One of the earliest episodes of Startrek was entitled, The Trouble With Tribbles. The storyline featured little furry creatures – called Tribbles - that were brought on board the USS Enterprize from some (fictitious) planet. To the crew’’s dismay, these critters began multiplying so fast that eventually they became pests and had to be removed from the Starship.
Have you ever noticed that troubles – like tribbles – can be like just that?
What might be a minor annoyance can eventually become a catastrophe.
Like a snowball rolling across damp snow in winter, certain problems attract more problems, resulting in greater difficulty than at first.
For instance, an active automobile’s brakes that need servicing - if left unattended for too long - will incur a larger expense because the problem can grow from just needing new brake pads (or shoes) to including new discs (or drums); because the old ones are too far gone to be resurfaced.
An impounded older car left at the auto pound for too long may not be worth retrieving after awhile because of the fees that can accumulate.
Like a small leak that can seriously damage your home and personal property - a verse in the Bible says, “little foxes spoil the vine.”
Small problems should be dealt with soon because trouble has a way of growing.
A simple mistake in your checkbook - like adding when you should be subtracting - can result in an error that is double the first one. What should be entered as a $100 debit that is entered as a $100 credit creates a $200 mistake and if your checks start bouncing, problems increase with ISF charges, etc.
Left untreated, small wounds can cause hurt if infection sets in.
This is the logic behind our need for regular check-ups; just in case something is wrong, physicians can treat it before it becomes big.
The same principle works in our relationships. An unchecked attitude can lead to more things to be negative about because negativity reproduces itself.
If reconciliation is delayed, relational strife and division can increase and unforgiveness can become bitterness and hatred.
Similarly, if not repented of and turned away from, a singular sin can lead to more sinning, resulting in those undesirable troubles that most sins may likely cause.
The good news of the Gospel for us is that once and for all, God paid for all of our sins in taking all of sin’s punishments and death blows upon Himself which the most insidious of sins and evils are worthy of.
Our separation from God and one another has been remedied. By putting faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross we can forgive and be forgiven.
Like Captain Kirk expelling troubling Tribbles, the Captain of our Salvation removed our troublesome sins away from us and from between us.
PSALMS 103:12 says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS!
Jesus said, "Repent and believe in the gospel..." MARK 1:15
