Stay Close to the Cross

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8

Props: a line drawn on the floor and a cross positioned several feet away in the opposite direction

            Often Christians want to know how much they can get away with and still go to heaven.  Maybe you’ve wondered that yourself.  “How much of the truth can I leave out before it’s a lie?”  or “Can I just take a quick peek at the book while I’m taking my math test?  Would that really be cheating?”  It’s tempting to try to get away with as much as you can.  Lots of people want to know how far they can go without “crossing the line” and sinning. (Slowly walk up toward the line). 

            But that’s the problem: if you’re wondering how far you can go without “crossing the line,” then you’re headed in the wrong direction. 

            (Turn around and walk toward the cross).  Instead of wondering how far you can go toward sin and temptation, you need to be thinking about how close to the Lord you can get.  If you’re headed toward sin, you’re moving away from the Lord.  And if you’re getting closer to the Lord, you’re moving away from sin.

            When Joseph was tempted to sin, he RAN away.  He went in the opposite direction, and he moved closer to the Lord.  If you’re going to see your God-given dreams come true, you’re going to have to run away from sin and run to the Lord.