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Dumb and Dumber

Dumb and Dumber

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There are people who seem to have made it their mission in life to give the word 'dumb' a whole new meaning.

These people make me laugh.

Like the girl in science class who posed this genius level question:

"If you weigh 100 pounds, and then you lose 100 pounds, what happens?"

Or like the couple robbing a store caught on camera that couldn't be identified until the police rewound the tape. After watching the tape, they noticed that one of the robbers completely filled out an entry form for a drawing for a free trip prior to robbing the store.

But one of my personal favorites from my own life. I had just received a new Wells Fargo debit-card. I forgot to sign it, so when I presented it to a cashier, she gave it back and asked me to sign it - which I did. I then handed it to her, she completed the purchase and handed me the receipt, which I then signed. I kid you not, she then held up my card and the receipt and compared the signature...um, like it would be a forgery?

OK so we laugh at these people because, of course, we would never be that dumb. And I agree...because oftentimes we are even dumber.

Dumb and dumber?

Yep. Because while we probably aren't asking no brainer math questions, robbing stores, or even performing mastermind signature checks, we are engaging in something that goes beyond dumb and dumber to the dumbest thing a human being can do.

It's called sin...as in disobeying God...as in giving into temptation. Sin is the dumbest thing you can do because it is the surest and quickest way to completely, utterly, and oftentimes permanently destroy your life. Which is why God is so concerned about you NOT doing it:

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. (Matthew 5:29-30)

There are people out there that think God is a grumpy, no fun, hyper-controlling Being with a scowl on His face just waiting for you to break His laws so He can put the smackdown on the 'sinners'.

These people make me laugh, because they got God all wrong...and I can prove it in one simple verse. Jesus promised this:

The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. (John 10:10)

The 'thief' that Jesus is talking about here is Satan. He hates you and has a rotten plan for your life, which is why he tempts you to sin. He knows that a life of sin is the fast lane to stealing, killing, and destroying what God wants for you. What God wants for you is summed up in this verse as well:

"My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

Another version of the Bible puts it this way:

"I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."

We all dream of living a full and meaningful life-right? Which is why sin is the dumbest thing we can do. Every time we sin, we steal, kill and destroy the 'more and better life' that God wanted us to have.

Our lies steal away trust from the ones we love.

Our anger kills the closeness we desire to have with others.

Our lust destroys any chance of real intimacy with the opposite sex.

Like I said...the dumbest thing we can do.

So why do we do it? Well, because it feels good, that's why. A temptation is tempting because it tempts us into a temporary state of satisfaction.

Take note of that... temporary ...and then there's the price tag-which God knows is more than you want to pay-which is why God also knows that you should avoid sin like it was the dumbest thing you could do with your life.

Because it is.

Head: What you need to know about this truth

Sin is the dumbest thing we can do because it destroys the awesome life God desires us to have.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Hatred. Plain and simple-you should have a white hot hatred of sin, because as one author put it- " "If you tolerate sin in your life, that sin will not only take you farther than you wanted to go, it will keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and it will cost you more than you thought you'd pay..."

How can you not hate the very thing that Satan is using to make your life miserable? And if that weren't enough, remember that it is sin that caused Jesus' cruel and horrific death. If that doesn't make you burn with hatred, you may want to double check your realtionship with God.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Make a 'top ten' list of your worst areas of temptation. Examples of this could be the internet, television, the internet, gossip, the internet, and maybe the internet. After you make up the list, get together with your youth leader or trusted adult and share these areas and ask them to hold you accountable so that you don't steal, kill, and destroy the awesome life God wants for you!