The big old porcupine waddled from the road’s edge down into the  ditch. I was surprised because the only porcupines I ever see on or near the road are dead ones or the ones you are about to run over. I do not recall seeing one that had crossed the road.

Immediately, all the corny jokes ran through my mind. “Why did the porcupine cross the road?” I will not bother to share them with you; you have undoubtedly heard them all as chicken, gopher, or turtle jokes.

Porcupines (Old Porky) are fascinating creatures and are relatively common throughout much of North America. Some of my reading tells me they have an average of 30,000 quills. I do not know who counted them, but there is a lot of potential for sticking to things.

Porcupines are herbaceous, but they sometimes get in trouble around people because they do like a little salt in their diet. That means they are apt to chew on anything that has had sweat on it. Saddles, axe handles, blankets, and the like have fallen prey to Old Porky’s taste for salty things.

You do not often see them in water, but porcupines are great swimmers. All those hollow quills give them extra buoyancy, so a little pond or stream is no barrier to a porcupine with an eye for the vegetation on the other bank.

Old Porky is a slow-moving creature that is near-sighted. That makes them easy to approach. You simply have to ensure you are not within reach of their tail. One swat of that tail can leave you with a hand full or leg full of nasty barbs. 

Contrary to popular legend, they do not shoot their quills, but their tails can move surprisingly quickly. Many dogs or cats have learned the hard way that porcupines might be slow, but they prefer to avoid being bothered.

Some people think porcupines are stupid because they are slow and nearsighted. Not so. They have excellent memories, and I have been told they can be trained to do tricks.

I think that people often view God as being like Old Porky. They assume He is near-sighted and cannot see their sin or that He is not very bright and accepts all the lies and rationalizations they use to justify their sin.

People also seem to think that God is slow in coming, just like Old Porky moves slowly. Or they seem to believe that He is never coming back because He’s lying out there dead alongside the road somewhere.

Don’t you believe it.

God is not blind. God is not dumb. God is not dead. Jesus is coming back. He is simply awaiting the perfect moment.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this `coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:3-13

Until next time, we can rejoice that He is alive, sees all and He is coming back for us.

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

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Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

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© 2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

On our drive to church, we pass by several wooded  parks. Periodically, we get a good whiff of skunk as we drive by. Some person or animal has disturbed the pretty “little striped kitties” and reaped the rewards.

As I got a scent of one the other day, my mind drifted back more than twenty years.

Our eldest son Kris worked at a Christian camp/retreat center during his summer break from Bible College. Part of his job was catching skunks. The camp seems to attract baby skunks, and campers and skunks are not a good combination.

Kris trapped the young skunks and moved them to a central holding facility, where they were later disposed of. He caught the skunks using a small bucket attached to a ten-foot two-by-four. The small bucket kept them from raising their tails and spraying, and the two-by-four allowed him to get close enough to place a bucket over them without frightening them too much.

To hold the skunk in place, a piece of stiff cardboard is slid underneath the bucket to act as a bottom. Then, the race is on. Get the skunk to the holding facility without dropping the cardboard or the bucket and releasing an angry skunk with rank malodorous consequences.  I don’t recall him having any slips.

Smelling the skunk on the way to church made me glad that I was not the one to be doing the skunk run at camp. It also got me thinking.

In a way, all our secret sins are like skunks in a bucket. We keep them tucked away, hoping that we do not let the bucket or cardboard fall and the consequences of the sin escape. We know that if the sins escape, it will be about as pleasant as an angry skunk.

We need to take those sins before God with a repentant heart and throw ourselves on His mercy. There is no other way to get rid of them. He knows that we carry them; they are only a secret in our minds.

God sees all things, and all things will be made known.

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

If all was revealed today, what would you smell like?

Until next time, rejoice that God not only knows all, but that He is willing to forgive all who choose His Son.

Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

__________________________________________ 

Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.

Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1 

For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.

___________________________________________ 

(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.