Obligatory Thanksgiving Post?

Well, it's Thanksgiving time again. I should know, I work in a meat market. All the different bloggers across the country will be blogging about what they are thankful for. Most religious bloggers will be blogging about how they only give thanks to the Lord, from whom all blessings flow.

Not me. I'm gonna talk about sin. Most importantly, the standard reactions to sin. From what I've noticed, there are three primary ways that Christians as well as so-called Christians react to sin.

Ostracize: The first way is to treat the person as an alien life-form and either avoid them altogether, or ostracize them. If you use this extreme hate, they will stay away from God, and never hear the true Gospel. In other words, Satan wins.

Total acceptance: This is the opposite of ostracizing. The other method is to tell them that they are fine and what they are doing is not a sin. Using this method, they will continue worshiping something that is not true, and never hear the true Gospel. In other words, Satan wins.

Ignoring the issue: Well, this is exactly as it sounds. This is when someone exhibits sinful behavior, and no one talks, engages, encounters, or even approaches the person. A big problem with ignoring an issue is that the person may know what they are doing is wrong, but feel like no one cares. Sadly, these people often take their own lives, when there are Christians nearby that are fully equipped to help with the situation. When we ignore the issue, then the person will never hear the real Gospel. In other words, Satan wins.

So how do we make Satan not win? The easy answer is to not do these three things, but something in between the first two. It says in 1 Peter 3:15-16: " But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

The key point here is to treat everyone with gentleness and respect, without endorsing or condoning any sinful behavior. But how do we stay prepared to give an answer? First and foremost is something I say almost every week, to make sure you not only read the Bible, but to be familiar with the scripture that you are reading as well. However, not everybody has the Bible memorized; I don't either. But that cannot and should not keep a Christian from defending the faith. The answer to this situation is in the first part of the passage, to set apart Christ as Lord in your heart. If Christ is with you, then you can call upon Him in tough situations. This may sound easier than it is, but trust me, from personal experience it is true. You might not notice what is happening at the time, but you will recognize it later. If you're like me, you will think at that moment "huh, that was weird."

There are many ways to react to sin, most of them bad. But keep in mind also what Jesus said in the Great Commandments and the Great Commission about loving God and loving your neighbor, and bringing the Good News to others. With these verses, and all others, keep on reading the Good News.

Amen.