Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries - Tuesday, 4 February
2014 "Good Idea"
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your
own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight
your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from
evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.--Proverbs
3:5-8
When our three children were in high school, it was not an
unusual thing for the family to wake up on a Saturday morning and find the
trees around our home had been thoroughly and completely decorated with toilet
paper.
Today, Pam and I can admit what we would never have dared say
back then: some of those kids did a first-class job. They lofted those
toilet-paper streamers on the highest branches of the trees; they festooned the
bushes with mummy-like cocoons of Charmin®.
Recently, I found out the custom of toilet papering a house is
alive and well. I found this out because, about a month ago, the home of Cheryl
Crausewell of Dora, Alabama, was "TP'd." Playing the prank on
Crausewell's son, the kids did a fine job of decorating the yard and her
magnolia tree. In the afternoon she and her son started to clean up the flowing
decorations. While most of the toilet paper came down easily, some sheets
defied removal.
To put a finish to the job, Crausewell and son decided to burn
up the remnants by setting them on fire.
To make a long story short, it was a bad idea. Some of the
burning toilet paper fell into the yard, which also began to burn. Mother and
son tried to put the fire out, but the flames kept spreading. The fire reached
into their backyard where it found the propane tank located on the family
barbecue grill. The tank blew and before too long Crausewell's house caught
fire and burned to the ground.
There is a spiritual lesson in this news article, and the lesson
is this:
Sin and Satan love to suggest things that seem like good ideas
at the time. They seem like good ideas, but they are not. Adam and Eve thought
the idea of eating from a tree that would make them really wise like God was a
good idea. They ate and found out their brainstorm wasn't so good.
Abraham thought passing off his wife as his sister was a pretty
shrewd move. It wasn't. Moses thought hitting the rock rather than speaking to
it as God commanded was a good idea. It wasn't. Achan thought taking a few
baubles of silver and a block of gold from fallen Jericho was a good idea. It
wasn't. Should I go on? Isaac, Jacob, Judas, Ananias and Sapphira all thought
they had good ideas, which turned out to be disastrous.
This is why their stories teach us to listen to God. That's
right, listen to God.
He who has created, redeemed and saved us knows best. When He
says we should do something, we should do it. If he says, "Run from this or
that," then we had better start running. If He says, "This is My
beloved Son, listen to Him," we ought to pay close attention.
Why? Because it's a good idea to listen to Him who loves you and
knows everything.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, don't let my ego and pride get in the way
of listening to You. In Your Word You have given me forgiveness and salvation
through my Savior's sacrifice. May I reject any thought that I can improve upon
His work and Your wisdom. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center
St. Louis, MO 63141 United States
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