Sinful Since Birth

I recently started working at my new job; my occupation? Classroom aide (or at least that's the easiest way to explain it). Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely adore children, so naturally I adore my job. However, today after telling Grayson for the twelfth time to "make another choice", having to tell Nate to "calm your body" after throwing a fit for not sharing, and having to redirect each child after cutting in line I realized how truly sinful we are. My kids today were only about three and four yet I realized how easy it was for them to make the selfish choice and how hard it was for them to make the selfless choice. I realize that we never needed to show them to push, bite or grab, but we are constantly needing them to tell them to share, love and be patient.

This makes me think about the fact that some adults (and by "adults" I mean 15+) are still like that. They are so deep into the ways of the world that we don't need to learn to drink to forget, to learn to watch porn because their friends do, or to learn to steal (boyfriends / girlfriends or items). However, they need to learn to trust God, they need to learn to love selflessly, they need to learn to forgive.

I'm sure you're thinking "Wow, Dev. Thanks for the depressing blog about how I'm sinful. You rock (not)!", but I promise you that I am going somewhere with this, so buckle up.

I started reading a book called Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko (yes, I totally linked you to Barnes & Noble because it's THAT good). As I was reading through it I came across page 6 and it blew me away. It says, "Jesus knocks on the doors of our hearts, and we have to invite Him inside in order to be saved. He is a gentleman, so He knocks. He gives us the dignity and responsibility to make our own decisions." Bam. That hit me hard. Notice how I started the blog about having to tell sweet Grayson to make another choice, and he had to choose whether to continue on his own path or to take a new one. Just like he, at the age of three is given a choice, we also have a choice to make. Granted the choice that he would have made delivers less severe consequences than the choice that we are faced with. As Levi says in the next paragraph, "The question is not whether you will live forever, but where."

If you have accepted the free gift you made the choice to take a new path, the path of being with Jesus Christ for eternity. We are locked in, "Jesus paid to secure your release from captivity." (page 6).  How radical is that? We were so valuable that He gave up His only son for us. We were purchased with His precious blood. Not only that, but we are then entrusted with the ultimate task... the great commission. We get to be the inviters to the ultimate party. He used us sinful, unworthy people to tell of His goodness for all of our days.

If you have not accepted His free gift, but you found yourself stumbling across my blog, I am praying so intensely for you, my friend. PLEASE talk to someone. Whether it is a best friend who is walking with Christ, a pastor, or a family member, nothing is sweeter than being free from our chains that have shackled us, Romans 5:6-8. There is nothing in this world that makes you "too dirty" for His love. There is no where that you have been that was "too far" for Him to reach. Come running in, His arms are open. "The son of God died to pay for the price of every wrong thing you have done. Sin is a capital crime, so He died to set you free." Levi Lusko, page 6.


All We Sinners - Crowder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHPbKxP6W6I


John 3:16-18
"For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."