I must have been 8 or 9 when I walked down Highway 82 to Hughes Grocery store. When I saved up enough or I could talk my mother out of enough cash I was able to purchase my favorite RC Cola and Snickers bar. I remember when I first learned about inflation, cold drinks went up to 6 cents. Now it took a dime & a penny to satisfy my craving.

I vagally remember being short on cash when I slipped a dime from my mother’s purse one afternoon. Chances are we have had this thought…the thought to rationalize our choice. In our minds it starts like this, “It’s only….” How could stealing a candy bar be a sin? Afterall a candy bar is not like the sins in Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” But to God, it’s all sin, and there is nothing more serious in our life than our sin. Nothing! Remember it’s not how we see & think, it’s how God sees & thinks that counts. Only He is Sovereign God.

But stealing a candy bar? Let’s go to God’s Word, where we find a similar situation. It was something that looked good. I think this could have been the self-conversation that took place in their minds & heart. “Man, that looks great!” “No one is looking.” “There’s plenty here. No one will miss this one” “I know He said do not, but…” And as Paul Harvey would say, “And now the rest of the story from Genesis 3, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”

There was a 3-Stage progression to committing the sin.

1. She Saw. We live in a very visual world. Seeing good and bad is inevitable. The potential of sin is everywhere. The question is what will we choose to do?
2. She Desired. She chose to keep looking. What she saw now moved to visualizing the experience of enjoying the fruit. This became a form of worship.
3. She Took. Both Adam & Eve chose to place themselves on the throne by acting. What they wanted became more important than what God wanted. No longer was God Sovereign to them. They were in charge. Sound familiar?

There are Principles to consider:

• Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37-38, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
• “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” Exodus 20:5

Only recently has it settled in my heart the age-old question about little sins & big sins. First, they are all sin. Second, the primary sin is the sin of self-centeredness. It’s the choice of putting my way, my comforts, my time, my money in front of God. Snickers, murder, theft, gossip are subsets of the sin of my self-centeredness. In other words, Snickers, sports, work, and other things we enjoy are not bad but when they become first in our life, we have sinned. Ouch! Now I understand Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Sin has a price. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23. Without Jesus, we have only ourselves to pay the price when we face the Father. But the Good News…the News that gives me the Hope, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” Romans 10:9.

This is what Easter is all about. The cleansing blood of Christ Jesus.

“But— When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 3:4-6

“Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8