A Pastor’s Perspective

“Go For the Gopher!” by Mike Hill, pastor of Calvary Chapel Aberdeen (mjhill@ida.net)

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“There are more fresh holes by the pasture!” my wife reported to me.  Some may say I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill.  But it sure does seem that if all the little mounds of dirt from gopher holes were bulldozed into one spot, there would be quite a mountain of dirt.  At least enough dirt for a motocross jump. 

     I don’t like gophers.  Funny thing, when I formerly despised cats they seemed to gravitate toward me and would glom onto my legs.  Similarly, I wonder if gophers have a radar in their cavern deep below the earth’s surface that locks onto the next residence to invade.  At Central Command, General Gopher orders the special gopher forces, “Hit the Hill home hard!  They don’t like us so let’s let’em have it!”  Okay, I realize this isn’t how it happens.  I suppose my attempt at humor is to help ease the frustration from the torment of these pesky varmints.  They ruin gardens, lawns, and are a danger to horses and their riders.  What did I do?  I fought back.  By stealth, I poured in poisonous gopher bait depth charges near the entrance of each hole.  And I’ll keep fighting till they’re gone.  In the words of Winston Churchill, “I will never, never, never give up!”

     "Quick! Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love” (Song of Solomon 2:15a NLT).  This verse isn’t about gophers but foxes which caused similar damage to gardens and vineyards.  I get the sense that if the little foxes were not caught they would completely devastate the vineyard.  Jesus said that He is the true Vine and that believers are branches.  What is expected of branches?  To bear fruit.  How?  Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:5-8).  In order to produce fruit, a believer must abide or remain attached to the Vine, Jesus.  The fruit is love (Galatians 5:22) and righteous character (Ephesians 5:9). 

     The little foxes that spoil the vine and the gophers that wreak havoc are like the little sins in our lives that spoil the fruit that God wants to produce through our lives.  Left unchecked, little sins can ruin your life.  Like the gophers, they also negatively affect those around you…your spouse, children, neighbors.  The little foxes of lust.  Envy.  Pride.  Deceit.  Bitterness.  To get rid of foxes and gophers, you must attack their underground home.  Likewise, to destroy the little sins, you have to allow God deal with their source:  your heart.  Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19).     

     Allow Jesus to lay depth charges against the sin within and cleanse away the internal corruption.  He died for your sins and rose again to set you free.  Confess your sins to Him and receive forgiveness.  God’s Word says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9).  The little mounds of sinful behavior will be replaced with His love and righteousness.