A lot of Trouble
As we go through life, we often land up in situations that can land us up in a lot of bother, like driving along and not noticing a spillage on the road, ice, water, pot holes and the like, if we are lucky we get out with minimal damage or even a buckled rim, worse off we land up off road and into some panel damage, or still even worse, if we cross the center line and meet the vehicle coming the other way head on, and then that can be very disastrous, or even deadly. Fire Safety Officers always tell us to “NEVER” go back into a building fire, as the person most likely left by another exit, or they were not ever inside at all. If they are still trapped inside, death by smoke inhalation is usually very quick, and they are already dead, you going back inside will only add another death, or then put others in harm’s way as they have to then somehow firstly rescue you as well, which is not very sensible or necessary. Stay out, Stay Alive, and let the professionals with proper safety equipment do the rescuing. Do not put yourself in danger when trying to execute a rescue, you need to rescue, and not to need to be rescued yourself, do not add to the death toll.
One lady in the Bible that landed up in “A lot of Trouble,” is the case of “Mrs. Lot.” You remember Lot’s wife who was so reluctant to flee the impending burning destruction of the city of Sodom, her things at home kept drawing her and holding her back, and in spite of being towed along by her rescuers, she somehow got slowly slipped behind the others, and then the pursuing conflagration of flaming fire and destruction consumed her, all because the family was so reluctant to leave quickly and ahead of the imminent destruction, because of her selfishness, her love of her possessions became her downfall, she was overtaken by the destruction, and like a volcanic eruption, she was encrusted in ash and deposits, and thus she became a pillar in her community, as it were, a pillar of salt as the Bible refers to it. She landed up in “A lot of Trouble.” Her whole life and potential snuffed out in a few moments of holding back, of delaying, she looked back and that cost her her life, what a shame, and a waste. Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The Bible admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 6:18a “Flee fornication.” This is encouraging us to flee, those lesser sins, the smaller stuff, or as one writer put it, “Flee your Darling Sins,” those sins that are slightly more habitual, we fall into them, snuggle into them, semi regularly, so that they become part of our character, then we get a big kink in our think, and then think that this is not that bad, but it invariably lands us up in “A lot of Trouble,” and for Mrs. Lot, it actually cost her her very life and existence. Quote; “Let all those who know the truth, say, “Flee fleshly lusts that war against the soul.” {CD 399} There are numerous times in life where we are admonished to flee disasters; Forest Fires, Floods, Shark in the water at the beach, Tsunami waves, fire or earthquake in the building we are standing inside of, so many warnings, and many people do not heed, or are slow to heed, and often perish just like Mrs. Lot, they end up in “A lot of Trouble.”
God is regularly warning us, Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We can so easily find ourselves on the wrong side of the fence and often perish just like Mrs. Lot, we do end up in “A lot of Trouble.” Is sin actually really worth that much for us to end up throwing away and in discarding our Eternity? Hebrews 11:24-25 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;” Paul’s admonition to us is found in Ephesians 5:16 “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Moses chose righteousness, rejected wickedness, and spent a wonderful 40 wilderness years close to God, and getting so close, that later his face glowed with the glow of God himself. Joseph chose a prison over a bed with his master’s wife. Daniel chose to spend a night with some extremely hungry lions than to stop his prayer and worship time, with the God of his fathers, his very own God, knowing that any other choice would land you in, “A lot of Trouble.”
Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul often landed up in, “A lot of Trouble,” because of his faith and belief, but imprisonment, beatings, overcame whatever that could be thrown at him, but he just sang hymns, praised God, it was a joy to him, as this life is so fleeting, Eternity is all that really mattered, living just like his master Jesus Christ, sharing the Gospel of the Good News, for failure to do so would land him up in, “A lot of Trouble.” Let us all quickly flee to, and to remain in, the safety of the arms of Jesus Christ, to abide there in his embrace always, anywhere else is liable to leave us in, “A lot of Trouble.”
