The Great Rat Demise
“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” II Timothy 2:22
FLEE FROM SIN
One night at our dorms at my university, UCSD, some wild yelling broke out below my third story window. It wasn’t angry yelling; it was an excited type, punctuated with cat-calls and jeering. With the noise rapidly escalating, my curiosity peaked. I knew whatever was about to happen would not be pleasing to God, but I rationalized my actions convincing myself that I really didn’t know. I opened my window and peered down trying to see through filtered light coming from windows below.
As I waited for the action to begin, a loud voice boomed from a window of the dorm much higher up, “Whatsya’ doin’ guy? Trying to catch some cheap thrills?”
I couldn’t tell who it was and I couldn’t imagine how anyone could recognize me in the darkness of the night, but, oh, how I felt the rebuke of God. I closed my window and sat on my bed and moaned, “Oh God I’m sorry. Thank you for keeping me from sin.”
I was toying with fire. The Bible warns, “A man can’t take fire into his bosom and not get burnt” (Proverbs 6:27). “Flee from youthful lusts.” (This means that we can’t participate in sin without being burnt by it. Are you putting yourself in situations that you shouldn’t be in? Don’t be deceived. God isn’t mocked. Whatsoever we sow, we shall also reap (Galatians 6:7, 8). Instead of sowing to sin, sow to God and you’ll reap Life with God. Nothing compares with that.
A friend told me a story about his work that illustrates so well why not to play with temptation.
A BIG BUNCH OF RATS!
Bill owns a pest control company. (No, he doesn’t do away with brothers. You need to love those little fellows not get rid of them!). He was called one day by a woman who had a team of rats that were overrunning her house. She had rats outside, in her kitchen, in her living room, in her attic; they even came in her bedroom at night! She was terrified. But, no matter what she or anyone else tried, no one could get rid of them. “Can you help?” she pleaded with Bill in desperation. Sure he could. Bill loved a challenge. Especially with rats. He’s a rat expert.
Loaded with ten simple rat traps, Bill drove over to see the distraught woman. He said it would take two weeks, but he’d have every rat out—guaranteed. She agreed to move in with a friend until the execution was complete.
The first day, Bill laid the unset traps in the pathways of the rats—along the edges of the rooms in the house. He didn’t do anything else. The point was to get the rats used to the traps.
Stage two came five days later. Bill placed sweet macadamia nuts on all the traps which were still not set…yet. Each day he would place a tasty macadamia nut or two on each of the traps. At first the rats wouldn’t touch them, But, after a few days, they grew accustomed to the tasty treats and greedily devoured them.
On the tenth day Bill was ready. Early in the morning the traps were set and were loaded again with delicious macadamia nuts. Bill waited outside for the fun to begin.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Within minutes, four traps fired. Bill calmly walked inside and collected his prey, reloaded and reset.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! On and on clacked that happy sound all through the day. By evening, Bill removed over one hundred rats from that house! Whew! Definitely not my kind of job!
Why was he able to do it? Because he patiently waited until the rats were accustomed to the traps. Then he pounced like a cat on his unsuspecting victims.
SATAN WANTS TO CATCH US. GOD WANTS TO BLESS US.
Satan wants to catch us. John 10:10 says he is out to steal, kill, and destroy. Don’t misread reality. The Bible talks about people who sin and supposedly get away with it and because they do they eagerly jump in for more. (See Ecclesiastes 8:12) They don’t realize that Satan always reels his catch in sooner or later.
By contrast, a person who wants to follow God has a healthy respect of Him. He knows God loves him, yet at the same time he knows that if he sins, God must bring consequences—as any good parent would.
WALKING OR DIVING?
If you’re walking over traps or diving into the macadamia nuts, make every effort to stop. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of heart-ache and open the doors for God to add His blessings (Psalms 31:19).
If you feel like you’re hopelessly bad, don’t. All Christians have their struggles. You just need more of God’s help. You may also need good Christian counsel and parents and older friends to help you. Keep seeking help until you find it. It’s worth every effort. Like the Bible says, “In the keeping of them (God’s ways) there is great reward” (Psalms 19:11).
Psalms 84:11 says that God doesn’t withhold any good thing from those who love Him. If your particular “macadamia nuts” are good, then God will open doors in His time and in His way for you to enjoy them as His blessing. Just wait for His timing. Don’t grab the ones on the traps. It only leads to sorrow and suffering.
Be patient. It’s very, very much worth it! ☺
"Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.” Ecclesiastes 8:12
“The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.” Proverbs 10:22
That’s incredible!
Don Miller
Joy is one of the ways God makes us rich.
“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always.” Proverbs 23:17
God’s blessings will come. Seek to be faithful.
Don Miller
“…for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.” Nehemiah 7:2
Regardless of the past–even if you really, really messed up– resolve, from this day on, that you want to go to God for help to be like this man who was beloved of God.
Don Miller