CHRISTIANITY BY REFLEX (Last in series)

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It is not enough to admire Jesus, however extravagantly; or worship him, however devoutly; but to follow him, which is after all is all he asks us to do.  If it can be said that his standards are too high and cannot be attained, there still remains the undimmed glory of the quest.

Would you give yourself to a quest that has the strength of eternity in it?  Then remember that “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4)

It is a basic truth.  If you give yourself to the cheap, the tawdry and the worthless; you cannot help but become cheap, tawdry and worthless yourself.

I firmly believe that there is something high and holy in every man or woman until in a short, or sometimes more lengthy period of time, each kills it in themselves.

Shout too many curses and too few prayers and slowly but surely your soul will shrivel and began to die.

I was ordained in 1954 and in all the years since that privileged moment I have seen a lot of bad but I have also seen a lot of good.

I have seen a host of folk redeemed, whom it seemed were beyond redemption.

Changed, though most around them would have said it could never happen.

For often, though not often enough, someone catches the spark of the Nazarene.

And catches on fire.

And a heart dedicated to hate trades in this miserable sickness for love.

And a member of the male gender becomes…

A father redeemed by the love of God and loves his children with like- minded patience and love.

And becomes a loving husband

And lives each day more and more as a child of God.

And a member of the female gender becomes…

A mother worthy of the name, and blessed is the child who is the recipient thereof.

And becomes a loving wife

And lives each day more and more as a child of God.

IF THIS BE MADNESS, this thinking of other people before yourself and of God often and well.  Then follow such madness for there is the hope of heaven in it.

It is certainly better than spending your life

trying to get all you can, keep all you can and let the other fellow get by as best he can.

To every person who lives as if they believe that Christianity and Christ teachings are madness…I say, “If this be madness then perhaps we should double check our definition of sanity.” 

Yes, I tell you this…my friends…you name me most of the pain and problems that you know of today and I will tell you that a tremendous, overwhelming percentage of them have come from breaking God’s commandments.

IT MAY BE MADNESS to imagine a world in which our noble thoughts have been translated into noble deeds. 

It may be madness to imagine a world no longer selfish, or foolish, or temperamental, or angry, or doubting or sinful. 

But if this be madness, then perhaps we should pray that everyone go mad.

Do you know what our greatest problem is?  We are addicts.  Addicted to compromise.  Why?  Because it is easier than taking a stand.

“Because thou art lukewarm, I will spew the out of my mouth” says the Bible.

And we in reply give the excuse “But I can’t stand the heat.”

We are a strange breed; mankind.  We will organize and sacrifice and drive ourselves with an incessant urge to win wars against enemies from without; but we will not exert half the effort to defeat the enemies from within. 

If we used half the dedication to win the battle of the soul we would come out such victors on the field of living that it would be difficult to believe.  But we don’t.

We battled in Europe and Vietnam and Korea and Iraq and are still battling in Afghanistan.  But the battle on the fields of eternity?  That battle I fear too often we fight as if we are trying to lose it.