"Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God."

When I read this statement in John Piper's book, "Future Grace", I immediately wanted to refute it as being too all-encompassing to be true. Maybe it was applicable to some sin, but not all. And of course, the sin that didn't fit this statement was mine, cuz surely I love God to the point of being wholly satisfied with Him.

The book goes on to say, "No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds out some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us until we believe that God is more to be desired than life itself (Ps. 63:3)."

Well, I couldn't refute the truth in that. I certainly don't sin because I see it as my duty. And yes, when I look at my sinning in its most basic state, it is done out of some very human sense that somehow it'll make me happy. (Truthfully, why else would we do it unless we thought it would bring us some measure of satisfaction?) And if I am looking for my satisfaction in anything other than God, than my heart is not fully satisfied with God. Okay, guilty as charged.

Battling sin takes time, energy, perseverance and lots of help from God. It's a good battle to fight, but I'm thinking that we would be equally well-served to use some of that time, energy and perseverance in pursuing satisfaction in God. "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Ps. 34:8) As the reality of true satisfaction in God increases in our lives, it will be easier not to succumb to the false promise of happiness in sin.

(written 3/07)