Tuesday, February 03, 2009
The Cost of Leaving Problems Uncorrected
Courteous Reader,
Have you ever noticed something going wrong, and failed to fix it? Most certainly I have done so! Typically we fail to fix things that are breaking, in order to save ourselves inconvenience, expense, or other unpleasantness in the short term. But in the long term, what is the cost? What are the consequences? What is the price of leaving things uncorrected?
This morning my dear wife, whose mind is as beautiful as her face, asked me this question.
The answer, of course, is well known to us. If you fail to do minor repairs to a machine when they are needed, eventually major components will fail, and the price of repairs or replacement will be high.
If you fail to fix a small leak in the roof of a house, eventually there will be major water damage, which will have to be repaired at great expense and inconvenience.
If you fail to correct a naughty child, he will become a rebellious, lawless young adult, who will most likely ruin his whole life, and the lives of others.
If you allow openly sinful people, or anti-Christian doctrine, to remain in the fellowship of a church, the church may well be severely damaged or destroyed eventually.
The example my dear wife suggested was Germany and the rise of the Nazis. In the 1930s, it became apparent that Hitler and his Nazi party were turning government upside down. Instead of protecting the good and punishing the wicked, the government began to reward the wicked and punish the good. At that time, when Hitler's hold on power was relatively weak, the good citizens of Germany should have thrown him and his party out of the government. Instead, they let him go on ruling Germany, until he had led them to world war and genocide.
Other examples from history abound, including the Bible's historical accounts. King David, a good man, saw that his son Adonijah was going astray, but did not correct him. The result was an attempted coup d'etat, and ultimately the death of the son.
Understanding this principle, let us put it into action. If you have put off setting something right because of the perceived cost of doing so, consider what the cost will be if this problem is allowed to continue to its end, and begin to fix it now!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Have you ever noticed something going wrong, and failed to fix it? Most certainly I have done so! Typically we fail to fix things that are breaking, in order to save ourselves inconvenience, expense, or other unpleasantness in the short term. But in the long term, what is the cost? What are the consequences? What is the price of leaving things uncorrected?
This morning my dear wife, whose mind is as beautiful as her face, asked me this question.
The answer, of course, is well known to us. If you fail to do minor repairs to a machine when they are needed, eventually major components will fail, and the price of repairs or replacement will be high.
If you fail to fix a small leak in the roof of a house, eventually there will be major water damage, which will have to be repaired at great expense and inconvenience.
If you fail to correct a naughty child, he will become a rebellious, lawless young adult, who will most likely ruin his whole life, and the lives of others.
If you allow openly sinful people, or anti-Christian doctrine, to remain in the fellowship of a church, the church may well be severely damaged or destroyed eventually.
The example my dear wife suggested was Germany and the rise of the Nazis. In the 1930s, it became apparent that Hitler and his Nazi party were turning government upside down. Instead of protecting the good and punishing the wicked, the government began to reward the wicked and punish the good. At that time, when Hitler's hold on power was relatively weak, the good citizens of Germany should have thrown him and his party out of the government. Instead, they let him go on ruling Germany, until he had led them to world war and genocide.
Other examples from history abound, including the Bible's historical accounts. King David, a good man, saw that his son Adonijah was going astray, but did not correct him. The result was an attempted coup d'etat, and ultimately the death of the son.
Understanding this principle, let us put it into action. If you have put off setting something right because of the perceived cost of doing so, consider what the cost will be if this problem is allowed to continue to its end, and begin to fix it now!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
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