“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Mat 7:6)
“So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
“And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.
“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!'” (Luk 15:14-17)
Journal,
At the beginning of my ministry this past Sunday, I asked the question, “Why eat with the pigs when you can dine with the King.”
The goal of my ministry was to reach out to those of God’s children who have strayed into the world. The child of God who strays over into the world will soon become spiritually disoriented. The reason is that it is contrary to the nature of a child of God to feed with pigs. God’s children are likened to sheep. Their food comes from heaven.
Jesus lays out this scene of the straying child in the story of the son who wanted to be on his own. The son went out into the world to live a life as he pleased. In the end he found himself living with the pigs. It was only when the son came to his senses, that he realized how far he had strayed from where he belonged.
The end of the tale of the straying son is that he does return into the arms of his loving father.
The issue of straying is also laid out in other Scriptures. The apostle Paul speaks of this in his writings. Listen:
“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:10)
And again,
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.“ (2Ti 2:24-26)
My message Sunday wasn’t limited to the straying believer. It included insights into the new covenant of Christ. You may wish to hear about a special class of angels who can bring strength into your life. You may wish to hear about a Father’s love that will allow no child of God to be separated from His love, even the straying child who has fed with the pigs.
For the benefit of readers who would appreciate hearing the message, here it is. It is titled, ‘A Covenant for Little Children.’
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/63510100#[/vimeo]Your Servant in Christ,
Buddy
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