I had an unusual thing happen on a Butler street recently: I hit a pothole. That’s unusual in Butler, because we have a good street department, and a good city administrator who sees that the street crew is aware when there’s a job to be done.

It’s interesting that in whatever area you are, you get accustomed to what we term “normal,” and when the least little thing upsets the norm, it’s noticed. For example, I’ve mentioned to you that you can walk into a brand-new gymnasium with its sparkling shiny floor, but if someone has dropped a gum wrapper out in the middle of it, that’s the thing that catches your eye. Same with that little pothole, or a streetlight that’s suddenly out.

And it’s the same with a little sin. Adam did one sin…that of disobeying God about eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge…and he paid for it dearly. In fact, all of us are paying for that one.

And James, half-brother of Jesus, said in his book in the Bible, James 2:10, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Of course he was using the Law that God had set up for the Israelis in the time before Christ came and gave us a new direction, but the point is made. And he uses the Ten Commandments to further make his point, that although you may not kill someone, if you commit adultery, you’ve broken one of the Commandments, and so are guilty of all, by association. And so when we do something that our conscience senses is wrong, or is obviously wrong according to the Bible, we should ask forgiveness for it. We are not to “store up” little sins and get forgiveness at some time in the future, because we may not live that long.

We aren’t guaranteed our next breath or heartbeat.

Remember I’ve told you that the difference between Christians and sinners is that the Christians are trying. You can be one of us, just by talking to Christ about it, right where you sit. I recommend it.

37BT Bill Thornton October 3, 2006