“Therefore God has given us a strict charge: "Follow peace with all
men, and holiness, looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;
lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be
defiled" Hebrews 12:14-15.
When a Christian
sees holiness sparkle in the life of another believer, the grace within him
springs up as the baby in Elizabeth leaped at the sound of Mary's voice. Truly,
one holy man is enough to put life into a whole society; but on the contrary,
the looseness of a single professing Christian endangers the entire group of
people who know him. Therefore God has given us a strict charge: "Follow
peace with all men, and holiness, looking diligently lest any man fail of the
grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby
many be defiled" Hebrews 12:14-15.
A scab on the
wolf's back in not dangerous to the sheep because they cannot easily be lured
to spend time with him. But if the sore spreads into the flock, among
Christians who feed, pray, hear, talk and walk in fellowship together, then
there is a great fear and danger it might spread. Thus a careless Christian
helps the devil with more efficiency than whole troops who never profess to
believe. In fact, Satan had a whole fistful of sins and errors that he did not
know what to do with until he found a way to hire unholy professors of the
faith as his brokers to recommend and dispense them to others.
In a word, then,
the man who will not keep up the power of holiness in his life, in some
measure, makes himself useless to Christ. Do you want to pray for others? A
heathen could tell an evil man to hold his peace and not let the gods know he
was aboard the ship when a storm swept in. Is it comfort you want to speak to a
grieving person? Or counsels to a friend? They will think you are only joking
until your commendation of holiness is joined by holiness in your own life;
that is to say, until you commend it to yourself.”
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete
Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
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