A giant sinkhole opened up in Schmalkalden, Germany, about 98 feet across and about 65 feet deep that swallowed a car, part of a garage and house. Yet, it was small compared to the sinkhole that opened up in Guatemala City in 2007. Reportedly, residents heard rumblings for weeks but no one knew why. In one day, almost instantly, a perfectly round plot of earth disappeared and left a hole more than thirty stories deep!
Experts suppose that sinkholes appear because of the movement of earth beneath what we see everyday. The problem can be caused by the movement of water, flooding or changing weather patterns. Sinkholes occur when there is literally no ground under the ground, and everything pays the price for the lack of foundation, especially what’s on the surface.
There are some Christians who are like those sinkholes; they have no foundation under the surface. When circumstances are right, their lives “cave in” and cause damages that no one would have believed or expected. Spiritual sinkholes occur because of lack of knowledge in the word of God (Heb. 5:12-14). Spiritual sinkholes occur when someone fails to act on their faith (cf. Matt. 7:24-27; 2 Pet. 1:5-11).
How does a person guard against erosion of their faith? Second Peter 1:5-7 teaches that the guard is a solid foundation of faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. “These things” repeated in verse 8, verse 9, verse 10, verse 12, and verse 15 are the surest way to solidify the foundation of faith. The promise is that one who “abounds in these things” will not be “unfruitful” or “barren,” “shortsighted,” and “will never stumble.”
Spiritual sinkholes can be avoided if there is more examination of self and examination of faith (Phil. 2:12; 2 Cor. 13:5)! Are our lives vulnerable to spiritual sinkholes brought about by lack of a firm foundation? We would all do well to thoughtfully and prayerfully make sure that we are building only on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and His word (Matt. 7:24-27).
Andy Baker – Graeber Road church of Christ Rosenberg, TX
Out of love for one another…….
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)
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Scripture of the Week
“Praise be to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion, Who comforts us in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” ~~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Something to Smile About
A dog ran into a butcher shop and grabbed a roast off the counter. Fortunately, the butcher recognized the dog as belonging to a neighbor of his. The neighbor happened to be a lawyer. Incensed at the theft, the butcher called up his lawyer neighbor and said, “Hey, if your dog stole a roast from my butcher shop, would you be liable for the cost of the meat?” The lawyer replied, “Of course, how much was the roast?” “$7.98.” said the butcher. A few days later the butcher received a check in the mail for $7.98. Attached to it was an invoice that read: Legal Consultation Service: $150.
A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. “In English,” he said, “A double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative.” A voice from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.”
Think About It
Think About It
You Can’t Push a Chain
A chain is a handy device. You use it to pull a car
out of the ditch. You can hoist a heavy item. You
can use one to anchor a boat or secure a gate.
But can’t push with a chain. It will pull or hold,
but try to push and it’s pretty much useless.
People are a lot like a chain. When linked
together they can be powerful, if you pull them and
don’t try to push. You start pushing them and the
links go every which way.
Too many times we try to lead folks by just
pushing them. We’re in the back trying to get things
moving and it rarely works well. All that shouting
and cajoling and needling might move things an
inch or two, but the bang for the buck is
underwhelming.
If we stand at the front and start pulling,
however, things change. Things snap into place.
The effort is multiplied. The strength of the whole is
unified.
In any role — parent, teacher, mentor, boss
— that we want to help lead others, we would be a
lot better off if we try pulling instead of pushing.
– Barry Haynes, Hope church of Christ, Hope, AR