I have a friend who loves Indian artifacts, and he goes and looks for arrowheads at every opportunity. Throughout my many years spent afield I’ve collected quite a few points myself, and whenever I find one in a field or creek, I try to imagine what the Indian who owned it might have been shooting at. Was it an arrow loosed during a fierce battle, or perhaps merely a misspent arrow shot at a whitetail deer or wild turkey?
I attached the best points of my collection to a wooden plaque shaped like an arrowhead for display. My most prized artifact was placed dead center on the plaque. It was a large heavy piece of flint that had carefully sharpened edges and an area smoothed out on each side of the center. It looked like it had been fashioned to be a perfect fit for lashing a handle, and a hunting buddy told me, “upon good authority”, that it was a tomahawk. I envisioned a brave young warrior banging his foes upside the head with it and of course, I told everyone who ever viewed it that it was a tomahawk.
One day a college professor who was an authority on Native Americans came over and I proudly pointed it out to him and asked for his analysis. He looked it over rather disinterestedly and then nonchalantly told me that it was an implement designed to dig potatoes.
A potato digger? It was used by Indian squaws to dig potatoes?
“Thanks a heck of a lot professor! Thanks for nothing . . . ” I felt like ripping it off the wall and banging him upside his head with it.
My friend loved my arrowhead plaque so much that I just gave it to him. Although I liked it, I figured that he, being the fanatic that he is, would undoubtedly derive far more pleasure from it than I ever would. I was right, he indeed has it proudly displayed in his living room to this very day.
I spoke with him on the phone the other day and told him that we’d just plowed all the fields of our farm. He loves this time of year because the freshly harrowed earth reveals all sorts of long-lost Indian artifacts. He excitedly asked if I’d found any arrowheads yet.
“Man I hit the jackpot”, I enthusiastically replied. “I found over 100 points in a little area no more than 10×10 feet in diameter. I think maybe I found an arrowhead factory, or perhaps a ceremonial burial ground.”
“Geez Louise, were they in good shape?”
“They were perfect; not a single arrowhead was broken or chipped in any way. I found large ceremonial spearheads, hunting points, and even some bird points.”
My friend was now salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs and he asked, “What color were they?”
“Jet black and shiny as the morning dew. They were pure obsidian.”
“Obsidian? I thought that only came from out west.”
I replied, “Actually I did some research on that and discovered that Ute Indian runners made the arduous, dangerous, trip traveling all the way from Arizona to northern Florida to trade obsidian flint blanks to the Florida tribes for their highly coveted coral blanks. I’ve never seen such beautiful arrowheads.”
“That does it; I’m coming up there first thing in the morning!”
“Why?”
He nearly shouted, “To find some of those arrowheads you dunce!”
I calmly replied, “But I’m lying.”
“Huh”
“I’m lying. I was just joshing you a little to get you revved up this morning. I don’t even know what a Ute Indian is.”
“Ha, Ha, Ha,” I laughed. “It looks like it worked.”
You no good #$@!”
Isn’t it funny how we tend to be so gullible? In fact, too many of us believe anything and everything that is read or said. Nowhere is it more dangerous to believe just anything that comes down the pipe than when it comes to our eternal salvation? It never ceases to amaze me when folks tell me the denomination they belong to, and then without pausing to take a breath explain that their daddy, and his daddy, and his daddy, and daddy after daddy was in such and such denomination.
So?
What if daddy after daddy was wrong, beginning with the “daddy rabbit”? I put my faith in the Bible. It has withstood the test of time, and throughout century after century, untold numbers of doubters (including me) have tried to disprove it only to end up believing its inerrant truths. Even today the Bible remains the best-selling book in the world and more books have been written about it than all the rest of the books of the world combined. All the dictators, cult theocracies, and WOKE dummies in the world have not been able to stamp it out or change it in any way.
I urge you not to put your faith in what your daddy or momma, or preacher, or this writer of daily devotionals (me), or friend, or Gallup poll tells you to believe when it comes to how and where you will spend eternity. Test everything with the Bible. Trust that an all-powerful God capable of speaking the world into existence would not allow one word of His primary holy communiqué with the world to get perverted or distorted.
How can you know what it says? Read it for yourself – it is that important!
I’ve read the Bible cover to cover so many times that I’ve forgotten how many times I’ve read it. The Bible provides all the answers that I need to reveal the truths that I need in my life. While I’m weak and desperately need the Lord to steer me away from the things that would hurt me, I have that enlightened path brightened and illuminated for me through the Bible.
What do you base your belief system upon? Your own logic? What mama believes? What you heard some great preacher tell you to believe? What you’ve read in this column? What if they are wrong?
The Bible states that when we die we will kneel before almighty God. We will be utterly alone with Him, (Mama and all those other folks will not be there). We will give an account for what we did in this life. Better to know what God’s holy word tells you about that event than some pseudo-intellectual. Our eternal destiny, (that’s forever), is riding on it.
The Bible warned that many false prophets have gone out into the world, not only in ancient times but today. Their desire is to deceive, and we are to test what is said. God would not warn His precious children of this danger were it, not a clear and present danger and serious threat to us. We should heed this warning. How do we test to see if their message comes from God? By checking the veracity of what is said with the Bible. If it’s not in the Bible or has been twisted, then don’t give it any credence.
One example that comes to mind, “Take an eye for an eye”. While the Bible states those words, Jesus warns us that though some say this we should not do it. – “Money is the root of all evil”. Not true the Bible states that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. We need to look carefully and listen to the spirit . . .
Have a great day today, and if you see any Utes running around, send them to me, I have some pieces of coral for trade on hand and ready to barter.
1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.