Sin is such an ugly, terrible part of life. In Romans 3:23 the Bible states that “ . . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is impossible to escape the temptations of this world. However, no matter how strong a temptation may be, Christians should realize there is always a way out of the situation.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1st Corinthians 10:12)
Christians must stand strong to overcome the many temptations of sin. The other day I started thinking about the many things we miss by standing strong and avoiding sin. Sin has many consequences, which we can avoid by avoiding sin. I hope that by sharing some of these things, you will be encouraged during the next trial you face in life.
What we miss when we choose not to sin:
- Disappointment. We can miss disappointment with ourselves, disappointment from others, and disappointment from God.
- Sadness. We can miss the sadness from the consequences of our sin. I am reminded of King David’s feelings, after his sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah. I suggest reading Psalm 51, for a better understanding of his feelings after his sin.
- Loneliness. We can miss the loneliness which can come from sin against someone.
- Anger. We can miss the anger we cause in others by our sin as well as the anger that might be aroused in our hearts.
I realize that at some point in all of our lives, we may (and probably will) feel all of these emotions, and when we do, they will have nothing to do with sin in our lives. However, by refraining from sin we can avoid the added burden of these emotions to our daily lives.
What other things do we miss by avoiding sin?
See the related article “Sin Separates“.