Porcupine Quills

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:12-18 ESV). Recently I read the following story. It started me thinking about how easily sin can become imbedded in our lives. Dave and his family, on vacation in northern Wisconsin, were sleeping soundly when their dog Midnight began whining. It was five o'clock in the morning. Dave got up, stumbled to the door, let the dog out, and then stumbled back to bed. About half an hour later he was awakened again, this time by loud thumping from under the cottage--as though someone was hitting the underside of the floor with a board. Dave pulled on some clothes and went out to investigate. At first Dave didn't see anything, but then Midnight slowly rounded the house toward him. Bending down to the dog, Dave could make out about a dozen quills sticking out of the dog's fur, mostly on the side of his neck and near the back of his head. Evidently, Midnight had gone after a porcupine under the cottage, gotten nailed with quills from its tail, and the tussle that followed explained the thumping noises on the floor of the cottage. Stunned, but not in any real pain, Midnight submitted to Dave's handling. But when Dave got the pliers and tried to pull out the quills one at a time, Midnight howled and pulled back. Removing the quills caused excruciating pain and the dog wanted no part of it. Dave finally took Midnight to a veterinarian in town, who anesthetized Midnight and then surgically removed the quills. The vet explained to Dave that although Midnight felt no pain from the quills, if they were not removed they would eventually work their way further into his body and head and kill him. Although the surgery was painful, the only way to save Midnight's life was to remove the quills. There is a progression in sin. James lists it for us in our reading this morning. When we first are tempted often it is from the curious adventure that it presents. The dog in the story didn’t want to be hurt, but the porcupine represented something it felt it had to investigate and experience. When it was too late, the damage had already been done. Like passing your hand over a flame, you never know how slow or close you may move your hand to the flame without being burned until it is too late! If you have been “stuck” by sin, let Christ remove it from your life. Confess your sin and accept His grace of restoration today!