A Terminal Mole

1 Corinthians 5

Many years ago I broke my left hand. It happened while I was working as an apprentice in a machine shop in Houston. The result was a trip to the hospital and a surgical procedure, during which the doctor inserted a stainless steel pin from my knuckle to my wrist to hold the bone in place while it healed.

During one of my follow-up visits, after the surgeon examined my hand, he mentioned that he’d not be there when I returned to have the pin removed, but he said his associate was well able to handle everything. Curious, I asked if he was planning to take some well-earned vacation time.

“Yes,” he sighed, “I’m feeling a little drained these days, so I think I’ll escape for a couple of weeks, play some golf, and relax.” Then he added, “Also, I’ve got this little mole on my belly I need to have removed—no big deal, but while I’m away, I’ll have that taken care of.”

When I returned to have the pin removed, I inquired about my physician. The nurse stared blankly as the associate cleared his throat. Without looking up, he said, “Didn’t you hear? He died last week.” I was absolutely stunned. My mind whirled. I choked out, “He what?

“It was cancer. When his surgeon made the incision to remove a mole, then probed deeper, he discovered that his entire abdomen was laced with malignant tissue. He never had a clue, just a slight yet steady drain in energy. Actually, the only thing on the surface was that innocent-looking little mole. He didn’t live a week after they sewed him up.”

Through the years I’ve often remembered that incident when I look at the slight scar on my wrist. And I am reminded that sin is a lot like that little mole. It starts “small,” but soon it is draining and devouring our spiritual energy, like cancer in a body.

Because there may be little evidence on the surface to attract anyone else’s attention or arouse suspicion, no one bothers to probe and investigate the devastation these sins are causing beneath the surface.

All the while, however, these silent and relentless killers are sucking motivation, draining energy, and blurring vision.

Don’t wait. Before such sin eats deeper into our souls, we need to ask the Great Physician to excise it—to cut it away so that we can become spiritually sound and healthy.

While the mole of sin may appear small, its tentacles reach deep.

Taken from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com

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Accuracy, clarity, and practicality all describe the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. Chuck is the chairman of the board at Insight for Living and the chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary. Chuck also serves as the senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, where he is able to do what he loves most—teach the Bible to willing hearts. His focus on practical Bible application has been heard on the Insight for Living radio broadcast since 1979.

ఖచ్చితత్వం, స్పష్టత మరియు ఆచరణాత్మకత అన్నీ చార్లెస్ ఆర్. స్విన్డాల్ యొక్క బైబిల్-బోధనా పరిచర్యను వివరిస్తాయి. చక్ ఇన్సైట్ ఫర్ లివింగ్ కు బోర్డు ఛైర్మన్ మరియు డల్లాస్ థియోలాజికల్ సెమినరీకి ఛాన్సలర్. చక్ టెక్సాస్‌లోని ఫ్రిస్కోలోని స్టోన్‌బ్రయర్ కమ్యూనిటీ చర్చ్ యొక్క సీనియర్ పాస్టర్‌గా కూడా పనిచేస్తున్నారు, అక్కడ ఆయన చాలా ఇష్టపడేదాన్ని చేయగలుగుతున్నాడు-ఇష్టపడే హృదయాలకు బైబిల్ నేర్పిస్తున్నారు. ఆచరణాత్మక బైబిల్ అనువర్తనంపై ఆయన దృష్టి 1979 నుండి ఇన్సైట్ ఫర్ లివింగ్ రేడియో ప్రసారంలో వినబడుచున్నది.