Remember Aesop?

Do you remember being in grade school and learning some of Aesop's fables? These were ancient fables that used animals in a story to illustrate a moral or teach a lesson. -- I read the following verses from Romans and it really made me think about one of Aesop's fables I learned as a child.

"Now I beseech thee brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16: 17-18

Ok, now you are thinking, "What is she talking about?!?" Let me explain:

Aesop wrote a fable about a fox and a crow. In the fable the crow picked up a piece of cheese and flew to a branch in a tree. The fox wanted the cheese and decided to compliment her singing voice deceitfully so she would start singing and the cheese would fall out of her mouth. Well, the crow fell for the trick and the fox gobbled up the cheese as soon as she dropped it. Then the fox laughed at the crow's gullibility.

In this passage from Romans Paul is warning Christians about false teachers like the fox. Paul tells us that we can spot a false teacher by his or her "fair speeches." Basically Paul is telling us that some people are all talk and are out to trip up Christians wherever they can. Christians often want to see the best in everyone because we are all created by God. However, there are people in the world that are teaching things contradictory to the Bible. Let's all remember to be vigilant and compare the word of God to what we are hearing because if something goes against God's word we need to get far away from it.

P.S. Don't forget to vote today!!!