Little is Much

Little is Much

June 22, Bar Harbor, ME

            Today, we were scheduled for a cruise of Bar Harbor to see five lighthouses and hear about the rich history of Mount Desert Island and the city. On the way there we discussed where we were going to park because free parking is at a premium. They have parking along the streets and a large parking lot at the harbor. But, there is a catch- you can only park for 2 hours along the streets for free and for 3 hours in the harbor parking lot for free. After that, they fine you $ 15.00.  We had parked in the three hour lot yesterday and were there the right amount of time. Today, we were kind of concerned because we would be gone longer than the three hours. When we got down there, there was a parking spot right in front of the place where we had to board the boat. There were no signs that said a limited amount of time was free so in we went. We did decide that if there was a fine, we would just be happy for the parking place and pay the fine.

            When we got off the bike, I told Norm. little things mean a lot. Even in parking spots. We don’t often think of them as meaning much, but we had a pastor’s wife one time that told us she prayed for a parking every time she went to the store. Hmmmm, she said that two-thirds of the time she got a spot up close.   When we came back from the cruise there was no ticket on the bike. Thank you, Lord!

            There are two applications I want to mention:

1-       Positive: You are worth a lot to the Lord. He gave His ONE and ONLY Son for you.

Mt. 10:29-31 says, “are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care? And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Rise up and be counted! You are worth more than rubies and gold.

2-      Negative: Even a little bit of sin in our lives can have severe consequences. Sometimes, we try to whitewash our sins by saying.. well, I only did this..it’s not that big of a deal, or so and so did this…or it doesn’t say specifically in the Bible I can’t do this or that…sin is sin

I was reminded of this story heard long ago:

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen. After reading some reviews about the movie on the internet, he denied their request.

“Aw dad, why not””  they complained. “It’s rated PG-13, and we’re both older than thirteen!”

Dad replied: “because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality, which is something God hates, as being normal and acceptable behavior.”

“But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie! That’s what our friends who’ve seen it have told us. The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film!  It’s based on a true story, and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice. Even the Christian movie review websites say that!”

“My answer is no, and that is my final answer. You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection. But you will not go and watch that film. End of discussion.”

The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch. As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen. They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, “Dad must be feeling guilty, and how he’s going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies.  Maye we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go the movie after all.”

The story goes on and the father brings out the brownies? The brownies looked mouth-watering. The dad tells the teens he has a mystery ingredient in them. They don’t have to worry because it came from their back yard and he only put a little bit in the brownies.

The boys wanted to know the mystery ingredient.  The dad insist the portion is small and won’t make any difference in the taste.

It’s organic the dad tells them. And, he finally says it’s organic…dog poop.

They drop the brownies and the dad begins to make the analogy—the amount of poop was very small compared to the other ingredients—and they have the same consistency.. go ahead and eat them.

The teens say NO!!!

That is the reason I won’t allow you to go watch that movie. You won’t tolerate a little dog poop in your brownies, so why should I tolerate a little immorality in your movies?  We pray that God will not lead us into temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?

 What are you watching on TV and the movies?

What are you reading?

Does it have a little bit of “doo”?

Have you noticed a change in your thought patterns after reading that book or watching that movie?

Pray and ask the Lord to reveal anything you might be reading or watching that has a little bit of “doo” in that would cause you fall into temptation later on down the road? He is faithful… He will show you.