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Day 267, or September the 24th, no such thing

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as a little white sin. Our thoughts today are

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rooted in Zechariah chapter 5, verse 3. And he

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said to me, This is the curse that is going out

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over the whole land. For according to what it

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says on one side, every thief will be banished,

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and according to what it says on the other, everyone

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who swears falsely will be banished. First, the

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big picture surrounding this verse. Zechariah

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continues using visions to communicate with God's

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people. One way or another, he is adamant that

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all his hearers will hear what God is saying,

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and will then repent. He is the penultimate Old

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Testament prophet, and senses that time is running

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out for God's people, who have resettled into

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the land God gave to their ancestors. And now

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today's action step. If you were to ask a member

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of the public, maybe a neighbour of yours, what

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were the worst sins, what do you think they would

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say? In his vision today, Zechariah sees a large

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scroll, and I do mean large. It is thirty feet

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by fifteen feet, which, according to the internet,

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is a very popular size for a small leisure swimming

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pool. On this giant screen are written some things

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that tell the people how much God hates thieves

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and liars. I doubt if your neighbour would have

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put either of these as number one. They would

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probably have topped their list with murder that

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very few of us ever come close to committing.

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However, we are all guilty of stealing and lying

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if we spend just two minutes searching our consciences.

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Zechariah tells the people of Judah that God

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hates these seemingly small sins because they

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create a barrier between God and his children.

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If we are only cut off from God by big sins,

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most of us will be okay. But when we get down

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to theft and lies, then we are all liable to

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be guilty. If you are feeling cut off from God,

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it could be that it isn't anything big, but some

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small thing that needs to be brought to the cross

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of Jesus. Anything come to mind? Don't let it

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ruin your relationship with Father in Heaven.

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Bring it. Leave it. and move on.