Proverbs 6:27 (ESV)
Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes
not be burned?
June 12, is Independence Day for the Philippines. In 1991
the day was forever marked by one of the strongest volcano eruptions in
history. Mount Pinatubo, dormant for over 500 years, began to erupt, and three
days later exploded with twice the power of the 1980 Mount St. Helen's
eruption. The release of power blasted a cubic mile off the mountaintop and the
earth shook for eight hours. The eruption produced an ash cloud that rose over
50,000 feet into the atmosphere. If that wasn't enough, Typhoon Yunga then
struck the island nation with fierce winds and torrential rains which mixed
with the ash creating what the locals called "Black Saturday!"
The United States was forced to abandon and eventually
close Clark Air Force base, located just a few miles from Mount Pinatubo, due
to the devastating blanket of fallen ash. When a vulcanologist was asked to
account for the widespread damage which sent thousands of American soldiers and
Filipinos fleeing, he replied, "When a volcano is silent for many years, people
forget it's a volcano and begin to treat it like a mountain."
Now here's a lesson from nature. We should always be
aware of how our sinful nature has the potential to erupt. It would be a big
mistake to ignore this possibility simply because it has lain dormant for a
season...even a seemingly long one.
Solomon writes a profound statement in his book of
Proverbs, which, when paraphrased goes something like this; "Can someone
play with fire in his lap without incinerating his clothes?"
The enemy of our souls would love for us to believe that
we can somehow play with sin, without it negatively affecting our spirit and
our walk with the Lord -- oh how deceptive Satan can be!
D.L. Moody was a fairly simple man and I love the way he
dealt with sin. He said, "When you're thinking sin, think scripture!"
Let's be on guard! Sin is a dormant volcano which can
erupt at ANY moment and set our house on fire. How do we prepare? First, by
being aware of the possibility...then...;"Thy word have I hid in my heart
that I might not sin against thee". [Psalm 119:11] Let's meditate upon His
Word, allowing it to sink deep into our minds and our hearts, so that the only
fire which burns there...is the fire of God's Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, help us not become dormant and complacent
about sin. Help us to be on guard and
ready for the times that Satan is trying to cause us to fail. In the Name of Jesus,
Amen.
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