Romans 5:12 (NLT), “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. ”

Sin is something we all deal with every day of our lives. When Adam and Eve brought sin into this world it became a stain that would stay with us. Every day we each fight the sin nature that keeps tugging at us. Sin has a double effect in that we not only deal with the sin we commit but the impact of the sins others commit.

The Life Journey devotional spoke yesterday about how the sins of the parents are passed down to the children. Numbers 14:18 says, “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations. ” While this was written during the time of the law under the Old Testsment, it still has very real impacts today.

Take a look at your life and see if there are issues you are dealing with because of the sin of someone else. Think about how sins you committed have impacted your children, parents, friends, and people around you. I know that sins I committed in the past had an effect on my children, even though I may not have understood it at the time. When I gave my life to Christ it all became clear to me. That is why during my testimonial when I was baptized I apologized to my children for what my sins had done to them. It was a truly sobering realization for me.

When you realize the impact your sin can have on the lives of those you love you become less selfish. You no longer look at your decisions through only your eyes, only thinking about yourself. Think about that as you go through your day and you are faced with those temptations of sin. How will you react to them? The decision you make won’t just impact you but also those you love. How does that change your reaction?

Truth In Love! ~ Chuck