Pelican
Christians
Homer Anderson
"The public health authorities of
San Diego had a tough problem not so long ago. The pelicans on
their beaches were starving to
death by the hundreds. It seems for years the pelicans had been
beneficiaries of the throwaway fish from the local fishing catch.
But more recently, the fishermen had stopped this practice and
now the pelicans had nothing to eat A new generation had arisen
that had never known the simple act of walking into the water to
catch their own fish. And nobody, it seemed, could 'talk pelican'
to explain how easy it would be to get food. The solution was found
in bringing some unspoiled pelicans from Alaska. They were placed
on the beach and they quickly showed the old crowd how they could
get a good dinner."
Many Christians have a problem somewhat
similar to the pelicans described in the story above. They have
been hand-fed their religion
by parents, preachers, elders, and Bible school teachers until
they have failed to develop their own skills in the study of God's
word. A secondhand faith will prove to be weak when it is tested.
The Bible is simple to understand if we only apply ourselves to
reading it Paul told Timothy to "Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Bereans "searched
the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts
17:11). Without neglecting the assembly (Hebrews 10:25), we can
find a simple solution to cure this problem–increased personal
Bible study at home! ?
 The Lesson of the Ants
Arthur Peterson
Several missionaries were having tea one afternoon, when an ant
appeared on e white tablecloth, made its way to a tea cake, walked
around it, and finding nothing to eat, made straight for the sugar
bowl. After eating several bits, it went off with a small piece.
They watched it disappear underneath the door. It soon returned
with several of its relations. They climbed the table leg, entered
the sugar bowl, and ate their fill. They then departed, each with
a piece of sugar in its mouth. But it did not end there - presently
a swarm of ants arrived to partake of the same sweet food.
These ants teach us a great lesson. The
first went and told others the "good news," who, in turn, went and told the glad
story to many more. Like Isaiah, the demoniac, the woman of Samaria,
and others, we must "go and tell" the glad story of God's
redeeming love!
'Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from
the hand of the enemy' (Psalms 107:2).
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