Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Jesus said many things but there is one thing He did NOT say: "Whoso watcheth videos or movies, let him understand." What He DID say was, "Whoso readeth [Daniel] let him understand" (Matt. 24:15). Over and over He urged people to "read" the Bible which the Holy Spirit has inspired: "Have ye not read ... ?" "Have ye never read ... ?" "Did ye never read in the scriptures ... ?" etc., etc. (Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 21:16, 42; 22:31).
When He was invited to preach on Sabbath, He turned to Isaiah and read to the people.
A special "blessing" (happiness, life-giving joy) is for anyone who "readeth" the inspired words (Rev. 1:3). But a great proportion of those who claim to "love Jesus" don't love His word; they look on the Bible as boring. It has to be acted out as theater; then they think they can grasp it.
But the problem is that inevitably "theater" distorts and misrepresents the message God wants us to "understand." With the best of the actors' intentions to "play" Jesus, they produce fiction. We may think the drama helps us to visualize the original story, but it's always confusing in some way. And in this time of world history, confusion is the last thing any child of God wants. In fact, we are expressly called to "come out of her [Babylon, confusion], My people, that [we] be not partakers of her sins, and that [we] receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:3, 4).
God particularly, expressly, calls us to "read." The reason is that the Holy Spirit speaks in the word, which is the Bible; "I will make known My words unto you," He says (Prov. 1:23).
Yes, the promise is real: He will flash on to your mind the true re-creation of the original message or story God put into the text. You don't need some man to "play" Jesus for you in a video or movie (he will in every case distort and "confuse" the representation, because no man on earth is qualified to stand in for Jesus in a movie).
"Read" the word! Stay close to it, exercise your mind on it, bring it into focus, study; deny self. Let the Holy Spirit discipline you. Your salvation may depend on it.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: September 1, 2004.
Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to:dailybread@1888message.org
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Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
