Education: a wonderful thing

Education is a wonderful thing. Every one needs an education. I am reminded though, of the old farmer that sent his son off to college to get an education. The son came home for a visit and the next morning at breakfast the son exclaimed as he sipped his coffee, oww, that is hot. The father said, “saucer and blow your coffee son.” The son , ignoring his fathers advice; sipped his coffee and said, oww, that is hot. The father, highly indignant wrote the president of the college and said, I sent my son to you to be educated and you sent me back a fool. The college president sent back the reply; we educated what you sent.

To often this seems to be the situation. People become educated beyond their usefulness. They do not seem to be able to evaluate the statements that they make. One such is the seminarian that  pastors a church begun in the fifties or sixties and then decries the idea of missions when the church he is pastoring began as a mission by a missionary. For that preacher to be true to what he says he believes must find a church that began as a church. Admonition: be true to what you say you believe.

Let us take this one step further. There are those that think they are expert Greek and Hebrew translators because they have had 4 years of each language. This is a laughable situation. The language scholarship of today does not begin to  touch the scholarship of the King James translators. How many today know 17 different oriental languages? How many keep their daily diary in Greek? How many sauntered around the house as a preteen reading both Greek and Hebrew. There is an insinuation that if you don’t know the language, you cannot be adept at understanding God’s Word. This has cast into a very bad light many of the preachers that built our churches as ignorant buffoons. Some of the best preachers I have known and read about did not know the languages and we have many churches that are doctrinally sound because these ignorant men had a closeness to God that brought a true diligence to their study and they were aided by the Holy Spirit.

I desire a day where superiority because of education were mitigated by a humility that honor’s Christ. There are many things that can be learned from those that have not had the advantage of seminary studies. This might be a blessing because they have not sat under those teachers that are biased in one way or another.

We should have a hunger for the Word and an open mind to accept what it says.

This Day

May I smile at all I see
may I set some soul free.

May time slow its speedy pace
may I regard another’s face.

May I reflect on God above
may I return His perfect love.