And Such Were Some of You...and Me

1 Corinthians 6:11-12  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. 

Sometimes...when you least expect it, an ugly emotion will creep in uninvited and take root for a while.  Though it doesn't happen often, when I do get mad it is usually at Tommy.  It stems from my desire to control and dates all the way back to Eve.  I am silent when I am angry.  Very silent.  And the silence is deafening, if you know what I mean.
One particular day while on vacation, I became angry over something very insignificant.  Isn't that how it starts?  Something small grows bigger as we entertain and magnify it and then try to reason it away - often without success.  (How can it disappear when given so much attention?) What surprised me was how mad I had become - like an unanswered teapot as it whistles steam to deaf ears. And the steam kept building.  The thing is, he was totally unaware.  Totally.
I tried to rid myself of this irritation before it became evident and affected anyone else. How could this happen?  Wasn't I a Christian?  Where was the Holy Spirit?  My anger had risen so quickly and I held on to it like a comfortable, vindictive blanket.  I wore it well and carried it around with me throughout the day.  (The picture I am painting is a pitiful one, for sure.  Our sins are pitiful and keep us in bondage...because we choose bondage over freedom.  Oh, fools that we are!)
I prayed and reasoned with myself, analyzing the matter; turning it over and trying to minimize the offense - his and mine.  It was no use.  If we could all reason away our sins, we would have no use for the cross, which makes black hearts clean, and dead men live.  Why could I not let this go?
Sitting not far from Tommy and his uncle, I heard their conversation.  It was about a new believer who was stuck in a habitual sin.  Tommy quoted the above verse. "And such were some of you..." Were.  No one with Christ is locked into sinful behavior.  We have been set free.  I went and looked up the verse preceding it.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10  Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.    And such were some of you.
That statement hit home like a much needed drink of water.  My specific sin may not be listed, but I certainly was greedy and selfish and I was my own idol at that point.  I let go of the distress I clung to so tightly.  No analyzing or dissecting.  I simply confessed my sin and asked God to forgive me and remove it.  I am no longer a slave to familiar selfish emotions.
God's word is alive. It has the power to convict and pierce our hearts.
"And such were some of you...and me, too."