WOW! Conviction and comment…
May 6, 2005 — reformedwomenWOW! Conviction and comment…
“The love of God, as it is the source of every right action and feeling, so is it the only principle which necessarily involves the love of our fellow-creatures. As man, we do not love man. There is a love of partiality, but not of benevolence; of sensibility, but not of philanthropy; of friends and favorites, of parties and societies, but not of man collectively. It is true we may, and do, without this principle, relieve his distresses, but we do not bear with his faults. We may promote his fortune, but we do not forgive his offences; above all, we are not anxious for his immortal interests. We could not see him lack without pain, but we can see him sin without emotion. We cannot hear of a beggar perishing at our door without horror; but we can without concern witness an acquaintance dying without repentance.” [Hannah More, Practical Piety, Ch.2]
If you are reading this book along with us, you cannot help but be convicted by this chapter and especially this paragraph. How many times do we as believers “feel” so sorry for those we read about in the news, famous folk, politicians, actors, or the like, or for the poor and hurting of the world, or for those orphaned children, aborted children, old and infirmed and those sick of body and mind, but do not offer up a prayer to God for the soul of our loved ones, our family members, distant and close, our near neighbors and those we come into contact with day and night? If we are truly honest, we will be pricked to the heart and once again will vow to be a better witness for Christ. God is the head of the family and has set us in the families we have for His divine purposes and our good. We were not born there by some “happening of fate” or other such nonsense but by the sovereign decree of our God in eternity past. How do we not know that one of our loved ones will be brought the message of salvation by our hand and mouth? How do we serve Christ in forgetting to witness and pray for those who are in our families, good and bad, who “know not the Lord” and have mercy on them and their families? On the contrary, I think we would much rather “judge” them and feel superior to them, don’t you think? We are a sinful lot, full of self and only by grace, His wonderful grace, can we press forward to good works of witnessing and praying for the lost. Thanks be to Him for the ability, for the conviction of His Spirit within us and for those that are faithful in bringing the message of salvation, who pray without ceasing for salvation for those that we know and love. We are members of the body of Christ, not because of us, but because of His electing love. The difference between “us” and “them” is God’s predeterminate counsel in election and providence in time. Pray that we might obey the gospel and go forward to our “Jerusalem” first and then to the uttermost parts of the world. Let it be so, dear ones, that Christ is magnified in our life today. Be His witnesses.
If you are reading this book along with us, you cannot help but be convicted by this chapter and especially this paragraph. How many times do we as believers “feel” so sorry for those we read about in the news, famous folk, politicians, actors, or the like, or for the poor and hurting of the world, or for those orphaned children, aborted children, old and infirmed and those sick of body and mind, but do not offer up a prayer to God for the soul of our loved ones, our family members, distant and close, our near neighbors and those we come into contact with day and night? If we are truly honest, we will be pricked to the heart and once again will vow to be a better witness for Christ. God is the head of the family and has set us in the families we have for His divine purposes and our good. We were not born there by some “happening of fate” or other such nonsense but by the sovereign decree of our God in eternity past. How do we not know that one of our loved ones will be brought the message of salvation by our hand and mouth? How do we serve Christ in forgetting to witness and pray for those who are in our families, good and bad, who “know not the Lord” and have mercy on them and their families? On the contrary, I think we would much rather “judge” them and feel superior to them, don’t you think? We are a sinful lot, full of self and only by grace, His wonderful grace, can we press forward to good works of witnessing and praying for the lost. Thanks be to Him for the ability, for the conviction of His Spirit within us and for those that are faithful in bringing the message of salvation, who pray without ceasing for salvation for those that we know and love. We are members of the body of Christ, not because of us, but because of His electing love. The difference between “us” and “them” is God’s predeterminate counsel in election and providence in time. Pray that we might obey the gospel and go forward to our “Jerusalem” first and then to the uttermost parts of the world. Let it be so, dear ones, that Christ is magnified in our life today. Be His witnesses.
“But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows: is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” Psalm 68:3-6
