Adam Thompson of Cincinnati, Ohio, was the first American to fill a bathtub.
Doctors who heard of it predicted rheumatism and inflammation of the lungs. Some
cities banned the new 'bathtub exercise'. Today a home is not complete without a
bathtub or shower. The crowd was wrong.
England once had a law forbidding anyone to drive a vehicle faster than four
miles an hour without a person going before them with a red flag. Today we have
vehicles capable of more than one hundred times that speed. The crowd was wrong.
Musicians and critics groaned and laughed at the music of Richard Wagner. But
his compositions transformed the music world. The crowd was wrong.
Westinghouse was called a fool for daring to think that he could stop a train
with wind. Now Westinghouse air brakes are being used the world over. Again the
crowd was wrong.
"What is radium?" The crowd jeered at Madame Curie. Today it is a valuable asset
in fighting disease. The crowd was wrong.
For eleven years Goodyear and his wife worked on vulcanizing rubber. Everyone
laughed at them, but today millions ride on Goodyear tyres. The crowd was
mistaken.
There have been advances in medical science hailed at the time, but were later
proved to be disastrous. The drug Thalidomide comes to mind. In the early 1950's
the world hailed the first jet airliner, the 'Comet', which cut travelling time
by half. Several crashed and many were killed. The designers were wrong about
the effect that speed and altitude had on aircraft construction. They learned
from that mistake and today air travel is even safer than driving the car.
Publishers told Zane Grey that he had no writing ability. But his books are
still being read. The crowd was wrong.
Being wrong can be a serious matter, and that applies particularly to our
relationship with God. Too much is at stake. We can be wrong about many things.
The world can be wrong about things - it has been through the ages.
However, we dare not be wrong about Jesus. God offers us eternal life through
Jesus Christ. He so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Thanks to Pastor Ron Clarke
w4w@keypoint.com.au
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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