WHY can't the little horse run? He is a very fine horse, with a handsome mane and tail, good shoes, a fine set of harness, and a very bright look in his eye. He has a dear little rider on his back, and a lively young driver holding the reins, but for all that he cannot run. Why is it?
After all he may be a very fine horse indeed, but he has no life. You are not like the painted horse, are you? You are breathing all the time, even when you are asleep. The Bible says, "God . . breathed into his [man's] nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:77And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7). When you were born, God gave you the breath of life, and your life is in His hand so that He can take it away when He pleases. Be sure that you are not like the man to whom God had to say, "The God in whose hand thy breath is . . . hast thou not glorified." Daniel 5:2323But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: (Daniel 5:23).
Of course Mother loves her two little girls very much. You can tell by their happy faces, tidy hair, and pretty little dresses, that their mother cares for them in a hundred loving ways, and they love her in return. But the painted horse does not love Mother. Somebody spent hours shaping and painting and harnessing him just like that, but the painted horse does not love anybody at all!
Do you love the God who made you, and who cares for you in a hundred loving ways? He wants your love in return. He longs for you so much that He gave His only Son to die, so that you might be one of His children forever. Open your heart to Him today, learn more of Him, and you cannot help loving Him in return.
The painted horse has no heart at all, and so he is not to blame. But you have a warm little heart that God has given you, and if you turn away from Him, and try to fill your heart with the things of this world, you surely are to blame. Our hearts are sinful in the sight of God, and He has not only asked us, but He has commanded us to turn to Him in repentance. (Acts 17:3030And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30)).
Do you love Him? Is the name of Jesus the dearest Name in your heart?
If you are saved we know it is, for
Messages of the Love of God 3/28/1948