Week Forty-Two, 2018

THE SPARK

By John Grant

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark (James 3:5).

This year has been a tough one for people in California and elsewhere in the west. The Mendocino Complex fire was the largest in the state’s history, burning more than 300,000 acres, burning more than a hundred homes and costing several lives. It was nearly double the size of Chicano.

The Carr fire destroyed nearly two thousand structures and claimed seven lives. The fire started when a tire failed on a trailer, causing its rim to scrape the asphalt. With the heat and extreme drought in the area, that’s all it took to start a tragic inferno.

It is like that with sin where a small spark can get out of control. God’s Word notes: How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire. (James 3:5) Does that sound familiar? Just look at the current news. Look at the myth of “small sins”… the ones we think don’t really matter… the kind we believe we can commit while remaining “good Christians.”

This is one of Satan’s most effective strategies against committed believers. “Small” sins never stay small. Cancer starts with a single cell among the 37.2 trillion in our body. The reward it promises is far eclipsed by the suffering it produces. That’s why Jesus warned us so severely about anger and lust (Matthew 5:21-30) He knows that murder starts with anger and adultery begins with lust.

Jesus knows that “small sins” injure our relationship with God. When we face our next temptation to commit a “small sin”, we should ask ourselves if we would choose to ingest a “small” cancer into our bodies. The first step in refusing “small” sins.” Is to realize they are not small. The second is realizing that we cannot refuse them in our strength.

Here is the bottom line: every sin we are tempted to commit is large enough to please Satan and alluring enough to require God’s strength. I simply cannot do it with my own ability. We will face temptations to sin as long as we are on this earth, but God’s greatest power is found where we need it most.

The strain and temptation of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength.

Where do you need God’s strength today?

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

ELDER PLANNING:

Scams and elder abuse cost Americans more than $36 billion a year. Children and their parents should talk with each other about how to spot and avoid scams that can wipe out their life savings. Scammers might come in the form of phone calls, direct mail or that new neighbor, who seems just a little too friendly. By having a conversation, families can develop steps to take to avoid being defrauded and what to do.

According to USA Today, nearly one-third of parents older than 60 say they’ve never discussed later-life needs with their family. These issues include end-of-life directives and funeral plans, inheritance and beneficiaries, power of attorney, and even where important documents are kept.

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HACKERS:

In the first half of 2018, hackers attacked more than three hundred American universities; 340 million personal records were exposed on a publicly accessible server; an Under Armour app was breached, compromising records for roughly 150 million users; and a Russian hacking campaign impacted more than 500,000 routers worldwide.

David, the warrior king famous for slaying Goliath and defeating the Philistines, testified: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7).

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RUNNING:

Statistics show that 87% of Americans who own running shoes don’t run.

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

God doesn’t love your future self more than your present self. He loves you just as you are. David Crowder

Love is not about how we feel for others; love is about what we do for others. David Jeremiah

It has been said that in spiritual things, when you are being attacked on both sides, you are probably positioned right. Billy Graham

Hating people is like burning your house down to get rid of a rat. Harry Emerson Fosdick

Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. Bernice Johnson Reagon

A person, who never made a mistake, never tried anything new. Albert Einstein

Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable. Denis Waitley

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©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618