I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. (I John 2:1-3 MSG) I have said this before, but it bears repeating - we ALL sin - it isn't so much the 'if' we sin as much as 'when' we sin. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, stands at the ready for the 'when' moments as much as he does at any other time in our lives. The 'sin problem' we all have is that we are born with a nature that is 'bent toward' sin and heeds its call way too frequently. The 'sin solution' we all have access to is Christ's presence within us to both know and keep his commands, not simply through our own willpower, but with his tremendous power tha...
But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion. It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy. But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way. (Hebrews 10:36 MSG) 'Sticking it out' might not be the most popular thing to do at times, but it is the wisest choice we make if we choose to 'stick it out' with Jesus! The more we resist the temptation to be part of this world's norms, the more we might be labeled as goody-two-shoes by some. There is nothing wrong with being seen as making righteous choices, though - it just might mean the ones noticing the difference in our choices and are more than a bit curious about why we make them. Loyal trust isn't going to cut and run, is it? The times may change and it could get a bit harder to remain fa...