I often listen to something on t.v. while I’m working in my office. Work seems to flow better for me if there’s some kind of noise in the background. (No, I don’t want you to ship your kids to my home!) (G)

Last Friday night I was listening to 20/20. John Stossel did a piece on truth in labeling. There was a guest in this segment. She was head of the government agency that deals with the honesty of product labeling.

John’s first example was a can of Lake Trout Soup. The front of the label showed this incredibly beautiful lake trout arched above the waters of a pristine lake. One could just imagine sitting in a small boat, enjoying the beauty of the scene. On the back of the can, in the list of ingredients, the only fish mentioned was a rather inferior species that cost far less than lake trout.

His second example was a gallon jug of bottled water. The front showed the brand as “Mt. Shasta”. The picture was of the pretty much extinct volcano in California which is known far and wide for it’s pure, clean, and wholesome water. On the back? “Bottled in Miami, Florida from the municipal water supply.”

Finally, he held up a can labeled Chesapeake Bay Oyster & Clam Chowder. The drawing depicted a quaint New England village with fishermen and boats. The descriptive phrase was, “From The Heart of New England”. When he turned the can over and read the back, it indicated that the main ingredients, oysters and clams, came from Thailand!

When John asked the government representative about these examples of misleading labeling, she said, “It’s within the law. The manufacturers of these products are merely trying to convey to consumers the essence of what the contents of the container will taste like.”

To quote John’s catch phrase, “Give me a break!” John’s co-host remarked that when she had been in Miami recently, she’d purchased Mt. Shasta bottled water at a premium price. By not reading the fine print, she didn’t realize that she was buying plain ol’ Miami tap water!

Many times we’re advised to “read the fine print” in contracts or other legal documents. Even back in the days when our Constitution was being written, the leaders urged the writers to use words that would be easily understood by the common man. The Federal Government passed legislation “requiring” that all documents be written in easy-to-read language.

I know a gal who was stuck with a long term cell phone commitment, even after she moved to a place where she couldn’t even use the phone without incurring enormous charges, because she either didn’t read or didn’t understand the contract she was signing.

Aren’t you glad that there is no “fine print” in God’s presentation of the gospel? We never need to be unpleasantly surprised down the road by some “fine print” in our salvation contract! He makes it very plain what He expects from us (belief, repentance, submission in baptism, and trust) and what He will provide (eternal life, strength and guidance for the journey, and family ties). One doesn’t need a magnifying glass and a legal dictionary to understand His plan!

BTW, one last little story. I was recently listening to a commercial. It promised a weight loss of 10 pounds in 48 hours. Wow! As the image of a lady in a bikini flashed on the screen, followed by another in jeans that obviously had a little slack in the waistband, the implication was clear. Order this product, “within ten minutes” as the announcer intoned and “by this weekend, you, too, could lose 10 unwanted pounds.”

What was the “fine print” catch in this commercial? In tiny white letters, moving at warp speed, was the announcement that delivery of the product would be in six to eight weeks! What did it say?!!!!! Yep, SIX to EIGHT weeks! So much for looking like a model “by the week-end”! Most parts of the country will be past the bikini stage in six to eight weeks. Yet another example of how the “fine print” can affect us all.

I’d appreciate hearing from you. Please share examples of how the “fine print” has taken you in. Would enjoy seeing any further spiritual conclusions that come to your mind. Just use the “Leave a Reply” box below!

– You really hit the nail on the head this time! So many people think they have so much time to get right with their loved ones, their friends, and their God. And sometimes, people get the surprise of their lives when they find they have run out of time to do the very things they meant to do, when they had the time to do it!

     We are all guilty of this. I have been very guilty of meaning to visit with my mother, my uncle, my cousin, all of whom are up in years. I say to myself, “Tomorrow I will go see them, because today I have too much to do with my kids and my housework.” Someday, my loved ones won’t be here, so I must make the time now, while I still have them. God bless and keep you, my friend!

– As always, a very funny story (sorry)! I know you got the stuffing kicked out of you, but I had to laugh. Then, after I “recovered”, I began to think about what your story really meant to me.

     You know, everytime I think I’m doing so much better with my devotions, prayer time, just spending time with God, the ol’ evil one finds something with which to distract me. Sometimes he makes the phone ring, the dog bark, someone come to the door, etc. I’ve tried not answering the phone, not going to the door, and throwing something at the dog! He usually shows up when you’re where God is really speaking to you through the Scripture, know what I mean? Everytime I find a new way to serve God, the devil kicks it out from under me by making me have a health problem that keeps me from doing whatever I promised God I would do. It’s a battle to fight every day. But keep telling that ol’ evil one, “devil, go on. I’ve read the end of the BOOK. You lose, I WIN!!! I have the victory!! I am “joint heir” with JESUS!! You can’t ever be!!

– Jerry, I just read this e-mail and the donkey story. I had to laugh. Yes, I know it probably hurt. One time I fell off my bike (about 15 years ago). My wife was there. My knee was bleeding and it hurt. J____ began laughing hysterically and as I bounced down the road. I had a hard time laughing with her at the time because of the pain. However, it is something that I was able to laugh at the next day and it continues to be a well remembered day that something funny happened with J____, me and even the kids (who were not even born then).

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