Jessica Albritton, NextGen Minister LHBC
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
My grandmother had the ugliest living room set. Her couch, recliner, love seat, and curtains were composed of the same material, autumnal-colored velour with dark wood trim. Printed on the fabric was a rustic looking old barn, wagons, and an old mill with a water wheel, all set in a reddish orange and gold wooded backdrop. If you looked real close you could see turkeys and pheasants hiding in the foliage. But not only was it ugly, it was also itchy. The fuzzy velour-type texture made it stiff and not something that made you want to cozy up on to take a nice nap.
I can remember the first time I realized the grotesqueness of the couch. Oh my word I hated that couch. But the funny thing, the more times I saw it the less obvious it became. The ugly couch went from the only thing I could focus on to just a regular old couch. By the time I was in high school I didn’t even notice the thing. It was just a couch. And as scratchy as it was, I even took a few naps on the thing. The couch certainly didn’t change at all, but I grew accustomed to it. It wasn’t until years after my grandmother passed away that a meme surfaced on the internet with a picture of the couch in all its glory. In the caption it read, “Everyone’s grandparents had this couch. Everyone’s.” When I saw the couch all the original feelings resurfaced and I remember thinking, “gosh that sure was an ugly couch…”
Sin is like that. The first time we see sin we may think “what an ugly sin.” When we are truly following Jesus, sin should feel gross and off-putting. But the more time we spend around the sin the less ugly it appears. Romans 12:2 reminds us as believers to not be conformed to the patterns of this world, to not blend in and do as the world does. Instead, we are to live a life set apart. In essence, don’t forget how ugly the couch is. The more time I spent around my grandmother’s couch the more I grew used to it. It became just another couch. Next thing I knew I was cozied up on it taking naps. Likewise, the more time we spend around sin the more relaxed we become. Before long we are cozied up in sin forgetting the repulsiveness of it. And it certainly doesn’t help that Satan works hard to convince us that sin is small and meaningless. Until we sin. Then he works overtime to convince us our sin is huge and unforgivable. In a sermon Louie Giglio once said, “If you’re telling yourself you don’t deserve a second chance from God, remind yourself you didn’t deserve the first one either.”
What sin have you grown accustomed to? Have you cozied up to something you once thought was repulsive? Has satan convinced you that you’re too far gone? 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Choose today to get up off the couch. Take it to God and receive His forgiveness.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the greatest gift of all, forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus! Lord, help me to not grow accustomed to the things that pull me far from you. In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.