But how do we appropriate that power? Paul suggests these things in the text: great teaching, great preaching, great singing, great fellowship, great prayer and observance of the Lord's Supper. You might be thinking, "Steele, I think you are reading a lot into the text." Perhaps, but I don't think so. The participles indicate the manner in which one is filled with the Spirit; it is when Christians are faithful in worship and fellowship. Little by little we are shaped into the image of Christ because we allow the Spirit to be at work in our lives!

When one stops worshipping and fellowshipping with those who do worship, the chance for change is almost zero. Never give up on worship!

Grace&Peace;
Tom