But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23
Lutz Buergi.
That's a name. And, quite frankly, the name Lutz Buergi sounds very much like the lead driver in a German-Italian racing consortium. You can almost hear the announcer say, "And in the poll position today, driving a custom-made Mercedes Benz 890 is Italy's favorite driver: Lutz Buergi."
Sadly, Lutz Buergi is not a race car driver. Lutz Buergi is about as far away from a race car driver as it is humanly possible to be.
Recently, 42-year-old Buergi showed up at an empty parking lot in Bern, Switzerland. Bern's parking lot is a very big one, and it was very empty. The only item in that very large, bare parking lot was a single light pole.
Amazingly, Buergi somehow managed to miss all that empty space and unerringly, accurately, and precisely drove his white Mitsubishi Galant into that very pole.
It was almost as if the two were magnetically attracted to each other.
Looking at the picture of Buergi's crash, it occurred to me that most of us humans have no reason to laugh at his folly. That's because we often do the same thing.
Given a choice between doing the right thing -- the God-pleasing thing -- we choose to do the opposite. Even when doing the right thing is the easier thing to do, we often choose that which is wrong and sinful.
If anybody needs evidence of that fact, all they need do is look to the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. There the folks on duty ignored six different warnings to mess things up and cause a nuclear disaster. On a lesser scale, I've been told if high-school and college cheaters put as much time into studying as they do their elaborate cheating, they could easily do well on a test.
Nope, we are sinners and, as our text from Numbers says, our sin will find us out.
This is why we need Jesus, the Savior.
Most certainly He came to rescue us from sin, death, and devil, but He also came to save us from ourselves. Jesus gave His life so our lives might be forgiven of our sins and we could be made into special people, saved people, God-pleasing people.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, each day I sin and for that I beg forgiveness. Now I pray that You will send Your Holy Spirit to transform me. Create in me a clean heart, a new heart, a changed heart that will be reflected in my life, my choices, my actions, and my words. In Your Name. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Amos 4-6 Galatians 1
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