He was so tough that he would toss a family out in the cold to further his interests.
The Scobeys rented from Ben Weaver, a shrewd local Mayberry businessman. When Lester, the dad, missed one month’s rent payment due to insufficient funds, Weaver was ready to foreclose. No grace…no mercy…merely a get-out-of-my-house notice.
Since Andy was the sheriff, he had the unpleasant task of serving the eviction notice. Barney, however, conceives the idea for a “Save the Scobey House Fund”—part of which entailed a rummage sale at the jail.
As one local farmer mulled over the items, he came upon one gadget he’d never seen before. Perhaps Andy knew. He asked. Andy replied, “If I knew what it was, it’d cost you….” No idea what the identity was…no idea what the purpose was either (“Andy Forecloses”).
God has a lot to say about sin, but I’ve often wondered what purpose it serves. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23 NLT).
That God is sovereign is unquestionably assumed and stated throughout the Bible. Yet if he’s all-powerful as his Word relates, why doesn’t he stop sin? Surely this would be the magic ticket for my success at obeying his commands—which is, after all, what he craves.
Though we can’t know why God doesn’t squash sin, at least two conclusions help deal with the conundrum of its presence. First, sin must serve some purpose; otherwise, God would eliminate it. Second, sin’s presence gives us a choice.
The ability to choose makes us human. It did Adam and Eve and everyone since them. God gave them the choice to obey by avoiding the fruit of the only tree he forbade them to eat from. He also left room for their disobedience.
Sin’s presence is God’s constant reminder that healthy and unhealthy choices exist in life. Choices that either take us in his direction or Satan’s. Which ones are you making?
Martin Wiles is an author, pastor, English teacher, and freelance editor who resides in Greenwood, South Carolina. He is the founder and editor of the internationally recognized website, Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com). Wiles is the Managing Editor for Christian Devotions, the Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, a Proof Editor for Courier Publishing, and Assistant Editor for Vinewords.net. He has also served as Web Content Editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolina. Wiles has authored Don’t Just Live…Really Live (Ambassador International), A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World (Ambassador International), Grits & Grace & God and Grits, Gumbo, and Going to Church (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas), Morning By Morning, Morning Serenity, and Grace Greater Than Sin (America Star Books) and is a contributing author in Penned from the Heart (Son-Rise Publications), Rise (Chaplain Publishing), and Love Knots (Vine-Word Publishing). He has served as Regional Correspondent and Sunday school lesson writer for the Baptist Courier and has also written for Lifeway’s Bible Studies for Life curriculum. He has also been published in Christian Living in the Mature Years, Mature Living, Parenting Teens, Open Windows, Proclaim, Stand Firm, The Secret Place, The Word in Season, The Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines, Light from the Word, Reach Out Columbia, Mustard Seed Ministries, Journey Christian Newspaper, Common Ground Herald, The Quiet Hour, Power for Living, Halo Magazine, Joyful Living Magazine, Christian Broadcasting Network, Converge, Sharing, Today’s Christian Living, These Days, Plum Tree Tavern, Eskimo Pie, The Scarlet Leaf Review, Creation Illustrated, LIVE, Purpose Magazine, The Banner, Relevant, Bible Advocate, Reasons to Live, Author Magazine, and Lutheran Digest. Wiles has also written for the Bridges and Pathways Curriculum (Warner Press) and is a regular contributor to Christian Devotions, PCC Daily Devotions, Theology Mix, Inspire a Fire, The Write Conversation, Inkspirations, and VineWords and is a regular writer for the Dorchester County Eagle Record, the Orangeburg County Times and Democrat, and the Greenwood County Index Journal. Wiles has also served on faculty for the Asheville Christian Writer’s Conference. crat, and the Greenwood County Index Journal. Wiles also serves as the Managing Editor for Christian Devotions , the Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, and as a Proof Editor for Courier Publishing. You can follow him @linesfromgod.
