I wonder if I have found a flaw in our nation’s airline security system. Once on the east coast and once on the west coast I went through the magnetic detectors without triggering an alarm. The reason for my concern is I have a metal knee which contains a significant amount of chrome and cobalt. What I am hoping is the system did recognize its presence but is programmed to ignore artificial joints.
It reminded me of Jesus’ comment in the Sermon on the Mount about wolves in sheep’s clothing. The exterior hides the interior. The interior is something other than what we think is there. This of course depends on what we think we see. After a family visited in our home they went away telling others I was not what they thought I was. After viewing the books in my library they were concerned that my reading diet was not as conservative as they had expected. They thought I was a wolf in sheep garb. Alas. The truth is people are able to disguise their persona. I have seen both men and woman awaken to the fact the person they married was not what they thought they were getting.
Evil often comes to us in robes of light. When in the wilderness after His baptism Jesus did not recognize Lucifer by his appearance but by what he was saying. What concerns me is the reality that often we deceive ourselves. Rarely do we understand the real motives behind our behaviors. We rationalize and justify all manner of wrong thinking by dressing it up in what we think are plausible reasons. Perhaps the most dangerous wolf of all is the one that resides within.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 11, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org