Sin Management – playing with fire
Stuart L. Brogden – 8 Nov, 2003
GRIZZLY FACTS!
Grizzly People founder Timothy Treadwell had lived peaceably
without weapons or fire among wild Alaskan grizzlies since the late
1980's. From late spring to autumn he
immersed himself in these creatures, fascinated by their fearsome power and
life patterns.
Treadwell was known for his
confidence around bears. He often
touched them, and gave them names. Once he was filmed crawling along the ground
singing as he approached a momma bear and two cubs. Over the years, Park Service officials, biologists and others
expressed concern about his safety and the message he was sending. "At
best he's misguided," Deb Liggett, superintendent at Katmai, told the
Anchorage Daily News in 2001. That same
year Treadwell was a guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman,"
describing Alaska brown bears as mostly harmless "party animals."
"You know how people
accuse animal rights activists of liking animals better than people?"
Treadwell asked. "Well, these bears are so much better than people. They
are better than us. They make up a perfect ecological system. They do no
damage, they are amazing and beautiful. They are basically peaceful and I would
have no life without them. If Taffy
were in danger, I would shield her with my body."
Could it be said that Mr.
Treadwell idolized these bears?
Oct. 9th 2003, ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The graphic sounds
of a deadly bear attack in the Alaska wilderness were captured on tape,
revealing a wildlife author's final, frantic screams as he tried to fend off
the beast. The remains of Treadwell,
46, and Huguenard, 37, both of Malibu, Calif., were found last month at Katmai
National Park and Preserve on the Alaska Peninsula.
Rebecca Dmytryk, who oversees an animal rescue organization
in Malibu, recalled video footage of Treadwell before his death that showed him
in a stream bed near an older bear he nicknamed "Quincy."
"Quincy, do you remember when you stood over me? You
were so hungry, and you should have eaten me, but you didn't. Thanks for not
eating me . . . "
Timothy Treadwell failed to
see the reality of his situation. He
thought he was playing with rationale animals that were better than men. All the while he was playing with a wild,
dangerous creature that could not be tamed.
The result was his death – and the death of his friend.
The warning: (1 Peter 5:8) Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour. Note that Treadwell’s folly
cost his companion her life as well. So
a man openly pursuing sin will cost others openly, while a man pursuing sin
privately may cost his loved ones openly as well as privately. The price is high.
Any man not in Christ is
prey for Satan, himself a spiritual son of Satan and doomed for a horrible
death. But praise God, for there is
hope for such a man! (Romans 5:8) But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us.
Yet we who are in Christ are
continually susceptible to the lust of the flesh – be it sexual, power, ego,
fame, or fortune. (James 1:14-15) each
one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, gives birth to death.
As with Timothy Treadwell and the bears, when you and I try to tame our
sin and live with it in peace, we are drawn aside into a vulnerable situation
of continual conflict, assuming God’s role and thinking we can manage that
which would always destroy us – all the while held fast by Christ (John 10:28) I
give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. Mark
this – it is the hand of God that holds you, not your own feeble
grip. If it were you and I holding on,
we would perish.
And praise the Lord, He
provides everything you and I need for life.
(Ephesians 1:3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ. Along with a caution and a
declaration (Colossians 2:8-10) Beware lest any man spoil you through
philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in
him, which is the head of all principality and power.
As you consider yourself or
a friend who is caught in sin, there are two admonishments that need to
comprehended:
1
Let there be no “pass”,
no easy escape without confession or repentance. Every man is responsible to be the spiritual leader and, as such,
has greater responsibility to be true to his calling. There can be no excuses, no denial when a sacred trust has been
destroyed. If there is love for Christ
in you, repentance is required.
(Jeremiah 13:15) Therefore this is what the LORD says: "If you
repent, I will restore you that you may serve me. Also, without repentance, one may convince himself that his
actions were not all that bad. This is
self-deception and yet another sin. (1
John 1:8) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth
is not in us.
2
Let
there be no judgment passed on the brother caught in sin. In truth, none of us is far from the point
of departure into the sin of our brother.
(1 Corinthians 10:13a) No temptation has seized you except what is
common to man. This means that our
brother’s temptation is common, not far from you and I.
Because of His knowledge of
our sinful tendencies, our heavenly Father tells us take actions
·
As individuals: (Proverbs 4:23) Above all else, guard your
heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
·
With a couple of
brothers: (James 5:16a)
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed.
·
And corporately, as
part of the larger body of Christ: (Hebrews 10:23-25) Let us hold
fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that
promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.
If your heart is broken over
anything, pray that it be broken over your own sin more than anything
else. We are encouraged to put serious
effort into forsaking our sin and focusing on Christ, as Christ forsook the
myriad temptations Satan brought before Him and focused on doing the will of
our heavenly Father.
(Hebrews 12: 1b-2) let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us
run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
Know this - if your heart be
hardened toward your own sin, you cannot please God (Romans 8:6-8) The mind
of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and
peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor
can it do so. Those controlled by the
sinful flesh cannot please God.
And
though you get tired of resisting the flesh – for it never gives up until it
dies – do not give up. (Hebrews 3:13) exhort
one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin.
So let us not focus on
another’s sin and let us not belittle our own sin. And let us not be led astray once again by focusing on our sin –
for to focus on your sin is to be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Let us focus only on Christ, for in Him is
life and freedom from sin. (Galatians
5:16) live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
flesh. When you fail and become
disappointed in yourself, recall these words from Randy Alcorn’s novel, “Edge
of Eternity” – “To be disappointed in oneself means you have put confidence in
one undeserving of it. Trust the
King, not your ability to follow Him.”
Let the story of Timothy
Treadwell and the current situation here at HNW be warnings – a wake-up call
for you and I to be ruthless with our sinful desires. Sin is a wild beast that cannot be tamed. Like the Grizzly bear, it can appear cute
and innocent – it will let you hold it close and get comfortable. But, like the Grizzly bear, it will one day
– without warning – turn on you and devour you. Sin management is a fantasy.
The truth is you – and I – can’t handle sin. Sin masters and enslaves those who draw close
to it. Draw close to Christ, for He
alone is the master of sin and He alone is able to keep you from being
destroyed.
Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.