20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God
were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be
reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that
in him we might become the righteousness of God.
George Lane was ecstatic. He had just witnessed the birth
of his first child in Calgary, Alberta, and in his excitement, he celebrated
the event for several days. He even invited all of his friends over to meet his
wonder child.
But all good things must come to an end, and George's job
soon called him back to reality. He was responsible for the cattle at the Bar U
Ranch, a job he took very seriously. Nonetheless, it was with regret that he
mounted his faithful horse, and leaving behind his beloved wife and newborn
baby in their Calgary home, he headed back for the ranch.
He had reached the foothills of the Rocky Mountains by
sundown, just in time to disturb a pack of six hungry wolves feasting on the
carcass of a cow they had obviously killed. This wasn't the first time he had
ridden upon such a scene, and George knew it wouldn't be the last, but what
infuriated him was the fact that the wolves seemed to view domestic cattle as
their own, personal prey.
Of course, this all made perfect sense to the wolf. In
past years they had fed off of buffalo herds and left the domestic cattle
alone. But now buffalo herds were gone, and being living, carnivorous creatures
requiring sustenance, beef was their only option. Surely they had the right to
feed themselves. Why was this white man getting so upset at them for eating?
George watched them for a brief moment before drawing his
six-shooter. Then he charged his horse into the middle of the dinner party.
Before he could shoot however, a huge, shaggy beast turned on him and his
horse, attacking them viciously.
It was the first time such an encounter between white man
and wolf had been recorded in history, and if it hadn't been for his
six-shooter, George would have become the banquet's dessert. It's true that
human flesh supposedly tastes like sweet pork, but who would like to be
compared to a pig, no matter how sweet they may be?
Once reported, the attack was of significant concern to
the people of Alberta, and especially to its legislature. With the wolves
regularly raiding cattle ranches, they already had a monumental problem on
their hands, one that didn't seem to have any simple solution. What if wolves
were to now begin attacking humans as well? There were no ways to bring these
nasty creatures to justice, no way to make a public warning out of them to
other wolves, and if things didn't change, the public would start to turn their
backs on the current body of elected politicians!
This imbalance of nature had been created by the
government itself. In an attempt to subdue the Indians, the decision had been
made during the 1870s to exterminate buffalo herds (See Look Out, Buffalo!
White Man is Coming). But since the buffalo was also the primary food source of
the wolf, the white man was now faced with the terrifying consequences. There
seemed to only be one solution: To exterminate the wolf population as well!
This episode illustrates vividly how sin ravages our
reasoning skills. The more we let sin entice us, the more selfish we become.
And the more selfish we become, the more we make others miserable. James
1:14-15 tells us: "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is
dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to
sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (NIV)
The only way to really make a difference in this world is
by letting ourselves be set free from the traps and deceptions of sin. This can
only be done by the one who willingly died for our sins. Paul says that Jesus
willingly became sin in order for us to be set free.
Freedom and eternity can be ours, if we accept Jesus'
offer and welcome Him into our lives.
Dear Lord we pray that we would not get tied up with the
sins of our life. We thank You for the sacrifice that You gave for each of us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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