August 21

Sin: What Went Wrong?

Experiencing separation
Genesis 3:22-24

Read the Bible through:
AM - Psalm 130-136 : PM - Romans 11

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:24).

One of the most severe measures for punishing prisoners in our penal system is solitary confinement, total separation from human contact. Some human rights activists and corrections experts have expressed concern over a growing trend toward using this type of punishment. Dr. Henry Weinstein, psychiatrist, says prisoners in solitary suffer symptoms ranging from "memory loss to severe anxiety to hallucinations to delusions and, under the severest cases of sensory deprivation, people go crazy."

But if separation from other humans can be harmful to us, separation from God is worse. Separation from God cuts us off from the One who made us, sustains our lives, and gives us purpose for living. Persistence in sin leads to eternal separation from God. And eternity is a lot longer than solitary confinement.

O God, thank You for Your grace that keeps me in relationship to You.