The story is told of a man who tried to steal gasoline from a motor
home. Attaching a siphoning hose to the vehicle, he started to work; but
police found him shortly afterward writhing in agony in the street. It
seems he had attached the hose, not to the gasoline tank, but to the
motor home's sewage tank! The owner declined to press charges; he was
too busy laughing.
Facing the consequences of our sin, though, is
no laughing matter. Colossians 2:25 says, "He who does wrong will
receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done" (NASV). And we
have to face those consequences even if we seem to "get away" with what
we have done.
Two guys who were not known for being overly smart
were driving a delivery truck down a road when they came to a tunnel.
The sign said "Warning: Maximum Height 10 feet zero inches", so they got
out and measured their truck. Unfortunately, the truck was just over 12
feet high. They didn't know what to do, when finally one of them looked
both directions and said, "I don't see any police, let's go for it!"
As ridiculous as that sounds, there are many folks who take the same
approach to sin. "If nobody sees us, then it's OK to go ahead and do it.
We can get away with it!" But just as surely as driving a 12-foot high
truck through a 10-foot clearance will result in bad stuff happening
(even if no one is watching), so will involvement in sin result in
negative consequences, even if no one is watching (of course, we know
that God is always watching!)
Moses warned the tribes of Israel
who wanted to remain on the east side of the Jordan River: "If you arm
yourselves...and all your armed men cross over the Jordan....and the
land is subdued....then afterward you may return...and this land shall
be your possession before the Lord. But if you do not do so, then take
note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find
you out." (Numbers 32:20-23)
The words of Moses serve as a needed
reminder to all those who think that they can violate the law of God
without consequence.
Alan Smith
Innisfil, ON, Canada
