Monday, January 26, 2009



He erred, no doubt, perhaps he sinned;

Shall I then dare to cast a stone?

Perhaps this blotch on a garment white,

Counts less than the dingy robes I own. - George Houghton.

I love this short poem, it slaps me in the face and begs me to stand ready. The battle when one has been a Christian for years is to maintain that first love. The following piece by John Newton adds another side to the same issue --

"And, I believe, the over doings of a young convert, proceeding from an honest simplicity of heart and a desire of pleasing the Lord, are more acceptable in His sight than a certain coolness of conduct which frequently takes place afterward, when we are apt to look back with pity upon one former weakness and secretly to applaud ourselves for our present greater attainments in knowledge, though perhaps (alas, that it should ever be so!) we may have lost as much in warmth as we have gained in light."

"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Eph. 514

7 comments:

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Fred :)

This is very true.

New Christians are more enthusiastic about the religion and Christ whereas old Christians take things for granted and forget their basic duties as a Christian in the belief that they know everything. They forget the fact that the Crusading spirit in them have died out and spreading and practicing the word of God takes a back seat in their lives.

You belong to the first group. I am almost in the second group and I am ashamed to say this.

God bless you for this inspiring post and opening the eyes of dormant Christians like me.

Have a nice day :)

Mel said...

Oh Fred... Sigh... I LOVE this post! It strikes a cord in my soul for sure. The cord that sings one song over and over - "Judge not, that ye be not judged." And it also rings true and beautiful to another part of me that is constantly on the look out for pride in my own heart, and quite dismayed to continually be finding it (pride) hiding out in one place or another, or one form or another, or many. Freedom from the blackness of pride is one of the many glorious comforts of Heaven which I am looking forward to with every breath.

Love in Christ,
Mel

FCB said...

Hi Joseph,
Your comments remind me so much of how I forget the crusading spirit has died in so many ways. I think before you assign me to the first or second group you should live with me for a month; you may then have a different opinion :)
I think we all put our best foot forward on our blogs, but if you were to ask my wife about me she would say.......
"needs improvement". To understate it, but thanks for your kind comments and I'm glad we have this wonderful tool of blogging to inspire one another.
God bless you Joseph, I always look forward to your comments,
Fred

FCB said...

Hi Mel,
Soooooooooooo good to see your
"Mel said" on my posts. I had hoped by the time I was in my sixties I would have seen far more progress in slaying this beast of pride, but she lays many eggs that seem to hatch all around me!!!!!
And what's worse, they all have different heads.
God bless you Mel,
Fred

MaryMGlynn said...

Yes I think this pretty much applies to everyone in the world. Especially me. My thorn is my tongue admittedly so..God's grace is sufficient or I would be the first to burn. Thank you for this post!!

FCB said...

Hi Mary,
Your comment about being the first to burn makes me smile, I doubt you are the worst offender. But it is a challenge for us all.
Love Fred

Unknown said...

Lost so much in warmth...

That is potent.