2003-02-18 - Red Snow

Psalm 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Over the last few days here in Philadelphia we have had the second largest snow storm since they starting keeping track in the 1800s. Because of the 40-45 mile an hour winds, with gusts over 50, and single digit temperatures, they seem to not really know how much snow we actually received, but the forecasters estimate between 20-30 inches.

With all the snow we received I thought I would do some homework on snow. Sometimes I think I will never hear anything completely new, but this was new for me. In 1760 someone named Saussure found red snow in the Alps. It was not on the ground, but rather falling from the sky. M. Ramond observed it on the Pyrenees. M. Sommereld observed it in Norway. There are several reasons why people think this happens, but little consensus, or at least there was very little consensus in 1839, which is when this article I am reading was written. The same article also documents instances of red hail, and red rain.

Ok, we are done talking about snow for today. The point I am trying to make is that not only in life, but more importantly in respect to what we do here with the devotionals, we should always be seeking to grow in both the knowledge and practice of our faith. It takes discipline to do this and to do it consistently. It is easy to find distractions. It is easy to substitute other things in our lives for a close walk with Christ by using the excuse that we are tired, or that it just takes too much work. We must not do this. We must always be seeking to be growing in grace.

Consider the alternative with me for a moment. When we know that we should be cultivating a walk with Christ and growing in grace, seeking out the fellowship and service of the saints, and we don't do it, it can become a downward spiral. 2 Timothy 2:4 is instructive here, "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a solider."

I hope that this is what I have said. While we can't stick our heads in the snow and hide from the world, and while we do have to engage the world, we can't let the world entangle us. In addition, as said above, we must live above the world in our relationships with Christ and our spiritual walks with Him.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

tim@cfdevotionals.org
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