"Then
desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown
brings forth death."
James 1:15
I blame Noah for not going slap, slap and getting rid
of the mosquitoes, which carry malaria.
If he had, the animal that is responsible for more
human deaths than any other would have been eliminated.
But Noah didn't go slap, slap and as a result over
800,000 people die of malaria each year. The ones who are most affected are
children under the age of five. Their undeveloped immune systems make it easy
for the parasitic illness to get a foothold.
For over 40 years scientists have been trying to get a
vaccine that would do something to halt the illness. Now it appears an answer,
at least a partial answer, has been found. Rather than trying to stop the
illness, an inoculation of RTS,S will try to develop the immune system.
Preliminary trials have shown that the vaccine RTS,S
can probably cut malaria cases in half. Further trials are going to take place
next year when the vaccine is given to 15,000 children in seven African
countries.
Now there are a number of ways this devotion could go.
We could talk about thanking God for the breakthrough. That would at this time
of year be right and proper.
Instead, I would like to go back to slap, slap and
point out that all of these deaths and all of the suffering caused by malaria
have come from a small -- a very small culprit.
It occurs to me that Adam and Eve might have looked at
the forbidden fruit and said, "What harm can taking a little bite do?" They
didn't, and we see the tragedies that first sin has produced. I know there has
been more than one time in my life when I've thought this little temptation
can't do much damage. I can handle it. I'll be all right.
Does that sound familiar?
As far as the Lord is concerned there isn't such a
thing as a small, manageable sin. From His perspective a little temptation is
pretty much like knocking down the first domino in a long line of the black
blocks. Once they get going, it's pretty hard to stop them.
This is why when it comes to temptation His advice is
simple: slap, slap!
Get rid of those temptations right away.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, forgive me when I think of
myself as being good enough, smart enough, strong enough to defeat temptation
and sin. I can't. Send Your Holy Spirit so I may avoid temptation and grant me
the presence of the Savior for forgiveness when I fall and fail. This I pray in
my Savior's Name. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries
http://www.lhm.org/
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