The Missing Sponge

A surgeon was very selective with the people he wanted to work with.  It was the first day on the job for a young nurse and the surgeon decided to issue a test.  As the young nurse assisted the surgeon during a procedure, she noticed a problem.

"You've only removed eleven sponges, doctor," she said to the surgeon. "We used twelve."

"I removed them all," the doctor declared. "We'll close the incision now."

"No," the nurse objected. "We used twelve sponges."

"I'll take full responsibility," the surgeon said grimly. 
"Suture!"

"You can't do that!" blazed the nurse. "Think of the patient."

The surgeon smiled, lifted his foot, and showed the nurse the twelfth sponge, and said, "You'll do."

It can be difficult to stand up for what is right, especially when we meet resistance.  For the young nurse, she was willing to risk disapproval and possibly even her job to stand up for what was right.  Thankfully, she was working for a person who also valued integrity.  It takes courage to expose ourselves and come under the heat of the spot light.  In John 12:42-43, we see some people who weren’t willing to stand out, “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

Which do we love more, God’s approval or man’s?  It feels really good when people like us, praise us, and agree with us.  Many people are even willing to sacrifice their morals and ethics in order to lay low and run with the crowd.  It can be scary to be disliked, made fun of, and disagreed with.  It can be hard to stand up for honesty and integrity as Christians, especially when those around us do not.

Moses told Joshua before his death, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

People may dislike or disagree with us, but there is only one approval that really matters anyway, God’s.  When we stand with God, God will stand with us.  Therefore, no matter what other people may think, let’s be courageous Christians and pursue God’s approval above all others.

Thieves With A Conscience

A group of thieves broke into a building and stole computers and equipment.  What they didn’t know at the time was they were stealing from a non-profit organization that helps victims of sexual assault.  Once they discovered this, they felt bad for what they had done.  The following night, they brought back everything they stole in a shopping cart and even included a hand written apology note which said (grammatical mistakes included), “We had no idea what we were takeing.  Here your stuff back we hope that you guys can continue to make a differenence in peoples live.  God bless” (ABC Local).

First of all, it’s ironic that the same people who were sinning called for God’s blessings.  Aside from this, one wonders what was going through these thieves’ minds.  Did they think returning the items made everything OK?  Even though these robbers made a good decision in returning the stolen items, they were the ones who committed the felony in the first place.  Sometimes people misunderstand what true repentance is.  These thieves likely thought they were making things right and repenting of what they had done, even if they didn’t put it in so many words.  However, it’s clear this was not an action of repentance, but just a rare blip on the conscience meter.

What does true repentance really look like?  First, true repentance is a 180-degree turn (Acts 3:19).  A person who is walking towards sin completely changes direction, putting his back to sin, and begins walking towards God.  Second, true repentance is found in the person who is sickened by their actions and is committed to changing his ways (2 Corinthians 7:10).  After sinning with Bathsheba, David wrote a psalm that perfectly displays this point (Psalm 51).

It’s fairly easy to feel and act “sorry” for the things we have done.  Sometimes we will even go so far as to try and smooth things over with those we have wronged.  However, let’s keep in mind that true repentance is about a sincere 180-degree change, feeling guilty, and being committed and determined not to repeat past mistakes.  May we have the courage to repent and turn our backs to sin when the need arises.

The Fist Pump Before the Finish Line

Meghan Rutledge had a comfortable lead approaching the last jump, turn, and stretch of the women’s X-Games motocross 12-lap race.   She accelerated into the jump, launched into the sky, and began pumping her fist victoriously as she sailed through the air.  Doing so caused the front of the bike to tip forward.  She then landed awkwardly, lost control, and crashed.  In the blink of an eye, three other racers passed her on the final stretch and she went from certain victory to a meager fourth place.

(See Video Here)

How heartbreaking!  As the announcers said so well, Meghan Rutledge went “from the pinnacle of joy to the depths of defeat” (ibid).  The worst part about the whole situation is that it was completely her own fault.  She let pride step in the way before she had actually achieved victory.

In 1 Kings 20:11, the king of Israel responded to his prideful enemy with a wise taunt, “Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.”  In other words, one should never claim victory before he has achieved it.  In battle, those who had the privilege to take their armor off were typically the victors of the war.  Meghan Rutledge was boating of victory and it ironically caused her defeat.  In this case, pride literally came before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).

Jesus said in Revelation 2:10 that those who are “faithful until death will receive the crown of life.”  These are people who finish the race and live godly lives until the end.  Some feel their place in heaven is already secured and arrogantly try to coast in with their remaining time in life (1 Corinthians 10:12).  It only takes a moment for our pride to get out of check and cause us to fall.  May we never think we have won the spiritual race before we cross the finish line. 

Let’s learn from Meghan Rutledge’s mistake.  Let’s always keep our pride in check and never celebrate any victory before we have actually achieved it.

How to Quickly Damage A Reputation

Riley Cooper is a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles.  In July, Cooper attended a concert where he was denied access backstage.  Angered by this, and also a bit drunk, the football star spouted off with a very offensive racial slur at the black guards.  What Cooper didn’t know at the time was that someone captured his words on a smart phone and soon the video was posted all over the Internet.  Like a wild fire, the wide receivers words spread to his teammates, the NFL, fans, and to millions of others through the media.  Cooper has received harsh criticism from people all over the United States, as well as a fine from the Eagles.

Ever since this became public, Cooper has profusely apologized to his teammates and fans, and is even seeking counseling.  He went on to say, “The last few days have been incredibly difficult for me.  My actions were inexcusable.  The more I think about what I did, the more disgusted I get.  I keep trying to figure out how I could have said something so repulsive, and what I can do to make things better” (BleacherReport.com).

Obviously Riley Cooper messed up, but thankfully he stepped up and is accepting responsibility for his actions.  Whether these were the words of an extreme racist, a one time slip of the tongue, or the “alcohol speaking” (which is a topic for another day), Cooper is going to have to deal with the consequences of his words.

This situation is a cold slap of reality about the danger of our words.  Our words can do terrible damage to others and ourselves.  Certainly this is why Scripture places so much emphasis on our words.  We are warned about the general dangers of the tongue (James 3:2-10; Colossians 3:8-10), gossip (Proverbs 26:22-25), words of anger (Matthew 5:22), lies (Colossians 3:9), etc.

As Riley Cooper can attest to, just a few poorly chosen words can quickly spread and damage our reputations.  People are watching, listening, and sometimes even imitating our words.  Let’s be all the more careful in what we say and all the more diligent to use our words for good.

The Price of Entertainment

Controversy has been swarming around the professional baseball world lately.  Around twenty players are facing the consequences for taking banned substances to enhance their game.  Some of the big names in these allegations include Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun.  There are a variety of opinions on the use of banned substances but one that really stands out is from retired Major League player, and known steroid user, John Rocker:

“Honestly, and this may go against what some people think from an ethical stand point, I think it was the better game.  At the end of the day when people are paying their $80, $120, whatever it may be, to buy their ticket and come watch that game, it’s almost like the circus is in town.  They are paid to be entertained.  They wanna see some clown throw a fastball 101 mph and some other guy hit it 500 feet.  That’s entertainment.  You’re paying to be entertained” (Yahoo Sports).

No matter what our opinion may be about the use of performance enhancing drugs, there is a much greater problem at the heart of the matter which can be seen from Rocker’s comments -- People want to be entertained.  Many problems in our society have come about as a result of people seeking to be entertained.

• Good conversation is becoming an endangered species since so many eyes are glued to smart phones, TVs, and computers.
• Sex, language, and graphic content have progressively bombarded our movies, TV shows, and music to make it more “entertaining.”
• The worldly and sin focused city of Las Vegas is growing and thriving because of the millions of people who come to be entertained.
• Performance enhancing drugs are running rampant in many sports because people continue to pay good money to watch a player succeed, break records, and win for their team.  As a result, these sports organization are able to shell out millions of dollars per year to players.  Case in point, Alex Rodriguez was paid $29 million last year by the New York Yankees.  All of this further encourages players to win, perform, and entertain at all costs.

Our world is addicted to entertainment, and it’s getting worse.  Video game sales in the US went from $3.2 billion in 1995 to $18 billion in 2007 (Video Game Sales). This desire to be entertained is even finding its way into the church.  The words of 1 Timothy 4:3-4 are ringing as true as ever, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”  Sadly, some congregations have ignored and changed Scripture to make things more appealing, tolerant, and enjoyable.  We are falling into a dangerous trap.

During his life, Solomon indulged and experimented with all the entertaining and pleasurable parts of life.  After do so, Solomon came to this reality, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

Entertainment has a price, and if we aren’t careful, this desire may cost us everything.  Let’s be very cautious in satisfying our desires for entertainment and make sure we keep it in its proper place.  May we share in Solomon’s conclusion that fearing God and keeping His commandments comes above all else, even entertainment.