Monday, July 3, 2017

Give The Devil An Inch ...

Beware of such sins as the world calls little sins! They say: "What harm is there in an innocent lie?" Alas, what a contradiction this is! Can a lie be innocent? One says, "Oh, it is only a trick of youth!" Yes, but it is such a trick as may cost you going to Hell! Another "deceives his neighbor and says: I am only joking!" 

Yes, but he who sins in jest or makes a jest of sin may be damned in earnest! Consider that no sin against a great God, can be strictly a little sin though compared with a greater one, it may be. But however little it is to account it so, makes it greater.  The nature of the greater sin is in the least sin. A spark of fire, or a drop of poison have the nature of much more sin.  God has severely punished sins that have been looked upon as little sins, indeed, some of them well-meant sins as when Uzzah took hold of the Ark when the cart shook.  When men only looked into the Ark, it cost them dearly! "The LORD killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the LORD!" Gathering a few sticks on the Sabbath was severely punished! 

These seem to be small matters but in sin, we must not consider so much what is forbidden as why it is forbidden, and who forbids it. Besides, a little sin makes way for a greater sin just as a little boy-thief entering a house, makes way for a man-thief to enter. It is hard to sin once and only once to commit one little sin and only one.  Give the devil and sin an inch and they will take a mile! Vain babbling increases to more ungodliness. A little leak in a ship, may by degrees fill it with water and sink it.

The Devil does not much care by what sins we go to Hell, whether small or great; whether by religious formality or open immorality. If a man makes no conscience of little sins, to which the temptations can be only little then how little conscience is he likely to make of great sins, to which there are greater temptations? If Judas betrays his Lord for thirty pieces of silver then what would he not do for more? Beware then of little sins!

[Ralph Venning]




  ✞✞✞


Proverbs 26:19 ... So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?


2 Samuel 6:6-7 ... And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.


1 Samuel 6:19 ... And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.


1 Peter 5:8 ... Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: