The Electric Fence

This morning, on the news, I watched a report about a couple of coyotes roaming Grosse Pointe Woods. The story would normally not concern me, but some pets were found killed by the coyotes and I would be devastated to find my pets killed by coyotes. Searching for protective measures, I discovered a set of pictures on the internet featuring the results of a solution found to a similar problem. Thinking coyotes were to blame for some missing neighborhood dogs; a group of people installed a large electric fence around their property. One man, supposedly the one sending the e-mail containing these pictures, heard his wife screaming and ran outside to see the source of her terror. What he saw, forever immortalized as an internet urban legend through photographs, was a giant python with its mouth around the wires of the electric fence. Angered by the initial shock, the python had bit the wires, killing itself in the process.

When we give our lives to God, we put up barriers that protect us from sin. We avoid situations and people that might influence us to defy God’s will for our lives. Hebrews 12 tells us that we should fix our eyes on Jesus, and throw off sin. Instead, like the python, we test our limits and eventually attack them. This often leads to our downfall. Remember that Satan roams outside of our barricade, like a python or coyote. If we leave the safety of our creator, we will be snatched up by Satan. Endure the world as Christ did.

Standardized Living

I don’t know about you, but I live a rather privileged life. I’ve never been starving or without shelter, and I’ve always had clothes to wear. I am not suffering from a horrible illness and I don’t have any physical handicaps. When the slightest amount of pain or hardship enters my life, I cry like a tiny baby. Paper cuts or small scratches debilitate me, leaving me useless to the world. A flat tire, as Dana Dugger will admit, causes me to be stranded and helpless. The loss of a few hours of sleep turns me in to a shell of my former self, incapable of conversation or basic reason. If life is not customized to my liking, with everything falling to place, I am very bothered. I am, like so many of us, intolerant of every event or situation that upsets the normal flow of my life.

We, living in the freedom that God and this country affords us, believe in a standard that fits our ideals. When our relationship with God and our spiritual lives are concerned, we tend to be less strict and more adaptable. We adapt our faith to the world, for fear of “making splashes” or “ruffling feathers”. We adjust our conversation, attitude, and daily activities to blend in and discover acceptance. 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that we need reflect the glory of God with unveiled faces. If a cold, scratch, or change in temperature bothers us, why doesn’t it bother us when we or others stand in opposition to God.

Interference, Automatic First Down

Considering the recent Super Bowl, an event of mass proportions in this country, I decided to address one of the most difficult calls a referee has to make. I am referring to the delicate choice that one makes in order to penalize pass interference. I am absolutely sure that at least one professional referee lives in constant fear of his demise because of a bad pass interference call. USA Football suggests that one not be too close to the action in order to get a broader perspective. Also, one must focus on the players rather than the ball. A good referee needs to understand the basic conditions that are involved with interference. Finally, one should be able to avoid cheap calls made because of one’s carelessness or the influence of a crowd’s reaction.

We should take these suggestions in to account when dealing with the interference we face in our effort to grow spiritually. We need to avoid the things that get in between us and our relationship with God. We have to consider the consequences of getting involved with the world’s offerings, if only for a short time. Often we neglect to think about how Satan’s trappings affect us or the people in our lives. These tasks are more basic than we understand them to be. We must shun the world’s influence when it stands in opposition to God. Or, as it states in Mark 4:18-19, we will make God’s word unfruitful.