Devotion: No Christian Bats 1000

God is so awesome, especially when validates a message.  God tells us that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established” (II Corinthians 13:1).  For the past week or so we have been sharing a similar message with others who have had questions about pastors, teachers, spiritual leaders, and the like, who have supposedly “missed the mark.”  And so we share our message once again.

None of us are perfect nor do we have a perfect understanding of all of the scriptures.  So many of us are at different levels of understanding in our walk to discover the truth about the things of God that we should not discount anyone’s ability to help propel us to the next level.  Just because a person makes a few questionable statements does not mean that he or she cannot contribute something to help in our understanding.  God tells us “that his people are destroyed because they lack knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).  This lack of knowledge has not come from a shortage of knowledge but from our rejection of knowledge.

If we reject every person who makes statements that we do not agree with, then we limit the amount of knowledge available to us.  If the amount of knowledge is as vast as the oceans, it would be like dipping a cup into the ocean and using what is in the cup as your only source of information.  Everything that you could possibly know would be confined to the limits of that cup.  And just as the ocean has things that can be harmful to us, it also contains things that can be beneficial to us.

Knowledge works the same way; there are things harmful as well as things beneficial.  It is through “studying God’s word” (II Timothy 2:15), using every available resource that we gain the wisdom and understanding to rightly divide the word of truth and pick the harmful item out of the ocean of knowledge.  In this age of information, we who seek the truth have no reason not to be able to find it provided we do not limit ourselves to the walls of traditionalism or denominationalism.  A closed mind can only grow within the limits of its enclosure; an open mind grows with endless possibilities.

So, while you may not be a follower of a particular pastor, teacher, spiritual leader, or other, it does not mean that they cannot contribute an idea, thought, or interpretation that will bring things together and help in the understanding of the things of God.  We come from a diverse group with religious beliefs that run the gamut from A to Z.  And while we share some commonalities, we are as different as the many religious doctrines, theologies, and beliefs that can be found grouped under the umbrella of Christianity.  In our walk to discover the truth about the things of God, should we discount someone’s ability to help propel us to the next level, even though our beliefs differ from one another?  The only way to get to truth is to listen to each other, respect the beliefs of others that differ from our own, and take those things that help propel us to the next level of understanding.

Of course, all should be done in a manner that promotes unity and the common good; nothing should be done in a manner that allows the enemy to divide and/or create bad/ill feelings, which tends to happen, as we, the members, collectively get closer to revealing the truth.  The closer we as group get to sharing revelation knowledge, the more active the enemy gets in his attempt to divide and conquer us.  There is only “one truth” that God has for his children and only those who have an ear to hear will hear the truth.  Within God’s word are buried treasures that hold God’s truth, but to discover that truth, we must challenge ourselves to re-examine many of the so-called truths that have supposedly been established.  As seekers of truth, “we really should check out every piece of information for ourselves” so that we can make the determination as to the truthfulness of the source (I John 4:1).

We are so blessed to have this opportunity to share our message.  God is so awesome, especially when he wants his children to get a message.  Remember, it is always your choice to accept or to reject anything that does not fit into your belief system, but at least listen to the full message before making that determination.  Know this, “A closed mind can only grow within the limits of its enclosure; an open mind grows with endless possibilities.”  God tells us that “knowing the truth will make us free” (John 8:32) and hopefully this message will do just that.  If this message is a blessing to you, please share it so that others may be blessed by it as well.

Enjoy your blessings - KW