Sin Kills

I was recently sent a jury summons in the mail and directed to call in on Sunday night to see if I needed to report for jury duty on Monday morning. I honestly believed that I would hear on the recording that I did not need to show up, but my idea was wrong. Not only did I need to report for duty at 8 am, I soon found myself in a courtroom as part of the jury selection process. Like most of the prospective jurors, I answered multiple questions, but I thought my answers would get me out of being selected and that I would beat the odds of being selected as a juror for the third time in my life.

However, the odds were pretty good and I was selected to be on the final jury after a twelve-hour process. I prayed and asked God what this was for, and He put in my mind that He was going to teach me some things and that He did! The two previous trials I served as a juror were for a stolen car and unlawful termination, but this one would be much more intense; premeditated first-degree murder.

“Sin will kill you.”

The trial was gut-wrenching. I am not a person who generally watches murder movies or CSI on TV, but in this case, I found myself in the middle of it in real life. As the defense brought witnesses in, I heard from CSI, Forensics, Coroners, Detectives, and others. It was surreal to be experiencing this in real life, and I was shocked that it could even happen.

At the beginning of every trial, there are opening statements by the prosecuting and defense attorneys. In this case, the prosecution gave an overview of the story and started by saying this man, who still had a wife and three kids, decided he was tired of her and found a new girlfriend. The new girlfriend had three kids, and now together, they had a three-month-old. His girlfriend allowed him to live with her at her apartment. Before I heard any other parts of this story, which led to murder, I knew the root of this whole problem, which was the same problem since Adam and Even – sin! Sin kills, and without Jesus Christ, we live in a fallen and depraved world. We need Jesus as He is the hope of our lives, and He can help us overcome sin. 

Here are some critical questions for the week to answer and keep in front of you:

1) How seriously do you take sin in your life? 

2) Is there any area of your life that you know you are living in sin?

3) Knowing the consequences of sin, are you ready and willing to turn this over to God now? 

Prayer: “Dear Jesus, this would is in a sick and dying condition without you. You are the hope of the world and my life. Sin causes death in this world, and I pray that you reveal any area of sin in my life. I want nothing I am doing, thinking, or saying to come between us to allow a wedge of sin in my life. Please help me to overcome sin and be victorious through your blood and victory over sin and death. I trust in you and will follow you will all areas of my life. Amen” 

Genesis 4:7, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”