What happens in Vegas . . .

When people spout the adage,"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," what they are saying is that their sin will not find them out and there are not consequences. But this is a lie straight from the devil's heart.  Sin has consequences: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:23).

What is done in Las Vegas is supposed to stay there. But what happens when it doesn’t? Sin can never stay contained. What is done by an individual affects the corporate body.  A scourge of  recent murder and suicides have left children orphaned and people deeply scarred. These tragedies have left people questioning how could something like that happen. Pretty simple. Someone looked the other way. Someone did not speak out.

 Thank God, the community women did not let  Naomi ‘off the hook.’ Her ungrateful attitude after Ruth’s faithful service was not palpable to them. Her ungratefulness and murmuring needed to be addressed. And so they did so, blessing her at the same time. They emphatically state that  Ruth is the best thing Naomi got- better than seven sons: "The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth” (Ruth 4:14-15).

I have a question: "do we have the moral integrity to confront the sin we see in others?  More importantly, do we have the chutzpah to confront sin in ourselves (see the blog entitled “Confession Anyone”)? Someone will pay for our individual sins.  Ultimately, Y’Shua paid that price on the cross (I Peter 2:21-25); however, that does not nullify the effects of our actions. We can not make sinners our heroes; we can not make of our sins some tribute. It is sin and its consequences are painful- to our children and their children’s children. Every wound and dysfunction we pass on devalues and constricts the lives of those we profess to love: "He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been" (1 Kings 15:3).  Yet, God promises, "But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things" (Ezekiel 18:14).  Let's not be deceived by sin's allurement. Thank God that "The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever" (Isaiah 32:7). Let us leave a godly inheritance for our children and their children.

May we walk out of sin through confession and accountability,
M. J. - A fellow penitent