Have you ever given it much thought of how you handle the Bible?
Think about this quote from the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee:
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.”
Even though the above is a quote from a secular book, it really explains a lot of things religious people do that make you shake your head in bewilderment. They sure fit the saying, “They are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good!”
The scriptures remind us to put things in the proper perspective and do them in correct order:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NKJV)
God is basicaly declaring that if you are truly heavenly minded you will be of the utmost earthly good! One of our problems is when we do not always first become heavenly minded by seeking His will in prayer, then afterwards walk in the Spirit on this earth by demonstrating His love.
Some people only have their eye on heaven while others only have their eye on earth. It is God’s will that we do both. If done properly, one compliments the other, making us a fuller and more useful person.
Simply said, “Our direction must first come from heaven, and afterwards, our actions must then come to fruition on this earth.”
Paul shared a dilemma he was in, which brings a whole new twist to the issue:
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Philippians 1:21-24 NKJV)
The question for you and me boils down to this: “Do we seek the Lord’s will continuously so we can be the best instrument in His hand in order to be a witness and aid to our fellow man?”
Or
“Are we a menace to those we come in contact with by mishandling the Bible?”
Annointing 