FOR WRITERS

FOR READERS

FOR PUBLISHERS




FREE CHRISTIAN REPRINT ARTICLES

Christian Articles for All of your Publishing Needs!

LIKE US
Translate this Page Here

FOR WRITERS

FOR READERS

FOR PUBLISHERS




Word Count: 854

Send Article To Friend Print/Use Article

Contact Jerry Ousley


The Dilemma of Darius - Part 2 - Sorrow, Repentance and Helplessness

by Jerry Ousley  
4/28/2017 / Christian Living


            What a mess this was!  Or to put it more correctly, what a mess it was going to be!  There I hung, light bulb in hand with my finger stuck in the socket.  It really happened very quickly but it seemed everything went into slow motion. 

 

            I had volunteered to “skinny” up a light pole and replace the burned out bulb.  Now this wasn’t a wooden post like we normally think of when we say the word “light pole.”  Usually we think of a round post, maybe ten to twelve inches in diameter.  This light pole was more of a pipe stuck in the ground.  It was only about in inch or two in diameter and was made of metal which meant that it was an excellent carrier of electricity.  I climbed up the pipe of a pole to the top, which was perhaps twelve feet from the ground, light bulb in hand.  At the top it crooked horizontally with the bowl of the light at the end.  I was a light weight kid then, so I had no trouble hanging with one hand from the horizontal part of the pole and unscrewing the burned out bulb from its socket.  One of the other guys below caught the bad bulb as I dropped it down to them.

 

            All I had to do was to screw the new bulb in and then “skinny” back down the pole and the job would be done.  It sounded very simple.  The problem was that hanging by one hand put me in a precarious position that would not allow me to look up.  So I had to feel my way to where the socket was so as to screw in the new bulb.  I had the bulb in my hand by three fingers and a thumb while I searched for the socket with my other finger.  Well, I found it okay but when I did I had my finger stuck in the socket and the electricity was pulsing through my body. 

 

            That’s where the dilemma came in.  My two choices were to either keep hanging on and drop the bulb so I could grab on with my other hand, or let go of the pipe and drop to the ground myself.  Remember this all happened in a fraction of a second.  I decided to drop the bulb and hang on.  The bulb made a terrible mess on the ground while I hung on for dear life in a weakened condition from the electricity that had recently been pulsing through my body.

 

            Somehow I managed to get back down the pole where all I could do was set down.  Another guy climbed the pole and finished the job flooding the area with light for which we were all thankful.  I learned something that day; fingers and light sockets don’t mix!  It was an electrifying experience for certain!

 

            We’ve been talking about the dilemma in which King Darius found himself.  He had been tricked into signing a decree that no one in his kingdom could worship any god except for himself for a period of thirty days.  It was all done to entrap Daniel.  Now Darius was faced with a decision:  He either had to go against his word, which would have made him a liar and a weak king in the eyes of his people, or fulfill the decree and put Daniel in the den of lions.  The Bible tells us in Daniel 6, that the king labored until sunset trying to find a way out of this mess he had allowed to happen.  In the end he had no choice but to fulfill his word and so Daniel was placed into the den of hungry, starving lions.  By nature there was no way that Daniel wasn’t going to be killed.

 

            The king was sorry for what he had done.  It seemed like vain words when he encouraged Daniel to not be afraid, saying that he knew that his God would deliver him.  But from the night Darius spent I don’t think he really believed that.  He repented, was sorry and instead of feeling like a powerful emperor, he felt helpless.

 

            We find ourselves in that same position don’t we?  Oh, we may not be making a life and death decision like Darius, but we certainly are faced with the consequences of whatever situation we find ourselves.  It may seem to you that there is no good answer.  Whatever you choose, you or someone will suffer for it.

 

            The fact is that we are all helpless.  The biggest dilemma any of us can find ourselves in is that of our own souls.  Mankind has sinned.  We have sinned.  When we realize it we are sorry for it.  We repent – changing our minds about the course of our action.  But the damage is done.  We are guilty and we either choose to continue in sin or die for our crime against God.  What a dilemma!  But there is hope and a way out!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Jerry Ousley

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

User Comments

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:


Not readable? Change text.



The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer


Main FaithWriters Site | Acceptable Use Policy

By using this site you agree to our Acceptable Use Policy .

© FaithWriters.com. All rights reserved.