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Sin Soaked

  • February 5, 2026
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
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In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. – 1 John 4:9-10

I am not the type of person who lives for a day at the beach. I don’t like sand all over. I don’t like swimming in seaweed or standing on seashells. Salt water is another level of irritation – literally. Finally, sitting on the beach working on my tan isn’t my thing. I’m not opposed to getting a suntan. I’m content with the farmer’s tan I get every summer and that is that.

But I do recognize that some people just can’t get enough sun. While on a Florida vacation a few years ago, I spotted a couple of sun-soaked people who clearly spent a lot of time out in the sun. Their skin was so dark that it looked like leather. I seriously thought they might have inadvertently waterproofed themselves. Extreme exposure to the sun had given them what they thought was a great appearance, but I do wonder if they still have the physical ability to sweat.

Being sun-soaked, immersed in the warm rays of the sun to the point to where it changes the basic complexion of the body is a great example of what sin does to our lives. When sin enters our lives, it permeates us completely. And much like a deep suntan, the sin in which we live may be desirable to us or those around us, but the long-term effects are damaging if not deadly.

God know how easily our lives can become sin soaked. He first experienced it with Adam & Eve in the garden, and it has trickled down into every generation of human beings since. Imagine having a great love for somebody only to find that in return that person forces upon you some of the worst behaviors and betrayal imaginable. God sees this daily in the lives of His children, and not just from those people who don’t know anything about Him and never had the chance to come to faith. He also sees it in the lives of people who call themselves, “His own.” It would be easy for God to just give up, turn away, and leave us on our own. How fortunate for us that He refuses to do so.

God’s love for us goes beyond anything our human minds could imagine. It knows no limits. He gave His Son to buy us back, paying the greatest price possible. Equipped with this knowledge, we offer praises to God for this great love, and we dedicate our lives to obediently follow His commands in our everyday life. Praise God for the grace in which we live. Serve God by sharing that great love with others.

 

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

Senior Director of Operations