Beth took a long time preparing the vegetables to add to the meat she had ready for a large pot of stew. Then she began to cook it slowly. As it cooked, the wonderful smell of the vegetables and meat made her hungry. Her family would be able to enjoy at least two delicious meals from the pot of stew.
Beth carefully set the large pot of cooked stew outside to cool overnight. The lid on the pot fit tightly, but to make it even more secure, she set some heavy items on top of it to make sure it couldn’t be opened. She went to bed that night contented that her dinner for the next day was fully prepared and safely cooling outside.
In the morning she remembered her pot of stew outside the back door and knew that it was probably quite cold. She opened the door to bring it inside, but what met her eyes was an unbelievable sight! The heavy items were scattered around, the lid was somewhere else, and not a scrap of the dinner was left! Then she realized what likely had happened. Raccoons had found her pot of stew and had eaten every bit of it. They probably were off somewhere with tummies full of stew, still licking their paws and whiskers!
Raccoons are clever little animals, and there isn’t much they can’t get into if they really want to. The smell of that stew would keep their nimble fingers busy, pulling off the heavy items on the lid and then working the lid off. What a feast they must have had! But what a big disappointment for Beth and a very sad lesson. Never again would she set food of any kind outside to cool . . . not even for a few minutes!
Beth couldn’t expect those raccoons to know that stew wasn’t set outside for them. But boys and girls who know what is right and wrong are sometimes the cause of a disappointment much like this. Your mom may have spent a lot of time baking a luscious dessert for a special dinner. When you came home from school, there it sat on the kitchen counter. You were probably hungry and it was one of your favorites. Mom had said, “Don’t touch that dessert . . . it’s for our company dinner tonight.” But when Mom wasn’t anywhere around, you thought to yourself, It won’t hurt if I take just one little piece . . . Mom won’t even notice . . . Oh yum, that was good . . . maybe one more little piece. And it didn’t take long before it was quite noticeable that someone had disobeyed Mom. First one sin . . . then another . . . then a cover-up lie, and finally someone is in big trouble. Two disappointments for Mom - a child who disobeyed her and a special dessert ruined.
The Bible plainly says, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:2020Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)). Disobedience is sin, and the Bible also says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)). God is telling us there is a price to pay for sin - every single one.
There are only two people who can pay for your sins - you or a substitute provided by God. Because God loves you so much, He sent His own beloved Son Jesus down here to go to the cross to pay the full price for the sins of any who would accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. He is willing to be your substitute. Those who will not accept Him as their substitute will have to pay the price for their own sins in hell for all eternity. “These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:4646And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)).
ML-01/22/2006