parables and pearls
(AS FEATURED OVER THE BIOLA HOUR)
country who wore a heavy mustache? One day a friend gave him some lim- burger cheese to eat. In sampling it, some of the powerful substance got stuck in his mustache. From then on, everywhere he went he smelled this strange odor. Finally, exasperated with his problem, he concluded, “Why, the whole world smells rotten.” What a sad plight! Yet there are a lot of peo ple like this poor fellow, at least spir itually speaking. When we allow a sour disposition to possess our souls, we become critical and cynical concerning all about us. Our outlook is something we carry with us wherever we go. One translation of Titus 1:15 reads: “A person who is pure of heart sees goodness and purity in everything.” What we see in life is often colored by our own minds. For example, some men can take God’s gift of sex, ordained and pure in marriage, and pervert it in thoughts or deeds which are immoral. The believer, in dwelt by the Spirit of God, needs to have the mind of Christ. Our Saviour wants to give us power over the flesh, crucifying its lusts and desires. The Bible tells us, “"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatso ever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). HUMAN "PUFFER" Those who study marine life tell us about an interesting little fish which inflates its body like a balloon. The small creature is called a “puffer” and is generally found along the northern Atlantic seaboard. Ordinarily the fish looks very much like the others. How ever, when the puffer is disturbed, it
FALSE SECURITY A Montana newspaper carried an interesting article describing how mountain lions are cornered. One of these fast-footed cats had been spotted on a nearby ranch. The chase was on and before the hunt was over, two large lions had been treed and shot. One measured 7 feet and weighed 125 pounds, while the other was a half foot longer and weighed 145 pounds. Farmers report that for some reason these dangerous creatures head for the false security of a tree when the hounds pick up their trail. This almost insures their ultimate destruction. They have no way of reasoning. They can’t un derstand that the only escape from the tree is down into a trap of death. Sim ilarly, many people reason just as falsely when it comes to important matters of their eternal welfare. When pursued by an awakened conscience, fearing death, they seek the false se curity of a homemade “tree” which may consist of their own good works. They seem devoid of reasoning that their works are merely imperfect at best. Nothing but absolute perfection will satisfy divine justice. The only plaee that is to be found is in the One who suffered for us on the tree known as Calvary. Peter's testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ is, “Who His own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by
It's natural to be religious but it's super natural to be Christian. * * * OUTLOOK ON LIFE Have you ever heard the amusing story of the elderly man from the old
Made with FlippingBook Online document