Eat Dirt - OR – Taste and See That the Lord is Good

I know of no one who actually eats dirt. Probably everyone has tasted dirt a few times accidentally, but they don’t eat dirt because they actually mean to eat dirt or because they like dirt. However, there is a creature condemned to eat dirt. The serpent crawls on its belly with his nose in the dirt all the days of his life. So are the unsaved of this world. No matter how good they think they have it, or how good they plan to have it, the best they can gain is just dirt. Some dirt is more obvious than other dirt, but it is still dirt.

The serpent has no choice. The lost souls of the human race are another matter. Are you one who eats dirt all the days of your life? Are you tired of loving earthly things that cannot love you back or satisfy your soul? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. You have an option.


Are you one of the saved, one of the children of God, those ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ? Praise God if you are saved. Are you grateful to the Lord that Christians are able to back up with scripture the theology that once a soul is saved, that soul is always saved? (Ephesians 2:8, ‘ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God’:)

So, there are those souls who are lost and face eternal perdition if they do not come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

And

There are souls who have been saved, and who have tasted to see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8)
That His yoke is easy and His burden light (Matthew 11:30)
That He hears our prayers (I John 5:14-15)

And

There are souls who are saved, but are still crawling in the dirt like a snake. They still eat the polluted dirt of this world. Their nose is still stuck in the dirt. They are saved, but still living in the dirt of the past. They love to eat dirt, and have no desire for food from the table of the Lord. They have yet to taste and see that the Lord is good. Psalm 34:8

The problem is they have not done what is required of them. They have not separated themselves from the people and the things of this world. They are addicted to eating dirt.

These lukewarm Christians have taken to heart the facts that:
God loves them
God forgives them
God will take them to heaven when they die.

What they have not taken to heart is that:
God is righteous
God has set rules within which He expects His children to live
God expects obedience from His children
Disobedience to God prevents the believer from being set free from the dirt addiction.

No Christian can taste and see that the Lord is good while their mouth is full of dirt. Dirt pretty much ruins the flavor of anything good.

To overcome their dirt addiction Christians need to put off certain things from their past life. The Bible says:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (Ephesians 4:22)

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (Colossians 3:8)
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Colossians 3:9)

Have you ever been so tired that you went to sleep in your working clothes instead of changing into sleeping clothes? Did it seem easier at the time, but it actually ruined your sleep? That is the way the dirt of this world works. It seems easier for new Christians to just live in the rut and dirt in which they lived prior to salvation. Jumping out of their comfort zone seems just too hard, or not worth the effort. Their eternal salvation is secured. Obedience to God and possible difficulties or some level of embarrassment or persecution seems too great a price to pay. The reward of a faithful Christian is not considered. Christians living like this are not brave enough to put off the things of this world. These Christians may start out following the instructions in 1 Peter 2:1-3 which says, ‘

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Then somewhere along the way, something happens. They become lazy, or arrogantly believe they know enough, or they become unwilling to actually do the things the Bible says to do. For whatever reason, their Christian growth stops.
On the other hand, there are Christians who want to put off the things of this world. They are tired of eating dirt. They want to taste and see that the Lord is good. They set out to put off the things of this world. However, once they have swept the dirt of this world out of their hearts , they have an empty place in their hearts. If they do not fill that place with the good things of God, the evil of their past life will crawl back into their hearts. They will be like the dog returning to his vomit. (Yuk!) That is what the world has to offer - dirt and vomit. .

Once Christians have put off things of the unsaved, the need to put on other things. They need to ‘put on’ or fill their hearts, with the things of Christ.

The Bible says:
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:27
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:24
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Colossians 3:10
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:10
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Colossians 3:14
The instructions are clear regarding what Christians are supposed to do and not do.

When people accidentally get dirt in their mouths, to clean the dirt out requires rinsing their mouths at least several times. For the believer to get rid of the dirt from their old life requires rinsing their mouths of the dirt of their old life at least several times in the beginning. Then it is like good oral hygiene. It is sort of like brushing teeth every day to prevent cavities. Christians need to take care that they do not drift back into eating dirt.

The Lord has given us very clear instructions regarding how we are to live our lives.
It is true that some of the things God asks of us may be easily understood, but more difficult to actually do. For instance we are told to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the wiles of the devil. That is easily understood. And putting on the armor of God can be broken down into exact items we are to put on.

Ephesians chapter six, verses 1o-18 tells us:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15.  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18.  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Verse 11 tells us why we are to put on the armor of God. It is so we can stand against the wiles of the devil. That is easy to understand. The difficult part comes in just simply standing. If we are not careful to stand still we are drifting back to eating dirt again. It is much easier to do just about anything than it is to simply stand still. In fact, standing is exhausting physically and mentally. If you must stand for any length of time, you will be more exhausted at the end of the day than if you actually worked hard. A day spent standing is a dreadful day. Before the day is over you will likely have a found a place to sit. And as you sit, you may even join in conversations going on around you.

John 15:3-8 tells us:
3.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8. 0Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

A young man in the Bible named Daniel was thrown out of his comfort zone and into a heathen environment. In that environment, Daniel put himself in danger by refusing to participate in something that God, Daniel’s God, would not like. Daniel 1:8 says, ‘But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.’

Daniel ‘purposed’. Daniel set a goal to please God above everything else, even if it required risking his own life. Daniel’s desire was to please God. He resolved to do that.

It is time for Christians to take their faith seriously. It is time to spit out the dirt of this world. Like Daniel, purpose/resolve to please God. Today, it is politically and socially correct to compromise every value, to accept every deviant behavior, to excuse every law-breaker, and forget every Biblical teaching. All this so we can just get along. Frankly, it is not in the job description of the Christian that we should ‘get along’ with anyone. Christians should do their best not to offend, and to live at peace with others as much as is possible without participating in things that are contrary to the teachings of God. However, our main goal is to please God. It is up to the individual to resolve to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. When we fail to do that, our reward is ultimately going to be a mouth full of dirt.


I Am Resolved
http://nethymnal.org/htm/i/a/iamresol.htm

I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.

Refrain
I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.
I will hasten, hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;
Jesus, Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.

I am resolved to go to the Savior,
Leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true One, He is the just One,
He hath the words of life.

Refrain

I am resolved to follow the Savior,
Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,
He is the living Way.

Refrain

I am resolved to enter the kingdom
Leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me,
Still will I enter in.

Refrain

I am resolved, and who will go with me?
Come, friends, without delay,
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,
We’ll walk the heav’nly way.
Refrain

http://tobarbara.blogspot.com/
http://chirpyscats.com/ mom currently has one male kitten that is not reserved

I am looking for Baptists missionaries to link to my website.

Thanks

Barbara

Are You Worshipping God at Church - Or Making Yourself Happy?

Worshipping God? Or Not?

There is was in all its glory. The ‘Praise Band’ was on the stage at the church. The band members were dressed like rock starts. Cleavage bulging over the tops of the female singers costumes didn’t raise an eyebrow. Shiny tight pants on the male singers reminded a few old timers of the ‘Pirates of Penzance’, but no one seems to mind.
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvNeDW5MbS8 ‘Pirates of Penzance Video for a little humor)

Of course this church was too traditional to do anything like pole dancing exercise for Jesus. They had to draw the line somewhere, and that seemed like a good place to draw it today. Of course, give it a few years and the line in the sand could be moved over a little more to the world. After all, the world was where the non-Christians were. What better way to bring them into the church than to bring an acceptable amount of the world into the church? Taken as a whole, or taken one by one, the congregation was proud of their church building, their diverse congregation, their open minded approach to making their church comfortable to the non-saved, and just over all proud.

This Sunday, the lights in the auditorium were dimmed. Spotlights in a variety of colors were aimed at the singers and musicians. The younger crowd was actually shouting and screaming in anticipation of a real show, a show that was equal to anything the world had to offer. Parents smugly patted themselves on the back for keeping their children from rock concerts by bringing rock music into the church. They had it made. They had saved their children from the world. Teens in the audience/congregation felt both Christian and worldly. They were in a church, so they must be ‘spiritual’. The beat of the world’s music was playing loudly. The song lyrics were sort of Christian. It was just all too cool. When the ‘praise service’ began, the volume of the praise band vibrated the floors and walls of the building just like at a real rock concert An energized and sustained emotional response to the music was maintained for over an hour by most of the people there. Those not responding, either positively or negatively, had their hearing aids turned off. After a prolonged musical assault on the people, the singers and band were exhausted to the point they had to stop. All that singing and dancing amounted to an hour long aerobic exercise session. They had to stop because they were just too tired and hoarse to keep going. Besides, they only knew a few songs, and how many times you sing a one line song?

Then the preacher got up to preach. However, being as overcome by his own emotions as was the entire congregation, he decided that a sermon wasn’t necessary. He just thanked the musicians for such an uplifting performance, said a closing prayer, and sent the people home.

One family didn’t go straight home. They went to Hooters for a meal. Then, as they were feeling so ‘Christian’, and ‘so good’, they decided to do a good deed. They went to visit Great Aunt Dorcas in the nursing home. She was delighted to see them. She was even more delighted to learn they had been to church. Speaking to her eleven year old nephew she asked, ‘What did you learn in church today?’ The boy replied, ‘I learned I want to be a rock star!’ Aunt Dorcas promptly fainted. The nurse was called. The family, feeling a dreadful emotional let-down, left quickly. They vowed to never again disrupt an emotional high given to them by the Lord in church by doing a good deed. Well, they all concluded, at least it was over for a week or maybe two or three weeks. They would have to check their calendar to see when they could make it back to church; and, that would really depend on what the church was offering them as well. If it was a boring service, then they would probably just skip it. And they would certainly skip it if there was going to be a preacher known for making then ‘feel uncomfortable’. After all, they could worship God just as well at home. Then, they put worshipping God out of their minds entirely. It was time to think about how to get the things the world had to offer. It was either debt or a second job or sell a kidney, but that yacht with two bathrooms was definitely a must.

Some of the people from that church were worshipping a false god. They have no real idea of who God is. They were worshipping their own desires. Others were real Christians. They were ignorant and self-centered, but nevertheless, true believers. They were worshipping God according to how they personally wanted to do it. They liked worldly music. They liked fitting in with the world. So, they took the world’s music to God as worship. They were honoring God with their mouths, but their hearts were far from Him. And, while there were true believers in the service, the children of those believers will very likely be Christian in culture only. And their grandchildren will be embarrassed to let anyone know that their family has a tradition of Christian worship. Self-stylized worship, worship done in a way or style that ‘suits the individual’ before it suits God isn’t really worship. Although God Himself is supposed to be the reason for and the center of the worship service, it became about not only pleasing the individual church attendee, but about pleasing the entire world!


On the same Sunday there was a little house church in a pagan land. Christian churches were officially allowed, but definitely frowned upon by all non-Christians. Sometimes Christians were beaten, robbed, fired from their job, refused a job, and even murdered for their faith. Their church service went a little differently.

First there was the greeting as everyone arrived. It was a sincere howdy to brothers and sisters in the faith. That wasn’t really part of the service. It was just a natural way to greet each other. Then the service began with the thanksgiving part of the service. That was how the little band of believers began every service. Personal humility in the little congregation made a group that was humble. Humble people are thankful people. The thanksgiving part of the service had a time limit on how short it could be, but now how long. Thanksgiving was given for at least one hour. If anyone tried to jump right into the prayer request part of the service, then they were censored immediately by the rest of the congregation. That seldom happened, but it wasn’t tolerated if it did happen.

Thanksgiving put God in His proper place as the One from whom all blessings flow. That is proper worship. The service is about worshipping God, so of course He should take center stage from the very start of the service.

Then there was singing. The music was dedicated to the Lord. It was the Lord that the people wanted to please with the music and the words of the songs, as they were singing to Him. No one there considered bringing in new members by making the music more pleasing to
non-Christians.

Of course there was preaching and praying and fellowship and more preaching and praying. There was probably eating as well. If food was left over maybe it was taken to those who hadn’t been able to come to the service because of illness, or work, or maybe because they were in jail or something like that. I have read that in some countries prisoners don’t eat unless family members bring them food. Or maybe some of the brethren were in hiding because they were being persecuted for their faith.

Whatever went on in the little house church, the people were attempting to please God first and foremost in the service. They were worshipping God with a right attitude stemming from a reverent awe of their Savior. After the service was over, they continued worshipping God through right actions throughout the week. They tried to do the things Christ said to do. Obey the commandments moment by moment. There was no acceptable time to set aside their Christianity. Telling others about Jesus Christ, the way of salvation, was also a priority. It was a dangerous priority, but still a priority. Sunday was the day when the saints of God, the brethren got together for assembled worship. This assembled worship encouraged them to live a life of worship throughout the week. They had set themselves apart from the world, and they fully and completely identified themselves as people of God. They no longer wanted what the world had to offer. Worshipping God was their way of life.

Most church congregations fall somewhere in the middle. They are neither hot nor cold. Does that mean they are lukewarm? Are they sitting on the fence? Do they make the Lord sick? Are they measuring their own level of commitment by looking at the more liberal churches, and saying, ‘Well, thank goodness we are not THAT liberal!;’ Honestly, standing out as a conservative traditional church is not the goal. Those churches honestly seeking to make worshipping God a way of life just automatically stick out. They are the light on the hill. It cannot be hidden.

It is easier for a real Christian to wind up in a liberal church because there are so many of them. Some churches exist under the banner of a denomination with a strong history of sound theology and doctrine. However, they are only cultural Christian churches. The church has a form of godliness, but no actual faith in God. Unfortunately, churches like these suck in ignorant Christians like moths to a flame. Some recognize the problems with such a church after attending for a time. Some even turn away from such silliness called godliness. Then these real Christians realize they have a big problem. They can’t find a church with sound doctrine.

Amos 8:11-12 is beginning to come to pass. It says:
‘11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.’

There are still churches that teach sound doctrine according the Bible. They do not slap the name ‘Christian’ or worldly practices and bring it into the church. There is no such thing as ‘Christian yoga’. These rare churches know that putting the word ‘Christian’ in front of something does not make it acceptable to God.

Individual Christians can make a big difference by living their own lives according to scripture. The instructions given in 1 Peter 1:13-19 give instructions on how to do that. The passage says,
‘13Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; Take your Christian walk seriously.
14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: Don’t act like you can still live by the standards and rules of the world.
15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Think about your actions. Great or small, you actions should be pleasing to the Lord.
16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. Your life should have a new paradigm, a pattern of living as close to that of Christ as possible.
17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: If you call God your Father then act like He is your Father. Obedience is due Him.
18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:’ God spared no expense to redeem us. What can we give Him in return except to love Him with all our hearts and honor Him by our actions?

Humility and meekness is a sign of Christians walking close to the Lord. They progressively have a better understanding that all their accomplishments are through Christ alone.

A sign of a deceiver or a Christian attempting to live with at least one foot firmly planted in the world is pride.

Those hoping to have a life of greater ease and comfort should pay attention to 1 Peter 5:5 which says,
‘Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble’

There can be no life lived in greater hardship and turmoil than a life lived resisting the things of God.

‘Because I Love Thee I Will Serve Thee’ isn’t the deepest theological song, but it does have a clear message. If you love the Lord truly, then you will serve Him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2_AYq4m1w4 This is not a fancy version of the song – just a simple church service.

In my mind I can see and hear a very humble preacher singing this song. He has gone to heaven already. He was prone to burst into song right in the middle of a sermon, and this song was always sung with a tearful voice.
The message is simple.
Love the Lord?
Then serve the Lord.

Pogo Possum Correctly Identified the Enemy

Pogo Possum says We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us

It ain’t my fault.
It wasn’t me.
He did it.
She did it.
The devil made me do it.
Are you sure it even happened?
Who cares?

There are many people, though I am sure none of us, who have used those excuses many imes. They will probably use them again. For those who have used those excuses, or more creative excuses, there are a few things to consider.

First, excuses are important. They give the feeling of being excused from wrong doing. Now, an explanation of events might be helpful, but it never really excuses wrong actions. For instance, ‘He made me so mad I knocked his block off’ explains why someone got his lights
punched out, but it doesn’t excuse the action.

Second, excuses help us to avoid dealing with the real problem. It may be that some circumstances are totally and completely beyond our control. There are people who do have an obnoxious factor that goes beyond explanation. There are others who are so deceitful and dishonest that genuine physical illness is brought on by being in the same room with them. Or, nausea is brought on by the mere thought of having to spend another minute with such a truly awful person. There are people like that. No escape is possible. And, the normal reaction is to
do the best we can to avoid them. That is often our excuse for doing something that we really shouldn’t do. We take the actions of the obnoxious, the liars, the trouble makers, the cheaters,
the pot stirrers, and use their actions as an excuse for wrong behavior on our parts.

When my husband had his auto repair shop a lot of the same customers came through year after year. They would usually chat a bit while waiting on a minor repair, or while waiting for a ride if dropping their car off for a bigger repair. So, I knew a little about their lives. One of the
most distressing things was to watch a marriage break up. It usually began with one spouse cheating on the other spouse. For a few years there would be a nice married couple. Then the next time one of them came into the shop it was obvious that something had changed. My personal observation is that men tend to lose weight when the marriage breaks up. Women
tend to gain weight and become very sloppy in their dress and general appearance. The injured party would come in barely functioning, and clearly devastated. Then they would be back in the shop a few months later looking much better and blabbing about their new love interest. Very
often they were already living with whoever they had picked up at the beer joint they had been frequenting. They used the infidelity of their spouse as an excuse for living in sin themselves.

That is an obvious and all too common example of someone using the sin of another person as an excuse for sinning himself/herself. Two wrongs do not make a right. Adultery by one spouse doesn’t give the other spouse a free pass on committing adultery. However, the same rules apply to smaller things. For instance, just because someone cuts in line at the grocery store, no one has an excuse to use bad language, throw a fit, or do anything that is not a good example of Christian behavior. There is an evil nature dwelling in even the saved that pushes Christians
to respond to wrong behavior with more wrong behavior. That really stinks, but that is really true. We can see that a big sin doesn’t give the Christian the right to sin in a like manner. It is the little sins that give the problem.

Little sins are like the little foxes. They seem so harmless, even cute. But they are really little cancers that grow into big cancers. By the way, foxes are beguiling creatures. They are beautiful, graceful, problem solvers, adorable beggars, and just a pleasure to watch. Then,
you turn your back and the foxes sneak into the chicken house and kill ten of your cutest Silver Sea-Bright Bantam chickens just for the fun of it. They only eat the heads; they don’t even eat the whole chicken! The little foxes are definitely big problems. The little sins in our lives
are definitely big problems as well. And, while the actions of other people might explain our annoyance with them, it does not give us an excuse to jump on the sin bandwagon ourselves! It doesn’t matter whether the sins are big or little. We have no excuse to sin because of the sins
of others. It doesn’t matter if it is a big sin or a little sin.

So, how do we escape our natural tendency to return evil for evil?
I think a major first step is to acknowledge our own sin as sin without making excuses for it. ittle sins are a giant enemy. We can take the words of the little swamp critter cartoon character Pogo Possum to heart. Pogo says, ‘We have met the enemy, he is us.’ The individual is really the only one who can deal with the enemy within each of us.
And
We cannot defeat the enemy within without help from God.

I know that Psalm 44 is speaking of a physical battle, but it can also be applies to a spiritual battle within.

4 Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
There is no deliverance from any sin without help from God.

5 Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. The pre-disposition to react to sin with sin is the enemy within.
It is really only by the power of God that the pre-disposition to sin can be defeated. No matter how small the matter or the incident, we do not have an excuse to do wrong even on a very small scale.

6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. When fighting the enemy within, there isn’t a great likelihood of attacking ourselves with a bow or a sword. Good intention is the weapon of choice. That brings to mind the old adage that the road to hell is paved with
good intentions. Human beings, in and of ourselves, have no power to defeat our sin nature. But don’t worry. Verse seven provides hope for success.

thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. It is the Lord who will save us from ourselves. First He saves the souls of repentant sinners. Then He saves those who ask from their own sin nature. It is different from salvation. Eternal security of the believer is not in question. Living a life that is consistently follows the patterns
and boundaries set down for us in the Bible is where the struggle comes in. Yet, thank God, praise God, blessed be God, He will save us from the enemy within – our own sin nature. Psalm 44:8
I
8In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. Our God is worthy of our trust. He is a very present help in trouble. Our successes are through Him.

7 But As Pogo says, ‘We have met the enemy and he is us.’
The good news is that saved people have also met God Almighty, who is fully able to deliver us from ourselves and from the enemy from within.

Christians often fail to resist ‘big sins’ because we have failed to take seriously the little sins in our lives. We allow someone else’s sins to cause us to sin. It does not honor Christ to act this
way. Our thoughts should be, ‘How do I please God in this situation?’ We can never gauge our own righteousness by comparison to another’s righteousness. The ‘I’m not as bad as Brother
A. or Sister B., so I must be doing ok,’ is never the right way to determine how we are doing in pleasing God. If we must judge ourselves, judge according to the perfect example given to us by
Jesus Christ. It shouldn’t be, ‘I’m not as bad as he/she is’. Instead it should be, ‘I am not even close to perfect as Christ is perfect.’ Remember 2 Corinthians 10:12 which says:
‘For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.’

When a Christian begins to draw near to God with their heart, what other people are doing ceases to be the catalyst for determining personal actions. The goal stops being, ‘doing better than the worst in the congregation; to ‘I want to be more like Christ’. Our ‘little sins’ are
suddenly seen as huge, because they separate us from God.

Remember those little foxes who seem harmless enough, but grow into varmints capable of wiping out an entire’ year of chicken farming in a single night. Take sin seriously.

Barbara

Dear Readers.,

As many of you know I often put a hymn at the end of an article. I also like to have a song for the week or even the month. It is partly because I tend to get a song stuck in my head, and it seems to play over and over. I bet you do the same thing. That is why it is so important that our music be godly music, music that glorifies God and helps us keep our feet on the narrow way. The song I am thinking of today is ‘He Leadeth Me’. I thought I would post the history of the song as well. It is very interesting. I believe this is the only song Gilmore wrote. Here is the story of why it was written. Be sure to read the second paragraph – twice at least..

Joseph A. Gilmore –
Born: April 29, 1834, Boston, Massachusetts.
Died: July 23, 1918, Rochester, New York

This is what he said about writing ‘He Leadeth Me’.

As a young man who recently had been graduated from Brown University and Newton Theological institution, I was supplying for a couple of Sundays the pulpit of the First Baptist Church inPhilPhiladelphia [Pennsylvania]. At the mid-week service, on the 26th of March, 1862, I set out to give the people an exposition of the Twenty-third Psalm, which I had given before
on three or four occasions, but this time I did not get further than the words “He Leadeth Me.”
Those words took hold of me as they had never done before, and I saw them in a significance and wondrous beauty of which I had never dreamed.

It was the darkest hour of the Civil War. I did not refer to that fact—that is, I don’t think I did—but it may subconsciously have led me to realize that God’s leadership is the one significant fact in
human experience, that it makes no difference how we are led, or
whither we are led, so long as we are sure God is leading us.

At the close of the meeting a few of us in the parlor of my host, good Deacon Wattson, kept on talking about the thought which I had emphasized; and then and there, on a blank page of the brief from which I had intended to speak, I penciled the hymn, talking and writing at the same
time, then handed it to my wife and thought no more about it. She sent it to The Watchman and Reflector, a paper published in Boston, where it was first printed. I did not know until 1865 that my hymn had been set to music by William B. Bradbury. I went to Rochester [New York] to
preach as a candidate before the Second Baptist Church. Going into their chapel on arrival in the city, I picked up a hymnal to see what they were singing, and opened it at my own hymn,

“He Leadeth Me.”
http://nethymnal.org/htm/h/l/hleademe.htm

He leadeth me, O blessèd thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain

He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,

Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, over troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

Refrain

Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

Refrain

And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

Refrain