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A Visit with Eli
Polluted
Air
A great truth was revealed when
someone said, "A closed fist can never
receive." The same principle is true concerning a closed
mind; it is incapable of receiving anything of value.
In his
autobiography, John Adams told of a night he spent in the same small
hotel room with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin had opened the window
to let in fresh air, but Adams insisted on closing the windows to
shut out the poison of the outside air.
Franklin responded
by saying that the poisons to be feared were not those of the
outside air, but rather, those that accumulate in the air when the
windows are shut.
Just as Franklin
believed in open windows, he also believed in open minds. Being a
world-renowned patriot, publisher, and inventor, Benjamin Franklin
practiced keeping the window of his mind open. He founded the first
fire insurance company in America, established a large paper-making
industry, was the father of the United States Weather Bureau,
proposed daylight saving time, founded the Philosophical Society,
instituted improvements in agriculture, and helped Thomas Jefferson
write the Declaration of Independence.
Christians cannot
properly mature with minds closed to God's truth. Just because one
has believed something for many years does not make it so. It is
blatant arrogance for anyone to conclude that he has the absolute
true perspective on every issue. Someone else may have a tremendous
insight on scripture; however, by refusing to listen we may shut out
truth, inspiration, and wisdom.
The Apostle John
stated,
"Dear friends, do not believe every
spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world"
(1 John
4:1).
If one is to truly test ideas, he must honestly test his own. When
one reads the Bible to prove his conclusions rather than reading the
Bible to reach conclusions, problems are going to occur. Nothing is
worse than conversing with someone who is unable to consider
anything other than his own understanding. It is the same as being
locked in a room with polluted air.
Grace and Peace,
©
Eli Borden |
