Is It Narrow-Minded?
I don’t know about you, but I get a little weary of
hearing the word “narrow” used as a slur against preachers who adhere to
the Bible in their preaching. Sure they are “narrow,” but so are factory
workers, surgeons, druggists, and teachers.
The factory worker is so “narrow” that he uses micrometers and measures to the thousandth of an inch the bores and pistons of engines, electronic components and balancing wheels in timepieces.
The surgeon is so “narrow” that he insists on
ultra-technical laboratory analysis and meticulously sterilized
instruments of
special design. Why is he so “picky narrow” that he makes his assistants
wear cloths over their faces?
The druggist is so “narrow” that he just has to have a prescription before he will let you have certain drugs. He says he has to be “narrow” because government regulations are narrow, and even thinks it is for your good!
As you think about it, it’s a blessing that somebody
is “narrow-minded.” And however much we need to be narrow about vital
material matters, we must be infinitely more careful and exact about
spiritual laws. God will not be mocked!
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and
broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and
difficult is the
way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew
7:13-14).