Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Make It Stop!

Read: Genesis 4:9-14


Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
                                                                                                                              Job 4:8


     Have you ever ridden a roller coaster at the same time as someone who really didn’t want to be on that roller coaster? Sometimes it is a kid riding for the first time, or it may be a parent whose kids forced him to ride. His reaction becomes the stories of tomorrow. He steps into the roller coaster, white-faced, with sweaty palms. He can’t believe he is actually going to do it, but peer pressure keeps him pressing forward. You can see he has dry-mouth by the way his tongues cleave to the roof of his mouth as he slurs the speech used to condemn the one who dragged him onto the ride. The second the ride begins to move, he locks a death-grip onto the bar in front of him. Some begin to scream before the ride picks up any speed, but most are too numb to utter a sound. The ride inches slowly upward toward what he are sure is instant death. Then they hit top speed. As the ride twists and turns, rolls and plunges, the screams of “Make it stop!” are drowned by the noise of the steel wheels against the track and the shrieks of enjoyment escaping the throats of the others on the ride. No one is listening to his cries for help. No one hears the panic in his voice. Even if they did, the ride would continue through its course until it finally hissed to its halt at the finish line.
     The consequences of sin are no different. It may be because of peer pressure, or just thrill-seeking, but sin finds its way into a person’s life. “It” seemed like a good idea at the beginning, and that “it” might be enjoyable, but then the consequences begin to reveal themselves. They may start slowly at first, but then they pick up steam. The consequences are not listening to your screams of “Make them stop!” They have a course to run, and they cannot be slowed down until the whole thing has been finished. If you are the sinner, you are stuck with those consequences for the duration. You chose the sin, but you cannot choose how you want the consequences to play out. You cannot simply make them stop, and then get off when you would like to.
     It becomes so important, then, that before you make a decision to do wrong, you consider the consequences of your actions. Ask yourself if you are willing to go along for the ride all the way to the end. Once you sin, and once the consequences start, they can never be slowed down until they have completely finished their run in your life.


Quote of the day: “The harvest of judgment is sure as soon as the seed of sin is sown.”



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