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"Sticky" Situations

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Let’s begin with some Exciting news!  I witnessed a 5th grader pray to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior this last Sunday!  Praise God!

Our lesson consisted of the students holding very sugary candy in their hands while I spoke. The students were allowed to lick the candy if they wanted to, but they had to continue to hold the candy in the palm of their hand. As the lesson progressed we talked about how sin can be sweet or feel good in the moment. Our real life example was name-calling. When someone does something we do not like, and we respond by name calling, in the moment it feels good.  Like the candy, it can be enjoyable, but after a while, sin can leave a very uncomfortable feeling. As the students held the candy, their hands began to get sticky and the residue wasn’t a good feeling.

I eventually allowed them to eat the candy, but then placed a dime sized drop of syrup in their hands to replace the candy. You see, sin can be sweet and the more we sin, the easier it can get. It can spread and multiply and still be sweet. I had the students close and open their hands and you already know; their hands were a gross, sticky, situation.

Sin left unforgiven and sin that is not dealt with can lead us into some very “sticky” situations. As the lesson continued the groans of the students got louder and louder as the syrup became annoyingly inescapable.

Finally, I topped off the sin illustration by pouring dirt on top of our sticky situation. Now our sin metaphor is no longer fun, but annoying and gross and not so easily removed. Sitting during the lesson with dirt stuck to the hands, created a visual that the students and you can understand concerning sin.

By this time, the students do not want to lick or even hold the mess but wanted it off and quickly as possible. Lucky for them, there was a bucket of warm water and soap ready. Our warm water and soap represented Jesus and how he can take our “sticky” situations and clean them up; Jesus can remove the effects of sin, however, we have to allow Him to do so.

For students in K-5th grade, this was a simple illustration and one that our young 5th grader was able to connect with. What I did not know was that this student’s grandmother and the student had already discussed who Jesus was and what He did and how our young student could be saved. The lesson was just reinforcement of their previous conversations.

Today, I hope you will address the sin in your life. You know what it is. I know what is mine.

Satan will take some of us and make us believe that because we did certain things that we are worthless. That we are disgusting. That we are beyond forgiveness and that we are the ONLY ones; Satan will take others and make us believe that since we are walking in the ways of the Lord; we are the ONLY ones.  We are missing out and missing out to the point we feel over sheltered and go commit sin like everyone else.

Once sinned, both groups feel the residue of their actions. The longer the residue “sticks” around, the less we enjoy life and the more we will feel unworthy of coming before God and stay in our sin.

But friends, remember:

Romans 10:13

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

1 John 1:8-9

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Hebrews 10: 20-22

By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.  For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Today, in this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you and move forward throughout your day with a clean heart and clean hands.  Don’t let your sin and Satan rob you of the good things God has for you. Don’t miss out on forgiveness and hope and peace. Will you hand your sin over to Jesus today?

 

 

Photo by Sonja Langford on Unsplash

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