Man has been created in the image of God with the wonderful ability to think, consider and reason. People can look at puzzles and work them out. This also allows them to know whether what they do is good or bad. Therefore, all our actions have consequences. Some big and some little, good and bad, public and unseen. Men start to weigh the consequences to their actions or inactions when they consider what they are doing. The story is told of a family who had a python as a family pet called Sally. When they first bought it, it was only one ft long. They didn’t keep it in its own cage instead allowed it to roam free through the duplex apartment. As the snake grew they still didn’t keep it locked up, and it grew to 11 and a half feet and weighed 80 pounds. Animal experts say that two people should always be present when someone is handling a snake like a python as they are constrictors meaning that they constrict their prey rather than injecting it with venom. All pythons are what’s called ambush predators. That means they don’t proactively stalk their prey, but instead hide and wait for prey to come to them. Reports have been made of snakes measuring themselves lying next to a person to see if they are the longest. Waiting their time before they strike. They story continues that the family had left their 15 year old son Derek alone in the house with the snake still loose. When they returned, they found him dead, the family’s pet snake, Sally, just inches from the youth, coiled and rearing its head in an attack posture. Newspaper reports quoted the police as saying that the snake was quite aggressive, hissing and reacting when they arrived to investigate. An autopsy the following Wednesday confirmed that the boy died of asphyxiation caused by compression of the chest when the snake wrapped around him.
Many times we think it isn’t important to follow the rules. It doesn’t matter one way or another. However, all actions have their consequences which for this family the consequences were tragic. Their inaction to buy a cage for the reptile, their inaction to follow the rules of always having two people present when handling the snake. Their inaction led to tragedy. But you and I are also in danger of tragedy if we don’t take action. The Bible says we are all sinners, that is, we have broken the law of God. Therefore, we are enemies to God, we have no peace or joy. Roman chapter 5 verse 12 ‘Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:’ If we continue on this path of death and don’t take any action to change our place before God then we too will know tragedy. The scriptures tell us that ‘But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’. Rom 5:8. This gift of Christ means that if we accept him we can have eternal life. We can have peace and joy with God. We can change our path and be brought into the light. Inaction will keep you on the same path, the action of trusting Christ will take you on the path to heaven. I trust that you will see the danger your inaction is having and come and trust Christ as your Saviour.
P. Pilgrim pilgrimway101@yahoo.com
