Numbers 32:23 (NIV)
“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning
against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
In Youth group tonight we talked about sin and how it is
always wrong even if nobody finds out.
One of the young ladies said : somebody will always find out and even if
nobody does God knows. As I was coming home for church and was thinking about
the lesson it reminded me of this story I had read.
In the days when pirates sailed the Spanish Main, the
British warship Sparrow suspected the brig Nancy of carrying contraband and
stopped it off the coast of Haiti, An examination of the latter's papers and
cargo yielded only circumstantial evidence. Nevertheless, the captain of the
Sparrow deemed this sufficient for him to tow the Nancy into Kingston, Jamaica,
and charge the captain and crew with transporting illegal cargo.
Meanwhile, the officer in charge of a tender of the
British frigate Abergavenny, which happened to be cruising in the same waters,
noticed a school of sharks feeding on a dead bullock. He decided to see if he
could catch one of the predators for sport and ordered his ship to pull up
alongside the dead animal. The sailors succeeded in hooking one of the sharks.
Hauling the shark aboard, they opened it up and
discovered in its stomach a bundle of papers. Examination showed that these
belonged to the Nancy. Convinced that they might serve a useful purpose, the
captain set sail for Kingston.
The Abergavenny arrived in port not long after the case
of the Nancy came up for trial. The latter's captain and crew, and even her
lawyers, were sure the case would be thrown out of court for lack of evidence.
But what must have been their consternation when they were suddenly confronted
with the papers found in the shark's belly. Instead of being acquitted, they
were convicted.
Dear Lord, we thank You for being a forgiving God. Today
we pray that we would not fall into sin but instead be strong and stand against
the temptation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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