Monday, October 24, 2005

Life to the Fullest

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

—John 10:10

A missionary went to Africa to bring the gospel to a tribe of cannibals. The men in this tribe were so vicious, they would carve their teeth into points in preparation for their attacks.  The missionary thought, “If I could reach the chief of this tribe, if he would put his faith in Christ, then the others would soon follow.”

The problem was this missionary tended to emphasize the negatives of Scripture.  So instead of telling the chief about the wonderful liberty and freedom that can be found in Christ, this missionary kept hammering on the importance of keeping certain rules.

After listening to the missionary for awhile, the chief said, “So you are telling me that I can’t take my neighbor’s wife.”

“That’s right,” the missionary said.

“Or his oxen or his ivory.”