Never Carry The Donkey Again.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)
An old fable that has been passed down for generations tells about an elderly man who was travelling with a boy and a donkey. As they walked through a village, the man was leading the donkey and the boy was walking behind. The townspeople said the old man was a fool for not riding, so to please them he climbed up on the animal’s back. When they came to the next village, the people said the old man was cruel to let the child walk while he enjoyed the ride. So, to please them, he got off and set the boy on the animal’s back and continued on his way. In the third village, people accused the child of being lazy for making the old man walk, and the suggestion was made that they both ride. So the man climbed on and they set off again. In the fourth village, the townspeople were indignant at the cruelty to the donkey because he was made to carry two people. The frustrated man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road.
Abraham Lincoln once said that you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. Popular opinion is poor standard for personal behavior. If you live to please people, like the old man in fable above, sooner our later you’ll end up carrying the donkey. We all need better guide in our lives than personal opinion and preference. God has provided it in his Word.
I am concerned about the lack of understanding of the Bible in the church today. We seem to know less and less about things that are essential and eternal. While we spend time on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, text messages and email, we seem to make excuses for not finding time to be in God’s Word. Yet, the Word is the only thing that is eternal. I find parents concerned about the character of their children. The greatest book on discipline, character and integrity is the Word of God. I find couples concerned about the strength of their marriage. The greatest manual on marriage ever written is the Bible, in which the author of the institution reveals how he intended it to work. Our entire nation is concerned about the state of our economy, the wars in which we are engaged and whether or not we will even have a stable nation to pass on to our grandchildren. In the Bible, the Lord teaches us over and over again how we can be blessed as a people.
Someone has wisely said, “Study the Bible to be wise; believe it to be safe; practice it to be holy.” There is no substitute for reading, meditating, listening to and studying the Scriptures. A church that does not emphasize the Scriptures will soon be on the shelf and out of business. One of the most famous authors and preachers of our time holds up his Bible and begins to quote a creed or a philosophy regarding the Bible each time before he preaches. The statement is strong. But the problem is that it’s almost the only time we see or hear him use the Bible in his sermons. His sermons are feel good, be good, smile, don’t worry, be happy. You can’t be truly happy if you aren’t holy. You get holy by yielding to the Holy Spirit and reading the Holy Bible.
John Blanchard says it well, “Hit-and-run Bible reading can often become hit and miss. The man who reads on the surface will live on the surface—and a superficial Christian is a pathetic parody of the truth.” When people believe the Bible, they long to learn it, study it and apply it. They allow the Scriptures to sit in judgment over their character, creed and conduct. Jerry Bridges says, “It is impossible to practice godliness without a constant, consistent and balanced intake of the Word of God in our lives.”
The reason we see little difference between church members and lost people in our land is because we don’t know, understand or apply what God says. The Bible will correct your thinking, talking and walking. Chrysostom said, “The source of all our troubles is in not knowing the Scriptures.” E. F. Hallock wrote, “A well-understood Bible is the only basis of a sound theology, an enlightened piety, practical godliness, solid comfort and extensive usefulness.” The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.
I love what Martin Luther said about how precious his Bible was to him. “I study my Bible as I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf.” D. L. Moody wrote, “I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.” One author said, “If all the neglected Bibles were dusted simultaneously, we would have a record dust storm and the sun would go into eclipse for a whole week.” J. I. Packer wrote, “If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible.”
God made the importance of the Scriptures clear to Joshua when he said, “Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.“ (Joshua 1:7, 8) J. C. Ryle wrote, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is the root of all error. Knowledge of the Bible never comes by intuition.” Read it, study it and meditate on it. Learn what’s there and why.
This is no time for mental midgets. We need giants for God. Let God stretch you, refine you, teach you and equip you. Ask Him to give you an appetite for His Word, a thirst for truth and a mind to learn. Study to show yourself approved. Never carry the donkey again.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
An old fable that has been passed down for generations tells about an elderly man who was travelling with a boy and a donkey. As they walked through a village, the man was leading the donkey and the boy was walking behind. The townspeople said the old man was a fool for not riding, so to please them he climbed up on the animal’s back. When they came to the next village, the people said the old man was cruel to let the child walk while he enjoyed the ride. So, to please them, he got off and set the boy on the animal’s back and continued on his way. In the third village, people accused the child of being lazy for making the old man walk, and the suggestion was made that they both ride. So the man climbed on and they set off again. In the fourth village, the townspeople were indignant at the cruelty to the donkey because he was made to carry two people. The frustrated man was last seen carrying the donkey down the road.
Abraham Lincoln once said that you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. Popular opinion is poor standard for personal behavior. If you live to please people, like the old man in fable above, sooner our later you’ll end up carrying the donkey. We all need better guide in our lives than personal opinion and preference. God has provided it in his Word.
I am concerned about the lack of understanding of the Bible in the church today. We seem to know less and less about things that are essential and eternal. While we spend time on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, text messages and email, we seem to make excuses for not finding time to be in God’s Word. Yet, the Word is the only thing that is eternal. I find parents concerned about the character of their children. The greatest book on discipline, character and integrity is the Word of God. I find couples concerned about the strength of their marriage. The greatest manual on marriage ever written is the Bible, in which the author of the institution reveals how he intended it to work. Our entire nation is concerned about the state of our economy, the wars in which we are engaged and whether or not we will even have a stable nation to pass on to our grandchildren. In the Bible, the Lord teaches us over and over again how we can be blessed as a people.
Someone has wisely said, “Study the Bible to be wise; believe it to be safe; practice it to be holy.” There is no substitute for reading, meditating, listening to and studying the Scriptures. A church that does not emphasize the Scriptures will soon be on the shelf and out of business. One of the most famous authors and preachers of our time holds up his Bible and begins to quote a creed or a philosophy regarding the Bible each time before he preaches. The statement is strong. But the problem is that it’s almost the only time we see or hear him use the Bible in his sermons. His sermons are feel good, be good, smile, don’t worry, be happy. You can’t be truly happy if you aren’t holy. You get holy by yielding to the Holy Spirit and reading the Holy Bible.
John Blanchard says it well, “Hit-and-run Bible reading can often become hit and miss. The man who reads on the surface will live on the surface—and a superficial Christian is a pathetic parody of the truth.” When people believe the Bible, they long to learn it, study it and apply it. They allow the Scriptures to sit in judgment over their character, creed and conduct. Jerry Bridges says, “It is impossible to practice godliness without a constant, consistent and balanced intake of the Word of God in our lives.”
The reason we see little difference between church members and lost people in our land is because we don’t know, understand or apply what God says. The Bible will correct your thinking, talking and walking. Chrysostom said, “The source of all our troubles is in not knowing the Scriptures.” E. F. Hallock wrote, “A well-understood Bible is the only basis of a sound theology, an enlightened piety, practical godliness, solid comfort and extensive usefulness.” The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.
I love what Martin Luther said about how precious his Bible was to him. “I study my Bible as I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf.” D. L. Moody wrote, “I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.” One author said, “If all the neglected Bibles were dusted simultaneously, we would have a record dust storm and the sun would go into eclipse for a whole week.” J. I. Packer wrote, “If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible.”
God made the importance of the Scriptures clear to Joshua when he said, “Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.“ (Joshua 1:7, 8) J. C. Ryle wrote, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is the root of all error. Knowledge of the Bible never comes by intuition.” Read it, study it and meditate on it. Learn what’s there and why.
This is no time for mental midgets. We need giants for God. Let God stretch you, refine you, teach you and equip you. Ask Him to give you an appetite for His Word, a thirst for truth and a mind to learn. Study to show yourself approved. Never carry the donkey again.
Live the Victorious Life,
PT
posted by Larry | 2:20 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home