In poor countries the threat of poverty looms like an abyss under every person’s feet. In Australia we have safety nets which mean that, really, no one has to live in abject poverty. But this is not the case in many parts of the world. In these places, once you fall below the poverty line, it is almost impossible to recover. But what makes this threat all the worse is knowing that if you fall below the poverty line your descendants for generations to come will be born in, and will live in, poverty because of your fall. This is what happened, in a spiritual sense, with Adam. Adam took a step off an abyss. He fell into sin and corrupted the world by his actions. Because of his action all the human race after him would be born with the seeds of spiritual corruption in their hearts. It is a hard fact to come to terms with, but that is the way it is. The choice of one person had inevitable consequences for the rest of humanity. Because of our relationship to Adam our forefather, we are born fallen and mortal. This underlines the kind of effect that one person can have on many. When we open the door to sin it is like letting a crazed beast into our household which then runs riot in the house, tears up the furniture, smashes the valuables and attacks those inside. God said to Cain: “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” Think twice before you open the door to sin.
Reflect on where you have let sin create havoc in your life. Ask God to forgive you and restore you.
Read Romans 5:12-14
