Sin is everywhere, and we cannot avoid it. Whether it is our own sin that we are seeing, or the sins of others
shoved in our faces. Whether it's movies, television shows, commercials, billboards, or even just going out into public, you will see sin all around you. It can be easy to become hardened about these things, and not even notice them anymore. They can be so deep into your mind that you don't even give a passing glance to them anymore. This is definitely easy to do.
But how do we solve this problem? How do we solve the problem of apathy towards sin? This can be solved with a simple verse that I'm sure you have seen and used many times. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8)
How can we avoid sin, without avoiding it? It is becoming increasingly popular to be good, but increasingly unpopular to do what is necessary to achieve that goodness. How can we protect ourselves against the effects that sin has on us, without avoiding sin itself? Whether it's that song, that show, or that friend, even, we need to remove those things from our lives that cause us to stumble.
I went on a hike recently, and it was amazing. The trees were in every shade of green, the air was nice and cool, and the bears decided not to maul us. We were hiking towards a waterfall, and all of a sudden I walk into a wall of rain. Cold, hard, rain. Why is was raining there and not on the rest of the trail, I have no idea. But it happened.
So we were walking and I was freezing, my parents were freezing, and we finally get to the waterfall. We stood under a tree for a little bit, hoping the rain would let up a bit, but when we realized that it wasn't going to for a while, we started back. And after a while, I must say, I didn't even realize that it was raining anymore. I knew that I was kind of cold, but I was so soaked, that I really couldn't even feel the raindrops falling on me anymore.
Had I prepared and brought an umbrella for my trip, I would have been dry the entire time. And I may have gotten slightly damp, but I would still be dry, so I would be able to feel if there was a place where my umbrella wasn't covering.
As long as we stay under the umbrella of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, etc, then we will be able to feel whenever the sin comes in. We will be able to see where we are failing, and where we need to correct ourselves. Yes, whenever we do see sin, it will be uncomfortable. But how can we keep sin out of our lives, if we are so accustomed to it, that we can't even tell the difference anymore?
Are you growing apathetic towards sin? Cut out those things that the umbrella that we see in Philippians 4:8 don't cover. Next time you go out to the movies, or you're talking to a friend, think, is the subject honorable? Is it pure? Is it worthy of praise? Whenever we fill our minds with things worthy of praise, we will become worthy of praise. But whenever we fill our minds with things of the world, we will become one with the world.
