Repetition is not always a bad thing, Father. I feel that so often I thank You over and over again but without You where would I be? You are worthy of all my praise!
John 9:1-5 (<<click here to read the passage)
An oldie but a goodie!
A young woman was hosting a dinner party and served a delicious pot roast. One of her friends enjoyed it so much that she asked for the recipe.
Upon looking over the recipe, her friend inquired, “Why do you cut both ends off the roast before it is prepared and put in the pan?” The young woman replied, “I don’t know. I learned this recipe from my mom and that was the way she always did it.”
Her friend’s question got the young woman thinking and so the next day she called her mom to ask her: “Mom when we make pot roast, why do we cut the ends off?” Her mom quickly replied, “That’s how your grandma always did it and I learned the recipe from her.”
So, the young woman called her elderly grandma and asked her the same question: “Grandma, I often make the pot roast recipe that I learned from mom and she learned from you. Why did you cut the ends off the roast?” The grandmother thought for a while since it had been years since she made the roast herself, and then replied, “I cut them off because the roast was always bigger than the pan I had back then. I had to cut the ends off to make it fit.”
A few days ago, I wrote regarding the good things about tradition (Tradition) but it can be the case that things we pass along can be out of line – the pot roast story being a keen example.
In today’s passage of Scripture, Jesus’ disciples asked Him a question about a man born blind. “Rabbi…why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” v2 NLT
They asked and Jesus quickly answered, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins… This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” v3 NLT
At the time it was a common misconception that calamity or suffering was the result of some great sin.
We live in a sinful world of our own making and because of that good things happen to bad people and unfortunately, bad things happen to good people, It’s the way it is, at least until Jesus returns and shortly thereafter, we get a new heaven and a new earth.
But back to tradition. It’s OK to question – even things of the church. No man or woman, no matter how righteous they may seem, is perfect. We can all make bad decisions. We can be swayed by power or pride or wealth.
Paul says in the closing words of 1 Thessalonians 5,
But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good. v21 AMP
If something doesn’t seem in line with what you have held to be true, pray about it. Look into it. If someone questions you about something you hold to be true, pray about it and look into it, too. It’s OK to question.
If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 AMP
July 14th, 2021, Wed, 8:08 pm
