Jesus and me, Jerry Sandusky and (Un) Happy Valley

If we ever needed another reminder that our sin affects more than just us, just look at Penn State University. The sins of a few men in leadership have injured many who had nothing to do with the actions there, and had no idea it was happening.

Some of those injured include:

The players who cannot play in bowls through no fault of their own

The victims of Mr. Sandusky

The people who idolized Paterno and PSU

The non-revenue sports at PSU who may see a reduction in funding given the reduction in $$ from the football program

And the list goes on and on.

 It is a good moment for us to remember that our sin can potentially affect many around us. And that is why God's grace is there to help us overcome the power of sin and death. We are called to live in community, not as Lone Rangers. Our actions, however big or small, affect others whether we want to admit it or not.
 
Lord make it so.

Managing the sin in our midst

My friend Kurt had a good post on avoiding sin, which is always good advice. Trying to stay just far enough away from sin, but still be close enough to enjoy it's presence is a recipe for spiritual disaster. I've been reading Judges lately, and this was a trap that Israel fell into. When they did not drive the inhabitants of the promised land out, as the Lord instructed, they set themselves up for failure. Now they had the gods of the Ammonites, Hittites and all of the other pagan tribes next to them. And these people had attractive sons and daughters, and SURPRISE, intermarriage occurred. Then the gods came over, Israel lost God's favor, and cycle of bad things began.

Look at our lives today. How much of the pain that we suffer is caused by self-inflicted wounds? If we constantly struggle with things, maybe our friends, family and acquaintances are part of the problem. Maybe it is our job that leads us into temptation, or the neighborhood we live in. This is where we need to prayerfully seek deliverance, guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. God will show us the changes that we need to make, and if allow him, the changes that only He can make in us.

So if you are struggling with sin(s), take some prayer time to ask God if there are environmental causes that can be remedied. Maybe a vocational change is in order. I don't know, but our surroundings can be a snare for us. My prayers are with you as you seek God's instruction.