Tuesday night Cec and I watched Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on Animal Planet. It was about an elephant family that was being led across the vast, parched desert by the matriarch in search of water. A long, long journey. Hot, dry, a lot like southwestern Missouri for the past two weeks. The elephants were all sizes and ages, from babies to the very old, with one goal in mind. Water.
Partway through the journey one of the youngsters, a 4-year-old girl, fell behind. Because the mothers are obligated to give most of their attention to the babies on journeys such as this, the older ones are on their own. In this case, the little girl just couldn't keep up and fell by the wayside. The only thing that would save her would be water. Others came back for her and tried getting her up. Her mother exerted every effort and succeeded in lifting her with her tusks a couple of times, but the young elephant kept falling back. Finally she died and still the mother kept trying to get her to stand. Others stood and watched and the scene was past heartbreaking. They stayed for hours in silent vigil. Finally, they turned and continued their migration, leaving the young elephant's body behind. For lack of water the little elephant died.
How does our Lord feel when he offers Living Water and His children don't partake? If this mother elephant gave all she could give to save her child, how much more does God give to save us?
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters . . . Isaiah 55:1
Jesus said: "But whosoever drinketh of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:16
We don't have to cross a parched desert to get to this water. But only "Come unto him and he will give you rest." I spend a lot of time with people who have never partaken of the water. I often wonder why I spend so much of the rest of my time fighting with those who claim to have all the righteousness they need, when there are those falling by the wayside for lack of the Living Water. It's up to me, to all of us, to help get them to it. Why don't I do this? Is it because I'm afraid they'll say no? That I'll do it wrong? That they'll ridicule me for my beliefs? All of the above?
Well, isn't that presumptuous. I am coming to realize that I don't have to break a tusk trying to get them to this water, or pour it down their throats. All I have to do is tell them about it, take them by the hand and show them the Fountain of Living Water in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will do the rest.
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6 comments:
Seeker,
As the old saying goes,
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
Your post rings with wisdom.
Much of what I read on Centerplace and even in some of your commenters here (mostly the ones banned or on warning by CP) are clinkers compared to your wisdom.
They use the high pressure firehose approach to dispensing the living water, using scripture to justify their tactic in the name of "truth" or "rod" or "armor" or whatever other pious platitude fits in the conversation.
There is wisdom in leading.
Arrogance in forcing.
Leading invites.
Arrogance alienates.
Perhaps this is why there are so many unhappy and angry people in the hinterlands and outposts (both literally and metaphorically).
e.c.
EC,
Are you suggesting that we not use scriptures to prove the truth? There is only one truth, the truth of Christ, and He chose to use His scriptures when preaching, teaching and telling stories, or when driving out money changers, or speaking to satan or the pharisees.
If I choose to use Christ as my example, then I will be very unpopular with those who claim to know the truth but yet do not follow it.
If I really love someone, I'm going to answer their questions with the truth of Christ.
Please forgive me if I'm not making sense. I had surgery yesterday, and my pain meds are kicking in.
I don't pretend to be wise. I simply am weary of trying to make people in the "heirarchy" see the error of their ways. Not that I'll stop trying, along with my friends of like mind. And at times there's something to be said for the high pressure hose when one is dealing with those who are trying to drag the rest of us along with them as they descend the slippery path to apostasy ONE MORE TIME. I feel those of us who have been warned, banned or deleted are doing the right thing. But it's those who have never even had a glimpse of the Living Water, those with whom we come in contact at the market, the C-store, the mall, or WalMart I am speaking of in my post.
Patricia,
I do not know how you arrive at your question by what I posted.
Are you denying that sometimes people use scripture in the wrong ways? Or are you saying that as long as you quote a scripture it just kind of makes everything OK?
No, what I am saying is that there comes a responsibility in the use of any tool that may happen to be in the disciple's tool box. Just because it is in the tool box doesn't mean that it can be used to bludgeon someone, no matter how "truth"ful the tool may be.
Seeker, I understand what you meant in your original post-hence my comment.
Unfortunately, it still is not clear who the unnamed "Hierarchy" are, or what are their "crimes".
Use of emotion laden words like "apostasy" weakens most discussions or comments. And in any case, I think one is hard pressed to truly justify the tactics found on the CP board
e.c.
e.c.
Just what tactics and whose tactics might you be referring to?
You said: "Seeker, I understand what you meant in your original post-hence my comment.
Unfortunately, it still is not clear who the unnamed "Hierarchy" are, or what are their "crimes".
Well, the same kind of goes with your comments, since there are two very distinct "sides" on the CP board, it is obvious you are either talking of one, the other or both. So, e.c., who is it that is using such tactics, - who is guilty of the crime?
By the way, as Scripture is often wrested or spin doctored to the writers point of view, I don't use a lot of Scripture unless I feel it is so straightforward that there is little "wiggle" room for spin doctors and those that wrest the words in such a manner that they use their tactics to avoid answering direct questions. Happens over and over and over again.
Your brother in Christ,
brother Ev
Brother Ev and all who read,
I guess that the old cliché "if the shoe fits" applies. This is not to say that you or anyone always turns out to be Cinderella, but the shoe has been worn by quite a few over on CP.
I think I was pretty clear on what the tactics are.
I don't expect you will ever agree, but the "truth" gets used to justify a lot of hateful, demeaning, accusatory, derogatory and judgmental verbiage. And the "truth" has proven to be fairly subjective.
In no way disrespectful of Patricia Ragan and her comment above, the Truth is often clouded and distorted by the "truth"; by improper use of scripture and by the veil of tradition. Enough so, that for someone to proclaim that they are speaking the "truth" merely because they quote soundbites of scripture is not a very persuasive truth at all. This conclusion is not drawn as a personal thought, as much as a conclusion based on my observations on CP and other such boards, irrespective of the tradition.
Therefore, it becomes increasingly clear to me that the Truth is not nearly as objective as many would claim. If it was, there would not be nearly so much dissension and anger and ignorance of the call to action that we clearly find in scripture.
This doesn't mean that there is "wiggle room", but it does mean that there is much more to the meaning of the words on the page than the literal meaning of the words on the page.
It is literalism that most often promotes or allows for wresting, not liberalism.
Finally, I fail to see two distinct sides on CP. I see cacophony.
e.c.
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