Sin Against Love

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8)

James was all out of ideas since the economy went south. Out of money, lost his job & on the brink of insanity wandering how he would pay his bills, he came to his ill thought out plan…a robbery. James thought “It wouldn’t be right but it would work…I mean times are bad, people have to do something to survive”. But there was one thing holding him back…Mrs. Parker. She was a little old, widowed lady with not a lot of money, but what she did have she gave willingly to anyone who needed it. She new James from church when he uses to attend, before he lost his wife & his job & every so often she would send a check for $5 to James about once a month, with a note that read “God loves you & so do I, trust in him” . The thought of her good deed was a passing one as he confirmed in his heart that robbery was the only way.

So he decided to rob the convenience store two towns over…hey, it was one he never shopped in anyway, no one would know him there. The day came & James had mustered up enough courage or stupidity to go in to the store with gun drawn. The lady behind the counter started crying for him not to hurt her as he yelled at her to give him all the money in the register. While he was screaming at the girl, someone grabbed James’ arm, it freaked him out so bad that he spun around with the gun & pulled the trigger. As the body fell to the floor James turned pail white… “I never wanted anyone to get hurt!” James dropped to his knees & cradled Mrs. Parker in his arms. She had just stopped by the store to pick up some bread for her grandson who was attending the local college in town. “James” she said, “God still loves you & so do I”, the last words that James would her from Mrs. Parker, but words that would last forever in his mind. The robbery was bad enough, but living with the knowledge that you really hurt someone who truly loved you, no matter what, was almost unbearable.

God’s love toward us is great, Romans 5:8 tells us that He loved us & died for us, even when we didn’t care about Him. I often find myself, after falling to sin, cringing for the fact that I sinned against a God who truly loves me. I sinned against love…that is the worst sin that you can commit…a sin against love.

Vern