The Horse with the Green Spectacles
Temptation
What do movie stars do when they want to go somewhere without being recognized? I'd better tell you. They wear colored glasses. Sunglasses or goggles they are called.
There was once a stingy, miserly man who had a horse. This horse used to eat a lot of grass. The man thought he would be very clever and save some money at the same time. He got a pair of green glasses and put them on the horse. Then he brought some wood shavings and put them in front of the poor animal. Through the glasses the shavings looked like grass. The hungry horse did not know any better. It was time for lunch so he ate all the shavings. They weren't as good as he thought they would be, but he ate them anyway.
The man was so happy at saving the money on the horse's food, that he fed it shavings every day. The poor horse used to eat them. He began to get thinner and thinner until you could not see him from the front. Then one day he just rolled over and died.
What are we reminded of in the things in this story. Here's a hint or two. The man reminds me of the devil. He deceives the horse. Who is the horse? You are. You are horses this morning. What are the glasses? They are temptation. The shavings? Sin. Now you have the whole picture.
The second thing that will spoil our image of Christ is temptation. When the devil tempts you he puts green glasses on the eyes of your soul. Then he offers you some shavings and says, "Look how nice they are. How nice it would be," he goes on, "if you steal a nickle. Look at all the fun you'll have." So you steal the nickle. You don't have as much fun as you thought you were going to. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. Your conscience comes along and spoils all the fun. What a stupid old horse you have been.
Don't let the Old Boy fool you with his colored glasses. Take them off and look at the thing very coldly and say, "Shavings, phooey." You can't live on shavings. Remember what happened to the poor old horse. One day he just rolled over and died.
Now let's see if we can link this up with the temptation of Christ by Satan. The tempter coming said to Him, "If Thou be the Son of God command that these stones be made bread." Isn't that pretty much the same as saying, "Pretend that these shavings are grass," as the man said to the horse. Again they took Him to the top of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said, "All these will I give Thee." Isn't that pretty much the same as saying, "How nice it would be if you steal a nickle. Look at all the fun you'll have." Christ's answer is very brief and to the point. "Begone Satan." That should be the answer which we should give to the tempter, when he puts the green glasses on the eyes of our souls. "Begone Satan."
~ Heavenwords ~
Temptation
What do movie stars do when they want to go somewhere without being recognized? I'd better tell you. They wear colored glasses. Sunglasses or goggles they are called.
There was once a stingy, miserly man who had a horse. This horse used to eat a lot of grass. The man thought he would be very clever and save some money at the same time. He got a pair of green glasses and put them on the horse. Then he brought some wood shavings and put them in front of the poor animal. Through the glasses the shavings looked like grass. The hungry horse did not know any better. It was time for lunch so he ate all the shavings. They weren't as good as he thought they would be, but he ate them anyway.
The man was so happy at saving the money on the horse's food, that he fed it shavings every day. The poor horse used to eat them. He began to get thinner and thinner until you could not see him from the front. Then one day he just rolled over and died.
What are we reminded of in the things in this story. Here's a hint or two. The man reminds me of the devil. He deceives the horse. Who is the horse? You are. You are horses this morning. What are the glasses? They are temptation. The shavings? Sin. Now you have the whole picture.
The second thing that will spoil our image of Christ is temptation. When the devil tempts you he puts green glasses on the eyes of your soul. Then he offers you some shavings and says, "Look how nice they are. How nice it would be," he goes on, "if you steal a nickle. Look at all the fun you'll have." So you steal the nickle. You don't have as much fun as you thought you were going to. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. Your conscience comes along and spoils all the fun. What a stupid old horse you have been.
Don't let the Old Boy fool you with his colored glasses. Take them off and look at the thing very coldly and say, "Shavings, phooey." You can't live on shavings. Remember what happened to the poor old horse. One day he just rolled over and died.
Now let's see if we can link this up with the temptation of Christ by Satan. The tempter coming said to Him, "If Thou be the Son of God command that these stones be made bread." Isn't that pretty much the same as saying, "Pretend that these shavings are grass," as the man said to the horse. Again they took Him to the top of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said, "All these will I give Thee." Isn't that pretty much the same as saying, "How nice it would be if you steal a nickle. Look at all the fun you'll have." Christ's answer is very brief and to the point. "Begone Satan." That should be the answer which we should give to the tempter, when he puts the green glasses on the eyes of our souls. "Begone Satan."
~ Heavenwords ~
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