And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and he was authorized to scorch the human race with fire. And the people were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues, and they did not repent in order that they might give Him glory. Rev. 16:8, 9.
One of life's great miseries occurs when the temperature swings way out of control. And this is particularly the case when you aren't used to one or the other extreme. If you have always lived in Singapore, 90°F (32°C) with 80-90 percent humidity seems rather normal. And those from Siberia can find 20° below freezing balmy. But both places can feel miserable to those not adapted to the climate.
A friend of mine had spent his whole life in southern California When he moved to Andrews University, he experienced real winter for the first time. Cold waves of air swept over the windshield of the cars every night and covered them with ice. Michigan locals all have ice scrapers handy to remove the ice off the glass in their cars. But Jim had a "better" plan of attack. On "cold" California mornings in his youth he had seen his father go out and put water on the windows, and that would melt the ice instantly.
Feeling more than a little smug, Jim headed out to his frigid car one morning with a pan of cold water. Imagine how dumb he felt when the water he poured onto the windshield immediately froze and added to the problem. He discovered a major difference between the "cold" of California and the "freezing" of Michigan.
But Jim confesses that he was slow to learn about the differences in climate. When his family moved to the Philippines, people warned him that clothes and leather goods would get mildewed in the high heat and humidity. He checked the closets after a couple days and everything seemed all right, so he did nothing about the advice he received. A few weeks later enough mold had grown on everything that he could have performed scientific experiments with it! He learned that he needed to rig up some low-powered lights in the closets to make the air a little drier. Now his closets emit a soft glow at night, and the clothes are nice and fresh.
Jim has learned from such experiences the importance of a teachable spirit. A great big world lurks out there, and most of us know very, very little about it. The Lord "guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way" (Ps. 25:9, NIV). The victims of the seven last plagues are those who have consistently resisted the Lord's teaching in their lives. The plagues prove that no matter what God does for them, they refuse to learn and refuse to repent.
Lord, I want to have a teachable spirit today. Instead of complaining when things are not comfortable, help me to see each discomfort as an opportunity to learn.
One of life's great miseries occurs when the temperature swings way out of control. And this is particularly the case when you aren't used to one or the other extreme. If you have always lived in Singapore, 90°F (32°C) with 80-90 percent humidity seems rather normal. And those from Siberia can find 20° below freezing balmy. But both places can feel miserable to those not adapted to the climate.
A friend of mine had spent his whole life in southern California When he moved to Andrews University, he experienced real winter for the first time. Cold waves of air swept over the windshield of the cars every night and covered them with ice. Michigan locals all have ice scrapers handy to remove the ice off the glass in their cars. But Jim had a "better" plan of attack. On "cold" California mornings in his youth he had seen his father go out and put water on the windows, and that would melt the ice instantly.
Feeling more than a little smug, Jim headed out to his frigid car one morning with a pan of cold water. Imagine how dumb he felt when the water he poured onto the windshield immediately froze and added to the problem. He discovered a major difference between the "cold" of California and the "freezing" of Michigan.
But Jim confesses that he was slow to learn about the differences in climate. When his family moved to the Philippines, people warned him that clothes and leather goods would get mildewed in the high heat and humidity. He checked the closets after a couple days and everything seemed all right, so he did nothing about the advice he received. A few weeks later enough mold had grown on everything that he could have performed scientific experiments with it! He learned that he needed to rig up some low-powered lights in the closets to make the air a little drier. Now his closets emit a soft glow at night, and the clothes are nice and fresh.
Jim has learned from such experiences the importance of a teachable spirit. A great big world lurks out there, and most of us know very, very little about it. The Lord "guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way" (Ps. 25:9, NIV). The victims of the seven last plagues are those who have consistently resisted the Lord's teaching in their lives. The plagues prove that no matter what God does for them, they refuse to learn and refuse to repent.
Lord, I want to have a teachable spirit today. Instead of complaining when things are not comfortable, help me to see each discomfort as an opportunity to learn.
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