Romans 12:9-11
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Several years ago I was watching the Animal Channel. The host was holding a red frog carefully in his cupped hands. He made a great case for the rarity of this small frog. He explained that it was close to being placed on the endangered species list. He remarked that he always held a frog lightly since a frog breathes through the skin and can absorb certain chemicals from the palms and may even cause its death.
He took great care to explain how this frog defends itself. He explained that when an animal took the frog into its mouth, the frog would inject a gooey, noxious substance into the throat and mouth of the attacker. This would cause such swelling and pain that the attacker would immediately release the frog.
Suddenly the frog he was holding about eight inches from his face made a leap into his mouth. He quickly spat and caught the frog in his hand. As he tried to control his emotions, he placed the frog down onto the dank forest floor and quickly stammered through the rest of his narrative.
Since then I have thought about this incident. I wonder why these wildlife hosts feel it is necessary to hunt down, “snakes and snails and puppy dogs tails,” hold them with seeming ecstasy before releasing them again. Many times they have been bitten by the creatures, but they still continue this dangerous practice.
Here is where I make the spiritual application! That is exactly how many people—even Christians—deal with sinful things. We go after them and hold them in our hands even though we know how dangerous they are. All too often these practices strike and place us in grave danger.
Today’s Scripture says that we are to hate what is evil. If we are to walk in the ways of God, we should see the danger of getting too close to the things which are detestable to God. What God hates, we have no business holding close to us. We should run from it and not hold it close.
The questions we always must ask ourselves are; “Am I in danger of having a frog jump into my mouth?” “Is there any sinful thing in my life that I am holding close enough that it can inject its poison into me?” We need to get rid of those things that pose a spiritual danger to us. Turn to Christ and ask Him to give us the strength and power to get rid of the “YUK” in our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil