How often do you take out the household garbage, especially the sort in the kitchen that usually holds a lot of stuff that stinks? As for me, for the non-stinky stuff like old papers in the downstairs office, the trip to “Big Blue” occurs when the trash can is full. For kitchen garbage, it can be when 1) it’s full or 2) when it gets too smelly. For some of us, the second instance is directly proportional to the keenness of our olfactory nerves. When it begins to stink it’s time to take it to “Big Blue” (or whatever color your waste management folks use). Failure to remove stinky stuff in the garbage can result in a smelly kitchen. It can even get so bad; folks that come knocking smell it as soon as you open the front door.

I’ve discovered, sometimes painfully, that sin in my life is just like the garbage in my house. I tend not to pay attention to it until it the trash can is full or it begins to stink. The thing is, if the sin in my life doesn’t stink to me, it stinks to God. The difference between my view of sin and God’s can be very great, especially when we even have ‘church folks’ telling us that God “loves us with our sin‘ and “God loves you just the way you are”! It’s true that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8), but the Father sent His own Son to the Cross because somebody had to die for our sin, not so we could ignore the smell!

If we name the name of Christ, we need to smell the stink of sin as keenly as God does, no matter what others might tell us, even if they are Christian friends, or standing behind the pulpit. And even if we don’t smell it, if we just know that it’s garbage, we need to take it to the curb (and not just when the trash can’s full) – we need to repent before God, ask for forgiveness from whomever we have sinned against, and trust God with the consequences, whatever they might look like.

I know that sometimes it’s easier said than done. When this old soldier senses a need for ‘divine’ encouragement he reads Revelation 5 to hear the voice of the angel thundering across the heavens:

“Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”,

…then listening to the deafening silence, followed by the vision of the Lamb that had been slain, standing between the throne and the four living creatures, and among the twenty-four elders, who were singing a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
      and to open its seals,
   because you were slain,
      and with your blood you purchased men for God
      from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

I seems to be rather difficult to hang on to whatever sin is troubling me when I envision my Savior on the Tree, drops of blood streaming to the ground, and seeing a solitary drop upon which is written my name.

He purchased me with the currency of His own blood. If you are reading this and are a believer, or if you are reading this truly seeking God, there is a drop of blood with your name on it.

Hang on to your sin now……I challenge you.