Now that you have become a Christian, what’s next? Hopefully you will find that this course will help you with the fundamentals of being a Christian. This course is not focused so much on what you believe as much as how you live what you believe. The purpose is to equip with the tools you, as a new Christian need, to live a meaningful and directed life for God. Some of the topics covered will include prayer, bible study, worship, and intimacy with God. Covering these and other topics, you will learn good habits that will serve you in your Christian journey and help you through the challenging times, good and bad, in life.
The title comes from a mental image that has helped some – an image of a solid path made up of stepping stones. As you listen to the audio messages each week, you will work through a stepping stone, or key idea, that will guide you through the topic of the week. For example, the first week’s topic is Assurance. As you go through the homework, you will read several verses about God’s love and God’s sovereignty. To help guide you in your studies, this lesson will present the first and most important stepping stone.
Lesson From the Farmer’s Market
You must have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. — Leviticus 19:36
While at the Farmer’s Market, I saw two stands next to each other selling apples. One stand used a digital scale, the other, an analogue scale. I noticed at how each one did business because I wanted to buy apples, but I wanted a fair price.
I saw that the folks with the digital scale charged per pound and were accurate to the penny. I figured that no matter what, I would be paying the same price per pound that everyone else paid, and I thought that was fair.
The other stand, however, seemed to be a little less efficient. I saw a man pick out three pounds of Granny Smith’s. As the farmer took the apples and weighed them, the measure came to three pounds and a little over. It was between the big 3 and the next tick, which I assumed was an eighth of a pound. I was surprised to see that the farmer asked for the price of three pounds exactly. The customer said something about it to which the farmer replied, “I take an apple off, it’s a touch shy of three pounds. I keep it on, it is a touch more. Who wants to get into the business of splitting apples?” Another woman came to buy five pounds for making pies. When she mentioned this to the farmer, he asked her questions about what kind of taste she likes in her pies. After a brief discussion, he pointed to a different type of apple and suggested that they would make a better pie. She noted that they were more expensive, so she declined. However, the farmer then suggested that she take two and a half pounds of each to decide for herself. He would only charge for five pounds of the cheaper kind. Amazed by her good fortune, she gladly accepted.
It didn’t take me long to choose which stand would get my business.
Which of these farmers has the more honest scales? Maybe it would help to ask which of these farmers has the more accurate scales? After mulling on these questions for a bit, let me ask you one final question.
Is there a difference between accurate and honest?
The First Stepping Stone
1. Be honest in everything you do.
Keep in mind that being honest has more to do with integrity than with accuracy. A person of integrity not only states things accurately, but volunteers information as well. Again, be honest in all you do. When you talk to your friends, be honest. When you talk to God, be honest. When you think about yourself and your own life, it’s important to be honest.
As you go through the homework for this week, you’ll learn that there are good reasons to be honest, not just to avoid Hell, but to be able to draw close and be intimate with God.
One last thing, don’t put off doing the homework. As the Bible says, you reap what you sow. I urge you to sow consistent and diligent work. I pray that it is helpful to you as you continue to walk with God.