Emphasis Preaching Journal

Barry Curran (story from ID Illustration Digest, May, June, July 1990, page 1) hurried to work on a recent rainy morning. Suddenly, his defroster stopped working. He couldn't drive safely with his foggy windshield. Barry stopped his old pickup truck. He discovered that a fuse had blown. He looked in the glove compartment and in his tool box. He couldn't find a fuse. Under the seat, however, he found a .22 caliber bullet. He had dropped it during a recent hunting trip. He felt delighted that the bullet fit the fuse holder exactly. He congratulated himself on his ingenuity. He hurried to work with a clear windshield. He did get to work -- eventually. He had to make a short stop at the Emergency Ward of the city hospital. He had a .22 slug in his knee. Barry's solution had backfired on him. Engineers designed an automobile's electrical system to work with appropriate fuses. Likewise, God designed human beings to work with appropriate solutions to their needs. The word "sin" stands for the wrong attitudes and actions people choose. These substitute solutions work well for a while, but sooner or later, they backfire. Ezekiel quoted his people who said, "Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us (Ezekiel 33:10, The Everyday Bible)."