Confrontation

I saw a video for an ad campaign.
It was an anti-smoking ad campaign.
It was extremely clever and so very powerful.

The video showed adults smoking in various places and situations.
A young boy and a young girl each took turns walking up to the people.
The boy and girl had a cigarette in their hand.

Do you have a light? they asked innocently.
The adult smokers seemed surprised and caught off guard by their question.
Even though the ad was from China, subtitles helped to clarify the dialogue.

Each adult gave the boy and girl a list of facts about the dangers of smoking.
It causes cancer, you can get emphysema, it makes you look older, it’s bad for you.
Their reasons were varied.

Without missing a beat the boy and girl asked the million dollar question.
If you know it’s bad for you, then why do YOU smoke?

The camera caught the smoker’s reaction.
The boy and girl handed them a piece of paper and walked away.
On the paper (in Chinese) was a number to call for help to stop smoking.

What if all of our faults, all of our sins, were handled this way?
What if our worst behavior was seen through the eyes of a child?
What if?

It makes us uncomfortable to even think about such a thing.

What if our problem was with alcohol?
What if a child came up to us with a glass in hand asking us for a drink?

What if our problem was with drugs?
What if a child came up to us with money in hand wanting to buy some?

What if our problem was with overeating?
What if a child sat in front of us and ate the way we ate?

What if our problem was with pornography?
What if a child came to us with a laptop and asked us to show them the sites we visited?

What if our problem was with immorality?
What if a child mimicked the behaviors that bring us so much illicit pleasure?

What if we saw our sins, our deviant behavior, mirrored in a child’s face?

The ad campaign effectively portrayed the reality of our choices.
Choices we don’t think about until we are confronted.
Choices we don’t think hurt anyone until we see the innocence of children affected.

Jesus said to His disciples: Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves. (Luke 17:1-3)

Watch yourselves.
Oh, that we could.

We are a slave to our sins and fail to see that we cannot handle them on our own.

Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
(Genesis 4:1-8)

Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Sin cannot be mastered on our own.
Our sinful behavior cannot be overcome on our own.
We cannot permanently change on our own.

We need the Lord.

Like the children confronting the adult smokers, we need a mirror.
We need the mirror of God’s Word so that we can see who we really are.
We need to see who we really are apart from Him.

The worst of ourselves flashed before us.
We hang our head in shame.
We see the reality of our sin and we don’t like what we see.
We stand condemned.

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1,2)

Jesus is there.
Your sin is confronted simply by His presence.
He hands you a piece of paper.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

Only through Jesus, can our sin be mastered.
Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to us when we trust in Him alone for our salvation.
We walk away forgiven and free.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(John 8:10,11)

 

2 responses to “Confrontation”

1. Hi Gina! I really enjoy your website! And I got your book for Christmas! Hope you and your family are doing well and enjoying the blessings of the Lord.
   Brenda Duffield (in Ireland)

   Reply

   • Brenda,
     Hello friend! How wonderful to hear from you across the pond!
     I’m delighted that you have found the blog and received the book.
     I think of you often. Love to your family.
     Press on in the work God has called you to do in Ireland.
     Gina

     Reply