Musings: 6/10/08; Does it quack like a duck? by JAH

My father was born in 1882. When he left the farm about 1900, his first job was Cashier for the Memphis, TN street car system. He was initiated to counterfeit coins his first week. When the conductors brought in their day's take, they slid them across the counter to my dad. He dutifully counted and recorded the amounts, but when payday came, his check was not what he agreed on as his salary. The counterfeit coins were subtracted from the totals. Another cashier told him, "It may look like a duck, but if it don't quack like a duck, it ain't one!" After that, my father made the conductors drop the coins one a time on the counter. He could tell it was real when it rang true, or if was counterfeit by a dull sound.

There are so many things we need to learn as Christians. That old adage about the duck won't fit when we try to discern who is a Christian, and who is not. Jesus said, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." I'm sure no one would have recognized Peter as a Christian when he denied Him with curses! Yet, Peter was a wonderful Christian as God perfected him.

I think one of the biggest problems facing Christians is figuring out who our brothers and sisters are. One of the earliest problems facing the Church was "lapsees." That term referred to people who acknowledged Christ as their Lord and Savior, but after a time fell away. Were they really Christians, or not? I don't know of a church today, except for some very small ones, that would have standing room in the auditorium for all their members, and yet very few fill their auditoriums for worship services. There seems to be a discrepancy somewhere, but where is it?

We are faced with all sorts of distractions, TV, Radio, Races, Ball Games, Theater, Golf, Bowling, Camping, Hunting, Fishing and many more, even work! So many things interfere with our corporate worship, but I have reservations about labeling those who choose to do something else at worship time. I believe some who look like Christians, act like Christians, sound like Christians have secret agendas that might prove them to be counterfeit Christians. I examine myself from time to time to see where I stand with the Lord because I truly believe only the Lord knows absolutely who will ring true when he is tossed on God's counter of justice!

As for others, I depend on God's Spirit to share with me who belongs to Him. In our high school science lab, we had two large metal forks shaped like a "Y." They were identical. I remember how amazed we were when one of us stood across the lab holding one of the forks. The teacher struck the other one on a lab table and held it up. A clear ringing tone went out across the room, and the matching fork sent a matching sound back. That illustrated one of the laws of physics we were learning. I think the Holy Spirit within us helps us recognize other people who are Christians.

Occasionally, my dad still got a few counterfeit coins. He still had one or two when I was old enough to know what they were. As Christians, we aren't perfect, and we may be fooled once in a while, but we must learn to depend on God's Holy Spirit! He sees to it that we Christians bear fruit to everlasting life!