Try Harder

By Steve Higginbotham

   I’m convinced that many of us may not resist the temptation to sin as we should.  It’s not that we want to sin, for we don’t. It’s just that when temptation crosses our path, we don’t fight it as though we were in a life or death struggle. We may resist, but the resistance is only token.
   Not long ago, a friend of mine gave a lecture in which he raised the question, “What if every time we sinned, an ugly scar appeared upon our face? How much harder would we resist sin? Good question. None of us would like to have our faces scarred. Scars to our faces would be embarrassing, affecting our relationships and our behavior. I’m sure we would tenaciously fight the temptation of sin if succumbing meant a big scar on our faces.
   You see where I’m going, right? Why should we fight harder to preserve our temporal flesh than we would to preserve our eternal soul? The fact that we can’t see the scars sin leaves upon us doesn’t mean they’re not there. Friends, resist the temptation to sin, using not just a token resistance before you succumb, but a persistence that reflects a life and death struggle.

 - Steve Higginbotham preaches for the Karns Church of Christ in Knoxville, TN. He may be contacted through the congregation's website. Copyright © 2016 MercEmail