Post-Code or Christmas?
Carefully I addressed the Christmas card. The name was right, the street and
street number were right and the town was definitely right.
Inadvertently, the post-code was wrong. One wrong figure in a four-figure code
sent the letter spinning off to another town.
It eventually came back marked ‘address unknown’, a precious message of peace
and joy undelivered.
“They could have delivered it,” I remarked aloud, “if they had looked at the
whole address.” And I was quite cross.
But codes are a trendy short-cut to a full understanding. Many people look at
one tiny detail, fail to read the whole direction and eventually spin off in a
wrong direction.
Roadside Mail Box 17,
Post Code 2588
It is fashionable to look for codes in Scripture, too, and one verse can give
rise to a whole doctrine or set a trend that sends thousands spinning off in a
wrong direction. Paul said it takes all inspired Scripture to teach truth,
refute error and direct us in right living,
2nd Timothy 3:14-17, 'Remember that from early childhood you have been
familiar with the sacred writings which have power to make you wise and lead you
to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All inspired scripture has its use
for teaching the trugh and refuting error, or for the reformation of manners and
discipline in right living ... '
Paul's advice is guided by what Jesus himself said. He said 'their testimony
[the testimony of the scriptures] points to me, yet you refuse to come to me to
receive that life,' (John
5:39,40).
Postcodes are only a clue, a small part of the total, so don’t post-code Christ;
don’t let the precious message of Christmas get lost by failing to write the
whole address. We need the full meaning of Christmas from the scriptures, not
just the tinsel and quaint songs.
God does not want Christmas returned to him marked ‘address unknown’.
Elizabeth Price