"Take heed, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin!" Sin first deceives, and then it hardens. I was now fast bound in chains; I had little desire, and no power at all to free myself. I would at times reflect how it was with me, but if I attempted to struggle, it was in vain. I was just like Samson, when he said ,"I will go forth, and shake myself, as at other times"; but the Lord was departed, and he felt himself helpless in the hands of his enemies. By the remembrance of this interval, the Lord has often reminded me what a poor creature I am in myself, incapable of standing in a single hour without continual flash supplies of strength and grace from the fountain-head.
By John Newton (from Out of the depths)
*Reflecting on things*
Many things in head currently, looking back at my life, I can only say.. Thank you. Realising that all these while how forgetful I can be in this walk.. I used to keep a journal in my life but that habit is soon abandon due to my laziness. Nevertheless, those previous entries are sufficient to bring home the point that I am sinking into the world. II Peter 2:20-22 came into head constantly..
Yesterday, while listening to what pastor was preaching on 1 Kings 19, there's still small voice saying... There you are, that is your problem. Do you not see it since the beginning? I was cast down. It always hurt to hear the truth, that I must admit. Yesterday night heavy rain worsen my grief as it reminded me of a particular incident that took place not long ago, a night when the thunder was so loud and the rain was pouring. Nevertheless, as the old hymn said, though it taught my tears to flow awhile, but I thank the hand that caused that smart. *if I didn't quote the lyrics wrongly >.<"*
How easy it is for a person to go astray. Just think with me for a moment.
1) Do you need to teach a small child to lie?
2) Do you need to teach a small child to cry when they didn't get something that they want though it is dangerous? (showing forth rebelliousness)
3) Do you need to teach a person to be lazy?
Etc etc etc...
Why is it that it is so easy to pick up bad habits and so difficult to cultivate good habits? Even if you successfully cultivated good habits, how long does it last? One year? Two? Romans 3:10-18 clearly described human....
As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit, The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Why??? Because they are all under sin... Just as though one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) therefore, all of us deserved death as none of us can be perfect before God.
When we are still without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates His own love towards us through Christ's death on the cross, while we are still a sinner. Through His work on the cross, His righteousness is imputed upon His elected children while our sin are imputed upon Him. We are thus saved from His wrath (from punishing us for our sin) through the death of His Son. Not only that but we should rejoice as through our Lord Jesus Christ death on the cross, we are thus reconciled and received by God and being able to call Him "Abba, Father".
As we are in one body with Christ, we know that our "old man" was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For He has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has domination over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise, you also, reckon yourself to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:6-11)
Implicitly, our life is for God and it is God's. Thus, live a life as a living sacrifice for God and not for men.
（Taken from: my mail box.. Don't know the exact source...)
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