Bending the Rules

Imagine if you had a company that issued guarantees on a product.  The person who purchased that product with the guarantee then went to make some small changes which would benefit him greatly.  On top of that, he exercised those changes, in which, you had to contest his guarantee, after the alterations.  Or, how would you feel to know that a guarantee you had been given was altered to make it void? 

Sunday, we looked at Matthew 5:17-20 and focused on 18 & 19.  We brought out how Jesus was informing the recipients that any small change to the scriptures would be a bad thing.  Also assuring us that actual scripture was not going to change, but if someone would try to rewrite some of the scriptures to try to make it read differently, they would be considered “least”.

The Bible, being a document that is in print form, should not be changed up, figuratively or literally, to fit our desires. This statement is not meant in the “traditional” sense, but in the sense that we are not to input our own words or our own thoughts.  Some passages we may “pick-and-choose” what is a command for us today and what is not.  This is getting closer to where we’re going with this concept. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

1. The Worst Command/Expectation ~ What biblical command or expectation is one of your most difficult to deal with.  Maybe it is one that makes you uncomfortable doing it or one you just “will not” ever do.  Challenge yourself to see it in a new light.
2. Move Upward ~ Jesus said the one who changes will be the “least”.  Changing your view of what something in the Bible is urging you to do will cause you to move upward. 
3. Appreciate the Unchangeable Word ~ The Bible has a certain amount of “guarantee” written into it. That is partly why people read and follow it.  Without the assurance people would be extremely uncomfortable and probably would abandon the Bible altogether.  Knowing that the Bible is not going to change, impeding your guarantee, we should be appreciating what it can do for us and others!

Have you ever watched an ad on television and then noticed some fine print that was at the bottom?  With the brevity of the commercial there is no way to read it all, however it is on there.  So if the commercial was selling you something, when you went to buy the product, you may be getting into something you wished you didn’t.

Enjoy the Word the way it is…may we not change it, literally or figuratively!