The cost of life and death can be difference in deciding if you willing to follow Jesus. No one lives without sin. We can not forgot where we been for it only leads to self righteousness and sinful world around us needs to know we to had to repent of our sins to God. When we share his love, they need to know his grace is for them too. That God loves us despite our sin. I got mad at Paul letter in chapter 4 this morning in Ephesians because Paul called the Gentiles ignorant. No one wants to be thought as stupid, dumb, ignorant, or just plain without common sense. Our human desire puts us in opposition to God when it not in line with God's design and purpose. Eve tempted by the serpent. Serpent desire was to trick Eve into eating forbidden fruit. Not because it tasted good, because he wanted to control Eve. He desire for Eve to obey him. He set Eve up to be not only deceived but out of the will of God for her life. Was the serpent at this time out of the will of God. Yes because he desire to have Eve submit to him like she did to God. The serpent made Eve think God some how lied to her, yet he was the liar and deceiver. Eve obeyed in ignorance to Serpent's trickery and deception. I think many will agree at the time of sin it might seem fun, but it is an illusion to truth. I drank alcohol for a short time only to realize how miserable my friends and I truly were. What does alcohol do if you drink enough it distorts your mind enough you have no concept in what you are doing nor care. You might even try to do something as individual that you truly are not capable of doing and land up getting yourself hurt or someone else killed because of one bad decision to drink and drive, play in a pool and drown or go walking down the highway and walk in front of a moving vehicle. Where did pressure come to drink, from friends, from personal curiousity, or Satan himself. Ever since the garden man as tried not to do things God's way. We all fall in the trap of sin. Yet do we have to remain in sin the answer is no.

Abuse of alcohol is only one sin, alcohol can be good medically used not to get drunk but for help with the stomache scripture says, in one of the letters to Timothy I think it is. Here is the point with any sin, it matters not what it is excessiveness can cause problems and is sin. Somethings thought to be sin in moderation is not harmful. Yet there is sin of excessiveness that can lead to death or harm in someway. Then there is sin that God forbid his people just because he knows what best for them. On the side of paradise Adam and Eve had a great life on this side of paradise they found a world different then heaven. It is the story of the palace to the rag pile and yet God did not give them rags but a fur coat and though he cast them out he was willing to still speak to them.

If we all are descendants of Adam and Eve we are all prone to the elements of our world. All succum to sin. If Eve had not fallen, I am sure her offspring would of, because God gave us the ability to make our own decisions. The Gentile world is the world of unbelief. It is the people living in disbelief to the ways of God, to the very person of God and the idea of what God consider sin. If one can grasp the concept that what God himself does not approve of sin, then we can grasp the very act of disbelief is also sin. People walk in this world as if they never make a mistake, and it further from the truth. Yet as a Christian for someone to think I am perfect is just equal wrong. Some people have not seen sin at its very worst nor participate in sin at its very worse. Some go to church and wear lace and go home and do what they are suppose to do every day. Yet they to desire to sin, sometimes even sin and are never caught by another human being. Yet God knows the sin.

Gentiles are people that are alienated from God from choices or decisions that are not according to the will of God for their life. A gentile is one that is opposition to God and can even be a believer or a non believer. Satan believes and trembles but guess what he still goes on sinning. Part of receiving Christ is turning from sin, whether from the Gentile world or the people of faith, we all must come to the cross and repent of sin. Allowing Christ to cleanse us from all unrighteousness from all sin. It does not mean we will not sin again, but it means payment has been made that are strive is to not sin. Yet there a few of us that appear to be devils and not believers at times in our life and are only called backslidden. Yet it is God's love for us he desires to bring us back to him with the understanding yes Christ paid that price for all our sin. If one fail's to realize that his drawing us back into his embrace is continual grace, we fail to see the the sanctification process design to purge all impurities from our life. We are sometimes like that pine tree I spoke on yesterday where the roots on top last not to long but the main root is faith in Jesus. Those little roots are things that will be cut off by the Masters hand and bear no life after once destroyed from the tree.Yet they do grow and produce roots to destruction at times, while the main root continues to flourish in Christ.

Peter talks about the Gentiles as people not being enlighten by God's grace to salvation but striving to sin. Yet those who find Christ recognize understand Christ suffered for our sin but he spent his time not to fulfill the lust of men but the will of God. In other words once risen he continued to do the will of God and not being angry with God continued in his grace. When we sin and are drawn back to God or are a new believer are we continuing in his grace and his will for our life or choicing sin. Our strive should be to do his will and not follow after others to sin likewise as they do. It is profitable to continue in the will of God. God's kids are blessed. Yet what are we doing are we striving for Jesus. Are we living by his example given to us by God? Receiving Christ is simple all we need do is ask Christ into our hearts and repent of our sin. Yet afterwards we need to live for Jesus. That decision is not always as easy. Yet when we do he blesses us not only for eternity, but in our life as we strive to grow in faith and laying down of dead works of unrighteousness.

Dear Heavenly Heavenly Father even in our ignorance you loved us never giving up on mankind. Help us to strive to live for you because you died for me. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion:

1 Peter 4:1-3 KJV
1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

Titus 3:1-8 KJV
1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.