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Steps to Jesus
not excuse anyone, for the Lord has not asked us to take sinful
people as a pattern. The spotless Son of God has been given as
our example. Those who complain about the wrongdoing of others
should themselves show a better way of living. If they know how a
Christian should act, is not their sin much greater? They know what
is right, yet they refuse to do it.
We must not delay turning from sin and coming to Jesus. We
must seek for a pure heart through Him. Thousands and thousands
of people have made the mistake of waiting, and it has cost them
eternal life.
Life on earth is short and not at all certain. We do not think often
enough about the terrible danger of delaying to yield to the voice of
God’s Holy Spirit. Delaying to obey God is really choosing to live
in sin. And even small sins are dangerous. The sins that we do not
overcome will overcome us and destroy us.
Adam and Eve let themselves believe that eating the forbidden
fruit was so small a matter that it could not cause the terrible re-
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sults that God had said would come. But this “small” matter was
disobeying God’s unchangeable, holy law. Disobedience separated
the human family from God and let sorrow and death come into the
world. Century after century a never-ending sad cry has gone up
from the earth. The whole world is suffering because man disobeyed
God. Heaven itself has felt the effects. Christ had to die on Calvary
because man broke the divine law. Let us never think of sin as a
small thing.
Every sin, every turning away from the grace of God, hardens
our hearts. It leads us to make wrong choices. It keeps us from
understanding God’s love. Sin makes us less willing to obey, less
able to yield to God’s Holy Spirit.
Many people know they are doing wrong, but they do not change
their ways. They believe they can change whenever they choose.
They think they can turn from God again and again and still hear
His call of mercy. They follow Satan, but they plan to turn quickly
to God if something terrible happens to them. But this is not easy to
do. Sin changes a person’s desires and habits. After sin has molded
the character, few people want to be like Jesus.
Even one wrong thing in the character or one sinful desire that we
will not give up will finally stop the gospel’s power from changing us.