Jeff and Cindy live in the country where there are many wild animals around their home. One night they heard a scratching noise at the door leading up from the basement. When they opened the door, there was a skunk wanting out of their basement! They had no idea how a skunk could sneak into their basement, but there it was! Not wanting it loose in the rest of the house, they quickly closed the basement door. And the skunk didn’t like that.
How terrible to have a skunk sneak into a basement. But, have you ever thought of the things that “sneak” into our lives: selfish acts, mean words, unkind thoughts, and other things? “Let no corrupt [bad] communication proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:2929Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)). We might say that little things like these are not so bad, but they are not little in God’s eyes - He calls them sin.
Have you ever smelled the terrible odor a skunk produces when it is unhappy? If not, you can hardly imagine what a strong, irritating, long-lasting smell it is. It wasn’t long until the skunk’s strong odor was drifting all through the house. Jeff knew that he had to get rid of that skunk, before they could even start working on the odor. He finally cornered the skunk in the wood cellar and shot it. What a relief to be rid of that skunk, but the terrible odor was everywhere in the house.
Sin is like that skunk odor. When we tell a lie, say something unkind, or show our selfishness, it doesn’t just quickly go away. Its unhappy effect stays with the other person. Jeff and Cindy were really bothered by the terrible odor in their house. Does it bother you, when you have allowed sin in your life? Tell the Lord Jesus about it. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)).
Cindy thought Peter might be able to help them. He owned a cleaning company, but he had never before been called to clean up skunk odor. He sprayed the house with chemicals, and Jeff and Cindy cleaned, then Peter sprayed again, and Jeff and Cindy cleaned some more. Each time they sprayed and cleaned, the odor became a little less, but it was still there. Then Peter heard about a chemist at a large cleaning company who might have the answer. The chemist was sure he knew what to do, but they would need expensive equipment and chemicals. Jeff and Cindy decided they would just continue with the spraying and cleaning until the odor finally disappeared.
Have you ever thanked the Lord Jesus that His remedy for sin is free to you? It cost the Lord Jesus Christ His life on the cross to offer you salvation free. It is a gift to you, and a gift is always free to the person who receives it. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)).
Jeff and Cindy did not feel they could afford the sure cure for the skunk odor, so they will go on working to get rid of the odor in their house. Some people hope they can work their way to heaven. They hope their good deeds will outweigh the bad. But the Bible says that won’t save you. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:89). It doesn’t matter how long we try or how hard we work to get to heaven, we never will because that is not God’s way. The Lord Jesus tells us in John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6), “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). This is the only way to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.
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