A small handful of cracked rivet holes led to flooded streets, crushed buildings, trapped horses, and tragically, the deaths of twenty-one people and injury to over a hundred other victims. Around lunchtime on January 15, 1919, two million gallons of molasses burst from a giant tank in the north end of Boston. This calamity became known as The Great Molasses Flood. Due to its humorous name, many students have laughed at this section in their history books—only to find themselves in jaw-dropping horror when reading the details.
Because the poorly maintained tank could hold no more, a tsunami of molasses swept through town at thirty-five miles per hour, demolishing everything in its path. Some blamed the disaster on the buildup of fermentation gases. Others accused anarchists of setting off a bomb. But the real cause was cheap metalwork—one-inch rivets that couldn’t handle the load. The cheapjack rivets stressed the rivet holes, allowing cracks to form, and the rest is literally history.
It only takes a little to destroy a lot. The Scripture affirms that truth, too. One small bite of forbidden fruit brought sin into the world (Gen. 3:6). One seemingly harmless haircut sapped Samson’s strength (Jud. 16:19). One strike of a rock cost Moses entrance into the Promised Land (Num. 20:11-12). One little bag of silver cost Judas his soul (Matt. 26:15). One white lie resulted in the divinely ordained deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3-11).
A little sin can cause a whole lot of trouble. One unguarded moment, one lustful look, one ill-spoken word, and one lash of anger is all it takes to spread sin’s sticky mess in your life and reap irreversible injury (cf. Eccl. 10:1). That is why wise believers do not treat sin lightly—they know that if you give sin an inch, it will take a mile. Discerning Christians understand that sin always wants more than it seems to ask. They know that sin will seep through the smallest crack to cause collapse.
How can believers prevent “small sins” from creeping in? Proverbs 9:10 gives the answer: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Fearing the Lord means revering the Lord, and this entails living with an awareness that He sees all, knows all, and takes sin seriously (Job 34:21; Psa. 33:13-15; 139:1-4; Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13). When you fear the Lord, you will live wisely and watchfully, keeping your eyes peeled for lurking sins which invite God’s discipline and result in ruin. Do not wait for disaster to remind you that so-called “little sins” matter a great deal. Fear the Lord now, and you will be wary of the little cracks that sin loves to slip through.
Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.
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