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Topic: Rattled (05/09/13)
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TITLE: Warning: Danger Ahead | Previous Challenge Entry
By Janet Kelly
05/16/13 -
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We all have certain things in our life that are frightening to us. Some people are afraid of the dark, or spiders, or being alone. Then there are those things which do more than frighten us, they terrify us.
I can only use the word “terrified” to pertain to me in a few situations- terrified of water, terrified of closed-in spaces and terrified of snakes. I have encountered the latter one time too many; most of them are harmless “people say”, but I am not convinced. If I were to come upon a poisonous variety, like the rattlesnake, I would be most terrified. I understand that the rattlesnake makes a warning sound when it feels threatened by a potential predator-a loud shaking, rattling of the tail. This is a sound I hope NEVER to hear!
It is needful to have warnings of impending dangers in life. The Bible give us warnings of things that are a potential danger to us.
For example Ezekiel 3:18-21 says, “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand..” NKJV)
Here we are plainly told that if we do not warn unbelievers of the consequences of rejecting God, their blood will be on our hands. If we are not faithful to do this, God will hold us responsible for what happens to them. Hopefully we will be motivated to share our faith with others through word and deed.
Again, in Proverbs 23: 31-35 we find warnings concerning the effects of alcohol. “Do not look on the wine when it is red,When it sparkles in the cup,When it swirls around smoothly;At the last it bites like a serpent,And stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things,And your heart will utter perverse things; yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying;“They have struck me, but I was not hurt;They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?” (NKJV) This passage says that wine bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. According to these verses, such a brew will cause one to lose control of their morals and speech. They will not remember what has happened to them the next morning. We must take heed to this warning and spare ourselves much pain.
Another example is found in the book of Jonah in chapter 3 verses 4-5. The Bible says:“And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. “ (NKJV). The people of Nineveh heeded the warning of God through Jonah, the prophet and as a a result they were spared God's judgment.
May we have our spiritual ears on to hear the warning rattles that God gives us to avoid impending dangers. May we respond in a positive way as the people of Nineveh did. God's Word is our guide and we will always be safe from harm when following it.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
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Some of your sentences are a bit awkward. A good thing to do is have someone read it aloud and if they stumble, then you might want to reword it a bit. For example this line: If we are not faithful to do this, God will hold us responsible for what happens to them.
could be changed to this: If we neglect his people, then God will hold us responsible for them.
I reworked it about four or five times and it still isn't perfect but I hope it shows you what I mean.
You did a nice job of writing on topic while delivering an important message that can be easy to forget in this day where everyone is so busy. Nice job.