DONKEY LOST HIS FOOTING
I was reading Luke chapter 3. Verse 4 says: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his path straight.” I was thinking about this verse and it reminded me of this picture of the donkey. The poor donkey is so burdened down, he can’t get his feet on solid ground, and he can’t go anywhere. We need to repent and make appropriate changes so that we can make a straight path for the Lord straight to our hearts. Then we’ll be on solid ground, and we can move easily and peacefully. So, what do we need?
We need to drop off some of the things we think are okay, and get back to the simple, straight truths from the Word of God. We’ve allowed ourselves to compromise. We “self-medicate” with the scriptures we want to hear and we leave out the ones we don’t.
We wonder why we’re not moving forward as quickly and smoothly as we want. Part of the reason is that we’ve piled up our carts with stuff that isn’t in the Bible, and we’re like the donkey that’s up in the air, bewildered because our feet don’t feel like they’re on solid ground.
We need to get back to some of the basics.
The Gospels, the Epistles, and the letters Paul wrote to leaders in the church are great places to find out the basics of how we are to act as Christians. The things mentioned in the Ten Commandments are still appropriate for today as well. Do you even know where to find them in the Bible? I didn’t, and I had to look them up just now as I was writing this article. Wow, I have to admit I’m certainly not following them as closely as I could be, and that’s what the Lord is showing me. Consider this:
Exodus 20: 1) And God spake all these words, saying, 2) I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5) thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6) and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10) but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11) for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13) Thou shalt not kill.
14) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15) Thou shalt not steal.
16) Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
18) And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19) And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
20) And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
The donkey in the picture is out of control. We get that way sometimes. But we have a savior and helper, Jesus Christ. Return to Him and He returns to us. Only Jesus is called “The Prince of Peace.” He will help us get our carts back on the right road.
Love, Carolyn
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