An elderly gentleman who hated going to the doctor became ill. Finally agreeing to go, he was given a prescription to be taken daily for a month. Taking his first dose he nearly choked! So, he added a little water to it. His next dose was just as bad, so he added a little honey to it. He continued adding a little this, a little that, until it began to taste pretty good.

When he returned to the doctor for his checkup however, the doctor was puzzled as to why there was no progress made. “Did you take your medicine as I prescribed,” the doctor asked. “Sure did,” the old man replied. The doctor said, “Well, I don’t understand why you haven’t improved.”

I think we all see what happened. The old man kept adding things to his medicine until it was so diluted it couldn’t do the work for which it was intended. Too many people say they are taking the medicine God has prescribed, but by adding their old traditions and man made creeds along with other erroneous practices they have not only diluted God’s word but have polluted it beyond any usefulness. Some of these traditions go back hundreds of years and are given equal authority with God’s word. By doing this they feel they have made his word more palatable, but in reality have only weakened it and robbed it of any real value.

God’s word can be strong medicine sometimes, but the great Physician knows what He is doing. No one can take this watered-down ‘medicine’ taught by men and correctly expect to be cured of their sins.