The world today is full of people who want instant
self-gratification. That desire is built upon pure ignorance.
I could not help but let that thought trickle over to my
thinking about "religious" people. Some of them really do not care much
what the bible teaches, as long as they get their "two cents worth"
stated, whether it is correct or not, whether they have seriously studied their
subject or not, whether they have first-hand knowledge of that of which they are
speaking (or repeating hearsay) and all the while never listening to "the
other side." That was the way that the Jews of Jesus’ day did, that is why
they closed their eyes, ears and hearts to truth, because THEY TALKED BUT DID
NOT LISTEN. That is why they murdered Jesus. That is the same way that most
church members are today. They will have their say and way or do one of a number
of things: (1) listen to what others say, not knowing for themselves what the
truth is, (2) say what they want and not listen to others (3) take their marbles
and go home if they can’t get their way, (4) kick you out of their synagogue
(church system or whatever place you are in), or intimidate you so that you
leave, saying something like, "It would be best if you don’t come back."
I had such an experience recently. I was visiting a public
center where folks ate and played games and already had a tree limb fall and
break my automobile windshield. I asked if they had liability insurance and they
said "No," and one of the men, having expressed what he "thought"
was the truth, turned and walked away. I said, "You need to come back and
listen to both sides, especially what really happened and what the truth really
is." But he had already said, "We don’t need you," and refused to
discuss anymore. Well, he may claim that he is a Christian, but I know
better, for he was not kind (as the bible teaches believers to be), nor
would he listen. He is the kind that would crucify Jesus all over again. It was
a good thing that Jesus personally was not with me, no telling what he would
have told Jesus. Well, I had all of the truth (which that hypocrite did not) and
God was with me that day, so the man suggested that he "don’t need God"
either!
I was told about a man who had a three year old son. While in
the store one day, the son came up to his dad and asked, "Daddy, can we buy
these flower seed and have some flowers?" The father thought, what better
thing than to show his son how to plant the seed, water them, fertilize them,
watch them grow, finally to produce the beauty that would be inherent in them.
So, he said, "Yes."
They went home, dug up the garden spot and planted the seed,
watering them well, so that they would sprout faster. The next morning the
father was awakened at six o’clock by a presence. He realized that it was his 3
year old son. His clothes were dirty and his hands clinched and filthy. In his
hand he had all of the seed. He said, "Daddy, these seed are no good. Can we
go back and get some that are good?" He wanted what most want today … "I
want it NOW!"
It is reported that 25% of a person’s accumulated lifetime
wealth is spent on interest. That means that 1/3rd of a person’s life
had been deprived of the money for which he had worked so hard. Why is it that
he received no benefit from what he had earned? Because it is easy to say, "Charge
it." That comes about primarily because he "wants something NOW"
even though he has no money! What is the price of slavery? A credit card!
It is all related to a person’s perspective of given
situations. Have you heard of the radar operator aboard a Navy ship telling the
captain that another ship was coming at them on a collision course, head on? The
captain radioed and told them to alter their course 20 degrees; that he was in
control of a large battleship and was not going to change his course. The
response came immediately. "You alter your course 20 degrees, we are a very,
very large light house!" Well, it is time to start altering our courses. If
we are heavily into debt, it is time to pay $50 to eventually work our way out
of that situation. If we are bull-headed and won’t listen, it is time for us to
learn to listen to both sides instead of walking away with only what we think
is all of the truth.
Trying to understand the bible takes an immense amount of
time. Let us examine a scenario here. An 18 year old, right out of high school,
gets a job and begins earning money. Another 18 year old goes to college for 4
years, then goes 3 more years to pre-med school, then 4 more to med school, then
does internship for 2 years. Now, the Dr. is 30 years old, ¼ to ½ million
dollars in debt and has not made one dollar yet. And yet we complain all of the
time about how much the Dr. earns. Hey, he has paid his dues. He deserves to get
something extra for all the indebtedness that he incurred and the years that he
had gone without earning anything.
What if someone were to tell the Dr. that he would give ½ of
his life to earn what the Dr. earned? Well, that is exactly what he did. I have
had people tell me that they would give ½ of their lives to know as much about
the bible as I do. Well that (and more) is exactly what I have done. If you want
to know the bible, then get with it; don’t make excuses. But, what good is it to
know the bible if you can’t be kind and tenderhearted and loving, especially of
ignorant and sick people? Oh how calloused and hateful people who claim to be
Christians can be. It is time not only to understand what the bible teaches, but
to put into practice what you learn. Do you want to learn it all "right
now?" Well, it is not going to happen, but in the meantime, you can
learn to be kind and tenderhearted.
It is estimated that only 5% look at the results of
anything, while the remaining 95% look at the price. Do you know what you
have in life? Do you know how much money you want? Do you know how much bible
knowledge you want? Well, right now you have the least that you are
willing to settle for!
Are you willing to give 3 to 5 years of your life learning
the bible very well, so that you can be free to use it the remainder of your
life? Are you willing to open your minds for new ideas and concepts? Like the
person mentioned above, most do not, even though they claim to be Christians.
We do not see the bible as it is; rather, we see the bible as we are!
Wrong!
Do you want it "now," or are you willing to give a few
hard years to learn and earn; to have love and money? What good is money without
love? What good is trying to earn without learning?
NOW people are the NEVER kind of
people!