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Dear Friends,

     Good day to you!  I hope this finds each of you in good health, and all going well in your lives.  The situation here in Washington County, Tennessee is good.  We are receiving a gentle rain this morning, and temperatures are expected to rise to nearly 40.  Yes, it might be called a dreary day, but rain is a necessity of life.  God always blesses us richly!

     Have I thanked you recently for your continued interest in "HEM-Lines"?  If not, allow me to say it again.  Writing these weekly devotionals has blessed my life in a number of ways.  I've been allowed to see God's hand in so many of the "mundane" things of life, and I've been introduced to lots of good people -- like you.  Thank you for being interested in spiritual things.  May we always look beyond the material realm to see the spiritual realities around us!

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<<<Looking for more good reading? Check out "Forthright", an e-zine devoted to spiritual discussions from God's word. Go to www.forthright.net .>>>

"HEM*-Lines" February 27, 2003, Volume 6, Number 37 (*Heaven and Earth Meet)

"A Fungus Among Us"

THERE'S QUITE A STIR THAT HAS BEEN RAISED among school facilities in our area. About a year ago, we first heard of a substance called "black mold" that had been found in one of the schools. Classes were immediately moved to another building while that site was scrubbed clean of the fungus. No one had actually been found ill because of this mold, but it's always best to take precautions. It was a pretty expensive cleaning project, though.

SINCE THAT FIRST CASE, OTHER SCHOOLS HAVE been found infected with the same mold. In one of the more famous cases, classes at an area high school were moved to the Bristol International Raceway, a sporting venue made popular by NASCAR races. It was a very unorthodox situation, but students were able to continue their education even as their school building was being thoroughly cleaned.

I CAN UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN OF EDUCATORS and parents involved in these cases. Though I don't understand the specific threat posed by black mold, I nonetheless would not want my child exposed to such risks. Mold spores are not normally visible to the naked eye. Without knowing it one can breath those spores into his body. I enjoy indulging in a little fungus at the salad bar (i.e. mushrooms), but I'd rather not have it nesting in my lungs. Who knows what could develop?

AN ESSAY BY LANCE MORROW IN THE FEBRUARY 24, 2003 issue of "Time" magazine speaks of evil in our world. Morrow uses the analogy of fungus in describing the effects of evil. "The truth about evil that needs attention now is its shallow, deadly, fungus quality. Nice people -- especially in a tiny, multicultural world in which different civilizations inhabit different centuries -- are often moved to evil deeds, like blowing up the Other. . . . Opportunistic evil passes like an electric current through the world and through people, or wanders like an infection that takes up residence in individuals or cultures from time to time."

I THINK I UNDERSTAND MORROW'S POINT: EVIL is something that any of us can "catch" if we're not careful. How many stories have we heard of individuals whose deeds have shocked their neighbors and coworkers? "I can't believe she would do such a thing! She seemed like such a nice woman." What happened to this individual? They were confronted by opportunities to obtain forbidden pleasures or possessions. Since it looked like no one was watching, the opportunity was seized. One act led to another, and in time the person had a full-blown case of "evil".

WHAT DO YOU REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE FOLKS who live down the street? Can you say for certain that they're not selling drugs from their home? That they're not making plans over the Internet for some civil disturbance as a protest to government policies? That they're not a terror cell for al Qaeda or some other radical group? We're not trying to insinuate anything about your neighbors (we probably don't even know where your neighborhood is). But most of us would have to admit that humans can be pretty unpredictable. Those we think we know well often surprise us with the evil they have allowed into their lives.

IN HIS ESSAY, MR. MORROW MINIMIZES THE IDEA of personalized evil (i.e. Satan). But there is no doubt in his mind that evil exists. How could he doubt it?

THE BIBLE, OF COURSE, IS THE DEFINITIVE resource on evil. No, it does not condone or encourage evil; quite to the contrary, it seeks to expose evil for what it really is. As we live in times made more tense by the undeniable presence of evil, maybe we should look again at what the Bible has to say.

ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL FACTS ABOUT the Bible's stance on evil is the claim that evil is rooted in a being. Satan is a real person, according to God's word. Though this is not a popular view (even among those claiming to believe the Bible), it is a fact that cannot be denied. Jesus, for example, was emphatic: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44). There is no room for doubt on this point: Jesus taught that Satan is a real being, and that he is dangerous to us all.

IS THIS REALLY SUCH AN IMPORTANT POINT? Does it make any difference whether or not we believe in the devil? C.S. Lewis, a profound author of an earlier generation, believed so. In his classic work, "The Screwtape Letters", Lewis envisioned the following advice given by one devil to another: "The fact that 'devils' are predominantly comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade him that since he cannot believe in that (it is an old textbook method of confusing them) he therefore cannot believe in you."

IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE BELIEVE IN THE REALITY of Osama bin Laden and his terrorist groups? Certainly. If we don't believe such groups exist, we won't make preparations to defend ourselves against them. The same reasoning applies to our belief in the reality of an evil one who seeks opportunities to spread his fungus among us. Do we take the threat seriously?

IN 2 CORINTHIANS 2:11, PAUL EMPHASIZED THIS point. In a postscript to something he had just said, he added "Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." The more we know about this mortal enemy, the better prepared we will be.

HOW MUCH BLACK MOLD WOULD YOU TOLERATE in your house? Probably none. You would want every vestige of it removed lest the tiny amount that remains should multiply and reestablish itself. That's how we should feel about the presence of evil in our lives. We need to be thoroughly scrubbed. But there's more that we must do. Peter points to that idea in 1 Peter 3:10,11: "For he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it." Those who are alarmed at the presence of evil in our society must take counteractive measures --they must become promoters of good.

"NO ONE IS GOOD BUT ONE, THAT IS, GOD" said Jesus in Matthew 19:17. His point? If we want to know how to overcome darkness with light, we're going to have to seek God's counsel and guidance. That's why He gave us this Book. That's why Jesus came to this earth: "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18). Those who are weary of wickedness should turn their gaze upon Jesus.

AND THOSE WHO REALIZE THEY'VE BEEN INFECTED with the mold of sin -- what can they do? The New Testament speaks of a "washing of regeneration" that God makes available. It's described in more detail in Romans 6:1-14. Expert help is available for any who've been infected.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE availability of forgiveness for any sin you've ever committed? Get in touch with us, and we'll point you to some scriptures that will give you hope and joy. You're not beyond the reach of God's grace! Let us hear from you today.

Copyright, 2003, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).

"HEM-Lines" is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to "Tim@GraceMine.org" (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571. Permission to reproduce and/or use the messages for non-commercial purposes is freely granted provided the messages are not altered.