A new pastor had been posted recently to the church in the town. He was a young and dynamic personality, impressing all by his sermons and ready reference to the Bible verses, which made him a favorite within the first few weeks. There was none who did not want to invite him for dinner.
Mrs. Smith was the luckiest to have the privilege to have him for dinner at her house. The Pastor had consented to it and she was thrilled. So the lucky day came on the weekend evening i.e. on Saturday and he was there at the agreed time.
His presence was mesmerizing and on and off he was quoting from Bible to support his statements. As Mrs. Smith lay the table, the pastor requested for the Bible to read before saying grace. On the top of the almirah lay the deserted Bible, with dust on it, evidencing that the family had never bothered to pick it up. It was an embarrassing situation for the Smith family but the pastor ignored it and read a couple of verses and then the grace all started with the dinner.
It was a satiating dinner and the pastor was happy to have it. The Smiths family also were happy. Then all gathered, had a small discussion, some jokes, some laughter, and then the Pastor departed.
As Mrs. Smith was collecting the dishes to wash, she realized to her dismay that one of the silver spoons is missing. She searched it everywhere; in fact, she literally read out the parable of the lost coin in her mind and prayed to Jesus to help her in finding the spoon. But it seemed that the Lord was not answering her prayers. (She thought so !!)
She even came to a conclusion once that maybe the pastor took it with him, as it really was expensive silverware. But she could not do anything about it and neither could she speak out her heart to the members of her family.
A year passed and now the Pastor would leave on account of transfer as he had completed his tenure. This time again the Smith family grabbed the opportunity to invite the Pastor home. As usual, the Pastor was on time and the usual thing happened except for reading the Bible. This time the Pastor had brought his bible along with him.
While they were having their dinner, many times Mrs. Smith had an urge to ask the Pastor about the spoon which she lost last time. This question, in fact, had been disturbing her and ultimately she asked the Pastor whether he had taken the silver spoon last time.
This shocked everyone and Mr. Smith was got angry with his wife for her audacity to ask such a question. But the Pastor responded with a smile. He quickly asked them to bring the Family Bible. It was still in the same place, unattended, or rather deserted would have been a better word to describe the fate. When he got the Bible, he opened it, and out came the spoon from inside the Bible.
All were surprised at what they saw. The children too were shocked. Mrs. Smith was abashed and blushing. The pastor told them, that the poor spoon had been lying hidden inside the Bible for the past year. Since the family was regularly irregular in their Bible study, they could not find the spoon. Had it been a regular practice they would have found it long back. The pastor left the house but gave a very strong message to the family.
This message is not only for the Smiths only but also for us. Many of us have not yet found our silver spoon. Many of us are in fact like the Smith family. We rarely find time to study the Bible. God wants to speak to us daily through His word, but we are so much engaged in worldly affairs, that we rarely find time for Him. Mostly we read, when we are in a doubt or when we think of doing it just for a formality. Dear brother and sister, Jesus did not die for us because it was a formality. He died because he loved us. John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:15
Let us all show our love to the Father and His only son Jesus, by daily reading the word of God and learning what he has to speak to us. Do you know about the many love letters inside the Bible? Read it and you will learn that it has life, grace, and love. It has many other things which this world will not be able to give you. The is the best book for inspiration and is much better than all those inspirational speakers. It is a guiding light and lamp to the feet. Psalm 119:105.
May the Almighty always bless you with wisdom and understanding to learn the Truth and tell others too. You are the light of the world. You need to shine. Be proud of knowing the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24. Last but not the least, please find your silver spoon. Open your Bible. It is very much there.
May the Almighty God Bless you in His Son Jesus Christ.