The inner essence of sin is selfishness. The power of sin draws us away from God and others, giving us an almost exclusive concern with self. Tripp describes this as the formation of a kingdom of one.
This gives greater understanding to many of life's issues. Consider the intensity of conflict experienced between teenagers and parents. The parent wants a clean room; the teenager wants freedom. The parents demand; the child rebels, and hours of fighting lay ahead. On the surface, it seems quite silly. But when we understand that what we have here is a conflict of two kingdoms, we begin to see how deeply our sins affect us and how ferociously we are committed to our kingdom.
Using Matt. 6:25-34 as a guide, Tripp shows how earth-bound needs drive us to insecurity. What usually happens is an expansion of our concept of need, and we have a hard time distinguishing between wants and needs. If grace does not free us our earth-bound desires lead to anxiety-driven needs, and we live painfully small lives in light of God's plan.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment