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Shooting the Saints

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."¹

Dr. Leslie Flynn writes about the time when the English and French were at war in colonial Canada. "Admiral Phipps, in charge of the British Fleet, was ordered to anchor outside Quebec, a city on the St. Lawrence River. He was to await the coming of the British infantry and then join the land forces in attack.

"Arriving early, Admiral Phipps, an ardent nonconformist, was annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the roof and towers of the Catholic cathedral. So he spent his time shooting at them with the ships' guns. How many he hit we don't know, but history recorded that when the infantry arrived and the signal was given for attack, the admiral found himself out of ammunition. He had used it for shooting out the saints."

I often wonder in the church how much of our efforts are poured into fighting among ourselves over insignificant trivialities instead of uniting our efforts to attack the real enemy, and do everything possible to reach the lost with the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ—the only hope of our sin-sick world.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me not to waste my time and energy and resources on trivialities nor majoring on minors, but always to major on the majors that are important to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Peter 3:8-9, (NIV)

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