Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

March 11– Morning

 by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“Sin. Exceedingly sinful.” 

—Romans 7:13

 

Beware, dear Christian, about having light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear of offending the Lord. But very soon the tender blossom on these ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world; the sensitive plant of young piety is damaged. Even the Christian’s heart can become callous.

But how does this happen? At first a little sin startles us, but soon we say, “It is only a small matter.” Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as a small thing altogether. And then our condition becomes even worse because we fall into unholy presumption. When we sin, we reason that we may have slipped a bit but that, in general, we stood upright. In this way, we make sin appear less than it is. We throw a sheet over it and call it by nicer names.

Let me ask you, is sin a small thing to you? Is it no longer a poison? Do tiny insects not destroy large plants? Does the continual dropping of water not wear away stones? Sin was not a small thing to our Redeemer. It caused his head to wear a crown of thorns and his heart to be pierced! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and condemnation. If you could weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would run from it as if it were a poisonous snake. Therefore, abhor even the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Savior, and you will perceive it to be “exceedingly sinful.” [M&E]