Monday, February 17, 2003

One of life's great treats is pumpkin pie with some Cool Whip on it. That's what I was after when I went to my son's refrigerator. I had cut my piece of pie - all it was missing was that little white topping of Cool Whip. So I foraged around in the fridge until I saw that familiar plastic container with a picture of what I wanted my pumpkin pie to look like. Somewhat mindlessly, I opened that container, stuck my spoon in, and pulled out the contents. I was just about to decorate my pie with it when I looked at what was on my spoon - not Cool Whip - gravy. Which won't do much for pumpkin pie.

Well,

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "When the Container Lies to You."

The container promised me one thing - but what was inside was very different. That's an experience every one of us has had - when we reached for something based on what it was supposed to give us, only to be disappointed when we found out what was really inside. That deception is, in fact, the very nature of sin, and it's why we end up with scars and messes we never knew were going to be a part of.

In fact, you may be looking at a temptation right now - or even giving into it - a temptation that looks promising on the outside. But God is sending you a warning right now to let you know the heartache and hurt that's on the inside. Sin conceals its ugliness and it destruction until you've already bitten the apple.

The temptation that looks good to you right now may say "pleasure" on the container - do this because it will feel good. Or maybe the package says "love" - do this and you'll get some love. The promise may be "relief" - a chance to escape from some hurt ... or maybe it says "significance" - do this and you'll get ahead, you'll feel important.

But God believes in "truth-in-packaging." He clearly reveals what sin really offers in James 1:15 , our word for today from the Word of God. "After desire has conceived" - that's the part where the container really looks inviting - "it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." That, of course, is not on the container. First, sin fascinates you - then it assassinates you. It kills your self-respect ... it kills people's trust in you ... it kills your close relationships ... it kills your freedom ... it kills your closeness to God. Short benefit, long consequences. A sinful way to get something you need or want is never worth it and ultimately never delivers.

It's a prison that looks like a penthouse on the outside. You don't know that you're hooked until the cell door slams behind you. The thrill of sin lasts a short time; the bill for sin lasts a long time. There's a little good stuff and a lot of guilt; a rush that's brief and wreckage that can last a lifetime.

Don't fall for those lies on sin's package. Check its real contents, as exposed graphically in the Bible. If you've already opened sin's package, get out while you can. If you're looking at a compromise that God calls sin, run the other way. You haven't got time for the pain, for the scars, for the slavery, for the shame. Do it God's way, even if it's harder, even if it takes longer. Remember, it's the narrow road that leads to life ... it's the wide road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14 ).