I sometimes wonder if words have lost all meaning.
Today on my lunch hour, I went by the Comcast customer service center to return our cable and internet equipment. Without even intending to do so, I noticed a very large sign on the door that read, "NO SOLICITING."
As I walked up to the window to turn in the equipment, I overheard the customer at the adjacent window say, "I'm not soliciting, but..." In my experience, when someone begins a statement by saying, "I'm not __________, but...," that generally means they are about to do or say exactly that which they just said they are not doing or saying.
This woman wanted to drop off coupons for her business. The sole purpose of her presence in that office was to direct increased traffic to her business...also known as SOLICITING. Despite the obvious flagrant disregard for the company's rule, the Comcast employee accepted the coupons.
So I ask, do words even have meaning anymore?
Much of our society has fallen into intellectual laziness -- the kind that bristles at the use of simple logic or proper use of terms. This has spilled over mightily into the spiritual realm.
For example, when the Bible says...
He who believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16),
The world says, "Baptism isn't necessary to be saved."
When the Bible says...
There is one body (Ephesians 4:4), the church, which is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23),
The world says, "There are many churches, and one is as good as another."
When the Bible says...
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24),
The world says, "There is no right way and wrong way to worship God."
My friends, there can be no doubt that when it comes to certain matters, for some, words have lost all meaning. Seeing that the method by which God has revealed His will to mankind is through the written and spoken word, this is a genuine tragedy.
The Holy Spirit guided inspired men to write "all the truth" (John 16:13). The truth has been conveyed by words, and it is these truths alone that have the ability to set the soul of every man free from the grips of sin and death (John 8:32).
It is time to renew our appreciation for words and their meaning -- especially when it comes to the words of the Almighty God.
r2
