Two weeks ago there was an unexpected shift and slumping of the South Saskatchewan riverbank in Saskatoon. It seemed to happen suddenly on Thursday, June 21, and was evidenced by major damage in a privately owned yard bordering on the river, the appearance of a massive crack in a back lane, and the major shifting of power lines.
See the Star Phoenix archive for more information http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Power+restored+Nutana+riverbank+remains+unstable/6826754/story.html
Officials attribute this sudden slump to a number of factors including natural erosion, soil type, and a high water table caused by heavy rainfall over the past few years.
While the physical evidence of this shifting appeared overnight, in reality the problem was a long time in the making. The river is constantly flowing, shifting, and making subtle changes. Water levels rise and fall and currents change based on rain fall and run off.
Like the Saskatchewan River our lives constantly change. We make adjustments based on life events, and our choices, if they’re the wrong ones, cause the fabric of our lives to erode.
Sometimes we take the “get rich quick” scheme at work even though we know it compromises our integrity. Sometimes we give in to the temptation and instant gratification an illicit internet affair offers. And sometimes we reach for yet another drink to numb the pain because life seems too hard to face without it.
You may not fully realize the effect poor choices have on your reputation and character. Initially there doesn’t appear to be any consequence. Don’t kid yourself though, the signs are there...a niggling conscience, a cautionary word from a co-worker, a passing comment from a friend... but they’re small and easy to ignore.
Suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, a sink hole big enough to swallow a Smart Car in a single gulp appears in your life. You’re left looking for a foothold in a swamp of muck, wondering how life eroded so quickly.
In our memory verse for the week David calls for God to do an integrity check on his life. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app for that? Think about it...
You download it from the Apple App Store, point your iPhone or iPod at your head and heart, then stand back while it does a two minute infrared scan of what’s going on inside. The algorithm in the app quickly analyzes the data and displays the summary of the scan, itemizing impure thought patterns and potentially damaging ways of thinking.
It then connects you to a personalized Youtube sight that provides you with a customized two minute video giving you entertaining hints on how to change your thought patterns and avoid the potential sink holes you’re headed for in life.
Well I don’t think Apple has designed that app yet, but God has. You can ask God to perform an integrity scan on your heart any time simply by praying the two verses from Psalm 139...
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
Have you asked God to perform an integrity check recently? Maybe it’s time to start. Please share your thoughts by clicking on “comments” below.
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