Thoughts for another day

July 16, 2013.

Today's verse: Eccl. 7:29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

God has made man upright; take a little child, so pure and fresh that we don’t seem to get enough of it and want to constantly play with it.  Its innocence and sweetness draws a deep attraction for us and sometimes we may feel where’s the innocence of a child in us, where has it gone?  We try much to regain it but cannot, for as we grow up our footprints from the sands of time have traversed the innocent, joyful and exuberant life we trod as kids to reach where we’re today.

And what do we have today?  We have a life which on the surface seems good, but there’s hardly any goodness in it when groped deep into the heart.  If we carefully introspect, we’ll find a life filled with lies and bitterness, and what have you.  Even the best men, lead this kind of life.  Man’s inventive ways of going his own way, have provided for him some fine innovations in life.  He ignores God’s instructions with, well, I’m so busy.  A few days ago, at a Bible class I took for a new group, I asked, how much time should one devote to God daily; I got the shock of my life when one person said, ‘One Minute!’  One minute, really, I asked him, are you kidding?  But he was dead serious and quoted some name of a priest who had told him this!  I don’t believe him, but if it’s really true, woe unto that priest for leading the flock astray.  And so, we see how men devise their own machinations in giving to God, nothing; but expecting from Him, everything.

Sometime back I knew a man who apparently led a very happy life.  In one of my regular visits to encourage people to read the Bible, I started conversing with him trying to encourage him too, assuming he was doing it.  Now, this man was a picture of happiness and joy and he said his family and everyone were in very good shape; but what he told me soon after, shocked me out of my skin: he said, ‘what do I need the Bible for? I’m happy with my prayers and I don’t need it!’  I really didn’t know what to say as all words just disappeared from my mouth.  I wondered: what would be his prayers like, for he just wouldn’t be knowing God; how can he, for he never read the Bible and by his own admission, has no need of it.  Talking about a personal relationship with God would be alien to him and something he would never achieve.  I shudder to think how he would face God on the Day of Judgment for if you don’t know Him, you can’t expect Him to invite you into His kingdom.  Just goes to show, how much man has devised to be free from God.  Hosea said, 4:6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; and so we need to be careful, for someday, when we stand before the throne, all our inventions will fall flat and then the judgment will be severe.