Do You Even Know …….?

Sunday afternoons at our Aunt Myrna and Uncle Charles’s house are always entertaining when the kids are all around. At present my great nephew and his cousin are the youngest of the boys, respectively 5 and 7. I get tickled listening to them as they are applying words to their vocabulary that they have obviously grabbed out of a conversation they have overheard the adults having with each other. These words are usually applied during a disagreement over a toy, color of water balloons, trucks/cars, balls, and whatever they can find to compete over. Boys will be boys. (smile)

Recently, they were in a little bit of an argument over something and one of them told the other one, “You are ridiculous.” “No, I’m not!” was the response. And here they came with, “He called me ridiculous. No, I didn’t! Yes, you did!” It was so entertaining you almost had to laugh but knew better! Ha,ha,ha

I asked, as I looked at the two of them, “Do you even know what that word means?” To which they both in dumbfounded stillness looked at me and said, “No.” I responded, “Ok then, go play and don’t call each other words that you don’t know what they mean.” This time neither asked what the word meant. But there are times that together (or individually) they will ask what the meaning is of a word that I have called them out on.

It got me thinking about things we as Christians repeat because we heard someone else say it. We repeat it as if it is in scripture somewhere, but we don’t really understand what we are saying. Let me give you an example of a few...

*  “We’re all God’s Children”

     That sounds so great and loving and spiritual and feel good. But, the truth is… scripturally we are all God’s creation. But, we don’t become His Children until we confess our sins, repent, and accept the gift of Christ’s finished work on the cross, Grace.

John 1:12 (ESV)

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

*  “God wants you to be Happy.”
     How great is it that the Sovereign God wants us to be happy? NOT! We are living in a world now that lives with the attitude of, “My happiness is the most important thing in the world.” And look at the moral decay and corruption because of this attitude. 
1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)
 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

*  “Money is the root of all evil.”
     The truth is that money is neither good nor bad.  It is what we do with it that produces the outcome.
1 Timothy 6:10-11 (ESV)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

*  “The Lion and the Lamb shall lay down together.”
     We see pictures /paintings of the Lion and the Lamb laying down together. We actually quote that as a verse…  “the lion and lamb shall lay down together.” But the truth is there is no scripture that states that. The scripture states:
Isaiah 11:6-7 (ESV)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

So, in conclusion, do we even know what we are saying sometimes? Maybe we could take a lesson from the boys. Don’t say things to be true if we don’t really understand them ourselves. (smile) May the thought of this increase our desire to be in His Word daily!

Pure Joy International is headed to Spain in October of this year. Conference dates will be Oct. 10-13, 2018. If you are a missionary serving cross-culturally or know someone serving in that part of the world as a cross-cultural missionary, please get those dates out to them. Registration will be opening soon for participants. Remember, first come, first served!
 
His,
Vickie