Little Too Dangerous

LITTLE TOO DANGEROUS

By: Atty. Numeriano P. Galgo, Jr.

September 29, 2019

Tagum City, Philippines

attyborgegalgo@gmail.com

Part I.

A. Greetings

B. Overview of the message

The message this morning is about the cute little foxes in our lives. I am referring to the little sinful things and compromises in our lives. We allow them because they seem insignificant. Unknowingly, they are destroying and polluting little by little our lives, families and our relationship with God. One day we realize that we are already far from the Lord because of our neglect and mistaken confidence that they’re nothing. Little or big, they are not pleasing to the Lord.

Our main verse is found in Song of Songs 2:15 which says:

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

Prayer

Part II. Discussion

Song of Songs 2:15 gives us a picture of a young man and woman and their beautiful vineyards in bloom. The grapevines are flowering and soon will bear fruits. There is one problem though: little foxes are ruining the vineyards. There is an urgent need to catch the little foxes.

A. Vineyards

Well maintained vineyards are wonderful to look at. They are instagramable. Just by watching pictures of the best vineyards in the world on the internet, you would experience already a feeling of peace, beauty, happiness, love and stress-free life. Actually visiting a vineyard is even more exciting — you see perfect rows of grapevines, bunches of colorful grapes and bottles of wine! It is a sight to behold. It is an experience of a lifetime. Tours to vineyards and wineries in Italy and other parts of Europe are famous among tourists. Though expensive, tourists would still try it.

In California, USA, they have the famous Napa Valley. Pictures of acres and acres of vineyards in this valley conjure up images of romance and bliss. People love to retire there.

To own and manage a vineyard requires a lot of time and effort. It is not an easy task. It requires skill, dedication, patience, money and energy. Some vintners would sell their vineyards for lack of time and resources. Before you see bunches of grapes, you would undergo arduous processes such as vineyard and site development; drainage; clearing; road development; rock removal; seed selection; planting; weeding; pruning; and disease or pest prevention. The critical stage throughout the growing season of grapes is the time between bloom and veraison. The blooming or flowering season is critical. Every flower part has the potential of turning into a berry. If not managed well, there could be only few or no fruits at all.

The lives of Christians are like vineyards. It is planted with a special vine who is Christ Jesus. In John 15:5, the Lord says that “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We are totally dependent on the vine for everything. Apart from it, we will not bear much fruit; we can do nothing. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that we are bought at a price.

B. Little foxes

Foxes are related to wolves, jackals and dogs. They eat meat and fruits like grapes. They are most active after sunset and before dawn. Their level of intelligence is high. They display extraordinary understanding and can even steal a meal from top predators. Foxes are highly social animals. They have companions or packs with them. They give birth to 1-10 pups. They easily multiply. Other than that, they bring bacteria and viruses with them.

In early spring, the foxes bite off the new shoots of the grapevines and they also chew away at the roots of the vines. If they do not kill the vines, they eat the fruits as it develops.

The little foxes represent the little sinful things, harmless habits or compromises that we do. Whether little or big, they can cause damage. They are difficult to notice. They don’t seem dangerous. In fact, they look cute and cuddly. Yet they are deceitful. Little by little, they destroy our lives. Oftentimes, they are discovered a little too late. They are little too dangerous to have. They spoil our lives.

Part III. Lessons

A. First, we should not allow the little foxes in the first place.

As they say, prevention is better than cure. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, “abstain from every form of evil.” Proverbs 14:16 also says, “The wise fear the Lord and shun evil.” Indeed, the best thing to do is not to allow evil into our lives. Oftentimes, the opposite happens. We give them free entrance.

Examples of the common little foxes are: gossiping, jealousy, dirty thoughts, unhealthy lifestyle, vices, temper, bad words, lying, anger, hate, addiction, wrong friends and relationships, reading horoscope, palm reading, lust, pride, unfaithfulness, preoccupied, self-righteousness, mediocrity, greed, poor mentality, disrespect, lack of faith, bitterness and many more. Every minute, these things destroy us and our relationship with God. They drive us away inch by inch from the Lord, family and the people around us. They are like the slow and subtle undercurrent of the sea, they drift you away from the shore. Like termites, they destroy our faith and relationships. That is why the Bible cautioned us greatly about such things.