Good Morning Friends,
“We thank God continually because, when you
received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the
word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you
who believe. For you became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in
Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13-14)
When I calculate my income taxes each year, I
read the instructions and the rules carefully. I’m looking for loopholes and
extra deductions that I wasn’t aware of before. Sometimes I find some new legal
and ethical ways to reduce my tax liability. After all, laws are written by men
and sometimes they miss some things and you can find ways around them.
I got a traffic ticket once that I didn’t think
I deserved. I decided to fight it in court. It took several months for the case
to come before the judge. When the date finally arrived I was at the
defendant’s table and another driver was at the prosecutor’s table as the only
witness to my crime. When the judge called for his testimony, he couldn’t
remember what he’d seen that day and turned to me asking for a reminder. I kept
quiet and the judge quickly brought the case to a close -- finding me innocent.
In that situation, my guilt or innocence wasn’t the issue that was decided, it
was a technicality -- no reliable witness -- that doomed the prosecution. That’s
O.K., it was just a man-made law -- loopholes and technicalities are all it
takes to get around them.
Some people approach the scriptures with the
same attitude. They look for loopholes and technicalities. They look for ways
to get around what the Bible teaches. They approach the Bible as though it was
the word of men, but it’s not! Loopholes and technicalities don’t apply when
it’s the word of God. The Thessalonians understood that. They recognized God’s
word -- and they responded with the right kind of attitude. That is a good
example for us to follow!
His, by Grace, Steve
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