Our pearl of wisdom for this weekend comes from the seventeenth century English puritan, John Owen. His book on The Mortification of Sin is not a light read by any measure. It digs deeply into places of the heart that invariably need serious excavation.
“Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head. Men may come to that, that sin may not be heard speaking a scandalous word in their hearts – that is, provoking to any great sin with scandal in its mouth; but yet every rise of lust, might it have its course, would come to the height of villainy: it is like the grave that is never satisfied.”
John Owen gives us a sobering reminder here of what lies in the human heart. If we do not continually put to death the deeds of our sinful nature they will grow and consume us entirely. The greatest danger you face is not before you, but within you. By the Spirit of God however we have power to live in freedom.
Ask God to free you from the things that you feel captive to.
Read Romans 8:1-13.
