Are We Sure?

There was a tragic story in the Los Angeles Times this past week about a man who unknowingly killed himself. The real tragedy is, I suppose, the fact that he didn't think he was doing anything harmful. The newspaper article revealed that an eighty-two year old man, who had for many years picked and used wild mushrooms. His last trip out turned into tragedy when he mistakenly picked a variety (amanita ocreata) that has deadly toxins. He was confident that these were safe to eat and "really ate a lot of them," his wife had said.

According to the article, the toxins from these deadly fungi worked their way through the man's system and making him very sick, eventually causing a coma, liver failure, and his death.

His family told reporters, "You couldn't tell him anything because he had been lucky for eighty-two years". He had been convinced that these fungi he picked were safe because he had compared them with pictures in a reference book. However, no amount of confidence changed the nature of the toxin filled mushrooms.

My grandparents and my mother would go out and hunt for mushrooms. They limited themselves to the "Morrell" mushroom, which has a distinctive appearance. They didn't trust any other variety.

Back to the article. It made me think of how sad it was that this man cooked up a "heaping plate" of these deadly mushrooms while he was expecting no ill effects. How sad it is, too, that people today are living is such a way that can bring death to them, while not knowing it. I'm not speaking of the death we all must face, I'm thinking of the wages of sin.

People with out the salvation purchased by Jesus are "cooking" up their own demise, and they don't have to. They may be looking for all the pleasure that can get now, with no thought for Yahweh. Idols are just as toxic to the soul as poisonous mushrooms are to the body. Idols promise something good, but in the end bring spiritual destruction. Many people don't see the danger in worshiping things this world has, instead of our Great God, Yahweh.

It is as true today as it was when Jesus uttered the words, "What advantage is there is a person gains the whole world and loses his soul?"

What if this mushroom hunter had been more careful and suspicious in identifying what he picked? The story would have never been told. We also are warned to be on guard, to watch, be sober, and pay attention. What seems harmless, can be deadly, no matter how certain we are to the contrary.

It is easy to speak up when someone is about to unwittingly ingest poison. We'd want to save their life. But, I think, what is more important is saving their soul. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the Living God, without the protection Jesus offers.

Consider the people you work with, live next to, or your family. How many of them are certain things are okay in their lives, but haven't confessed Jesus as Lord? We all are appointed to die once, but it's the judgment that follows which is more important. If you are secure in Christ, help others to find that same security. Don't let them be willingly ignorant of what they are doing and where it will lead.

Blessing be on you
Chuck Jones

 

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