Just one?
One penny doesn’t really matter, right? Just being one off may not seem like much, but it was to Genesee County in the 2010 Census – 29,999 people – just one short of the 30,000 mark meant the loss of millions in federal aid. That’s what happened again this past year in the 2020 Census with 29,715 people. It was a few more than one this time, but the principle still applies. Falling short of the mark can mean so much!
“One little sin won’t keep us out of Heaven,” some say. The word for ‘sin’ means ‘to miss the mark’. Think of aiming for the target (the deer or turkey) and missing it! Not a good feeling, right? It only took one sin for Uzzah to lose his life for touching the ark of the covenant (see 2 Sam. 6:6-11 and 1 Chron. 13:9-14; also 1 Chron. 15:11-16). We know our sins separate us from our God (Is. 59:2) and God cannot look upon sin (Hab. 1:13). He is the polar opposite of sin—all that is good and pure. God created only good things; see Gen. 1-2, but we can choose to do good or not. Would it be all-loving for God to create us and then force us to do only right? That would be like creating robots who could only do what they are programmed to do. We have free will and that is the loving way. We all want to be loved by someone who wants to love us, not forced to!
Genesis 3:22-24 gives us a strong example. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were not allowed to stay in the Garden of Eden. God drove them from His presence. He also kept them from being able to take the fruit of the tree of life. Knowing the difference between good and evil is part of God’s nature and one way in which we are like Him. Apparently Satan was once an angel in Heaven with God who chose to go against God and he was expelled from God’s presence, along with other rogue angels.
The world portrays going against authority as a good thing, but God’s not in that company. As Psalm 118:1 and 136:1 tell us, God is good. If we want to be like God, we need to be unified (Ps. 133:1); we will want to learn more about being upright (righteous) before God (Ps. 143:10); we will want to praise Him (Ps. 147:1); we will want to be good in His sight (Eccl. 2:26); and we may be surprised at how easy it becomes to be good at being good! When we focus on the goodness of God through the many blessings in our life and we apply Philippians 4:6-8, we will find more peace and contentment than ever before.
We all know the ripple effect of doing good deeds. Not only does it make us feel good, but it also is more blessed to give than to receive. How are you influencing people in your sphere of influence? You are only ONE person, but you can make a difference in others’ lives and have a lasting effect for good (and for God!). Be the salt and light!
Rachel Holland