Recently, I was looking through the list of some of my most-viewed posts of all-time and much to my surprise, the post below appeared near the top of the list. Originally written back in 2012, it speaks to an issue we all need to be aware of: THE POWER OF LITTLE SINS.
They might be small, but they are deadly!
You’ve heard the expression, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” Well, how about this one, “It only takes a small leak to sink a mighty ship.”
No matter how strong a ship is, if there's a leak, sinking is inevitable. Even the Titanic, the unsinkable ship, wasn’t sunk by huge gaping holes. It was what one newspaper called, "small wounds that doomed the Titanic."
Most people picture the Titanic plowing into a huge iceberg and opening up a huge hole in the bottom. But that isn't the case. The truth is that the Titanic just sideswiped that iceberg, barely touching it. In fact, many passengers didn't even know anything was happening at the time.
That's all it takes to sink a mighty ship; and that’s also all it takes to sink a man or woman of God as well.
“Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” Songs 2:15
Big vineyard ruined by little foxes. Big ship sunk by small leaks. It's no wonder that God's wisdom tells us to catch the little foxes, or stop the small leaks. Don't wait for them to get big.
It is sad when I see human Titanics in real life – Christians growing in Christ, growing in holiness and obedience who, because of small leaks, end up sinking. Leaks so small and seemingly insignificant, but in the end, a leak is a leak. And a leak will sink any ship, no matter how big.
What are the small leaks? It could be anything. It could be a seemingly harmless relationship – seems like no big deal, but definitely not pleasing/glorifying to God. It could be an area in my life where I am compromising the truth for the sake of making myself look better. The leak could be a lack of discipline or a bad habit or a problem with my temper or my ego.
They may not seem like big holes, but you should NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF SIN IN YOUR LIFE – even the smallest ones.
Imagine a spaceship on a journey into outer space. The destination is far away but the course is set and mapped out. What happens if that spaceship has a small deviation in its course? Not much, just 1 or 2 degrees off. What happens over time??? TROUBLE! You won’t end up at your destination will you?
Our life on this earth is a like a long journey. Our target is to be “conformed to the image of His Son” [Romans 8:29]. Our goal is to be like Jesus in all we do. We must be sure to examine any leaks or deviations, no matter how small they may seem. A small leak is all it takes to sink a ship.
A wise man once said “The devil doesn’t destroy people by explosion. He does it by erosion.” He gradually wears you down to set you up for the big collapse.
Maybe God is trying to send you a warning through these few words, to go after those little foxes, to plug those small leaks before you lose more than you ever could have ever imagined. It happened to the Titanic; it can happen to you. But it doesn't have to if you act now.
For discussion: what small leaks do you need to examine and shore up before it’s too late?