Vegetarians

Paul Harvey, much beloved radio personality, once quipped, “Vegetarian is an old Indian word for ‘doesn’t hunt well.”’ I’m a 21^st Century senior “vegetarian”. I don’t hunt well in this age of “too much information”. I’m self-taught in most electronics with just enough information to use them, but not to their fullest extent. I learn as I need and will continue to rely on the “rocket scientist’s” to simplify new products for me to use.

In a small eastern Kentucky town, the local police chief also served as part of the Volunteer Fire Department. His job was to answer the phone, and in the event of a fire, was to ring the fire bell to summon all the volunteer firemen in the county. One Saturday morning, the phone rang and the chief answered, “Fire department.” The terrified voice of a woman yelled, “Hurry, send the fire truck!” and immediately hung up the phone. The chief sat there stunned. “Send it where?” The phone rang again, and the chief answered, “Fire department.” Once more, in hysterical cries, the voice cried, “Hurry! Hurry!, send the fire truck,” and again hung up the phone. The chief ran out into the street and surveyed the scene for a full 360 degrees, looking for smoke. No smoke. Where was the fire? Whose house was going up in flames? Were there children who were in danger? All these things flitted through his mind. He heard the phone rang again, and on the way back to the station office, he devised a way to keep the lady on the phone long enough to find where to send the fire truck. He grabbed the phone, and yelled, “Where’s the fire?” The voice on the other end returned the yell by saying, “In the kitchen!” and promptly hung up the phone once more. Some days one can’t get enough information.

[1 Timothy 3:14 - 4:4] It is extremely difficult to know where you are going or how to get there without sufficient information. Today, so much of what is called religion is a lot like the humorous fire situation. Insufficient information leaves people insufficiently informed, and the lack of information promotes nothing but confusion. “...my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge...” (Hosea 4:6). I’m convinced that there are many Bible vegetarians today. There is no meat in their diet because they don't hunt well. They do not search or hunt through the Scriptures as they should. Only the full truth of God satisfies every situation in life. It is by “every word” that comes from God’s mouth, that our Lord says life in him is possible (John 14:5-21). So, how do we know we’re going in the right direction? We measure the growth of children with a yardstick. We measure the growth of knowledge by testing students in school. But how do you measure spiritual growth? Second Peter gives us the measuring stick. We must “add to our faith" (2 Pet. 1:5-8). Our children grow to be six feet tall, but they do it an inch at a time. Rocket scientists started out learning how to add and subtract. And mature Christians begin as “babes” who desired “the sincere milk of the word” and “grow” by it (1 Peter 2:2). Physical growth comes naturally. Mental growth requires teaching and personal study. Spiritual growth is the result of deep desire coupled with self-discipline as we add to our faith the virtues mentioned in 2 Peter. Physical growth is seen on the yardstick. Mental growth is seen in the test scores. Spiritual growth is seen in our life-style. Let me encourage you to examine your spiritual growth by a careful reading of 2 Peter 1:5-8. You might also notice the “Fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23. Is your spiritual growth producing any fruit? Good fruits appear only on new healthy growing branches.