So we come up with systems and formulas to help deal with the problems of life, including sin. We have 12 steps, four spiritual laws, fivefold ministry and Rick Warren's baseball diamond.
All of these things are valuable and have helped people escape addiction and be more effective disciples of Jesus Christ. But do all of our solutions require blueprints and schematics? Does sanctification (the art of being holy) always come with directions, like one of those put-it-together-yourself shelving kits you buy from the hardware store?
There is another approach to dealing with sin. You only need two seconds to read it. It's found in 1 John 3:6 - actually the first half of verse 6. John writes, "no one who abides in him keeps on sinning."
The "him" is Jesus. To "abide" means to remain.
Two of the greatest writers of the faith were specialists in abiding. Brother Lawrence discussed it in his little book "The Practice of the Presence of God." Frank Laubach played "the game with minutes." He taught that we should keep God in mind at least one second of every minute of every day.
The closer we are to Jesus, the farther away we are from sin. If we keep Jesus at arm's length, that leaves a vacuum which sin will always occupy. My prayer for the brothers is that we keep Jesus close, abide in him, and make the songs of our lives sweet music to his ears.
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