May 18, 2004

Unexpected Alligators

When tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. —Matthew 13:21

Bible In One Year: 1 Chronicles 4-6; John 6:1-21

A friend of actress and comedienne Gracie Allen once sent a small, live alligator to her as a gag. Not knowing what to do with it, Gracie put it in the bathtub and then left for an appointment. When she returned home, she found a note from her maid. "Dear Miss Allen: Sorry, but I have quit. I don't work in houses where there is an alligator. I would have told you this when I started, but I never thought it would come up."

Some people who say they'll serve Christ are quick to leave when trouble comes. In Jesus' parable of the soils, He pictured the various responses that people have to the gospel. For example, a person may seem to accept God's truth, but he stumbles in his faith when difficulties arise (Matthew 13:20-21). Such troubles test the sincerity of one's faith and expose the weakness of one's commitment to Christ.

But someone may say, "Shouldn't our Lord tell us up front what is involved in following Him?" He does. He appeals to us with one invitation: "Trust Me." If we let trouble or disillusionment shake our faith, we are breaking the spirit of the trust that brought us to Christ in the first place.

Father, when life brings us the unexpected and we feel like quitting, help us to be faithful to You. —Mart De Haan

Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear. —Berg

Tough times can teach us to trust.

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" (Psalm 25:4-5, NIV).

A Word From Billy Graham
"The Bible teaches that purity of conduct includes truthfulness. The Bible teaches that we should be truthful in our representation of ourselves. With what scorn Christ denounced the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees! In the Sermon on the Mount He rebuked all hypocritical giving, praying and fasting. We should also be truthful in speaking of our past achievements in our particular vocation. God does not ask us to understate the facts -- that might even be untruthfulness -- but neither does He want us to overrate our achievements or our gifts, either in thought or in speech. A lie is anything contrary to the naked truth."

Truth No Matter What
"Ethical conflicts often emerge in the workplace. At one time I worked at a music store where my job was selling records, tapes, sound equipment, and television receivers. Despite my boss's hawk-eyed watchfulness, merchandise disappeared. For some reason, he suspected one of his employees. One day he said to me privately, 'I heard that you will be going to Andy's house for dinner. I want you to keep your eyes open. If you see any of the missing merchandise, I want you to tell me.' Andy, my good friend, was the other sales clerk -- and I was being appointed to spy on him. Would accepting such an assignment be ethically correct? I was angry at my boss for putting me on the spot, yet I needed to remind myself that I owed it to my employer to look after his legitimate interests. I needed to face this truth: No matter what the cost to me, I could never support a morally wrong act. If Andy had stolen merchandise, I couldn't close my eyes to it. At Andy's home I didn't see any of the missing items anywhere, so I never had to face the terrible duty of reporting Andy. Work relationships can stir up tough conflicts. Scriptural principles require honesty and truthfulness toward God and others. In ethical conflicts Christians need to choose to do what is their duty, not what is easy or what feels good. Even when that choice seems threatening and painful, the outcome must be left to God" (William Backus).

Prayer
Lord, we confess that sometimes we ignore the truth or look the other way when we see sin in action. Help us to be truthful in all that we say and do so that we can point to Jesus, the Source of truth. Give us the strength to be honest in spite of what it may cost us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.