THE DALTON GANG

THE DALTON GANG

READ:
Proverbs 4:10-19

He who turns a sinner from the
error of his way will save a soul
from death.  -James 5:20

The Dalton brothers were infamous outlaws during the late 1800s in the US.  They started out on the right side of the law as officers.  But then they followed a gradual descent into crime and became known for bank and train robberies.  Their day of reckoning came when they tried to hold up two banks at once.  Hearing of the robberies, the townspeople armed themselves and began to fire on the Dalton Gang.  When the smoke cleared, Emmett Dalton was the sole survivor.

After serving 15 years in the penitentiary, Emmett was pardoned and set free.  While in prison, he had come to see the error of his ways.  So when he was released, he wanted to deter young people from a life of crime.  Drawing from his own experience, Emmett wrote and starred in a film about the Dalton Gang in which he showed the folly of being an outlaw.  In many ways, Emmett's film was telling others:  "Do not enter the path of the wicked" (Proverbs 4:14).

In a similar way, when we have sinned but have genuinely repented and experienced God's forgiveness, we can tell our own story.  We can encourage others not to make the same mistakes we have made.  James wrote, "He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death" (5:20). -Dennis Fisher

If others learn from our mistakes,
And it saves them from the pain
That we ourselves experienced-
Then it wasn't all in vain. -Sper
*****************************
When we learn from our mistakes,
we are less likely to repeat them.

INSIGHT
The theme of the book of Proverbs is found in 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."  We will never possess biblical wisdom unless we receive it from God-and our need for that wisdom begins to be met as we reverence ("fear") the God of all wisdom.  In fact, He invites us to receive from Him the very wisdom that we both need and lack:  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach" (James 1:5).

Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace