Today's encouragement comes from Hebrews 13:9a, where we read these words:
"Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. . . . "Some people are enamored with weird, heterodox, heretical, "new," and, as this text says, "various and strange" doctrines. God's faithful churchmen are not to tinker with the bizarre, (any more than we are with the occult). If some doctrine cannot find a place in the church's great Creeds and best Confes-sions and Catechisms—all of which are compilations of the Scripture’s overall teaching—it certainly should have no place in our hearts or belief-systems.
Our Father’s restrictions are not put forth to thwart our desire for adventure; instead, they are guides to facilitate our fullest life in Christ. Nothing kills true life and joy more readily than error, or heresy. Let us remember this: sincere humility keeps the believer close to Jesus; pride is what causes us to wander away from Him.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Such a high degree of courtesy in so great a per-son as this apostle [Paul] reproves all those professing Christians who, though far below Paul, are not courteous and respectful in their behavior to their neighbors, and especially to their superiors.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Character of Paul an Example to Christians"]
