Author: Peggy Hoppes

Psalm 118 "The stone which the builders rejected Is become the head of the corner."

I am reading a book called “The Eyre Affair” by Jasper Fforde. If I were to identify the genre, I would say it is a comedic sci-fi mystery crime drama. Describing a parallel universe where the entire seems to revolve around literature, it is a silly story with bizarre plot twists and interesting literary references. One of the main characters is a superhuman mastermind criminal who seems to be indestructible. He is involved with the theft of a rare first edition copy of Charles Dickens' “Martin Chuzzlewit” which has led to murder and mayhem. The main character, our heroine, becomes involved with the investigation despite the fact that she is absolutely unqualified to be a hero. Her family is kidnapped, her friends are murdered and just to keep it light we see her face the humiliations of her past. The criminal, Acheron Hades, says, “But you forgot murderer. Forty-two times a murderer, my friend. The first one is the always the hardest. After that it doesn’t really matter, they can only hang you once. It’s a bit like eating a packet of shortbread; you can never just have one piece.” Sin begins small but builds, as it takes more and more to fulfill the desire, drawing us ever deeper into the sinful behavior. Take gambling, for instance. It usually begins rather innocently—a successful trip to a casino or a night of bingo. It doesn’t hurt to buy just one lottery ticket and how fun it is to win! So, the gambler goes back to play again, certain that luck is on her side or that he is destined to get rich. So certain are they of their promise, they go back time and again, even when they lose, expecting the next trip will be the winner. The consequences of sin are not too bad in the beginning. As a matter of fact, there is usually some pay-off: the occasional win for the gambler, the buzz for the alcoholic, the excitement and intimacy of promiscuous sexual behavior. Ten bucks that pays five hundred in a few hours is a mesmerizing concept. Rather than give up when they don’t win, they go more and more. A weekly trip to the bingo hall becomes a daily ritual. Ten dollars becomes hundreds. The family is pushed aside so that the gambler can feed this desire to win, always hoping to recoup what has been lost. Eventually the money for food, rent and clothes is gone and the family is left desolate. Relationships break and the gambler is left with nothing but this need to gamble. Most hit rock bottom before they ever realize they have a problem. This is true for gambling and for other addictions. After a while the money runs out, one drink is not enough and promiscuous sex leads to disease or pregnancy. At that point there seems to be no way out, no hope for the addicted. Yet, even in the face of such overwhelming sin, there is always hope. When salvation seemed impossible, God saved sinners from death and the grave. We all suffer the effects of sin in our lives, we are all tempted and we fall into that temptation. We may not be a gambler, drunk or minx, but we are sinners just the same. We are drawn so deeply into our sin that we know no way out. But there is always a way—God. He is our victory over the things of this world that threaten to destroy our lives. Even when nothing is left, there is hope in the salvation of our Lord. We have been saved from eternal death by His mercy and grace. In that grace God’s transforming Spirit makes us new and gives us the strength to face the things that threaten to destroy us.

I am only halfway through the book, but I am sure that Acheron Hades will get his due. I am sure that our heroine will find a way to overcome her own weaknesses to stop this superhuman mastermind criminal. We’ll probably see her reach a low point; see her end up at rock bottom before we see her rise to save the day. Sounds a little like the savior in today’s Psalm—the stone the builders rejected, becomes the capstone. Sounds a lot like Jesus, who willingly went rock bottom for the sake of the world.

 

You can read more of Peggy Hoppes' devotions at her website at www.awordfortoday.org.

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