Week Seven, 2018
JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE
By John Grant
Do ye look on things according to the outward appearance? If any man trust himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s. – 2 Corr. 2:7
While riding down river through the Amazon Jungle, noticed how murky the water. It was so murky that one could not see a hand below the surface. I didn’t even try because I have heard what creatures swim in those rivers just below the surface.
I thought about how that relates to sin, which often lurks just out of sight and just below the surface of our everyday lives. Often is subtle and the sin is small. Why would I not want to stick a finger below the water just to see what it is like? Look at Lot. He started with small sins which grew and grew and then he failed.
The reason Lot failed is illustrated by an event that happened on June 5, 1976. On that day, under clear skies, without warning, the massive Teton Dam in southeastern Idaho collapsed, sending a torrent of water surging into the Snake River basin. There was extensive property damage and loss of life. It seemed to happen so quickly. Some workers on the dam barely had time to run for their lives.
But it really didn’t happen suddenly. Beneath the water line, a hidden fault had been gradually weakening the entire structure. It started with just a tiny bit of erosion. But by the time it was detected, it was too late. No one had seen the little flaw; no one got hurt by it. But everyone saw the big collapse, and many were hurt.
That’s what happened to Lot. He allowed little sins in his life to go unchecked. They weren’t major, shocking kinds of sins–just “little” sins. But they were steadily eroding his moral character, until finally the sordid incident recorded here burst the dam.
Keep your hands out of the murky water, for you never know what sins are lurking there to hook you into a life or progressive sin.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
Obituary:
Joe’s wife passed away and he wanted to keep the obituary as short as possible, so he penned “Sally Smith died.” When the funeral home told him that the minimum wordage was six words, he added “Car for sale.”
Jesus is Lord. And that changes everything.
–o–
During the course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness and to sap its safety.” —Thomas Jefferson (1805)
–o–
In grammar school they taught me that a frog turning into a prince was a fairy tale. In the university they taught me that a frog turning into a prince was a fact. —Ron Carlson
–o–
C. S. Lewis wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Focus on those you serve and witness the new found value.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Lord God, I praise You today for burdens lifted, sins forgiven and hope restored.
Pain can be used for good. It causes us to pause and ponder what’s really important. Mark Merrill
In what appears to be his last tweet, on Dec. 1, 2017, R C Sproul wrote about his belief in eternity: “When God writes our names in the ‘Lamb’s Book of Life,’ he doesn’t do it with an eraser handy. He does it for eternity.”
Lord Jesus, what a thrill it is to know You call me friend! It is a bigger thrill to know that You will never unfriend me!
Lord God, I praise You that Your love for me is based on Your character, not on my performance. How great You are!
Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you. Walt Whitman
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©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618