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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue 764 March 24, 2003 - At The Dump I attended a men's breakfast on Sunday at a church pastored by a friend I have known since elementary school. The fellowship was great and my friend spoke of the time he spent as the pastor of a church in Goose Bay, Labrador. It was a delight to hear some of the stories he shared about the local people and their customs and some of his experiences with them. One of his stories reminded me of an activity that was a real treat for me as I was growing up. Every now and then, on a sunny summer Saturday evening, the family would all pile in the car. We'd join many other families from town at our mutual destination the town dump. Although it might seem like an unlikely venue, most evenings from late spring through fall, the town dump would host the local entertainment. We went to watch the bears come to feed. Black bears; brown bears; mother bears with cubs and cranky old males would show up over the course of the evening. The dump seemed to be a place where the bears had an uneasy truce. There was plenty of food to go around. The antics of the cubs in particular were a source of great laughter for us. We stayed in the car, although some people would get out and throw food to the bears. The prevailing "wisdom" was that if you didn't get between a mother and her cubs or a bear and the food you were safe. Every year, in some community in the province one or more people found out the hard way that it wasn't as safe as they thought and the bears weren't as friendly as they appeared. Someone, somewhere got mauled by a bear every year, often it happened to several people over the course of a summer. The prevailing "wisdom" that you could take liberties with the bears proved to be not very wise and often down right dangerous. When you think about it, it only makes sense to give large hungry animals their space especially when those animals have huge claws, big teeth and no fear of people. Yet the bears always "seemed" so friendly and harmless. Today you don't have to be at the dump to see danger masquerading as harmless fun. Simply turn on a television set, pick up a newspaper or magazine, turn on the radio, go to a movie or go sit and listen to people talking. The bears are all around us. The world bombards us with messages that sexual sin, greed, substance abuse and more are perfectly safe and perfectly acceptable. How much harm can a drink, a smoke, a trip to the casino, a brief sexual fling or a little self serving greed do? After all, everyone else seems to be doing it. The reality is that there is no such thing as a harmless sin. Sin is rebellion against God and it distances us from Him. All sin has a price tag attached, it's just that it is often a sin now and pay later kind of deal. For the wages of sin is death Romans 6:23a NIV Sodom and Gomorrah thought they could get away with their sin and for a long time it must have seemed as if they did. Eventually though God's patience with them ran out. The result? Only Lot and his two daughters were left alive to tell the story. Sin isn't harmless fun; it is a dangerous place to be. It isn't by coincidence that Peter writes: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NIV He knews as well as anyone the dangers of pride and sin. He had fallen himself many times and knew how dangerous sin could be. In today's society, it is often viewed as old fashioned, prudish or even "quaint" to talk of sin. The world continues to deceive itself that there is no harm in flaunting God. They're wrong, God doesn't think of sin as an old fashioned or "quaint" concept. God is holy and sin brings God's wrath. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Romans 2:8 NIV Until next time, remember not to feed the bears and to beware of Satan who will tempt with all kinds of "harmless" fun that is anything but. Rejoice in knowing that if you have Jesus you have forgiveness. Be blessed. Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are protected. Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Psalm 91:14 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. Are you finding that the "harmless" ways of the world aren't so harmless or as much fun as they seemed to be? It isn't too late to set them aside and get right with God. If you want to know how that's possible simply email us and we'll send you some Bible verses that will explain it to you You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
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