From: Suzianty Herawati
"He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out." --Genesis 39:12
In contending with certain sins there remains no mode of victory but by
flight. The ancient naturalists wrote much of basilisks, whose eyes fascinated
their victims and rendered them
easy victims; so the mere gaze of wickedness puts us in solemn danger. He who
would be safe from acts of evil must haste away from occasions of it. A
covenant must be made with our eyes not even to look upon the cause of
temptation, for such sins only need a spark to begin with and a blaze follows
in an instant.
Who would wantonly enter the leper's prison and sleep amid its horrible
corruption? He only who desires to be leprous himself would thus court
contagion. If the mariner knew how to avoid a storm, he would do anything
rather than run the risk of weathering it. Cautious pilots have no desire to
try how near the quicksand they can sail, or how often they may touch a rock
without springing a leak; their aim is to keep as nearly as possible in the
midst of a safe channel.
This day I may be exposed to great peril, let me have the serpent's wisdom
to keep out of it and avoid it. The wings of a dove may be of more use to me
to-day than the jaws of a lion. It
is true I may be an apparent loser by declining evil company, but I had better
leave my cloak than lose my character; it is not needful that I should be rich,
but it is imperative upon me
to be pure. No ties of friendship, no chains of beauty, no flashings of talent,
no shafts of ridicule must turn me from the wise resolve to flee from sin. The
devil I am to resist and he
will flee from me, but the lusts of the flesh, _I_ must flee, or they will
surely overcome me. O God of holiness preserve thy Josephs, that Madam Bubble
bewitch them not with her vile
suggestions. May the horrible trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
never overcome us!
by CH Spurgeon
==========================================
From: Bayo Afolaranmi
Dear Beloved,
ARE YOU AN OSTRICH?
"The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the
pinions and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the ground and lets
them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild
animal may trample them" (Job 39:13-15, NIV).
The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines an ostrich as "a flightless
swift-running African bird with a long neck, long legs, and two toes on each
foot. It is the largest living bird, with males reaching a height of up to 2.75
m." However, it is the most foolish of all birds. The Bible attests to this by
describing some of its characteristics (Job 39:13-18).
Many people are like the bird. They are wise in their own eyes. No other person
is as wise as they. They hardly yield to corrections of others. In most cases,
they have foolishly harmed themselves and others around them by their seemingly
"wise" actions. Such people may have the strength, resources and influence to
do things, but they lack the wisdom to execute such things successfully. It
would have been better if such people harness their greatness together with the
wisdom of others to bring about desired results. Solomon corroborated this:
"Wisdom is better than strength. But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his
words are no longer heeded. The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but
one sinner destroys much good" (Ecclesiastes 9:16-18, NIV).
The above-cited dictionary later applies its definition to "a person who
refuses to face reality or accept facts." Such people seldom face reality as it
is and accept facts about the situation. One would not be surprised that there
are some people who know that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to salvation (John
1:11-13; 14:6-7; Acts 4:12) but refuse to accept Him.
Think about yourself. Are you an ostrich?
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mailing List Jesus-Net Ministry Indonesia - JNM -
Daftar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Keluar : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Posting: [email protected]
Bantuan Moderator : [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-net/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
