schools, teenage girls must walk the building halls in pairs as protection against rape.” Reports from our daily press make the old Roman holidays to be much milder. High school parties, such as one reported recently in staid Boston, where a group of high school youngsters gath ered at a home with the parents ab sent for the week end. There was an unlimited supply of whiskey available —the party grew wild and the teen agers removed their clothes and danced on table tops in the nude. The racket or noise became so loud that police were called to come and break up the party. According to law enforcement officials, such conduct is not the excep tion but has become the rule. Sickening to say the least. And yet it has its reflection in adult conduct. After all, juvenile delinquency is only a carbon copy of what they have seen older people carry on. There is no crime or corruption committed by teen agers which does not have its adult counterpart. As one leading marital consultant states, “with divorce such an easy thing, it is little wonder that these parties result in husbands and wives trading partners, and joining in progressive monogamy”—that is where they have more than one mate, only they have them one at a time. Paul says, “Walk honestly,.not in rioting and drunkenness . . .” The next two words are even stronger: chamber ing and wantonness; they speak simply of abandoned sensuality with all forms of devious sex. Why should Paul use such unseemly statements in such .a lofty chapter as that of Christian citi zenship? It is that which is spoken of in what, to me, is the darkest chapter in His Word — Romans 1. This is the re alization of what it was in the times of Noah, when God said that every thought of man’s heart was evil con tinually. It was all wrapped up in the words adultery and prostitution. And to think how these words have con stantly dropped down through the ages to curse and infiltrate the human mind
until it brings such products of its thinking as the Motion Pictures pro duce as they carry their message to the millions of viewers. But how is it with your heart and mind? While you may never indulge in such practices, do they seem pleas ant to consider, and is your excuse, “Oh, well, there is no harm in think ing, I can’t turn off my mind.”- But the Bible says that as a man thinketh in his heart so is he. The next time such thinking comes to you ask God’s for giveness and strength that you may not lose the battle. He never tells us to flee temptations but that He gives us the power to flee them. When we are told to avoid such things, we are told in the last verse how. Here is the secret of victory today —Remember to take this with you through the days of 1962: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” First of all have you met Him as your Sav iour, as Christ the Messiah? He is the sin-bearer. Christ is the first part of your armour. Then put on Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God. Let your heart be filled with the knowledge that as the perfect God-Man, He was tried in all points just as you are tempted, but He was without sin. There must be something on the inside to respond to the thing that is testing from the out side before it can be a temptation. If a glass of water and one of whiskey are put in front of a man who just does not like whiskey, he w ill instinc tively reach for the water; while a drunkard will reach for the whiskey instinctively. So He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities and trials, yet without sin. As Lord, He is the One who is su preme in our life. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence. For the New Year take off the old garb and put on the new man which is in the Lord Jesus Christ! 33
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