Dumber Than A Donkey
Let’s be honest here.
You probably know quite a few people who fit in this category.
Even though you know it is not polite to say this.

Introduction
We know it is not right to call someone “dumber than a donkey”.
That is just rude, even if we consider them such.
Or so we think.

There are times when God described His people in much the same way.
Isaiah 1:2-3
"Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; for the LORD speaks, "Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me. An ox knows its owner and a donkey its master's manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand".
Of course, God was speaking of the sinfulness of the people of Israel, but if we look carefully, we find that we might be in the same boat.
You do know that history repeats itself.
Many have quoted the famous words usually credited to Edmond Burke: "If we do not learn the lessons of the past, we are doomed to repeat them".
Someone else probably made the observation before him, but he had an audience and his quote caught on.
The Israelites back then had turned away from serving God, and were bowing down to idols.
The people were mistreating others, including some in their own families.

They had the same problems then that people have today.
It can be summed up in three words: Greed; Pride; and Selfishness.
They had forgotten where their true blessings came from.

As we consider this passage of scripture; it serves us as a warning to not take our way of life for granted or use our faith as a crutch.
As Christians, we are to be dedicated to serving the Lord, but do we really?
Perhaps if we have nothing better to do at the moment, or if serving Him does not get in our way, we will do it.
Does this not describe many who are in the church today?

It definitely describes those who claim to worship Jesus, but do not keep His commands.
One of our problems is that most people do not really know what a true Christian is.
Just because someone expresses a faith does not mean they are a true sincere Christian.
An example of this would be some sports personalities, some entertainment personalities: while they profess to be Christians, their lifestyle and example do not show them to be living the life of a Christian.
In fact there are many who claim to be Christians, yet their lives are no different than people of the world.
Some may go to a church service sometimes, but their life is not consistent with total dedication which Christ called for.
It is like we read in Titus 1:16: “they profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed”.
Many claim a relationship with Christ, but their worship and actions do not follow His commands.
Remember Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven”.

Another reason people do not know what Christians are might be the fact that so many people refer to the United States as a Christian nation.
The truth is that very few of the citizens of this great country are what God would call a Christian.
As you look at our society you see just about every sin being glorified, and those who denounce sin as hateful people.
Most likely, this is going to continue, so we who are Christians will have to be ever more vigilant.
While this country was founded upon the right of people to worship as they saw fit, we know that the original colonists wanted to worship God as taught in the Bible. Other religions came in to make up our society.
The majority of the religions reject God.

How sad that so many who claim to be followers of the Bible reject God's commandments as found in the Bible.
Sure they offer excuses and reasons, but the main reason is they do not see fit to honor God as God.
Romans 1:21: “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
If we are to reach heaven, we know that we must make every effort to do those things which God has commanded.
Those who refuse to submit to God's will are going to be refused the glory of heaven.
There are many descriptions in the Bible about these people.
God calls them obstinate, rebellious, stupid, evil, and the list goes on and on.

Perhaps most people do not care about their souls, and that is very obvious as many of them question whether they have a soul or not.
The sad thing is that the culture of our society is permeating into our churches.
That is a reason we are losing so many to the world.
Our members are being told to conform to the world, even though the Bible tells us not to be conformed to this world.
Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
This trend needs to change to where more people will serve God and turn away from the evil of our day.

And it will be the true Christians that will make it happen.
Our job is to help people get to heaven.
So let us start the process and work on one soul at a time.
Let us let our light shine and provide the example people need to see.
If the preachers of our land would be bold and courageous to speak the truth out loud, most of those influenced by the world and are not willing to change to what God wants them to be would just leave (and they have).
If the preachers of our land spoke what the Bible teaches, many sins which the world embraces, would have not succeeded in replacing the Bible.
Yet many preachers (wanting to keep their jobs) coddle these people and sugar coat the message of Christ.
Many of the members demand feel-good type lessons and do not want to constantly hear about the failure to keep God’s commands, and what will result from such behavior.
Paul told Timothy that these times would come in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
It is like Jeremiah said that this wickedness has permeated many people of God, and they love if so.
Jeremiah 5:30-31: “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and my people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?”

Preachers who fail to influence people to actually serve the Christ will give an account to God on judgment day.
Elders will also give an account to God on judgment day concerning their leadership.
conclusion
God pointed out that dumb animals knew where their meals came from.
But God was upset because the people had turned away from serving God.
If we are not careful, we may repeat what they did, and God will consider us as dumb donkeys.
I do not want to be considered such, and I hope you do not want to be considered such.
Your response to this message will tell what you are.

By Carey Scott

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