Last Thursday, I told the story of how a very selfless little squirrel gave us his entire winter stash of 27 pinecones, all neatly tucked away for safekeeping–in the transmission of our new car.
It was cute. It was funny. But it was also thought-provoking. Imagine that simple pinecones would be able to stop something as big and powerful as a diesel-powered vehicle!
It made me think: Are there any “pinecones” that can stop our spiritual growth? Are there tiny things that get in the way of us hearing God’s voice?
The Bible says there are: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)
Did you catch that? The “pinecones” that can stop up the vehicle God wishes to use to save the world are our sins!
Has Jesus forgiven our sins?
Of course He has: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). But just because our sins are forgiven and no longer have power to keep us from going to Heaven does not mean they don’t affect us. In fact, just like those pinecones “plugged up” my transmission, making it impossible for the transmission to “hear” the “voice” of the stick shift telling it to get out of reverse, our sins “stop us up”, making it impossible for us to hear God’s voice and to illicit His help!
What kind of sin am I talking about here?
The Bible teaches that all sin, no matter how great or small, be as inconspicuous as hiding the truth or as horrid as murder and rape, drug addictions and violent tempers, all will serve to keep you for God’s kingdom (See James 2:8-11). It’s true that Jesus sometimes made reference to some sins being “greater” than others (See John 19:11, Matt 3:18-30); however this gradation of sin is not mentioned in Isaiah 59:1-2. It simply says that “…your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” What this means, then, is that any sin, no matter how big or small, will work to separate us from God, will make it hard for us to hear His voice, and will keep Him from hearing us and being able to reach out and come to our aid.
It isn’t that God is “punishing” us for our sin when He appears to not come to our aid, it is simply that our sin has become like those pinecones in my transmission, essentially “blocking” His ability to help us, to make us hear His voice, to bless us to the extent that He wishes to bless us.
So what do we do?
We get rid of the pinecones! In our case, we needed a mechanic. In the case of sin, we need the same thing. The good news is that God will never leave us in the place where we cannot break free. He has promised: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13). He has given us a “mechanic”, Jesus Christ, who gives us His resurrection power to overcome sin. We also have God’s Spirit, who convicts us of our sin.
Naturally, the removal of those pine cones cost us something: 140$–ouch! Sometimes the removal of our sin also results in cost to us. After all, giving up a sinful lifestyle, no matter how small or large, is difficult to do. Telling someone they have been a victim of your white lies or returning things that you have stolen is very difficult and costly to your reputation, and could very well put you in the way of the law. Nonetheless, if you want your spiritual “engine” to run again as it is supposed to run, so that you can hear God’s voice and He can hear yours, those “pinecones” must be removed, no matter the cost.
Let’s let God remove the “pinecones” from our spiritual lives. Let’s let Him help us break free from the bondage of sin so that our spiritual engines will be able to run freely.
Oh, and if you would like to have some 140$ pinecones, I know exactly where to find them!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, with Answers2Prayer Ministries. Follow Lyn on Twitter @lynchaffart.
(To access the entire “Lessons From a Benevolent Squirrel” mini-series, please click here.)