BBD 02.23.05 Stealing the Swimming Pool
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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02.23.05
Stealing the Swimming Pool
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is
guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not
murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have
become a transgressor of the law. - James 2:10-11.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23.
The Nicolaysen family had a big surprise when they arrived at their mountain
cabin in Norway. They found a big hole in the ground where their swimming
pool should have been. The pool and all of its equipment had been stolen.
The pool had been installed at the cabin twenty years ago and the pool was
not just bolted down it was in the ground. Arild Nicolaysen said, "This can't
be, we thought. We didn't think it was possible. No one can steal a swimming
pool." Arild's husband, Brit Nicolaysen said this, "It must have been a
terrible job to disassemble such a big pool. There is a steel lining all the
way around, plus there is a plastic liner and then there was a skimming
system, a filter system and a lot of big hoses, and pipes."
When I was five years old, my mother took me with her once to go shopping in
town (We lived on a farm.). At a store, I noticed some large glass fish
bowls filled up with little glittering knives. The knives were a little over
an inch long and I really wanted one. The knives only cost five cents but I
did not have any money and I knew my mother would not give me any to buy
one. So, I looked around and no one was looking - I reached into the bowl
and pulled out a knife, a green one, and put it in my pocket. What I did was
wrong. It was stealing. I know it was wrong now but I also knew it was wrong
then. It was a sin, a bad thing in the sight of God.
James makes it clear that whether we steal a swimming pool or a little green
knife worth only five cents we have sinned. Whether a sin is little or big
in our eyes, it is still a violation of God's Law and we have fallen "short
of the glory of God." That's why we need a Savior!
No one upon this earth is perfect because we have all sinned whether we have
stolen a swimming pool or a little green knife. We have all sinned whether
we have told a little white lie or a whopper of a lie. We have all sinned as
James puts it whether we have committed adultery or murder.
The penalty for sin is death and that is what Romans 6:23a says, "The wages
of sin is death." That's the bad news. However, the Good News is that, "the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b)." Have
you received the gift?
Copyright © 2005. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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