Why are you fighting sin?

If you are a Christian I am guessing that you are embroiled in a battle with sin. You wake up as I do most mornings with that resolution that today will be better, today I won't lose it with the kids, today I won't think those unkind thoughts about the people in the shop, today will be better than yesterday.

That is a good thing, we do well to remember the words of John Owen that we should be sure to be putting sin to death or else it will be putting us to death. My question isn't are you fighting sin so much as why? Why are you bothering?

Its a question I have been thinking about for a little while now and a passage I read in a book today really struck a chord with me. The book is entitled "Your future self will thank you" by Drew Dyck.

Dyck draws inspiration from two classic tails, firstly Homer's Iliad where Odysseus embarks on a journey home form the Trojan war. One of the gravest dangers he will meet on his journey are the sirens who sing sweet songs enticing sailors closer to the shore only eventually leading to the death of the sailors.

He knows the risks so in order to counter this risk he decides to lash himself to the mast of the ship and instructs his crew that no matter how strong his pleading he is not to be loosed from the mast. To protect the crew Odysseus puts beeswax in their ears. Sure enough they sail past the sirens and their song draws Odysseus in and he pleads with the crew to untie him. Odysseus sees the danger coming and prepares.

The second story comes from the Argonautica, in which the Argonauts must sail past the same sirens faced with the same dangers but they choose to escape with a very different method. They sail past they hear the singing but instead of self restraint they opt for the approach of having Orpheus on board, a legendary poet and musician. As they sail past the sirens he brings out his lyre and plays a sweeter song to them and they are saved.

If I am honest my approach to fighting sin all too often falls into the first category, my approach to fighting sin falls into the if I do this thing then God might get me, if I do this then God will be displeased with me. And of course this is a fine strategy for fighting sin.

However how much better to have our ears filled with the sweeter song, when confronted with sin to think not if I do this God will punish me but rather to think this thing has no lasting value, I am loved by the God of heaven in his son Jesus Christ, I am an adopted child of heaven.

Next time the siren song of sin fills your ears fill them with the sweeter song of Christ.