My parents know that one of my favorite snacks is jellybeans. I like starburst, but my favorite is the Jelly Belly brand that make distinctive flavors for each jellybean.
Usually, I will receive a large container of them with my Christmas barrel. In 2019 you couldn’t find Jelly Belly’s so mom and dad sent me the Sams Club brand instead. They tasted the same, so I still enjoyed them.
Of course, one of the first things I did after unpacking the barrel was open my container of jellybeans! I had every intention of eating them slowly instead of devouring by the handful.
Unsurprisingly that didn’t happen!
Less than a week after receiving the jellybeans I’d already devoured over half the container. What began as just one jellybean, turning into eating one handful after another
Those containers of jellybeans remind me of a very important lesson…….
You can’t stop with just one sin
Like the jellybeans, we often approach sinful actions with the plan of “just doing it this one time.” But find ourselves indulging in it over and over again. This is because sin (like my jellybeans) are incredibly addictive. It is possible to control your sin-nature (or say no to a desire for jellybeans) but it’s much harder than we think.
The truth is in my own strength I cannot deny my sin-nature just like I cannot keep the jellybean container closed. But the good news is through Christ the cycle of sin can be ended. This demands we have a correct view of our weakness and confess that desperate need of a Savior.
On my own I cannot say no….but through Christ I can deny my desires.
Johnhwilburn.org 