all of these things which the world may consider so insignificant that we perhaps seldom think of them very seriously? The clear and unmistakable fact is that they cause man to veer widely from the straight and narrow way toward the broad way which leads to certain destruction. There is only one answer. Man must look by faith to the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, who bore our sins in, His own body on the tree. We are assured that whosoever believeth on Him shall re ceive remission of sins (Acts 10:43). Empowerment then comes by the Holy Spirit so that we may live well-pleas ing to Him who is now our Advocate with the Father, and who ever lives to make intercession for us. “LOWER THE BOATS” Most of us find life so busy that we hardly have time to do things we’d really like to accomplish. It’s easy to get so busy that we don’t have time even to talk to our neighbors about the Lord. Maritime history from many years ago reveals that one day a ship passed another vessel which wa in trour ble. It was sinking in midocean. The captain saw the signals of distress. He heard the shrieks of the ill-fated crew crowding the deck, yet he held his course steady. His crewmen implored him to stop. They offered to risk their lives to rescue those on the sinking ship. His vessel, however, was freight ed with a costly cargo destined for a port where there was a great de mand. Another ship laden with a simi lar cargo, had passed a few hours be fore. If the Captain could reach the destination but a single day in ad vance, he would make an enormous profit. Should his craft be outsailed, the other crew would gather in the coveted wealth. His decision was made. He sailed on. The ill-fated ship went down with a number of lives lost. The cap tain reached the port on time and he got his bonus. With it he bought the silence of those who had witnessed his 29 Generally speaking, prejudice is being down on something which you’re not really up on.
spiritually, he decided to end his life. Taking his service revolver, he went down to the sea, intending to end it all. As he walked along the shore, a paper blew up against his leg. Stoop ing down, he picked up a tract and be gan reading it. That simple message of hope was the means of his eternal salvation. The wayward officer remem bered how he had tossed the leaflets aside. Told when and where the event took place, he was sure it had to be more than mere coincidence. Subsequent conversation between the two men was the means of the officer’s yielding his life completely to Jesus Christ. Never shun the opportunity of proclaiming the gospel through the distribution of tracts . . . literally evangels of light and hope. LITTLE THINGS ■ Little things can have a tremendous significance. One speck of dust in an automatic flight control instrument could easily cause a multimillion dollar supersonic jet to veer widely off its course toward ultimate destruction. A small piece of lint from clothing or a bead of moisture from finger tips can make a guided missile go amiss and blow up. There are many things which can cause the finest specimen of man’s inventive genius to go astray missing the glorious destiny which had been envisioned. Similarly, in a spiritual vein, it is not necessary for man to commit some glaring evil in order to become a failure in the sight of God. We are all sinners, having been born that way. The merest thought of fool ishness is sin according to the Bible (Proverbs 24:9). A high look is a mani festation of pride (Proverbs 21:4). A wanton glance is immorality (Matthew 5:28). An idle word exposes one to judgment (Matthew 12:86). Covetous ness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). A hater is the same as a murderer (I John 3:15). Unbelief is making God a liar (I John 5:10). To fail in one point of the law is to be guilty of all (James 2:10). What can we do about Prayerless pews make for powerless pulpits.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker