“People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.”

Two days ago, I was in a meeting with a group of area pastors. As we walked through the agenda, one of the members, who works closely with those in difficult financial situations, brought up what was happening to people in today’s economy. His point was that a lot of people are hurting, and the number seems to be growing every day. He made the statement that if things continue the way they are going, the result will probably be growing homelessness and crime, among other things. We began to talk about how we should proactively work as the body of Christ to prevent that from happening. In the midst of the conversation, a comment was made that some people may commit crimes out of desperation to care for their families. This thought came to mind: Solomon is obviously not approving of any criminal behavior or violation of either God’s or man’s laws. However, you can see a distinction between a person who would steal bread to make sure his children had something to eat, and those who selfishly, for pure self-gratification, would engage in adultery and other sins that are simply to satisfy their own fleshly desires. In eternity, there are no degrees of sin. The fact that we can’t keep even the tiniest part of God’s laws, or what we would perceive to be the greatest offenses (such as murder and adultery), does not impact salvation. Sin separates us from God, and we need a Savior, regardless of what we’ve done. In the same vein, the most heinous of sins is just as forgivable as what we perceive to be the least offensive sin. Sin brings separation, and Jesus brings reconciliation. Today, seek to avoid sin in all of its forms. #BeTheEdge

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬