2.12.2010

Job 31 and Sins



Job 31 (NLT)



I know that I am supposed to confess my sins and God will forgive me, but sometimes it's hard for me to recognize what my sins are. Of course it's easy to recognize obvious sins, such as murder, adultery, etc, etc... but let's be honest, there are less obvious sins that are committed much more often. Since I don't go around committing murder or adultery, it can be hard for me to see my sins. But today God used Job 31 to point out many of the less obvious sins to me.



Job 31:1
"I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look with lust at a young woman."

Lust is one of the more well-known sins. It's not right to act on or entertain sexual desires when outside of a marriage. This also means looking at pornography. I have a feeling this is a sin that affects men more so than women, but that's not always the case.



Job 31:5
"Have I lied to anyone
or deceived anyone?"

I think most people consider lying a sin, but may not consider little white lies or omissions as lies.
But lying is lying, period. It doesn't matter how serious or big of a lie it is. Purposely leaving out or avoiding information can be considered lying, even if every word that comes out of your mouth is truth. This is where it gets tricky, and it's easy to convince yourself that you're not lying.



Job 31:16-17
"Have I refused to help the poor,
or crushed the hopes of widows?
Have I been stingy with my food
and refused to share it with orphans?"

Ok, these things are definitely easy to overlook as sins. Sins aren't always things that I have done, they can also be things that I haven't done. Basically, if I walk past a homeless person and turn my head the other way, instead of offering help, I am sinning. Ignoring the needy can be so easy to do sometimes... especially if I am so wrapped up in my own agenda. I should be more aware and more focused on other people.



Job 31:24-25
"Have I put my trust in money
or felt secure because of my gold?
Have I gloated about my wealth
and all that I own?"

It's a sin to put my trust in my material possessions or to be prideful for the things I own. I need to remember (and act accordingly) that everything that I own is actually God's. Basically, He's lending it to me to use while I'm on this earth, but He can take it away at any time. I need to find my security in God and His Son who saves me for eternity.



Job 31:29
"Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies,
or become excited when harm came their way?"

How easy is it to want revenge against someone who has wronged me and treated me unfairly? Or to think that they deserve it when something bad happens to them? Probably the easiest way for me to sin in this way is when I'm driving. If someone cuts me off or if someone speeds past me, it's really easy to automatically wish there was a police officer near by to pull them over. Since this is a sin that I've made myself aware of in the past, I really try not to revert to that kind of thinking, but sometimes it's hard to stop what automatically pops into my head. Instead of wishing they would get caught, now I try to pray for their safety.