Sin Clogs the flow of Goodness
Anyone that owns or rents a home in a place where you do not have to go to a well to get water has probably experienced a drop in water pressure due to a clogged pipe. A clog in your "water pipe" probably means sediment is plugging it. This is especially true of old galvanized iron water lines. As galvanized iron water lines age the interior of the pipe gets clogged with mineral deposits. Hot water temperatures seem to accelerate the growth of these deposits. The mineral buildup does not affect the water quality, but it indeed has an impact on the quantity of water the pipes can deliver. A plumber said that he had removed one half inch diameter galvanized water lines that run horizontally across basement ceilings only to discover an opening not much bigger than a cocktail straw - perhaps 1/8 inch diameter. (Vertical galvanized iron water lines that run between different floors of a home do not accumulate sediment as quickly as water lines that lay flat.) Water pipes will become clogged by the accumulation of minerals found in most water. Given sufficient time, this mineral deposit will reduce the flow of water to such a degree as to impair the efficiency of the entire plumbing system. Galvanized steel pipe is especially vulnerable to this condition because the rough interior of the pipe provides a surface to which the minerals cling. Brass pipe is less affected by these minerals, due to its smooth interior.
You have a similar strory with your blood vessels. Let us start with the basics. Your heart and blood vessels make up your circulatory system. Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood through your body carrying oxygen to large blood vessels, called arteries, and small blood vessels, called capillaries. Other blood vessels, called veins, carry blood back to the heart. Your blood vessels can get clogged. Several things, including having diabetes, can make your blood cholesterol level too high. Cholesterol is a substance that is made by the body and used for many important functions. Cholesterol is also found in animal foods and food derived from animals. When cholesterol is too high, the insides of large blood vessels become narrowed or clogged. This problem is called atherosclerosis. Narrowed and clogged blood vessels make it harder for enough blood to get to all parts of your body. This condition can cause serious health problems.
What kind of health problems can happen when blood vessels are clogged? When blood vessels become narrowed and clogged, you can have:
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Chest pain, also called angina. When you have angina, you feel pain in your chest, arms, shoulders, or back. You may feel the pain more when your heart beats faster, such as when you exercise. The pain may go away when you rest. You also may sweat a lot and feel very weak.
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Heart attack. A heart attack happens when a blood vessel in or near your heart becomes blocked. Then your heart muscle can't get enough blood. When an area of your heart muscle stops working, your heart becomes weaker.
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Stroke. A stroke can happen when the blood supply to your brain is blocked. Then your brain can be damaged.
A Vessel is typically defined as A ship of considerable size for deep-water navigation. It is also defined as a hollow utensil, such as a cup, vase, or pitcher, used as a container, especially for liquids. In Anatomy a vessel is a duct, canal, or other tube that contains or conveys a body fluid, hence: a blood vessel. It is also used to describe cetain kinds of people, such as: A person seen as the agent or embodiment, as of a quality: a vessel of mercy.
We can be vessels of goodness, if we abide in Christ and Christ in us as branches that abide in the Vine (John 15: 4 - 5). If this is the case God's goodness will flow through us. Goodness is not only what we do, it is also who we become in Christ. As human beings we are sinners; we have violated God's law(Romans 3: 10 - 18); we all need a Savior. If we accept the promised Saviour than we also accept the given promises in the Bible that if we surrender to Jesus, if we choose to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh, we can overcome and live a life that reflects the goodness of God. We can live in what Paul calls the "newness of life"(Rom. 6:4), because just as we have been by faith "buried with" Christ "by baptism into death" (Rom. 6:4), we can "likewise reckon" ourselves "to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:11). We can be "good" in the biblical sense of the word, not "good" as if we deserve salvation but "good" in the sense that our hearts, our motives, our deeds reveal to the world the reality of the God whom we profess to serve. It will take dying to self, it will take a willingness to serve God in His way, it will take a daily struggle with the flesh, and it will take a humble heart of contrition and repentance when we fail. It will take walking with God in God's way.
Sin would block the flow of God's goodness through us. Sin clogs the aperture in us as "goodness pipes, ducts, tubes, or canals", thus preventing its readily flow from God to others. As said above the only solution for this is a daily surrender to Christ or dying to self. In this light, Sin is understood as more than actions. sin is more than what we do or not do, Sin is what motivates us to do evil or not do good. Sin is in our nature. We are bent to do evil from conception (Psalms 51: 5). Just as the days of Noah, every thought and imagination we have is evil (Genesis 6:5). Out of this our heart speaks and does evil (Luke 6:45). It is living for self, reasserting it. When Christ comes to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, He woos us to submit to Him. He says, "do it my way, not yours." When we submit to His Spirit's promptings He purges and blots Sin out of us, thus unclogging us, so through and out of us flows goodness as a "fountain of living water.(Luke 7:37-39)"
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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com
