Luther Quote
“…The Holy Ghost resists the proud and will not dwell with them…
every proud spirit is a heretic, not in act and deed yet before God.”
– Table Talk, p.190
WHO is keeping you from praying? “It’s my schedule.” Who made/agreed to that schedule?
“I have to work to pay my debts.” Who contracted these debts?
WHO is keeping you from praying? Only one person – that WHO – is – YOU !
– eab, 9/28/17
FREE? — DEAD!
Time was when Mr. Leaf was attached,
Tied comfortably to his own home Tree.
He was close to his fellow brethren,
Greenish, growing in Tree liberty.
He had his function in the Body,
Helped the Tree (though he was slightly curled)
Gave the Tree his loving, living best,
Growing, glowing there above the world.
Then air took a little colder nudge,
“Autumn” as the human’s call it, fell.
Mr. Leaf got a tinge of color,
He did not seem to feel quite as well.
More cold came into his leafy world,
And a fall rain or two came his way.
The Leaf noticed he seemed less attached,
He began to enjoy his new sway.
A critical moment came to him;
He found himself loose from his home Tree.
From the Body he severed his ties.
Mr. Leaf was, at last, “really free.”
Oh, what a sinsation [1] this all was,
He found himself flying through the air
He could turn right, or he could turn left,
So different from when he was “up there.”
He actually got to see the world.
He saw things he had not seen before.
The Tree had limited his past life,
The world had variety in store.
As he moved away from his old Tree,
Mr. Leaf liked his new-fangled ride.
He even was lifted up so high,
Gladly he was proud, of his new pride.
How nice it was to slip through the air,
Giddy, to be caught up in the swirl,
He enjoyed mixing with other Leaves;
Raved in the charm of a sleek Leaf girl.
He did notice in honest moments,
He was closer to dirt than before.
But he swirled, swirled, forgetting that thought,
What fun it was to once freely soar.
Excitedly the world came closer;
He knew not how dangerous it was.
Dirt, from distance, had earthy appeal,
Up close he saw bling, it lacked the buz.
Swooping, slopping ever downward now,
Mr. Leaf landed in his descent.
The world was hard. He’d expected more,
Its hardness hurt, his old surface rent.
Was this stuff rock? Was this thing real mud?
After fun was he stuck to the ground?
Where was the freedom he thought he had?
Where was the “free life” he had just found?
His Body, his faithful old Tree stood,
It hadn’t moved; he’s the one who fled.
The Body (his lost Tree) was alive.
Mr. Leaf, with his “freedom” was dead.
– eab, 9/28/09 (on back of IHC Herald ‘10)
No soul on his dying bed said, “I prayed too much” -unless he was in a cult requiring X amount of daily, ritualistic, “knee-time.” (As no bride, about to marry her lover, ever said, “I talked to him too much.”) James Montgomery was exactly right, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed…” Do you pray every day? Do you pray as you walk, drive, work, etc. We’ve all waited for our mate to stop shopping – don’t yield to a temptation to be impatient – use these minutes to commune with God.
– eab, 9/28/17
“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world
were just those who thought most of the next.”
– C. S. Lewis, from his MERE CHRISTIANITY
1Pe 5. 5b
“…be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”
Some are confusing the line between worship & “entertainment.” When running the aisles was more common & ladies shouted their hair down (souls expressing supreme joy), sinners came to revivals, Lord’s Day meetings or camps for “entertainment.” These were un-awakened sinners. (Once the Holy Ghost corralled them, divine demonstrations ceased to be funny – they’d changed from un-awakened to convicted sinners.) When worship is TRUE the only souls “merely entertained” are the un-awakened ones. When a “service/performance/concert” is attended for entertainment, probably little-to-no worship occurs.
– eab, 9/17/17
[1] Purposefully “spelled” this way.
Separate-Holy 