SUNDAY EDITORIAL

When I was a child, I spake as a child….we have all head that. Now what is the rest of it? Secondly, where does it come from? I remember when I was a child we played a game, one person would whisper a short story into the ear of the next person and they in turn would pass it on to each child beside them. At the end the last child would tell the story. We would roll with laugher, as the story was never told in the end as it was in the beginning.

The same is true of the Bible. Most all of us have misquoted the Word of God, not on purpose, but from passing it alone, instead of stopping to read it for ourselves. I will list just a few:

Pride goeth before the fall. Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Money is the root of all evil. 1 Timothy 6:10 ..the love of money is the root of all evil.

I will follow you where ever you go. Ruth 1:16 Ruth said, “Don’t entreat me to leave you, and to return from following after you, for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;
1:17 where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried. Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me.”

"All things work out for the best." The actual statement by the Apostle Paul to the Church in Rome is, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, NIV)

"Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry." This is in the gospel of Luke (Luke 12:19, NIV), but it doesn't mean what people generally think it means. This is the parable of the rich man - who takes this attitude only to be told "This very night your life is demanded of you."

LJG and I continuously tell you ask God for yourself, and read the Bible yourself. This is the only way to gain knowledge and understanding.

The other day a lady who professes to be a Christian used God’s name in vane. It was just the two of us, and I rebuked her for using my Father’s name in that way. To this she replied who’s father. I said not my daddy, my Father. How can you call His name like that, it is wrong. No she informed me , it is in the Bible. Have you ever had a moment where God just placed His hand over your mouth. Oh I wanted to tell her more than one thing. I was angry. And why would my God not let me defend Him. Between LJG and myself we searched the Bible from one end to the other. Was there something we had missed, was there any where in the Bible a verse that even hinted at speaking evil of our God. No, our grandmothers had taught us correct, the word plainly says: Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Deuteronomy 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Is this then why I felt that I should not say anything else to her? To be in the world and say this is bad enough, and to know the Lord and slip and speak it out of habit, I can understand. Catching yourself and saying My God, I am sorry. But to be comfortable in saying it, oh it hurts my heart so. The really sad part I work for a Christian company that stresses God first, family second, and company third. They open each meeting with prayer and even have a mentoring program.

When I was a child I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11 KJV

The Lord had to remind me of when I was a child. I would not take instruction from just anyone. I am glad that this woman at work doesn’t. But instruction she does need. As children we need instruction, as mature Christians we need to be able to accept instruction as well as correction, it is how we grow. I will pray for my sister, and place her in God’s hands. I cannot change her, I can only ask God to change me.

God Bless,
rECj/LJG

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY
Eph 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;