We Have Tunnel Vision

For the sake of not offending a few, we have offended many. To leave undone one small but necessary thing paves the way for the destruction
of many things. The smithy, when he placed the shoes on the horse, left one nail unused. The rider mounted the horse and started his journey, perceiving all to be well. Before long the horse began to limp, almost imperceptibly at first. But as the rider continued on his way the horse limped more and ever more, until he was unable to go a single step farther. As the horse fell to the ground he pinned the rider beneath him. Because he was weighted down with such a heavy weight, the rider was not able to extricate himself from beneath the
load that was upon him. There he died.
This horse and rider story has been around for many years. So has the implication of the story. The insignificant nail, taken alone, is of little value. Taken as a part of the entire situation, the nail becomes the crucial element of the story. Such is life among the children of God.

The child of God will perceive that he can overlook the seemingly insignificant trivialities of life without fearing that anything detrimental will accrue to his account. The fallacy here is that we are to do all things to the glory of God. "All things" precludes
our exempting anything from our daily ministrations. The exclusion of the single nail was the beginning of the downfall of the horse and, ultimately, the rider.

Sometimes we have determined that, to please just one person, we will displease everyone else. We say that we do not want to offend anyone; therefore we will do, or not do, a certain thing. Never mind that such action offends everyone else. We just want to make sure that we do not offend that one person.

We are like the proverbial pig: he stands under the tree from which the acorns are falling, eating his fill of them, but he will never look upward to see the source of the acorns. We tend to look no further than the tip of our nose. Certainly we cannot see beyond the end of our arms. The thought of caring for people or things any more distant never enters our minds. We have tunnel vision, one-way thinking and closed minds. The facts never bother us: our
minds are made up already.

It is past time that we, as children of God, stand up for what is right and proper in the kingdom of God. This world would be a far better place for everyone if the children of God had been more diligent in preserving those Christian values that are tantamount to anything this world has to offer.

Misplaced values, ignored precepts, banished principles - the scourge of this generation. Until we are willing to admit that we are nothing without God in our lives, we will continue to be besieged by all manner of evils. We have the most precious of
treasures in our Lord Jesus, but He often withholds those treasures from us because of our disobedience. We discipline our children by limiting their freedoms as a result of their having misbehaved. God limits our successes, pleasures and joys as a result of our ignoring His laws, commands and directives.

Philippians 4:11 - "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." If we would learn this lesson and abide by it: but we will not.

In The Master's Service,
Elder Louis Culver