Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15
I like to work with wood, so I have many woodworking tools. I only had a few details left on a project I was finishing, so I decided to go to my shop one evening and make a handful of cuts. I took a small piece of wood that I was turning into a foot for a table to smooth it off on my jointer. Bad decision! I was wearing ear protection and listening to a podcast, so I was only half paying attention. Another bad decision! The piece of wood began to chatter on the machine because of its small size, and at the same instant that I realized I needed to get a push block to keep my fingers from hitting the blades, my fingers hit the blades. As the blood oozed from the gaping wounds, I knew my fingers would never be the same. A friend of mine to whom I was relaying that story made a comment that immediately reminded me of the spiritual analogy. He said, “It’s the little ones that get you.”
How true that is in our spiritual lives when it comes to sin. It seems that many Christians are careful to be on guard against what are considered big sins. Adultery? Never. Robbery? Also, never. Murder? Double never. What most don’t realize (or choose to ignore), however, is that the little sins are the ones that derail our relationship with God in small ways that keep us from being everything we could be for God. It is obvious to all that the sins we consider to be immense will hinder our fellowship with God. Hence, the reason we avoid them at all costs. But sin is sin to God, and all of it, big or small, hurts us. The reason the little sins are the ones that get us is because we tend to overlook them or consider them to be of no consequence. Psalm 66:18, which states, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me,” is just one of many reminders of ways that any sin will keep us from God’s best.
While I would certainly advise a Christian to avoid life-altering sins, I must implore you not to ignore the little sins. It may seem like only a little dishonesty here, or a little bad attitude there. It might seem like a small thing to be slightly rebellious or to disrespect those in authority over you. You may pass them off in your mind as small things, but to God, they are stumbling blocks in your spiritual walk. Left unrepented of, they can cause great and lasting damage in your Christian life. Don’t ignore the little things, for they are the ones that get you.
Read also: Psalm 51:1-7
Quote of the day: "The devil makes small sins seem smaller in our eyes, for otherwise he can't lead us to greater evil.” – Marcus Eremita