Take Heed Lest You Fall
Posted by: forthrightmag <forthrightmag@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: CONSIDER THE LILIES
Take Heed Lest You Fall
by Christine Berglund
wp.me/p1HIjv-4Aj
"Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall"
(1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV).
It is imperative in the Tennessee winds to secure your
garden art to the ground. My new metal bird, a gift
from my husband, came with spikes to nail his feet
down, so he won't fall into my parsley. The fence
posts on the west side of the yard are set into
concrete, to carry the extra weight of the wooden fence
boards.
We don't like to set up anything in the garden just to
let it get blown down, just like we don't set ourselves
up without stability, or we may end up falling from the
load of pride we carry.
It was rather unsettling lately to read an article and
comments to the effect that preachers can't be
spiritually impoverished.
This is a dangerous stance to assume.
An Olympic snowboarder was told that she was
"guaranteed to win the gold" at the 2006 winter games.
She fell. In 2010, she literally "got off track." In
the interview this year, one could sense the extreme
pressure she was under for this year's race.
Spiritual leaders are under similar pressure. They are
often looked at as "more spiritual" than others, and
that increases their inflated sense of safety for their
souls. When they fall, they fall hard.
Romans 12:3 tells us not to think more highly of
ourselves than we ought to. This implies that we ought
to think well of ourselves, without being puffed up
with pride.
As we become more knowledgeable about the Bible, it can
be a very clever trap to let ourselves assume that our
souls are automatically more secure. It is precisely
when we think we are safe from the Devil that he will
attack us with even more cunning and enthusiasm.
It has been my great sorrow to see more than a few
preacher friends or their spouses brought low by what
should have been unthinkable sins. Why wouldn't Satan
be more zealous to convert someone who is doing
marvelous works for God? It seems that the first step
is to open the door to sin by proclaiming a higher
sense of godliness than others.
When I visit the elderly in the nursing homes — great
old warriors who now are unable to even attend a church
service — I see spiritual giants. When I witness a
young mother wrestling two or three preschoolers in
Sunday morning services, I know she might not be having
spiritual thoughts all the time — but she could be far
superior in her closeness with the Father than I am, as
I serenely sit and listen with far less distraction.
Jesus illustrated it best when He allowed the woman in
Luke 7:38 to wash His feet and wipe them with her hair.
She loved much because she was forgiven much.
We lead, by choice, spiritually sheltered lives in many
ways. Getting out of our "ivory towers" and among all
kinds of people helps us to see the problem of sin more
clearly. We don't get close to God through knowledge of
His word alone. It will not provide immunity from the
spots of the world. Sins of the heart are just as
odious to our holy God as sins of the flesh. We are
never invulnerable to either kind. "The heart is
deceitful above all things, who can know it?" (Jeremiah
17:9)
Fasten down your faith with humility and with the
realization that as we grow spiritually, we have not
arrived until we hear, "Well done!"
----
Read this article online, write your reaction, and read
others' comments as well. Click here:
wp.me/p1HIjv-4Aj
You can help get the word out. Here's how:
http://www.forthright.net/editorial/lend_a_hand.html