The Cords of Sin

The "cords of his sin." (Proverbs 5:22b)

I found this phrase interesting and instructive this morning. One of the regular and recurring challenges of Christian ministry is providing help and wisdom to people who have been broken and crushed by life. Many is the time that I sit and listen to stories of dire need and wonder at the chain of decisions that has brought them to this point. And all too often these decisions are like a chain, weighing them down, keeping them bound and enslaved to destructive habits and lifestyles. "Cords of sin' is a poetic, descriptive phrase for them and their situations.

And if I am honest, I am hardly better. I often find myself entangled with and fighting the cords of sin. My selfishness gets in the way. My impatience with not having it all my own way rises to the surface. My mind and my attention wander from the good that God has given to me at this moment, in this place, on this day. If I am not careful, I can trip and fall over these treacherous cords.

But as I read Proverbs this morning, I was reminded of good news. Gospel.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, (Luke 4:12)

Jesus quoted Isaiah during his sermon at Nazareth.

He breaks the power of canceled sin
And sets the prisoner free,

said John Wesley in the hymn, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.

And what about the Preacher of Hebrew's great words:

let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God this morning. (Hebrews 12:1 - 2)

If you find yourself tangled in the cords of sin, weighted down by a past that seeks to enslave and belittle you, know today that you are loved and that Christ has set you free. Receive his grace, and let new life begin!