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.
Knowing these little sinful things or compromises in our lives would help us become aware of their coming or presence. List them down and ask God for help. In Zechariah 2:5, the Lord says that he will be a protective wall of fire for us. We should put on the full armor of God everyday. He alone can help us.
Sometimes we say that there is nothing we can do about it. It is who we are. That is not true. That is not our identity in Jesus Christ. We are a new creation, the old is gone. We are meant to bear the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
We are more than conquerors! Philippians 4:13 says that we can do all things through Him who strengthen us. In fact, God has already freed us from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13). Be watchful always. If we are not watchful and vigilant, we cannot stop these things. 1 Peter 5:8 says: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
B. Second, human as we are, we cannot control everything.
Despite the efforts and prayers that we do to avoid these little sinful things, we sometimes still fail. We are not perfect. We are tempted. The enemy is cunning and deceitful. Little foxes are hard to notice. Some even wear sheep skin! In such times, we should catch and stop them all right away. No favoritism. We should not tolerate any of them. The catching of these little things are assigned to us. Our verse says “catch for us the foxes.” We must act on it now! After we catch them, surrender them to the Lord. Otherwise, they will become big. When we delight in the Lord, the Holy Spirit will warn us ahead of these things. In every temptation, he will give us a way to escape. God is so gracious!
The enemy wants to destroy God in our lives. He wants to ruin the work he has done in our lives and the healthy relationships we have with him, our family and fellow Christians. Do not be deceived.
C. Third, the enemy is satisfied if we do not bear fruits that God wanted us to bear.
The Lord has invested so much in our lives. He purchased us with his own blood. He died for us so that our lives - the vineyards - would produce much fruits. He loves us so much. He provides for our needs. He protects us from harm. He watches and cultivates us every day.
Then here comes the devil who had invested nothing in us; who was never there for us; and who never died for our sins. And we entertain him; join his company; give him room in our lives and families! What a shame! How ungrateful we are! We go to a point of neglecting the Lord to accommodate the enemy. Unbelievable! What would God feel?
Satan achieves his evil plans if we do not bear fruits, bear less fruits or bear plenty of fruits as long as they are of bad quality. His ultimate goal is to separate us from the vine, from the Lord. He achieves that by making us useless and tired. If we don’t bear much fruit, of what use are we? It is when we feel useless as children of the Lord that we cease to worship and care for him. Unfruitful branches will be cut off eventually by the Lord.
The enemy comes during the flowering season. That is the critical part in our lives. Some Christians are serving the Lord for many long years, but how much fruit did they bear? Only few, maybe nothing at all. They remain the same. No wonder why new Christians are very active in the first year but slowly dies away, just in time for the flowering season. That is the danger of the little foxes. They eat the vines, flowers and fruits. They bring decease and curses to the vineyards of the Lord — our own lives.
Part IV. Conclusion
We are in the last days. We must get rid of the little sinful things and compromises now. Tomorrow might be too late. Little foxes are hard to catch because they are agile and cunning. Little sinful things and compromises could likewise be hard to stop. Don’t give up. Commit them to the Lord and he will help us overcome them.
Could it be that we are acting like little foxes to others? Are we stumbling blocks or discouragement to other people because of our negative behavior and attitude? In our families, workplaces and communities, what kind of attitude are we showing? Let us remind ourselves that we are not foxes, we are the children of the most high God. Let us be an example and a blessing to others.
Could it be that we haven’t seen an abundance in our lives because we are holding on to the little foxes, little idols in our lives. These things have done us no good. They bring strife in our lives. They are little too dangerous to have. Let us surrender them to the Lord.
If we think that we need a totally new vineyard, we can always ask him for one — a new heart, mind, soul and body. Our God is able! Amen.
