Three zip codes . . . just three.
99691 – Nikolai, AK – Population 94: Most of the residents are indigenous Alaskans. Winters are tough with temperatures dipping to 60 below zero in this tiny Interior Alaskan village.
99648 – Perryville, AK – Population 113: Like Nikolai, the handful of folk in Perryville are primarily indigenous Alaskans. Located on the Alaskan Peninsula headed toward the Aleutian Islands, it’s estimated that perhaps only 10 houses even have internet.
87828 – Polvadera, NM – Population 269: The four square mile community of Polvadera is so small that you’ll probably miss it as you head south of Albuquerque on I-25. Why? There’s no exit on the highway for Polvadera. And it’s pretty peaceful, too, because there’s no internet service.
Three zip codes. 476 people. One thing in common. Out of the more than 42,000 zip codes in America, 99691, 99648 and 87828 are the only ones without a registered user of the Ashley Madison web site.
Unless you’ve been comfortably residing under a rock in your backyard, you’ve probably heard of this web site that once offered a discreet outlet for infidelity. One hack changed all that. Good names tarnished. Careers damaged. Fingers pointed. Relationships suffered.
Years ago I worked at a large metropolitan hospital. We discovered money missing from our office petty cash box. Our cleaning crew was suspected.
One night I was working late and heard the office door open. Our suspected thieves had arrived for their daily office cleaning. After they left I headed for the petty cash box. All was in order.
Within minutes I noticed a blue smudge on one hand. Then the other. Then on an arm where I had scratched. A worried glance in a mirror confirmed it was on my face, too! A “wet-wipe” only made things worse! Unknown to me, the cash box had been dusted by our intrepid hospital security force. The invisible powder was activated by even the slightest moisture on my skin. In an instant I went from accuser to accused. If I left the office marked a “sinner,” I was in trouble.
We’re actually in a bigger mess than the folks that used Ashley Madison or me after my late-night dusting. You see, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 There are no sin-free zip codes. The devil has dusted and marked this entire planet with a “die” that we cannot escape alone.
Are you living in a disastrous “zip code” of your mistakes? Have you looked in the mirror and realized that the Devil has marked you for his side? There is hope. God has a plan for you! Listen to this . . .
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8 He still loves you.
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7-8
Did you notice that? ALL SIN. If you’ve taken up residence in the wrong part of town and the Devil has put his mark on you, God has made a way out. He will cleanse you from ALL SIN.
And wait until you hear about his relocation plans for you! “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. . . And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'” Revelation 21:1-4
Eternity with God in a sin-free Zip Code of His making!