Most of us know what it takes to kill something. You have to be vicious.The other day when I was mowing my yard I saw my neighbor run out of his garage with a shovel in his hand. He ran into the flower bed by his house and began pummeling the ground.*
I didn’t see for sure what he was hitting, but I have a working theory. I think that while he was cleaning his garage a mouse or some rodent surprised him. And, my neighbor who does not wish to share his garage with mice, much less be surprised by them, decided to pulverize his uninvited guest with a shovel. My guess is he was trying to kill it.
I know that at any given time, there are many dead mice in the world. But, I can assure you that none of them are deader than this one. It met a violent end.
The Apostle Paul said that Christians should do with sin what my neighbor did with that mouse. Paul said it baldly.
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.(Col 3:5-6).”
We are not supposed to negotiate terms with sin and temptation. Rather, put it to death.
My neighbor didn’t make friends with the mouse. He didn’t try and reason with it. He didn’t invite it into his home. He killed the thing.
So many times we befriend things that belong to the earthly nature. Maybe we don’t approve and yet we invite certain television programs into our home or look at the wrong things on the computer. We cultivate materialism and greed.
But the Bible teaches that we are to kill sin, not make friends with it. Let’s pick up a shovel and beat it to death. Because of such things, the wrath of God is coming.
What pet sins are you feeding? Know this. Sin is not a harmless little rodent. Kill it or it will kill you. For more help, see the resources listed below.
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See also:
How to Kill Sin, Part 1 – John Piper
How to Kill Sin, Part 2 – John Piper
How to Kill Sin, Part 3 – John Piper
When I Don’t Desire God (Redesign): How to Fight for Joy
Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace
*This post revised on 5/6/15.
