“THE
HARNESS OF THE LORD”
(Adapted
from Bill Britton)
QUESTION:
“IS GETTING SAVED THE EASY BIT?”
ANSWER:
Yes, in a way you could say that.
Although
spiritual circumcision has taken place (Col 2:11), your saved soul is
still
trapped inside of a criminal … your flesh body. Old habits can die
hard. And
put it this way, sometimes God leaves enough fleas on the dog to let it
know it
is still a dog (2Cor 12:8-9). Like Paul with his thorn in the flesh
(2Cor 12:7)
EXPLANATION:
A
STORY
On
a dirt road in the middle of a wide field STOOD THE KING'S
CARRIAGE, edged in gold, with beautifully carved adornments. It was
pulled
by six large horses, two in the lead, two in the middle, and two in the
rear.
But the horses were not moving; they were not pulling the carriage, and
I
wondered why. Then I saw the driver underneath the carriage, on the
ground on
his back, just behind the last two horses' hooves, working on something
between
the front wheels of the carriage. I thought, "Man, he's in a dangerous
place. If one of the horses kicks, or steps back, it could kill him. Or
if they
decided to go forward, or got frightened somehow, they could pull the
carriage
right over him."
BUT
HE DIDN'T SEEM AFRAID,
for he knew that the horses were disciplined
and would not move until he told them to move. The horses were neither
stamping
their hooves, nor acting restless. There were bells on their hooves,
but they
were not tinkling. There were pom-poms on their heads, but the pom-poms
were
not moving. They were simply standing still and quiet, waiting for the
voice of
the King.
AS
I WATCHED THE HARNESSED HORSES,
I noticed two young colts coming out onto the
open field next to the dirt road. They approached the carriage and
seemed to
say to the King's horses: "Come and play with us. We have many fine
games.
We will race with you. Come catch us . . .”
And,
with that, the colts
kicked up their hooves, flicked their tails, and raced across the open
field.
But when they looked back and saw the harnessed horses were not
following, they
were puzzled. Again, the colts called to them: "Why do you stand so in
the
hot sun? Come over here in the shade. See how green the grass is? You
must be
hungry. Come and feed with us. It is so abundant, so green and so good.
You
look thirsty. Come drink from one of the many streams of cool water."
BUT
THE HORSES DIDN'T REPLY OR RESPOND IN ANY
WAY.
The colts knew nothing of
harnesses, and could not understand why these horses did not respond.
The colts
again called to the horses, but they did not answer. Neither did they
stamp
their feet or toss their head in response. They stood quiet and still,
waiting
for the voice of their King.
The
scene changed. I saw two lassos fall around the necks of the
two colts, and they were led off to the King's corral for training and
discipline. How sad they were as the lovely green fields disappeared,
and they
were put into the confinement of the corral with its brown dirt and
high fence.
The colts ran from fence to fence, seeking freedom, but found that they
were
confined to this place of training. And then the Trainer began to work
with
them, with his whip and his bridle. How difficult, for those who had
been
accustomed to such "freedom" all their lives.
THE
COLTS COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE REASON
for this correction and discipline. What great
crime had they done to deserve this? Little did they know of the
responsibility
that was to be theirs when they had submitted to the discipline and
finished
their training, learning to perfectly obey their Trainer. All they knew
was
that this training was the most horrible thing they had ever known.
ONE
OF THE COLTS REBELLED UNDER THE TRAINING,
and said, "This is not for me. I like my freedom,
my green hills, my flowing streams of fresh water. I will not take any
more of
this confinement, this terrible discipline." So he found a way out,
jumped
the fence and ran happily back to the meadows of grass. And I was
astonished
that the Trainer let him go, and did not go after him. He devoted his
attention
to the remaining colt. This colt, though he had the same opportunity to
escape,
decided to submit his own will, and learn the ways of the Trainer.
AND
THE TRAINING GOT HARDER THAN EVER.
But he was rapidly learning more and more how
to obey the slightest wish of the trainer, and to respond to even the
quietness
of his voice. And I saw that had there been no training or testing,
there would
have been neither submission nor rebellion from either of the colts.
For in the
field, they did not have the choice to rebel or submit. But when
brought to the
place of testing, training, and discipline, it was then that the
obedience of
the one and the rebellion of the other were made manifest. And though
it seemed
safer not to come to the place of discipline and confinement because of
the
risk of being found rebellious, yet I saw that without this there could
be no
sharing of the abundance of the King.
FINALLY,
THE PERIOD OF TRAINING WAS OVER.
Was the colt now rewarded with his freedom, and
sent back to the fields? No! But an even greater confinement than ever
now took
place, as a harness dropped about his shoulders. Now he found there was
not
even the freedom to run about the small corral, for in the harness he
could
only move where and when his Master spoke. And unless the Master spoke,
he
stood still.
THE
SCENE CHANGED,
and I saw the other colt standing on the side
of a hill, nibbling at some grass. Then across the fields, down the
road came
the King's carriage, drawn by six horses. With amazement he saw that in
the lead,
on the right side, was his brother colt, now made strong and mature on
the good
grain in the King's stable. He saw the lovely pom-poms shaking in the
wind,
noticed the glittering gold bordered harness about his brother, heard
the
beautiful tinkling of the bells on his feet . . . and envy came into
his heart.
Thus he complained to himself: "Why has my brother been so honoured,
and I
am neglected? They have not put bells on my feet, nor pom-poms on my
head.
THE
KING HAS NOT GIVEN ME THE WONDERFUL
RESPONSIBILITY
of pulling his carriage,
nor put about me the golden harness. Why have they chosen my brother
instead of
me?" And by the Spirit the answer came back to me as I watched.
"Because
one submitted to the will and discipline of the King, and one rebelled,
thus
has one been chosen and the other set aside."
THEN
I SAW A GREAT DROUGHT SWEEP ACROSS THE
LAND,
and the green grass became
dead, dry, brown and brittle. The little streams of water dried up,
stopped
flowing, and there was only a small muddy puddle here and there. I saw
the
little colt (I was amazed that it never seemed to grow or mature) as he
ran
here and there, across the fields looking for fresh streams and green
pastures,
finding none. Still he ran, seemingly in circles, always looking for
something
to feed his hunger and quench his thirst. But there was drought and
famine in
the land, and the rich green pastures and flowing streams of yesterday
were not
to be had. And one day the colt stood on the hillside on weak and
wobbly legs,
wondering where to go next to find food, and how to get strength to go
on.
IT
SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS NO USE,
for good food and flowing streams were a thing
of the past, and all the efforts to find more only taxed his waning
strength.
Suddenly, he saw the King's carriage coming down the road, pulled by
six great horses.
And he saw his brother, strong, with muscles rippling, sleek and
beautiful from
much grooming. His heart was amazed and perplexed, and he cried out:
"My
brother, where do you find the food to keep you strong in these days of
famine
and drought?
I
HAVE RUN EVERYWHERE IN MY FREEDOM, SEARCHING
FOR FOOD,
and I find none. Where do
you, in your awful confinement, find food in this time of drought and
famine?
Tell me please, for I must know!"
AND
THEN CAME THE ANSWER
in a voice filled with victory and praise:
"In my Saviour’s house, there is a secret place in the confines of his
stables where he feeds me by his own hand, and His granaries are never
empty,
and his well is never dry! IT’S CALLED THE KING JAMES BIBLE. READ
AND
BELIEVE!”
AND
THE LORD MADE ME TO KNOW THAT TODAY
when people are weak and famished in a time of
physical and spiritual famine, that those who have lost their own
wills, and
have come into the secret place of the Almighty God (not
sovereign god
NKJV) into the confinement of his perfect will, shall have plenty of
the bread
of heaven, and a never-ending flow of fresh streams of living water –
the water
of his word.
“That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word, … (Ephesians 5:26)
**** ****
Harley
Hitchcock
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com
The Story of
Bulldog
Tom
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