Search it out -- An Exhortation

The Bible is the Word of God. Inspired men wrote as God gave them the message.

The Word of God is perfect. There are no mistakes in it and it has been preserved for thousands of years and translated into our native languages so that we are able to read the Message that God has given us.

But it is more than just a message from God to man. It is an invitation to be part of the Family of God and live with Him throughout eternity. Every page and every letter of this amazing Book is there for a reason and it carries the signature of God.

All the way through the Bible are patterns, types and prophecies that God has hidden from plain view and urges us to search them out. Proverbs 25: Job 11:7, 8

The whole message of the Bible can be seen in what seem like simple stories in the text. Even lists of people’s ancestors can tell their own incredible story if we just take the time to search out the “jewels” that God has hidden.

Let us show our worth, honour and glory to God by searching His word today. God has concealed things and has called upon His servants to exercise their minds in searching for the treasure of divine wisdom.

It has always been “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little”. Faithful men and women try to put the “little’s” together and in the process find the mental exercise which brings their minds nearer to God.

Gentleness and Force. There is an old story about the sun and the wind. They were having an argument about who was stronger and as neither could win the argument, they decided to have a competition.

An old man was walking through the park wearing a coat. So the sun and the wind agreed that whoever could get the coat off the old man would be the winner.

The wind began by first blowing a hard, cold wind at the man. The old man pulled the coat around him and walked on. So the wind whipped itself up into hurricane force, but the harder it blew the tighter the old man gripped his coat. Finally the wind gave up.

Then the sun tried. Gently it came out and shone on the old man. Slowly the sun grew warmer and warmer. The old man loosened his grip on the coat, loosened the buttons and finally took his coat right off. The strength of gentleness and kindness had won over the ferocity of the wind.

Are we the wind or the sun?

Do we blow in determination to make changes, or get our message across whether people like it or not. Or do we, as King Solomon advises, with patience and gentleness watch as people melt to our touch. Proverbs 25:15.

We can achieve much more doing it slowly and gently than we can by force.

Self Control - Is one of the backbones of our Christian life. More than that, it is the basis for any life that is lived in a respectable way.

Self control is what helps us to put our faith into action and act in the way that we know we should. It is also the strength that prevents us from doing the things that we should not do.

Self control then, is our defence against doing what we should not do, and keeps us within the boundaries of what we should do.

Maybe this is what Solomon meant when he spoke about the lack of self control being like a city whose walls were broken down. Proverbs 25:28. Without its wall the city is totally unprotected. Anyone can get in, not just friends but enemies as well. The enemies that are freely able to enter can wreck havoc on an unprotected city. The walls also provide boundaries from within, stopping people from straying away from the protection that is offered within the city.

Without city walls the residents of the city are as good as dead.

Without self control we have no hope of living a Christ-like life and no hope of the eternal life we have been offered.

Without self control our defences against sin are too weak to have any effect.

Let us strengthen our self control and build up the walls in the life we live.

Brother Emmanuel Mphambo (Johannesburg, South Africa)