Damage Report, Scotty!
Monday, June 5, 2023
“The man who with disguises enters the fold, being nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing, worries the flock more than the lion outside. There is no weapon half so deadly as a Judas-kiss. Inconsistent professing Christians injure the Gospel more than the sneering critic or the heretic.” – C.H. Spurgeon
I am a big fan of the original Star Trek TV series. As a child, I loved following the exploits of Captain James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, better known as “Scotty.”
One of the life lessons I learned from that show was that whenever the Klingons or the Romulans attacked the USS Enterprise, Capt. Kirk would give the order for the ship’s deflector shields to be raised. When properly in place and at full strength, these shields would repel almost any type of enemy weapon, such as photon torpedoes.
However, if the shields were down or partially compromised, they proved ineffective. And even at full strength, they generally left the ship’s aft or rear sections exposed.
In my life – and especially in my long ministry career – I have occasionally been attacked for standing up for important doctrines of the faith such as the inerrancy of Scripture, the sanctity of life, or the sanctity of marriage. Some of those assaults I saw coming and so, I was adequately prepared. In Star Trek lingo, “my shields were up.” However, on more than one occasion, the attacks came from within the Christian camp and caught me with my shields down. I simply didn’t expect or see them coming and as a result, I left my spiritual flank exposed and vulnerable.
Damage report, Scotty!
Thankfully, one of God’s names is Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals… and He has done so every time I was hit and hurting. My friend, He can and will do the same for you.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
