I had my first Carolina Reaper hot pepper the other day…and my mouth is still angry with me! The Carolina
Reaper is a hot pepper that was developed by Ed Currie who breeds peppers!! From 2013 to 2023 it was
considered the hottest chili pepper in the world. But in 2023 it was surpassed by “Pepper X” developed by
guess who? Yeah, Ed Currie…doesn’t this guy have anything else to do? I knew the reputation of his Carolina
Reaper and I actually had a pickled one which would have been less hot than a raw one, but it was enough
searing pain for me. I really like hot peppers, but this one was over the top. And I was warned again and again
by folks that if I ate this, that I was going to pay for it. But…I just had to try it…sigh. I knew what this would
do to you, but like so many people in so many situations I kind of felt like it wouldn’t really be that bad. Why
do we do stuff like this? The Apostle Paul wrote about how we humans, him included, know the consequences
of the stuff we do, but we choose to do destructive things all the time. And then we justify it to ourselves and
others. He wrote that he knew that God was calling him to do what is right…and he said that even though I
want to do that, I so often just do what is wrong. He wrote in his letter to the Roman church that our lives are
dominated by sin and death, and we just cannot escape that drive that is within us. So, is it hopeless for the
human race? Paul said emphatically that we can be set free from the disease of sin inside us, but only through
the work of Jesus Christ our Lord. We are going to do a lot of dumb and selfish and even dangerous stuff in our
lives because of that sin problem we have. But we can be free not only from the eternal consequences of our
choices, but we can be free from a life that is dominated by sin and death. You and I no longer have to be slaves
to that sin that is still within us. So live free by building that relationship you have with this Jesus of the Bible
and let him stand between you and the sin that causes us to do really dumb and harmful things. Yeah, even
Carolina Reapers!
Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Romans 7:21-25 NLT I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. (22) I love God’s law with all my heart. (23) But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (24) Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (25) Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Remember I’m praying for you!
PJ
Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Romans 7:21-25 NLT I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. (22) I love God’s law with all my heart. (23) But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (24) Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (25) Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
Remember I’m praying for you!
PJ