“A voice says, “Shout!” I said, “What shall I shout?” “These people are nothing but grass,
their love fragile as wildflowers. The grass withers, the wildflowers fade, if God so much as puffs on them. Aren’t these people just so much grass? True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8 The Message Bible)
I sat down as I often do, very early in the morning, just a little before yesterday, not knowing what I was about to write. I asked the question, similar in the verse above, “What shall I shout out?” The Lord has never failed to answer me, leading me to a couple of verses and a very true story to illustrate a point. Let’s start with the story.
There were years when my older brother and I were dropped off at my Aunt Ruth’s house. It was in a housing complex called Crystal Court in southern Indiana. Grandaddy lived directly across from my aunt’s home, only separated by a playground area, equipped with swings, a sandbox, and a scary teeter-totter, perhaps terrifying, depending on who was sitting on the other side of you; whether they were courageous, and certainly not fearful of heights or sudden changes as one’s position quickly changed from low to high, very high. Then, there was the merry-go-round, a playground toy of the past where children sat on it and held on, while another strong and purposeful child would push it, faster and faster until the riders sitting on the merry-go-round and holding on for life were experiencing a sickening tinge of nausea or even a snippet of vertigo. As kids, at least for me, I did not know those terms back then, but I endured, as a sailor on the sea in a storm that had you tossed and driven, tolerated the effect produced by the steadily, increased circular motion.
The playground was fun, but the best times were experienced with the neighborhood boys in a vacant field west of the housing complex. We would take one bat, and one hardball, choose sides and play baseball. Let me focus on the ball. We had one ball. No matter how many times it was knocked around, we used the same ball. It might have been smashed into the wooded area to the west, but we used the same ball. It might have been fouled and landed on a concrete sidewalk adjacent to the field, but we continued to play. And yes, we continued with the same ball. It was not like the modern-day baseball games that you see on TV where it does not take much for the catcher, the player, or the umpire to request a new ball. No, we used the same ball. If a bystander caught the ball using unbelievable skill and bare hands, they could not keep it and take it home. We would motion to throw it back, offering no applause, for we had to use the same ball.
Now, with the story part out of the way, a true account which will bring up memories to my cousins, southern Indiana friends, and my brother, let us get to the specific point that the Lord wants me to shout out this morning. It is not as long as the story, so don’t stop reading.
The Lord wants me to tell you to stay with the authorized word of God and don’t look for anything to replace what you have been using on the field, a ground that is not for play, called the narrow path of righteousness. Oh, I know you can use newer translations, and I would advise you to refer to a few when you study the word. But stay with the same word of God that you have been utilizing over the years. Don’t switch, looking for a better advantage to do what you want to do. Stay with the word that is profitable, the same word of God that you started with, and not something that looks like a bible, but contains doctrines that are in error. Stay with the inerrant word of God. And listen, if your Bible, is sitting on a bookshelf, or merely used as a keepsake of times past, stored in your car, go get it and stay with the authorized word of God. There is no need to change just to something that reflects the modern-day styles of living and minimizes the quantity of wisdom that you have to hide in your heart to keep from sinning against God. Stay with the authorized word of God.
That’s all I have to say because that is what the Lord wanted me to shout out to you today. Have a great Tuesday, my friend. Be blessed!
“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.” (Psalm 119:1-8 The Message Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King