
The idea of pooping is pretty universal and well understood. Stuff goes in, stuff comes out. Though I am not knowledgeable about every culture in the world, I think it is safe to presume that we all have our own systems to dispose of poop. It is unpleasant, but it just keeps coming. You could compare poop to sin. Sin in its simplest terms is when we turn from God. It can take many, many forms and we all do it. "For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard." Romans 3:23
Here in America we flush our poop down the toilet. We usually do not have to think about it again, though there are those rare occasions when the toilet stops up and we have to get our hands dirty. We treat sin in much the same manner. We do the deed and mentally dispose of it thinking we will not have to deal with it again. Sometimes we do have to face consequences for our actions, but not always.
The scary part is that is not the end of the story. Imagine that at the end of your life you come face to face with an enormous pile of poop (aka sin). You realize that this is all the poop you have ever created from the day you were born. The gatekeeper of Paradise firmly tells you that if you want to enter you must first EAT ALL YOUR POOP. Not a pretty picture, and not anything any of us would be willing or able to do (bet you can't even keep down one bite). Suddenly someone taps you on the shoulder. He says, "I would have been glad to eat your poop for you, so you could go into Paradise. I tried to let you know in so many ways, but you never took me seriously. Now you will spend eternity in a futile attempt to eat your poop and you will never enter Paradise."
THIS IS WHAT CHRIST DOES FOR US. He looks at all the sin (aka poop) in our lives and says, "If you will let me, I will be glad to take care of that for you."
"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, 'Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.'" Romans 10:9-11
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Christ makes the offer and we have the choice to accept or decline (beware, there is no option for maybe, ignoring is declining!). Eternal death is spent in torture forever separated from God. Eternal life is spent in Paradise forever in the presence of God. Next time you hit the toilet, consider taking a bite and decide whether or not you need Christ.
"Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." Ephesians 3:20
Taking care of your sin is only the beginning of what Christ wants to do for you! Just say "YES!"
Wow! Only you could compare poop and sin so eloquently :) Seriously! -Amanda
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