Sinkholes

 

While working this past week preparing my Sunday morning lesson, all of a sudden, I found myself without internet service. I rely on my service for office phones and auto backup of my work along with gathering materials for my PowerPoint presentations. I immediately knew what happened. A boring crew was installing a new underground fiber optic cable one street over. They accidentally hit and broke the cable my internet service is on. Well, to make a long story short, I got my service back 24 hours later and I was way behind in my work. Of course, wouldn’t you know it, the first phone call to come in was a telemarketer. Ooooo, I hates telemarketers!

I read a story of how one secretary managed the situation but haven’t had the nerve to try it yet. After greeting the caller he heard, “Is the owner or manager of the business present?” Knowing she had not heard the word church in his initial greeting, he replied, “The owner has been gone now for about two thousand years, but we expect Him to come back any minute, although we don’t know exactly when. But when He does come back, I’m certain that neither He nor you will be interested in selling or buying anything you have to offer.” After a pregnant pause she replied, “I guess I’ve reached a church office, and you’re talking about Jesus.” “Yes ma’am,” he said. “Can I help you in any way?” “No,” she replied, “Have a good day.” It is true – telemarketers call the church too! I would imagine that the lady got more than she bargained for on this occasion.

A giant sinkhole opened up in Schmalkalden, Germany about 98 feet across and about 65 feet deep that swallowed a car, part of a garage and house. Yet, it was minor compared to the sinkhole that opened up in Guatemala City in 2007. Reportedly, residents periodically heard rumbling for weeks, but no one knew why. In one day, almost instantly, a perfectly round plot of earth disappeared and left a hole more than thirty stories deep! Experts suppose that sinkholes appear because of the movement of earth beneath what we see every day. The problem can be caused by the movement of water, flooding or changing weather patterns. Sinkholes occur when there is literally no foundation under the ground, and everything pays the price for the lack of foundation, especially what’s on the surface.

[Matthew 7:24-27] There are some Christians who are like those sinkholes; they have no foundation under the surface. When circumstances are right, their lives “cave in” and cause damages that no one would have believed or expected. Spiritual sinkholes occur because of lack of knowledge in the word of God (Hebrews 5:12-14). Spiritual sinkholes occur when someone fails to act on their faith (2 Peter 1:5-11).

How does a person guard against erosion of their faith? Second Peter 1:5-7 teaches that the guard is a solid foundation of faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. “These things” repeated in verse 8, verse 9, verse 10, verse 12, and verse 15 are the surest way to solidify the foundation of faith. The promise is that one who “abounds in these things” - “… you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,” - and you “will never stumble.”

Spiritual sinkholes can be avoided if there is more examination of self and examination of faith, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5)! Our lives are vulnerable to spiritual sinkholes brought about by the lack of a firm foundation. We would all do well to thoughtfully and prayerfully make sure that we are building only on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and His word. (Matthew 16:13-18)