This morning, while reading another blog I came across some great wisdom from John Piper. He was dealing specifically with the issue of lust and one way he fights it. He shared about adult book stores and night clubs, and how they typically don’t have windows. He said it’s not just because they don’t want you to see in, they also don’t want you to see out. Why, because according to Piper they don’t want you to see the sky. Piper says the sky is a great place to fight sin. How, well when we gaze upon the shy, when relish we the colors of the day, or ponder the expanse of the night sky we suddenly don’t feel so big anymore, and we are not focusing on our selves. When we sin, we focus on our selves, and fulfilling our own sinful desires. We we look toward to the sky we don’t feel so big and important, we are reminded that we are in fact small by comparison. Sin, whether lust, or greed, or bitterness, or deception all take away from our enjoyment of God. Piper, makes a great point on this as well. He notes that when we focus on self and sin, it takes away from our ability to worship God and contemplate his greatness. We begin to see things only half-hearted, with minds filled with s much sinful stuff, we can’t think with clarity, and we end up missing some of God’s glorious beauty. Like me, you may have never before considered how sin affects our view and experience of a sunset. The truth is, while God deepens our view and experience of all things great in his creation, sin cheapens them. I want to encourage you, as a fellow fighter against sins of all kinds to think and act upon this concept. Don’t just look to the present, fleeting pleasure of sin that is presented before us, but consider how that sin will cheapen our relationships, lessen our ability to hear God’s voice on Sunday mornings and monday evenings, and cause you and I to half- heartedly appreciate the glory of God in his creation. Pastor John Piper, has been an answer to so many of my prayer through his wisdom and teaching on all things God. I pray his wisdom will help you too, in our life-long battle against sin and the flesh.
Psalm 16:8
8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
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