“When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.” (Ecclesiastes 10:9, NLT)
The above scripture might seem unusual for a spiritual teaching, though Ecclesiastes is full of spiritual wisdom. On the surface, you might think this scripture is obvious. It is about workers in a quarry who might get hurt by their work and how chopping wood might be dangerous. What has this verse to teach us spiritually? If you look a little deeper at the scripture, you might see that its spiritual message is simple: even normal everyday things can be dangerous in and of themselves. Spiritually, this means that when you do normal things, there will be spiritual dangers and consequences. You may get used to your normal life without realizing the potential spiritual dangers that lurk nearby.
When studying the verse for today from Ecclesiastes, Charles Spurgeon wrote that “Your occupation may be as humble as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it” (Morning and Evening). Spiritual temptations and dangers can lie in the most mundane tasks. In speaking to a co-worker, you might say something that wrecks their spiritual self-worth without even knowing it. By going to visit an old girlfriend, you might open yourself up to temptation. While upset, you might say something spiritually damaging to your son or daughter. There are spiritual dangers in everyday life that can come back to bite you.
Ruth is a proud woman who has been a member of her church for five decades. In her seventies now, she is very active. She can be found almost every Sunday in worship or in the adult Sunday School Class she helped to initiate many years ago. After worship two years ago, Ruth spoke with a new couple who was visiting the church for the first time. She mentioned to the new couple that she was very glad to see them at worship that day and hoped they would come back soon. Then, with her last sentence, she whispered, “I know the Pastor isn’t a very good preacher, but the people here are great. Don’t hold the preaching against us!” She was half-joking, but they couldn't tell.
What Ruth didn’t know was that the couple had just left a church that was embroiled in controversy. During a period of infighting at their previous church, the leaders fired their pastor. The result was that the church was full of gossip, with people taking sides for and against those with power in the church. It made every church function a minefield. When Ruth made her comment to the visiting couple, her words were derogatory towards the pastor. In that one prideful comment, Ruth caused the couple to have second thoughts about her church. They didn’t want to be in any church that was negative toward their pastor. The couple not only never came back but decided they weren’t going to seek a church any longer. They were disillusioned by “all the negativity they saw in churches they visited”. To this day, they have not gone to worship again on a Sunday morning.
Those two sentences by Ruth helped damage the faith of that visiting couple. That spiritual faux pas caused a terrible spiritual reaction in both husband and wife. Ruth may have been a member of that church for decades, but in that moment, she caused an evil to occur. Little comments, gossip, a sharp retort, a hasty remark, being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lend itself to damaging faith. Even small little things can make a tremendous difference in a spiritual outcome.
Don’t let your spiritual guard down even when doing mundane tasks or while doing everyday work. The smallest moments or words or decisions can change a life. That first stolen drink at the back of the barn can lead to a life as an alcoholic. A stolen candy bar taken on a dare can become the first casualty in a chain of stealing that leads one to a life of crime. A barb, spoken in a moment of stress and anger, has the power to become the first word that leads to divorce. Everyday moments can change a spiritual life for better or for worse. Don’t overlook the power of spiritual dangers or opportunities that arise in plain, everyday moments.
When studying the verse for today from Ecclesiastes, Charles Spurgeon wrote that “Your occupation may be as humble as log splitting, and yet the devil can tempt you in it” (Morning and Evening). Spiritual temptations and dangers can lie in the most mundane tasks. In speaking to a co-worker, you might say something that wrecks their spiritual self-worth without even knowing it. By going to visit an old girlfriend, you might open yourself up to temptation. While upset, you might say something spiritually damaging to your son or daughter. There are spiritual dangers in everyday life that can come back to bite you.
Ruth is a proud woman who has been a member of her church for five decades. In her seventies now, she is very active. She can be found almost every Sunday in worship or in the adult Sunday School Class she helped to initiate many years ago. After worship two years ago, Ruth spoke with a new couple who was visiting the church for the first time. She mentioned to the new couple that she was very glad to see them at worship that day and hoped they would come back soon. Then, with her last sentence, she whispered, “I know the Pastor isn’t a very good preacher, but the people here are great. Don’t hold the preaching against us!” She was half-joking, but they couldn't tell.
What Ruth didn’t know was that the couple had just left a church that was embroiled in controversy. During a period of infighting at their previous church, the leaders fired their pastor. The result was that the church was full of gossip, with people taking sides for and against those with power in the church. It made every church function a minefield. When Ruth made her comment to the visiting couple, her words were derogatory towards the pastor. In that one prideful comment, Ruth caused the couple to have second thoughts about her church. They didn’t want to be in any church that was negative toward their pastor. The couple not only never came back but decided they weren’t going to seek a church any longer. They were disillusioned by “all the negativity they saw in churches they visited”. To this day, they have not gone to worship again on a Sunday morning.
Those two sentences by Ruth helped damage the faith of that visiting couple. That spiritual faux pas caused a terrible spiritual reaction in both husband and wife. Ruth may have been a member of that church for decades, but in that moment, she caused an evil to occur. Little comments, gossip, a sharp retort, a hasty remark, being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lend itself to damaging faith. Even small little things can make a tremendous difference in a spiritual outcome.
Don’t let your spiritual guard down even when doing mundane tasks or while doing everyday work. The smallest moments or words or decisions can change a life. That first stolen drink at the back of the barn can lead to a life as an alcoholic. A stolen candy bar taken on a dare can become the first casualty in a chain of stealing that leads one to a life of crime. A barb, spoken in a moment of stress and anger, has the power to become the first word that leads to divorce. Everyday moments can change a spiritual life for better or for worse. Don’t overlook the power of spiritual dangers or opportunities that arise in plain, everyday moments.