Swallowed By A Sinkhole

Neal Pollard

I sat in unbelief as Fox News reported about the death of Jeff Bush, a 36-year-old who was asleep in his Seffner, Florida, house on March 1st when a sinkhole opened up and swallowed him.  The instability of the site was so dangerous that the sinkhole became his tomb, as workers could not retrieve him.  Family was distraught and in disbelief.

What a tragic, unexpected circumstance!  You lie down not knowing that you will not arise in the morning.  You are taken in such dramatic fashion.  Along with my feelings of sympathy for a grief-stricken family, my mind went to a couple of biblical accounts.  I thought of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their households, swallowed up by the earth in Numbers 16.  The difference in that instance is that, incredibly, the earth closed over them.  But, whether miraculously or naturally, such events clearly demonstrate the unmatched power of God. Then, I thought of Jesus' words about the Galileans killed by Pilate and the eighteen people killed by the tower of Siloam in Luke 13.  That passage would implicitly say that, even in Mr. Bush was a depraved, wicked sinner, he was in no worse a condition than anyone who needs to repent (3,5).

But, I suppose the thing that dominated my thoughts most of all was how fragile life can be and how unexpectedly death can come.  Some day, Judgment will come.  Scripture describes that instantaneous moment as coming in the blink of an eye, as a thief in the night (cf. 1 Th. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10; 1 Cor. 15:52).  Whether in our lifetime or not, one day many on earth will be awakened from sleep by the second coming.  In that moment, it will have to be an utter and final realization for the lost that it is too late.  For the impenitent and unbaptized or for the unfaithful Christian, they may call out but to no avail.  They will have made their decision (cf. 2 Th. 1:7-9).  

I cannot imagine too many things on earth more unexpected than waking up to one's end like Mr. Bush.  However, I can think of at least one thing which has yet to occur.  Let us make sure we are ready for it!

Who Ruined Ray Fosse's Career?

Neal Pollard

One of the most unforgettable moments in all of sports history must be the 12th inning of the 1970 All-Star game, when the young Cleveland Indians' catcher, Ray Fosse, was violently upended by Mr. "Charlie Hustle," Pete Rose, of the Cincinatti Reds.  It was such a hard hit, many wrongfully credit Rose with ruining Fosse's promising career (he would retire before the end of the decade). Rose did separate Fosse's shoulder, but closer investigation uncovers more clues as to what happened to Fosse.  

Fosse actually spent five tours on the disabled list, for everything from a side muscle pull to a neck injury suffered while breaking up a fight in the clubhouse (Reggie Jackson and Billy North got into a brawl and Fosse suffered a crushed disk trying to stop them from hurting each other, bleacherreport.com).  He was also hit by a cherry bomb, thrown from the stands, that blew up by his foot, "badly burning the arch of his foot and causing a shock" (baseballlibrary.com).  

Sometimes, when we suffer and struggle, we look for a scapegoat--something or someone to blame.  We may blame the church as a whole or a congregation where we attend.  We may blame someone who mistreated us or a bad series of events in our life.  If we are not careful, we may be placing the blame in the wrong place.  Others, from the outside looking in, may think our troubles are from one source when they actually are from quite another.

Others who cause us to stumble share responsibility for our fall (Lk. 17:3).  We are influenced by outside influences.  However, ultimately, no one else can be blamed for our lostness if we allow ourselves to fall and do not overcome it.  Elders will give an account for their oversight (cf. Heb. 13:17). Preachers and teachers must be careful about their preaching and teaching (1 Tim. 4:16).  So must more mature Christians (Rom. 15:1ff). But, let us remember, "Each one of us will give an account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12) and "each one will be recompensed for his deeds in the body" (2 Cor. 5:10). 

"For What Purpose Will The Day Of The Lord Be To You?"

Neal Pollard

While the English translations give wide variety to their rendering of Amos 5:18, a consistent thread prevails between them.  The simple prophet, after having shown his people the sins of the nations, is now preaching to his own people.  Their religious transgressions have piled high, and they must now prepare to meet God's wrath in His judgment of them (4:12).  They refused to seek Him, so they would not live (5:4-6,14).  Judgment would come in the form of foreign invasion, captivity, and destruction.  Amos is not speaking of the final judgment at the end of time, but rather God's fulfillment of a promise that went back centuries to the days when the tribes of Israel stood on Ebal and Gerizim.  They had forsaken God, and now He was going to judge them.

His own people were filled with hypocrisy.  They did not hate evil and love good (5:15). They kept the "form" of religion but they had rejected the "substance" (cf. 5:21ff).  As they looked to the future, Amos tells them they should not long for "the day of the Lord."  He asks, "For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?" For most of them, it was a day of "darkness and not light" and "gloom with no brightness in it" (cf. 5:20).

Regarding the final judgment of all mankind, each of us would do well to ask, "For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to me?"  Jesus shows us the available options.  It will either be a day of rejoicing and reward, or it will be a day of rejection and rift.  For the few, it will be a day to receive the victor's crown.  For the many, it will be the first day of an eternity full of total darkness, gnashing of teeth, unending terror, and indescribable pain.  It is not enough for that day to be a happy day for spouse, parent, child, sibling, or friend.  Their salvation will based on how they lived in their body (2 Cor. 5:10).  For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?  A day for you to eagerly anticipate or for you to continually dread?  

The good news is that no matter what we have done in the past, we can come to Christ in obedient faith.  He promises to forgive, and He wants to eternally save (2 Pet. 3:9).  Dread can be replaced with desire!  It is what God wants for you.  "For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?"

Sleeping Through the Storm

“A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, ‘I can sleep when the wind blows.’  This puzzled the farmer, but he liked the young man and hired him.  A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm.  They quickly began to check around and see if all was secure.  They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.  The young man slept soundly.  The farmer and his wife then inspected their property.  They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.  The tractor had been moved into the garage.  The barn was properly locked.  Even the animals were calm.  All was well.  The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, ‘I can sleep when the wind blows.’  Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke.  So when the wind blew, he was not afraid.  He could sleep in peace” (Tim Shin Illustrations).

The moral of this illustration is simply, be prepared.  Anyone can put forth the effort when it is necessary, but by then it might be too late.  This idea has so many applications for today.  We must work hard so we can feed the family, keep up with bills, and live with less stress.  We must save money for emergencies.  We must prepare for retirement.  Surely there are others to mention, but above all else, we must prepare for eternity.

Matthew 24:42-44 warns, “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.  But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.  For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Are you prepared to meet with the Lord (Matthew 6:21-23)?  If not, then today, while the skies are clear, is the time to get ready.  The judgment storm is coming.  Let’s do whatever it takes to be prepared.