"However, the lion isn't the most dangerous in terms of the number of people killed by him. Guess which one is."
"Well, if it isn't a lion, I suppose it's a tiger, or cheetah, or something like that."
"Nope. Guess again."
#37- A Little Enemy
A Character story about purity.
Jason was sitting at the dining room table when his dad arrived home from work.
"Hi, Dad," Jason called. "How was the driving home?"
"Hi, Son. Oh, not bad. A little slippery, but, thank the Lord, I made it without any problems. What are you studying?"
"Oh, I'm just finishing some reading for science class for tomorrow. We're studying about mammals right now. Look at the picture of this lion. I'll bet it's the most dangerous animal in the world!"
"He sure does look frightening," Mr. Jensen agreed. "However, the lion isn't the most dangerous in terms of the number of people killed by him. Guess which one is."
"Well, if it isn't a lion, I suppose it's a tiger, or cheetah, or something like that."
"Nope. Guess again."
Jason thought a minute. "Oh, I know then. It's a snake of some type, isn't it?"
"No. It isn't any kind of snake either."
"Really? Then I'm about out of guesses."
"I'll give you a big hint. How much sin does it take for a person to be separated from fellowship with God?"
"Just one."
"And how big does that sin have to be?"
"Any sin will separate us from God. But that still isn't much of a hint. . . Oh, it must be a small animal. But I can't think of any small animals that are dangerous."
"Well, I guess I'll have to tell you. It's a housefly."
"A housefly? You've got to be kidding! A fly isn't dangerous."
"Oh yes it is. Flies collect various germs and viruses on their feet as they feast on garbage. Then they land on our food and soon that disease spreads. In this way the fly brings more sickness and death than any other animal."
"So then it isn't really the fly that's dangerous, but the disease that the fly carries."
"You're right, of course. Flies only live 30 days. But the female lays 250 eggs before she dies and these eggs take only 8 to 30 hours to hatch. Thus, in just five generations- less than 5 months-we could have more flies than you could count in a lifetime!"
"They're hard to catch, too. They seem to be able to see in every direction," Jason added.
"And they can. Each of their compound eyes has 4000 lenses, and each lens is looking in a slightly different direction. While on the alert, he will taste food with his feet and, if it is something he wants, he will suck it in with his proboscis."
"But what if the food is hard, like a crumb of bread?"
"Flies can only eat liquids, Jason, since they have no teeth or jaws. But there is plenty to eat for him. If the garbage is gooey, old Mr. fly really can enjoy it."
"I sure didn't know a fly could be that dangerous. Next time I see one, I'll swat it so we can stay healthy."
"Now why do you suppose God made flies if they aren't good for us?"
"Maybe so they could be food for frogs and stuff."
Mr. Jensen laughed. "Yes, the fly is part of the balance in nature. I think He also has a spiritual lesson in mind. Can you think of what it is?"
"Well, it reminds us that little things can hurt us just as much as big things," Jason suggested.
"Yes, that's true. In many countries of the world, people are not aware of the danger of germs. In some tropical countries, people allow flies to crawl on them, even in their eyes, without shooing them away. But a more serious problem is when people allow sin in their lives without seeking the Lord's cleansing through Christ. And just like flies, it only takes one to cause big trouble."
"Yah. It's easy to forget to keep short accounts with the Lord as a Christian too."
"But it's not difficult, is it? He promised, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us . . . and cleanse us.'"
"Thanks for that reminder, Dad. Before supper, I think I'll go upstairs, and swat a sin fly that I allowed in today."
DID YOU KNOW? If an average human generation is 35 years, and an average lifespan is 70 years, and if each family had four children, starting with only one family, the present world population would result in only 1050 years!
SCIENCE QUIZ
1) a peanut is a a) fruit b) nut c) vegetable d) meat
2) a tomato is a a) fruit b) nut c) vegetable d) meat
3) A banana stalk produces _?_ bunches of bananas in a lifetime. a) one b) two c) many d) varies from stalk to stalk.
4) The water in a box one foot on each side would weigh a) about 10 pounds b) about 40 pounds c) about 60 pounds d) it has no weight
5) About 1/3 of the earth's surface gets no snow. T F
Last weeks question:
The nine most common words in English are: and, be, it, of, the, will, I, have, and you. How many did you get right?
ANSWERS TO QUIZ ABOVE:
1) a 2) a 3) a 4) c (62 1/2 pounds) 5) T (35%).
Z