My granddaughter recently finished a scientific school project appropriate to the season; and she learned a valuable spiritual truth in the process. Using five pumpkins, which she hollowed and carved with typical Halloween faces, she left one pumpkin untouched by any preservative, while the other four were treated with various “preservatives. Then she observed what happened as they sat in the sun. She was amazed that once the bacteria began its work (pretty quickly) how fast the pumpkin minus any preservative completely collapsed in on itself. The one sprayed with bleach lasted the longest and in fact was still firm when she threw it away. Her mother, our daughter, was struck by the spiritual analogy of how sin does its work inside of us and how quickly sin left to itself rots the person bringing collapse and destruction more quickly than we think it will happen. Unfortunately, far too many people do not see this analogy from what is observed in carved pumpkins. However, for those who observe human nature including their own with unvarnished eyes, the observation is not pretty; indeed it is downright ugly. If it was a matter as trivial as pumpkins decomposing, no big deal. But where a human life and his or her forever are concerned it is catastrophic.
A friend just shared with me that young people are now putting vodka in eye droppers, taking them to school, and then during the school day are putting drops in their eyes to get a rush-high in school, regardless of the fact that this stupidity is causing blindness. As in all other desires to “get high using chemical or other substances the physical, mental, societal, and spiritual destruction is devastating. Even this present day scourge of abusing substances, whether alcohol, chemical, sexual, or monetary, it always originates with un-bleached sin; sin left to fester untouched by an antidote. As James says, these are desires that give birth to sin; sin grows and festers and gives birth to death. It is the natural, unbreakable law of progression minus an antidote. Teens do not fall into substance abuse by mere accident, or randomly; sin is present, doing its work, and enticing choices; choices not only to follow the “cool crowd and abuse, but choices to be selfish, choices to rebel against the inner voice that says the chosen behavior is wrong, choices to go with the flow against conscience and satisfy a desire illegitimately. Sin never stops working toward its end, except when the antidote is applied.
The antidote is simple, but you cannot lift even a little finger to apply it by yourself. Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Yet our struggle, when deeply entangled in the enticements of sin, seems impossible to break. Still, the Antidote says to you, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Rest still involves a choice, a choice of faith, to believe Jesus, the Antidote for sin, and prove your resolve by following Him and practicing what He says. “If you say you do not have sin, you are just deceiving yourself, and do not know the truth. But if you confess your sins, Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive your sins and purify (bleach) you from all unrighteousness (spiritual bacteria).
Are you a hollowed out unbleached pumpkin sitting in the sun with a smiley face carved into you? What me worry? You can know for certain unbleached sin will insure your collapse, and sometimes it comes with such a rush you can do nothing about it. Today is not too late to apply bleach.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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