"What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not!
Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law.
For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said,
“You shall not covet. But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the
commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin
was dead." (Rom 7:7-8, NIV2)
In 1989 great renovations occurred at the Fort Mackinac in
Michigan: The first water closets and flush toilets were installed!
Great excitement among the soldiers befell.
The old ways were gone, welcome to technology!
Workshops about instructing all personnel how to use these
unfamiliar modern innovation were of utmost importance. I can imagine how the
soldiers felt with such workshops.
“Why do I have to attend those? I
can figure it by myself!”
However soldiers treated these new inventions as their
former latrines, throwing all kinds of things in the toilet bowls, creating a
mess for those who were assigned to clean these new devices and clean was a
must, believe me! More often than not the toilets could not be used as they were
stuck by all kinds of obstructions! After
all a toilet is not a garbage can!
Post Commander Captain Greenleaf A. Goodale had to
establish a new law to avoid these new complications. His orders were simple:
Use only “soft paper” and at all cost do not throw matches, toothpicks and cigar
stumps in the toilet bowl! The consequences would be disastrous: Violators would
be court martialed and made to use their former privies.
Interestingly enough after this new law came into effect,
all went way more smoothly. Still,
some continued to be violators, as they saw this as an opportunity to defy the
orders.
Are we any better?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.