The Pet Rattlesnake

A newspaper told the story of a man in Arkansas who had a pet rattlesnake. The man found the snake as a baby. He took it, fed it, and made it a pet. 

The reptile would come when he whistled, it would eat from his fingers, and it would coil around his arm and let him stroke its head with the palm of his hand or with the tips of his fingers. 

One day he took the snake to town to show it to his friends. They marvelled at its gentleness –marvelled that it would eat from his hand. Satisfied that he had impressed his friends the man went back home with his pet snake. 

When he arrived home, suddenly, with only the slightest provocation, the reptile became angry. That “pet” rattler buried its fangs into the man’s arm. In a few hours, the man was dead. In one quick instant, through that “friendly” serpent’s poisonous fangs, that man met death! 

Two days after that, this man who should have been sitting with his family in their humble but happy home was sleeping in the mud of an Arkansas grave. 

With such dread cometh such an hour to every man and woman who makes a pet of sin! 

(Robert G. Lee, Whirlwinds of God).

The Accuser and Martin Luther

Martin Luther the Reformer told of how the devil approached him one day and accused him of the enormous sin in his life. Satan laid out a long list of sins of which Luther was guilty, and thrust them under his nose in accusation.

Luther said to the devil, “Think a little harder; you must have forgotten some.” So the devil thought a little harder and added another few hundred to the list.

When the devil was finished, Luther said, “Okay, now take a pen and some red ink and write across that list 'The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.'”

James Emery White

Racoon's Attack

Gary Richmond, a former zookeeper, had this to say:

Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months.

After that they often attack their owners.

Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie.

She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I'll never forget her answer.

"It will be different for me . . ." And she smiled as she added, "Bandit wouldn't hurt me. He just wouldn't."

Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason.

Bandit was released into the wild.

Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how easy it is to say, "It will be different for me." The results are predictable.

Truth is, there's no such thing as "Sin Proof" Christian. Given the right opportunity and situation we can all fall into temptation and sin.

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. 1 Peter 5:8

What’s Wrong with the World?

G.K. Chesterton once wrote to the editor in response to a request by the London Times for an essay on the topic, “What’s Wrong with the World,” 

 

“Dear Sir:

 

In response to your article, ‘What’s wrong with the world’

 

– I am.

 

Yours truly,

 

G.K. Chesterton.”

Prairie Fire

Some people try to punish themselves for their sins. They do not stand on the promises of forgiveness and Christ's propitiation.

"Many years ago, a father and his daughter were walking through the grass on the Canadian prairie. In the distance, they saw a prairie fire, and they realized that it would soon engulf them.

The father knew there was only one way of escape: They would quickly begin a fire right where they were and burn a large patch of grass. When the huge fire drew near, they then would stand on the section that had already burned.

When the flames did approach them, the girl was terrified but her father assured her, 'The flames can't get to us. We are standing where the fire has already been.'"

- Erwin Lutzer, Failure, The Back Door to Success.

Giving Robbery A Bad Name

Some people have a tough time recognizing themselves as sinners. Joel Hunter tells of a friend who "once found himself in a conversation with a prison inmate who was serving time for robbery. My friend mentioned he recently read in the paper about a man who had robbed a house and killed the family. 'You know,' the inmate replied, 'it's people like that who give robbery a bad name.'

"When my friend remarked that he didn't know it had a good name, the prisoner explained that his kind of robbery wasn't so bad because he only stole from rich people and never harmed them. This is a guy who should be reminded of his own sinfulness every time he hears the metallic slam of the cell door, yet he can tell you with a straight face why he's not so bad. Although he could recognize sin in theory, he could not (or would not) see it in himself."

(from The Journey to Spiritual Maturity: The Challenging Road)

Which Snake Is The deadliest?

Dr. Brady Barr was asked, "Which snake is the deadliest?" His answer, "The snake that just bit you!" 

Our question is quite similar, "Which sin is the deadliest?" The answer is similar too, "The sin that has bitten you and taken control of your life!"

The gossiper will condemn the thief. The thief will condemn the adulterer. The adulterer will condemn the murderer and so on. However, God is not going to ask you to be accountable for the sins of others except the sins that you have allowed to control you.

Killed By Five Lions

A tourist was eaten by a pride of five lions in an outdoor shower at a game reserve. Pete Evershed - a businessman from Harare - was killed at Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, a location that offers visitors the chance to get closer to nature.

It is the latest in a string of attacks at the park. Johnny Rodrigues, from the Zimbabwean Conservation Task Force, said: "It's promoted as somewhere you can get back to nature. It's a romantic idea, but visitors need to know they are taking their lives into their own hands."

This shocking story points out that some places in the world require special vigilance. And it should also remind us of the importance of being alert in the spiritual realm. The scripture warns us to "be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

The Mirror News 

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Remember the Duck?

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.

Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes."

But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."

Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done, the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.). Whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

The Guilty Sickle

In the year 1235, a Chinese man named Sun Tzu wrote the first book about forensic entomology: "The Washing of Wrongs." In it, he describes a murder case in which there was some doubt as to which of two sickles was used as the murder weapon. 

Sun Tzu laid them both on the ground and observed that one sickle attracted flies, presumably because there were remnants of the victim's flesh and blood on it. He announced that he had found the murder weapon, and the owner of that sickle confessed to the crime. 

The bible says, "But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

As Oswald Chambers has written: "A man's disposition on the inside, i.e., what he possesses in his personality, determines what he is tempted by on the outside. The temptation fits the nature of the one tempted, and reveals the possibilities of that nature. Every man has the setting of this own temptation, and the temptation will come along the line of the ruling disposition. Temptation yielded to... is a proof that it was timidity that prevented the sin before."

So are your sins catching up with you? Are you feeling like keeping your sins hidden is just too much to bear? Why not actually deal with them now? Don’t let circumstances or people other than you be the cause of ‘everything being laid bare’ now. Lay it bare yourself. Be transparent, confess your sins, repent, receive forgiveness, and know the power of God to break confessed sin.

Before Asking For Forgiveness

A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. 

She said, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?" 

There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. "Sin," he said.

Questions Christians Should Ask Themselves

We can supplement our accountability to others by reading slowly through literature designed to challenge our Christian maturity. Consider, as an example, these questions related to sexual purity that I had to read carefully as I read Kent Hughes' Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome:

1. Are we being desensitized by the present evil world? Do things that once shocked us now pass us by with little notice? Have our sexual ethics slackened?

2. Where do our minds wander when we have no duties to perform?

3. What are we reading? Are there books or magazines or files in our libraries that we want no one else to see? 

4. What are we renting at the local video stores? How many hours do we spend watching TV? How many adulteries did we watch last week? How many murders? How many did we watch with our children?

5. How many chapters of the Bible did we read last week?

Paul Borthwick, Leading the Way, Navpress, 1989, p. 120-121.

Two Things Concerning The Sins of Others

It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: 

First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. 

And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances. 

Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17.