There once was a picturesque pond which was home to a colony of healthy, well-fed frogs. One day a young man came to that pond and captured an elder frog. Well, at first Mr. Frog was quite beside himself, having been taken against his will by this man. Mr. Frog’s friends followed at a safe distance to see what was to be the fate of their friend. Mr. Frog bellowed to his friends to beware these tall, two-legged creatures if any were to return to the pond. His friends thought long and hard on these warnings and indeed were cautious as they followed.
Chance would have it that Mr. Frog’s captor instead of bringing immediate harm to him gave him his own private pond. The water was fresh and inviting. This pond was elevated so as to provide Mr. Frog a grand view of his new surroundings. The pond was situated on a large, white plateau with a small ridge that rose slightly higher than the plateau. On the slope of the ridge there were what looked to be round, white bushes, four of them, neatly spaced apart from each other across the ridge. Unseen to Mr. Frog and barely visible to his friends on the window, there were four dark, circular trails on the plateau.
Well, Mr. Frog’s friends had found a window ledge that afforded them a perfect view of the pond and the plateau. On the way to the window ledge a few of the frogs noticed a book in which the author spoke out about the dangers of plateaus, dark, circular trails, and ridges with white, round bushes. By precept, principles and previous experiences of others years ago, the author laid bare the dire consequences of any and all who would venture into ponds on plateaus with dark, circular trails and ridges with round bushes. To be sure, these frogs thought it their responsibility to sound a warning to their fellow frogs to beware of these ponds on those plateaus.
When Mr. Frog saw his friends watching at the window, he called out to them in excited tones to come and join him. He told them about the cool, refreshing water. He told them about the fantastic views he had and how that he had been mistaken about the large, two-legged creature that had brought him here. Against the warning of some, a few of Mr. Frog’s friends decided to risk the venture and left the relative safety of the window ledge outside and found a way inside and joined him in the pond.
After a little while, Mr. Frog’s friends who had joined him lost their apprehensions and began to relax and enjoy this new pond as well. They too, joined in and sang out about the advantages that the pond afforded. Others ridiculed those who were shouting out warnings, suggesting that they were far too bellicose or self-promoting and even a bit loony with their words of warning. Still others, remembering that some older frogs had spoken out against these things, took them to task as well, denouncing their warnings as unwarranted, ill-conceived ideas. As all this commotion was going on, yet others started to leave the window ledge and make their way into the house to join these happy fellows, fearful of being around those who were at times blunt in their warnings. As they were making their way in, the large, two-legged creature came by and seeing the following of frogs that were coming into his home, decided to add three more ponds to the plateau so as to accommodate the new comers. Once the newcomers were happily in their ponds the large, two-legged creature reached back on the ridge and rotated the four, round white bushes.
Pretty soon the dark, circular trails that were underneath the ponds started to glow a beautiful reddish-orange. Upon seeing this discoloration the few frogs remaining on the window ledge started crying out with more incessant tones to their friends in the ponds that disaster was brewing. Those were not ponds but were pots and their friends were headed to an untimely demise. The frogs that were in the ponds on the plateau scoffed at the warnings. Others who were still making their way in to join them on the plateau scolded those who issued the warning noting that we live in days of change and therefore it was necessary to have the dark, circular trail change colors. The new color was more appealing and enhanced the overall décor of the plateau. Sadly, the warnings and appeals by those on the window ledge went unheeded by the hapless followers of Mr. Frog. And indeed the frogs in the four ponds soon expired never realizing that they were being boiled to death.
Sadly, this scenario has been played out over and over again within the realm of Biblical Christianity in regards to any number of Biblical issues that have been compromised by various people. Whether it is associations, music, or what have you, there have been countless believers that have left the safety of the clear teaching of the Word of God and sought after the comforts that compromise promises to achieve yet never delivers.
