Better Than Jesus
Sometimes sin looks like “sin”. It looks like a bigot’s scream, or a hand on a hotel room doorknob, or a gunman in a theater. It’s evil, jarring, vile. Most of the time, though, sin–for just a moment–looks better than Jesus.
Most “decent” people rarely commit the vile sins. Most of us, sin looks more like vapor: inconsequential, near imperceptible, gone in a moment.
Sin plays demure as a small decision, a slip of the tongue, a grumpy mood. Camouflaged as independence, loyalty, protection of rights, sin looks acceptable, even admirable. Sin dances in sparkling finery of tact, brilliance, excellence, and we cheer it on.
Whether our sin looks vile or admirable or inconsequential to us, it’s always a choice of something else over Jesus. Just for a moment, that thing–a guilty pleasure, a fleeting aggression, a serpent’s lie–feels better than Jesus.
Thank God for the Gospel, that costly and loving path back from sin and to transformation until our day of perfection.
Laura Singleton
Laura Singleton’s passion is the transformation that happens when women get access to God’s Word and God’s Word gets access to women. She was twenty-five when her life was turned upside down by an encounter with Jesus Christ. With an insatiable thirst for scripture and theology, she soon headed to Dallas Theological Seminary to learn more about Jesus, and left with a Th.M. with an emphasis in Media Arts. She, along with two friends from DTS, travel the nation filming the independent documentary Looking for God in America. She loves speaking and teaching and is the author of Insight for Living Ministry’s Meeting God in Familiar Places and hundreds of ads, which pay the bills. Her big strong hubby Paul is a former combat medic, which is handy since Laura’s almost died twice already. She loves photography, travel and her two pugs.
3 Comments
lchesser51
Better Than Jesus
Greetings to all in the Name of Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Ms. Singleton, you have chosen an attention-getting title for sure; the strange thing is that even the devil uses catchy phrases, pictures, etc. The difference is that he likes to try to steal what does not belong to him so that he can use something good to confuse and torment God's people. But, you and I agree: the devil, the world, and the flesh all combined do not offer anything that is "Better Than Jesus". He is everything that is good, lovely, holy, marvelous, wonderful, glorious, and the list of compliments goes on forever.
I really appreciate your writing today and one reason for that appreciation is that the Lord is presently allowing my faith to be tried as though He is still trying to find and cleanse me of some kind of impurities, imagine that??? He knows just how to allow satan to push our limits just far enough to make us call out upon the name of our Savior, saying, "Oh Lord, save me!!" Like Peter did when the storm's wind and waves distracted his attention away from Jesus and Peter started to sink in his troubles!
It would probably be more fun to live away from His watchful eyes; that is, for a little while, but not for long 'cause the devil wouldn't waste any time jumping on us to try to kill us. We all know that without Him we would be in serious trouble; in fact, none of us would ever know the real, abundant, eternal life that only Jesus gives.
As Christians we must remember that, since we have a Father who loves us, He will not allow us to wander out into the "busy streets of sin" where we are likely to be injured (or killed); NO WAY! Jesus watches carefully over each of us much like my wife does when its her turn to supervise our 4 year old twin grandchildren, Rayden and Rebeckah. They have already begun to believe that she just doesn't want them to have any fun at all!!
In my opinion she does fret over them just a little bit too much; but, in doing so she is teaching them boundaries and discipline AND she is showing them just how much she loves them!!! Their older, 'eight year-old' brother Ryan exclaimed to her one day, "Nana, you worry too much!" Let me tell you I've heard similar complaints on more than one occasion by 'sore' (adult?) children of God after I simply preached the Word of God to them. For example, one dear sister said, "I'll have you know I like my _______ and I'm gonna' keep it, I don't care what you say!!! My response? Hey, I'm just the messenger boy! And even though I thoroughly enjoyed preaching with the annointing power of the Holy Ghost it's as though they are telling me, "you're no fun at all".
Lately, Ryan's descriptor about Nana fits the way I could say that Jesus has been dealing with me. It's as though He doesn't want me to have any fun at all! Oh, but I know not to think of this is as a "strange thing" (as found in I Peter chapter 4) but still, I have been doing my share of whining. I have learned to trust my Jesus 'cause He knows what's best for me!
I write this to make a point of how our Heavenly Father definitely means business when He deals with us as "Dear Children". In Eugene Peterson's "The Message", Hebrews 12; 7, says it this way, "God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children". But, unlike my grandkids' opinion of their Nana and Papa, the truth is that we WANT them to have more fun than ever when they are with us and Jesus wants us to be the most joyful people on the planet; but, both Jesus and we want us and them to learn to be attentive and obedient while we and they are out there having all that fun.
Someone else has written a blog in the form of the question: "Does God have a sense of humor?" A remarkable question, indeed! My answer to the question is short and direct: "Of course He has a sense of humor He made me, didn't He?" (When I get my photo posted you'll see what I mean.) (ha, ha, ha!!) The Bible tells us of our Father, "In Your presence there is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Yes, God created each of us so that we enjoy laughing, playing, even teasing one another at times.
The Word also told that one time King David, "the apple of God's eye", was overcome with the joy of the Lord (the joy the Lord gives) and once he began to dance he found it very difficult to stop!! He was rejoicing and enjoying the very presence of the Lord God Almighty; the maker of Heaven and Earth and the inventor of FUN, PLEASURE, LAUGHTER, JOY, GOOD TIMES, ETC. I just might join Brother David when I get there in My Father's Great Big House!
Hom
Better Than Jesus
I am very much stunned by the love of Jesus. I was not born in a christian family. My parents are still very strong Hindu couples. I accepted Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior 15 years ago and since then I have been telling people that there is none 'BETTER THAN JESUS'. His sacrifice on the cross of calvary cannot be expressed in simple thoughts and words. If ever any one could imagine to die for the sake of sinners it was Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul realized the depth of love of christ and says nothing can separate us away from the Love of Christ. Our praise and glory for our dearest Lord forever and ever and ever amen!
Retha Groenewald
So true. We think there is a
So true. We think there is a difference between little sins and big sins. At the end of the day Jesus died for all our sins. No matter how we look at sin it still keeps us away from our heavenly Father. I am so thankful that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus.