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The Amish Voice 11
People of many different faiths, churches,
and denominations can tell you what they
believe. You can probably tell others what
you believe. Often, though, our beliefs are
little more than tradition or opinions. Is it
okay to get drunk? Is homosexuality
wrong? What kind of music should you
listen to? Is it wrong to steal? How do we
get eternal life? Is it wrong to study the
Bible on our own?
How do we find answers to questions like
these? To tell someone that stealing or
taking God’s name in vain are wrong
without explaining why does not seem
very convincing. To tell others that it is
sinful to do or wear certain things simply
because that is how we have always done
it does not help others understand.
We ought to follow Jesus—not as a slave
following a master, but as a child
following his or her loving parents. There
are indeed times when a child may not
understand the whole picture, but must
simply obey without knowing why.
However, as the child grows up, his
understanding should also increase. It is
one thing for children to follow rules
which the parents understand, but if
parents set rules for their children and
neither the parents nor the children
understand the reasons for those rules, it
can be a good thing to ask, “Why?” and to
search for the answer.
The scribes and Pharisees had many,
many rules. Some came from the Bible.
Many did not. Jesus did not mind pointing
out to them when their rules were only
human tradition, or especially when their
man-made rules kept people from
following the word of God.
I hope that you read the Bible and pray
every day. If you have a good relationship
with your spouse, you will talk together
and hopefully even pray together daily. If
you love your children, you will spend
time with them and show them and tell
them that you love
them. If you love
God, you will
spend
time
with
Him
every day and
show by your
life that you
care about what
he says in His word.
Can you imagine dying and
standing before God and trying to explain
to Him that you tried to be a good person,
that you tried to keep all of the rules of
your community, but that you never read
the Bible? Will you tell Him that you took
your children to church, worked hard, but
you never knew Jesus? What if you tried
to explain to God that you were taught
that in order to get to heaven you had to
try to be good, join the church, help
others, but that you had no idea what the
Bible actually said about eternal life?
Do not let this happen to you. There is a
reason why God gave us His word and
allowed it to be translated into our own
common language. He wants us to know
Him and follow the Bible. He wants us to
learn how we can be forgiven, why Jesus
came to earth to die for us, and how we
can be born again. When Jesus was
tempted by Satan in the wilderness, how
did He respond? He did not tell Satan all
about Jewish tradition, but said, “It is
written . . . .” We are told in the book of
Isaiah, “Seek ye out of the book of the
Lord, and read” (Isaiah 34:16). In the
longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119,
David tells us in 176 verses how precious
God’s word is to him and how it ought to
be to us. Jesus told the Sadducees, “Ye do
err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the
power of God.” (Matthew 22:29). He told
the scribes and Pharisees that they were
making the word of God of no effect
through their tradition (Mark 7:13). The
apostle Peter tells us, “As
newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow
thereby” (I Peter 2:2).
The apostle Paul told
Timothy to “Study to
shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth” (2
Timothy 2:15). The apostle John wrote,
“These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
and that ye may believe on the name of
the Son of God” (I John 5:13). Jesus
Himself told us to “Search the
Scriptures” (John 5:39).
What would Jesus say to you? Would He
tell you that you are in error because you
do not know the Scriptures nor the power
of God? Would He tell you that you are
placing your traditions above God’s
word? Can you explain what you
believe—not just because you were taught
to believe it, but because you see and
know and understand the truth of God’s
word? Can you take your Bible and show
someone how to be born again? Can you
open your Bible and explain to someone
how to have eternal life? Do you read the
Bible on your own? Do you read and
explain it to your children? Will you one
day stand before God and tell Him that
you have gone to church for 60 years, but
have never once read through the Bible?
May we learn to know and love God’s
word! May we read it every day—and
read with understanding. Let us ask God
to teach us and to give us the desire to
stand upon and live according to His holy
word.
—Paul Miller
What Do You Believe?
END
—By Paul Miller