Don’t you just hate check out lines? There you are trapped, waiting, with nothing to do but look around. And what do you look at in checkout lines? A veritable gauntlet of merchandise that they’re hoping you'll buy on impulse. Depending on the store your in you’ll find gum, chocolate bars, magazines, batteries, car air fresheners and the list goes on. Not too long ago I came across a first for checkout lines. There sitting on the counter next to the gum were bags of “Experienced Golf Balls.”

    I had to chuckle to myself. What an angle, experienced golf balls! As I got to the counter I had to make a comment. I said, “Those experienced golf balls over there, aren’t they’re just used golf balls?” The clerk simply replied, “Experienced golf balls sell much better than used golf balls.” She’s right isn’t she? Packaging, presentation, image, hey’re all important when we’re trying to make an impression. But, when you come right down to it, there’s a clever dishonesty involved here isn’t there? You may call them experienced golf balls, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re still just used golf balls.

    I guess what bothers me most about this “Experienced Golf Ball Syndrome” is when I see it in the in context of sin. We may change the packaging of sin and call it “alternative lifestyles,” “creative accounting,” “consenting adults,” “fetal tissue,” and so on, but that doesn’t change the fact that according to God’s Word, what’s inside the new packaging is still sin. In other words, you can take a pig out of the pen, wash it down, and put a pretty bow around its neck, but the pig is still a pig. It may look and smell better, but it’s still just a pig.

    As Christians it’s very important that we don’t play the “Experience Golf Ball Syndrome” with our sins. Trivializing, rationalizing, dismissing our sin only endangers our spiritual health. The best thing we can do with sin is see it as God sees it. Sin is serious business because it separates us from God, but only as long as we let it! Remember recognizing sin as sin is always a good thing because then you can deal with it.

“⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

^2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” —1 John 1:8-2:1

— Points to Ponder —

1. When was the last time you took stock of what’s in your heart?
2. Do you ever ask God to reveal your sins? “²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” —Psalm 139:23-24
3. Do you have a trusted Christian friend in which you can confide and make yourself accountable? “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” —James 5:16
4. Please remember that as Christians we’re not called to dwell on sin, we’re called to deal with it. When you repent and confess your sins, don’t continue holding on to them. They’re forgiven and gone! Rejoice in God’s forgiveness and His graciousness. Dealing with our sins brings freedom and joy, not more bondage!

“⁸The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. ⁹ He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” —Psalm 103:8-13

Article copyright © 1997, Grant MacDonald. Used by permission.
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