Little Sins

Day 5 reading assignment:
Gen 11:1-13:4
Matt 5:1-26
Psalms 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28

I  stumble quite contentedly along in my very ordinary life believing that I am, typically speaking, a good and honest person.  I always give back the money when the cashier mistakenly gives me change for a 20 when I paid with a five.  I don't lie, cheat or steal.  Okay so I've told some eensy fibs, cheated at Monopoly and a few hands of pinochle, and way back in the day I stole some beer mugs...fine, I'll admit it, 6 glasses and a pitcher from Brownsboro Tavern but I was very young and I am no longer that person.  I pride myself on the fact that I don't do any of the extreme sins like , well, murder.  And then I read (Matt 5:21) it's not enough to avoid killing, I must also avoid anger and hatred?  I have hated very few people in my life.  Strongly disliked? Yes.  But I can say with all honesty at this point in my life, that I hate no one.  This anger thing has me concerned though.  As I got further into reading the application that followed this verse  said: 'Moses said "Do Not Murder."  Jesus taught that we should not even become angry enough to murder.  For then we have already commited murder in our heart.'  I was still trying to let myself off the hook but I read on: 'The Pharisees read this law and, not having literally murdered anyone, felt they had obeyed it.  Yet they were angry enough with Jesus they would soon plot his death, though they wouldn't do the dirty work themselves.'  The application goes on to talk about the harmfulness of anger:  'It violates the command to love.  It is a dangerous emotion that always threatens to leap out of control, leading to violence, emotional hurt, increased mental stress, and spiritual damage.'

I had to ask myself, do I keep God's rules but ignore the intent?  The answer  is yes.  It is sobering to have aspects of my character exposed that I didn't know existed.  To have to take responsibility for sin I don't want to see.  Am I a murderer in God's eyes?  I have most assuredly assassinated the character of others with my words everytime I took part in gossip.  And I have experienced the anger described in these verses.  How many times I have rotely repeated how God gave His only Son to die on the cross for my sins, without seriously considering what I was saying.  My sins did the dirty work on the cross that day.  Yet how easy it is to look at the "Pharisees" and the other blatant evil doers of the present and take my sin out of the equation.  Never underestimate the destruction of the sins we choose to minimize.