The Divine Prescription

INTRO.- ILL.- A little boy went into a grocery store and asked the clerk for a box of Duz detergent. The clerk said, “What do you need the detergent for?” The little boy replied, “I want to wash my dog.” The clerk said, “Well, son, that Duz detergent is pretty strong for washing a little dog.”

The little boy said, “But that’s what I want.” The clerk said, “Well, okay, if you’re sure. But you need to be careful when you wash your dog in it. That Duz detergent is very strong. It might kill him.”

About a week later the little boy came back into the store and the clerk recognized him and asked, “Son, how’s your dog?” The little boy said, “He’s dead.” The clerk replied, “Oh, I’m sorry, but I told you that Duz detergent was awfully strong and that it might kill him.”

The little boy shook his head and said, “I don’t think it was the Duz detergent that killed him. I THINK IT WAS THE RINSE CYCLE THAT GOT HIM.”

Brothers and sisters, I think all of us go through the “rinse cycle” of life at some time or other, in some form or another.

It may be as a result of our marriage, our job, our kids, our health, or something else, but it does happen.

ILL.- The man in the supermarket was pushing a cart which contained, among other things, a screaming baby. As the man proceeded along the aisles, he kept repeating softly, "Keep calm, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t get excited, George. Don’t yell, George."

A lady watching with admiration said to the man, "You are certainly to be commended for your patience in trying to quiet little George." "Lady," he declared, "I’m George." PARENTING IS A TOUGH BUSINESS!

ILL.- One time a 30-year-old woman, an industrial designer, masqueraded as an elderly woman for three weeks. She said she wanted to see how it felt to be old in America. AND WHAT SHE LEARNED WAS HEARTBREAKING. She was robbed, insulted, and frightened by a world that isn’t easy on its elderly folks.

BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, TO CHRISTIAN PEOPLE, AND TO ALL PEOPLE!

Why do these things happen? They happen for several reasons. Let me remind you in case you have forgotten.

1- Bad things happen to us in life because the devil is a real, evil spiritual being who is out to get us.

I Pet. 5:8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around...looking for someone to devour.”

ILL,- Back in central IL Elaine and I were visiting with a neighbor lady one day. She and her husband did not go to any church that I knew of. I don’t remember all the particulars of the conversation but the devil was mentioned and probably by me. She quickly replied, “Nobody believes in the devil any more.” And I quickly replied, “I DO!”

Many people in our country still don’t believe there is an evil being called Satan who is out to destroy, damage and damn people. BUT WE CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT BE IGNORANT OF SATAN NOR OF HIS SCHEMES!

2- Bad things happen to us in life also because we live in an imperfect world where imperfect things happen all the time.

ILL.- One man said, “In the spring our family was driving from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Florida. As far as the eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When we stopped for breakfast, I ordered orange juice with my eggs. The waitress said, ‘I can’t bring you orange juice because our machine is broken.’”

He said, “At first, I was dumbfounded. We were surrounded by millions of oranges and thousands of gallons of juice. But the machine that delivered the good stuff was broken.”

Machines break down, cars break down, houses fall apart and so do human bodies, and it’s because we live in an imperfect world.

3- We also experience bad things in life because we sin.

Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap! This is God’s ordained law in Gal. 6:7-8. If we sow good things, we will reap good things. If we sow bad things, we will reap bad things.

ILL.- If a person is traveling down the interstate at 90 mph and he gets pulled over by the highway patrol more than likely he will be given a speeding ticket! We reap what we sow.

ILL.- When I went to my 40th high school class reunion two years ago one of our high school jocks who was a top-notch athlete is now a broken down old man, having to walk with a cane. Someone told me that he had drank booze heavily all his life and is now suffering as a result of it. We reap what we sow.