MARIOLATRY: The message is inside!

Editor’s note: If perhaps we have Catholic subscribers, it’s not The CRIB's intent to offend with this illustration; it’s simply our intent to propagate the truth as we know it; and, from a conservative, evangelical point of view, the worship of Mary is a form of idolatry.

Our hope is that our Catholic friends will consider the illustration’s aim and, perhaps, see why we believe what we do. We, on the other hand, are anxious to hear their apologetic concerning Mary as well.

A friend said worshiping Mary (revering her as divine) was refusing to open a letter from a special person because the envelop so impressed you. The envelope has the right “address,” the correct “return address,” and the correct postage but remains unopened.

My friend explained no matter what you like or don’t like about an envelop, it’s what inside that matters.

Mary knew who the letter within her was from, she also knew who it was for, and that the postage was prepaid … it was and is the content of Mary’s envelop which matters.

Christianity, Illustrations,
Mariolatry, Religion

Treasure

The Big Rocks! [Haggai 1:6; other topics – Priorities, Idols, Lusts, Greed, World]

To make a point, a time-management expert gave his highly placed students a pop quiz. Taking a big wide-mouthed jar, he positioned it on the table in front of him. He then took several fist-sized stones and carefully positioned them in the jar until they reached the top. He then asked, "Is the jar full?"

Everyone looked at each other then, shrugging their combined shoulders, said, "Yes!" "Really?" He asked, as he pulled a bag of pea gravel from under the table. Taking the jar he cautiously poured gravel into the open mouth of the jar, regularly shaking it to get the gravel to settle. Again he queried, "Is it full?"

A voice from the back of the room whispered, "Probably not!" "Good," the expert said. This time he pulled out a child’s sand bucket and carefully poured sand into the open mouth of the jar, again shaking it to get the sand to settle. "Is it full?" He challenged.

"No!" A combined class voice responded. "Good," he said as he took the water pitcher from the table and filled the jar to the brim. "Is it full?" He inquired.

"It sure looks like it," replied several members of the group. "Not good," the teacher chided, as he took a sugar bowl from the table and scooped spoon after spoonful of the white crystals into the saturated sand mixture.

When the surface became clogged with sandy sugar, he gently shook the jar until it dissolved. He repeated this until the sugar bowl was empty. "What’s the point?" He prompted.

One zealous young executive blurted out, "No matter how full the schedule, there’s always room for more, if you try!"

"No!" The speaker shot out. "No! This object lesson teaches us two things: 1.) if we don’t put the big rocks in first, we’ll never get them in at all; and 2.) once the big rocks are in, an orderly introduction of everything else accomplishes more than a random introduction."

What are the big rocks of your life? God? Family? Ministry? Charity? Others? Dreams? Country? Education? Health? Or are your big rocks of your life the things of this world? The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life?

If you sweat the small stuff you’ll fill your jar too fast, and with low priority things. Where your heart is there your treasure will be also. Where’s your heart?

Relativism

Six of One - Half-dozen of Another [Isaiah 55:6]

A giant sea turtle, which is on the international endangered species list, has been rescued from a floating Taoist temple in Hong Kong harbor. A local magistrate said the temple violated animal protection laws by keeping the turtle.

The giant sea turtle was being kept on the floating temple because the Taoists believed it had special powers for predicting typhoons. The temple master said the turtle was calm until the weather turned bad.

What troubles me most about this story is that the animal rights activists are no better or worse than the Taoists; both are creature worshipers; one actually, the other virtually.

Storm or calm, man is to turn to His Creator; and the only right worth defending is every man’s right to know His Creator. But how will they know, if no one goes to tell them; how will they go if no one is sent. [Romans 10:14,15]