30/01/13

They knew not they were gathering wild gourds

2 Kings 4:39 - And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.


Today we received the same message what we received a few days back.

The scripture states some men who were instructed by Elisha to make stew for the sons of the Prophets went out to collect herbs and landed pickup wild gourd, only because they could not distinguish them to be harmful. These people were either teachers of the sons of the Prophets or care takers of them.

What I found interesting was the Hebrew word used for herbs "'owrah" also means light. The scripture in other words says these people when out to bring light and landed picking up darkness for the wild vines were poisonous wild gourds. These wild gourds would not have killed a grownup man but a small kid it surely could cause great harm and even death.

In today's message the Lord is telling us Preachers and Pastors are pickup up knowledge from others without discerning them and feeding this to the congregation. These teachings may look good and may refer to scriptures of the Bible but then they are sometimes twisted teaching or an understanding which contradicts other scriptures.

Any teaching however good it may seem, if it goes against any scripture is like poison. It may not kill instantly but soon or later it will harm us. In our previous messages the Lord told us to test every teaching that we hear and receive with scriptures. If we find them contradicting any scripture we need to question the person who gave us the teaching. But if we find no scripture contradicting it and yet the teaching hard to receive we should not reject it, we should ponder on it as and when we can, or wait on the Lord to open it up for us, for rejecting it will only harden our hearts.

Just to give you an example. Some days back I attended a couple's session where a couple from abroad, whose ministry is concentrated on family, gave some practical pointers to build relationship between a married couple. All their pointers were good and practical but then there was one statement which made me question their foundation. One of them said they would even give up their ministry for the sake of keeping the relation between them. This may look like great love but then this teaching is like wild gourd.

Let us understand marriage, marriage happens when two come together in a commitment to each other. A family is like default relationship which God has set us into and is based on a blood relationship but marriage is a spiritual relationship which God states overrides our blood relationship. That is why He said a man and woman with leave their mother and father and become one. It did not mean literate leaving but showed the importance of marriage over our relationship with our parents or blood relationship.

Now if marriage is a spiritual relationship then without the Lord how can it be a spiritual relationship?

We need to understand marriage is more of us imitating a heavenly event. Even though animals also have relationships, some of them very committed unto death (like in elephants and penguins) yet their relationship is not called a marriage.

Therefore giving up on Christ or His call in our lives for the sake of marriage is wrong also not keeping and building the relationship that is of Christ (for by it we imitate the church becoming one with the Lord in Heaven) for the sake of our call in Christ is also not a solution. If the Lord is in our relationship then surely He who bought the two together and also gave callings, knew if they could be achieved together or not. The problem comes mostly because people do not what the Lord has called them to do but do what they feeling like doing in the Lord's Kingdom according to worldly understanding and traditions.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, we pray that the shepherds You have appointed over your people will be blessed with your wisdom to discern the teachings that they pickup to give unto their congregation. Lord, we pray for a revival among the shepherds that they receive more from You than from the world. That they stop giving stale Manna but make bread of fresh Manna that the receive from You daily and give Living Bread...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
2 Kings 4:38-41
38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.
39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.
40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

1 Corinthians 11:3 - But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Luke 20:34-36
34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 7:34-40
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
36 But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
37 Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
40 But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.


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