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| TRADITION |
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A small girl was watching her mother prepare a roast for the oven. The girl asked “Mother , why do you cut the end of the roast off before you put it into the pan?” The mother answered” I do it that way because my mother did it that way.” The little girl asked” why did grandma do it that way?” The mother said “ I don’t know I will have to ask her. “ Later the mother called “grandma” and asked her why she did it that way. She said, I cut the roast off because the pan I had was too small. If the little girl had not asked the question ,“why?”, she may have kept the tradition and never known why she did it. We need to ask the question, why do people do the same thing over and over. Tradition can be a good thing, a bad thing, or maybe it’s not that important. Cutting the end off the roast didn’t matter that much but it did waste a bit of time. Some things are too important to be left to tradition. We must be very careful about spiritual things. This could be a matter of spiritual life or death. Listen to some of the things Jesus said about the traditions that men keep. Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Is it possible to reject the Bible in favor of what some men that we look up to teach? Is there ever a time when we should listen to a man rather than the Bible? There was a preacher named Jim Jones who persuaded his flock to drink poison and die. He told them” You are listening too much to this book, and threw the Bible on the ground.” The people should have walked out right then and there if not before. This shows that people will follow a man that impresses them to their death. We need to ask ourselves why do I believe what I do about the Bible. Is it because I was born into a certain family and I was taught that these things were right. What if I would have been born into a different family, would I believe something totally different? If I were born into a Muslim family would I believe that it was God’s will to blow up innocent people? Have you ever compared for yourself what you have been taught with what the Bible really teaches? Are you one of the few people who searched the Bible and prayed to God to show them what was right? The Apostle Paul was in a trap of tradition, and he was sure that he was right. God brought him to truth because though he was wrong yet he wanted to please God. Galatians 1:14 And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. When God showed him that He was wrong he had a great zeal to check it out and see what was right. How about you, how much do you care about eternal things? Do you follow a tradition that you were handed down or did you choose what you believe? Why are there so many different religions that all say they teach from the one and same book? The answer is , THE TRADITION OF MEN. |
| by Herb Witmyer |
| Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. |
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| A GOOD TRADITION |
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