The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Key To Peace, by A. Marie Miles
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Title: The Key To Peace
Author: A. Marie Miles
Release Date: April 28, 2004 [EBook #12188]
Language: English
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The Key to Peace
By A. Marie Miles
[Illustration]
"Great peace have they which love
thy law: and nothing shall offend them.'
Preface
One day, in a very brief conversation, my grandson asked me a question.
I did not get to talk with him much, so later I felt really inspired to
write some things which were upon my heart, that his question had
prompted. Of course I have gone into more detail than he would have had
to know, but felt it was good to stir up thoughts of what he did know.
After I gave it to him to read, I remarked that I might print it some
day and hoped that it would be a help to someone else. He returned it to
me and I am sending it forth with a prayer that these Bible truths will
be a help to some soul.
At this writing, I am 64 years of age and I feel I am living on borrowed
time. In 1973, it seemed that the Lord was going to take me, but He
healed me and I am doing all I can for the Lord. I recommend the Lord to
every soul. He has been precious to me down through my life, with many
blessings in the times of trouble and heartache.
--Sis. A. Marie Miles May, 1978
*The Key to Peace*
_God's Word is the key to satisfy
The heart's inner longings_.
Dear Grandson:
You asked a valid question when you asked, "How do we know what is right
and what is wrong?" I told you that we find the answer in the Bible as
to what is right and what is wrong.
You then said, "But the Bible is a big book. Where can you find where it
says a certain thing is right or wrong?" Again, that is a very valid
question. I know that the Bible is a big book. I trust that the
following will help you.
First, I want to say that I deeply appreciate the fact that you are
interested in knowing what is wrong and right, and knowing upon what
basis to place your own personal understanding. This will help you find
the key to peace in your soul. Each of us is individually responsible to
God. The Bible says, "For there is no respect of persons with God." Rom.
2:11. "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ according to my gospel." Rom. 2:16. "Who [or God] will render to
every man according to his deeds." Rom. 2:6. You can see we must know
how to live in this world, according to the plan of God, to be cleared
before the great Judge in that last day, when all men shall stand before
Him.
When I first opened my Bible to type the above Scriptures I saw this
Scripture that I had underlined in my Bible, which at one time impressed
me greatly. I feel that it must be for you too, as the Psalmist had a
desire like yours, so in his prayer he said, "Teach me, O Lord, the way
of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me
understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my
whole heart." Psalms 119:33,34. Then I always liked the verse above
these verses, which I also have marked, and have quoted many times to
others. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee." (verse 11). So we do need to desire to know what is right and
what is wrong, seek after understanding, and it will be given to us.
After we know and understand, we want to remember to obey God's Word.
There is no book like the Bible. When I speak of the Bible I definitely
refer to the King James Version. Today, there are many versions of the
Bible, and the devil is using this to confuse people, and cause them to
lose faith in God's Word. I personally can say, that I have searched out
the King James Version of the Bible, have obeyed it, and I have found a
deep, sweet peace in my soul. By obeying it, I found contact with God
which makes me know it is true. Your great-grandfather (Fred Pruitt)
preached from it, lived by it, and saw many others saved from their
sins, who lived and died by it, with victory over sin and the devil. Oh,
yes, it does bring joy to a person and fulfills that deep longing in
every person for peace and satisfaction in this life!
In studying the Bible, we find a Unity of Thought which makes us know
that One Mind inspired the writing and arrangement of all the books.
Truly it is THE WORD OF GOD! It is different from any other book in the
world. It is a divine book and not just a human book. We reject, with
abhorrence, that it is like other books. The Bible is an account of
God's efforts to reveal Himself to mankind. It is a record of His
dealings with man and His revealed will concerning him. The Bible is for
instruction and guidance in all the ways of life. From all the facts
that the Apostle Paul gathered he said, "All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Tim. 3:16. Thus we
find it to be true.
The special messengers of God, by whom the Bible has been written, were
given the power of performing miracles, by which their inspiration was
attested and their messages made authoritative; but the "more sure word
of PROPHECY" (2nd Peter 1:19) furnished the greatest external proof of
its inspiration. To this, more than to anything else, Christ and the
apostles made their constant appeal. Matthew, narrating the deeds of the
Saviour, gives us the standing phrase, "that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophets" while Peter affirms, in words unmistakable,
that the "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
II Peter 1:21.
Christ is the center and heart of the whole Bible. The Old Bible or
Testament is an account of a Nation. The New Testament is an account of
a Man, who is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament foretold Christ's coming
and founded and nurtured a nation by God to bring Christ into the world.
There is no book like the Bible.
The poet has said,
"O precious Bible! burning words from heaven,
We'll ever cherish thee in our heart,
Sweet is the counsel by thy pages given'
On life's dark ocean, our only chart.
O precious volume! only in thy pages
We read the duty of all our race;
Only thy sunbeams, shining through the ages,
Reveal the wonders of saving grace."
Oh, my grandson, it is a glorious thing to understand what God requires
of us and to live by it! To accept Christ as our Saviour, Lord, and
Master, to strive sincerely and devotedly to follow in the path that He
has mapped out for us in this life, is the most wonderful, the most
reasonable, and the most satisfactory way to live. It means peace in our
hearts, peace of mind, contentment, happiness, hope, and an assurance of
a life beyond the grave that shall never end. What a glorious plan God
has made for all who will love and serve Him with all of their hearts!
Oh, how sad to see so many go through life and face death without a hope
of living in heaven with God forever in the end of time! How can anyone
be so ignorant or be filled with such a lack of wisdom! It is beyond me.
We all have to die, which is a proven fact. What then! Why try to get
around it? It seems that every person should open his heart and mind to
the Word of God and accept Christ with an open mind and consider it the
greatest privilege in this world to live for Christ, the Creator of all
mankind. We should be like Job of old who said, "I have esteemed the
words of his mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12.
Many times we read in the New Testament that "it came to pass." The
prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled. Read the 53rd chapter of
Isaiah and he describes Christ's crucifixion and atonement work with
such accuracy of detail that the inspiration of the prophet is assured.
He wrote this 712 years before Christ was born. He only had from the
prophets before him the fact that God had told them that God was going
to send a Messiah. So only God could inspire Him to write in such detail
about his sufferings and death. Oh, there are so many proofs that the
Bible is true! Jesus spoke about the Old Testament, "For had ye
believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye
*believe not* his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" John 5:46,
47. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. He wrote things that
were told to him from the beginning. It all harmonizes with the rest of
the Bible. The early people were careful to keep accounts and told them
to their children. They were written when writing was available (or
began).
What Is Sin?
When I was a child and teen-ager, I was taught by my parents what the
Bible said was right and what was wrong. Many other doctrines in the
Bible were taught to me. I read them in the Bible, believed them, lived
by them, and was blessed in my soul and life. There came a time in my
life that I began to desire for God to teach me personally what was
right and what was wrong. I never doubted that the Bible was true but I
wanted to say that I believe this or that because God's Word says so. I
began to search things out in the Bible. I believe God wants each of us
to have this firm foundation to stand upon. So my dear grandson, you are
not different from your grandmother. When I finished my search I was
glad that I could say I believed this or that because it says in the
Bible thus and so. I didn't believe it because someone else said it, but
because God had said it. This is the way I want you to know it.
There is one thing that I had when I began my search, that was the Holy
Spirit as my teacher. The Bible tells us definitely that "the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." I Cor. 2:14. Since the Bible was written by
"holy men of God" who "spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" and
it is not "of any private interpretation," then we need to have the Holy
Spirit to reveal, or help us to understand all of the Word of God. (II
Peter 1:20,21). Yet there are a lot of the basics that we can know. I do
hope that you will understand what I write to you by the help of the
Holy Spirit.
First, let us know what sin is. In other words that would be what is
wrong. When we find out what is wrong then we can know what is right.
Sin means "Willfully breaking religious or moral law." (Web. Dic.) The
Bible also gives us the definition of sin. In I John 3:4 it says,
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth [or breaks] the law [of God];
for sin is the transgression [or disobedience] of the [God's] law." Then
in James 4:17 we read, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and
doeth it not, to him it is sin." We see that sin is either a direct
disobedience of God's Word or a willful failure to live by its
requirements. It is a serious thing to disobey God's law because it
involves the destiny or end of our soul. It means living in either
eternal torment or eternal bliss. To commit sin is a terrible thing and
a very serious thing. That is the reason we need to search the
Scriptures to find out how to live pleasing to the Lord in this world.
We can't do this within ourselves. God had a plan for us by sending
Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our salvation, so through Christ we
can live right.
If sin is disobeying God's Word then we must find out what it says in
the Word of God so we can live up to it. First we want to find out why
we sin, and then get rid of the cause.
You, of course, know what the Bible tells us about Adam and Eve in the
beginning and how they obeyed the devil who talked to them through the
serpent. He got Eve to disobey the only commandment that God had given
them. She ate of the fruit, which was forbidden, and gave to Adam and he
did eat. (Gen. 3rd chapter). They no longer could talk to God as before,
but hid themselves. Sin separates us from God. God called to them and
said, "Where art thou?" They said, "We hid ourselves because we were
naked." God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the
tree whereof I commanded you not to eat?" Of course, we realize that
because of sin, they knew they were naked. Before they had sinned, they
didn't think anything about their nakedness. But after they sinned they
made themselves clothes of fig leaves. No doubt they thought quickly of
something or they would have chosen something more substantial than
leaves. The leaves would soon dry and crack, but they were so ashamed of
their nakedness because of their sin. Not only did they need a covering
for their bodies but they also needed a covering for their souls. God
can't look upon sin with any pleasure. Sin will cause us to be cast out
of His presence. But oh, the Lord is so very merciful and He told Adam
and Eve that He had a plan for them, so their sins could be covered as
well as their bodies.
In Genesis 3:15 we read that God promised a Saviour. God spoke to the
devil, who had spoken through the serpent, and said, "I will put enmity
[or warfare] between thee [the devil] and the woman, and between thy
seed [Satan and his servants] and her seed [Christ and His followers];
it [Christ] shall bruise thy head [Jesus broke or crushed Satan's
power], and thou [Satan] shalt bruise his heel." In other words we find
a promise in this Scripture of Jesus being born. Jesus was the seed of
the woman. In Luke 1:31-35 we read how the angel told Mary that she
would have a child even though she was a virgin. God would be the father
of this child. The angel said, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
... that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God." Through Christ, sin could be conquered because He was the Son
of God, and not from the seed of man, yet He was called the Son of man
because He took upon Him flesh or the nature of man.
The seed of Satan are those who have yielded themselves to him and are
his servants. Jesus said to some who opposed Him, "Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." John 8:44. So we
note that the warfare would be between the seed of Satan and his
servants and the seed of the woman, or Jesus Christ and His followers.
Now who will conquer? God said that "her seed, it shall bruise thy
head." Jesus Christ would crush or break the power of Satan over mankind
and men would be able to become sons of God. Isa. 53:5 tells us that
Jesus "was bruised for our iniquities [or sins]." Praise God for Jesus
who conquered the enemy of our soul!
We have established the fact that sin displeases God. He punished Adam
and Eve and put them out of the garden, yet He gave them a promise of a
Saviour to come. It was over 4000 years before Jesus came. During this
time they offered a Lamb, which was a type of Jesus, as a sacrifice for
their sins. Today Jesus is our Saviour.
Let us note that in the 21st verse in Gen. 3, God killed an animal and
made Adam and Eve "coats of skin" to wear. It says that God "clothed
them." _Clothed_ means "to cover." Here we find that it is a command for
us to wear clothing. Paul in the New Testament tells us to dress in
modest apparel. (I Tim. 2:9). In other words we are to be clothed. It is
still a sin to go without decent clothing today as it was in the Garden
of Eden.
Now one thing that God showed me in my search, was that because Adam and
Eve sinned, that sin passed down upon all the human race. Adam was
created holy and pure but when he sinned, he lost that purity. When he
had a son, the Bible tells us that his son was "after his [Adam's]
image" or had the principle of sin within him. (Gen. 5:3). The Apostle
Paul tells us "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death [spiritual death] by sin; and so death [or spiritual separation
from God] passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.
We see that every child who is born has that sin principle within him.
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive
me." Psa. 51:5. Then we read in the Bible in another place where it
says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as
they be born, speaking lies." Psa. 58:3. Thus the Bible explains that
children are born with a bent, or inclination, toward sin, but if they
die without first coming to a knowledge of sin, they are saved through
Jesus' blood. There comes a time in a child's life when he knows he has
sinned. He understands it and then he is responsible. The Apostle Paul
says, "sin is not imputed [or charged or ascribed] when there is no law
[or understanding]." Romans 5:13.
Now you have come to the time in life when you are responsible. You know
what sin is. I remember when I realized that I had sinned. I had a big
imagination but the time came when I knew the difference between
imagining things and telling lies. The Bible says that "all liars shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." Rev.
21:8. So telling lies is wrong and is a sin, as well as many other
things that we will mention later.
Jesus Destroys the Works of the Devil
When we realize that we have sinned and know that sin will keep us away
from living in eternity in the presence of God, we are filled with
sorrow. First, we do not want to be cast into the "lake of fire," nor be
with the devil and his angels as Jesus has warned. He spoke of those
being "cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:44.
The next thing we think of is how Jesus loved us so much, He came
willingly to take the punishment for our sins. Sin had to be punished.
Man could not redeem us from our sins as all men had sinned. Jesus was
innocent and without sin. He was with God from the beginning but He was
born of woman, and took upon Himself flesh and blood. He lived here in
this world, was mistreated and finally put on the cross to die a
horrible death, although He was innocent. Why? Because He loved you and
me. "God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him." I John 4:9. "He that committeth sin is of the devil, for
the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God
was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever
is born of God doth not committ sin, because he is born of God." I John
3:8,9. Through Jesus' death on the cross, sin can be forgiven and we can
come into the presence of God.
When we realize that we have sinned and are sorry for that sin, we come
to Jesus, and with "godly sorrow" ask Him to forgive us. Jesus hears our
prayer and forgives us of our sins. By believing that He took our
punishment for our sins, in dying on the cross, we are forgiven by God,
and all is clear between us and God. Our sins are under the blood of
Jesus. In olden times, in the Old Testament, they offered a lamb, but
after Jesus came He was the Lamb who was sacrificed on the cross once
and forever for sins. John the Baptist said, when he saw Jesus, "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. He
will take away our sins, when we confess them to Him, and in prayer,
believe that He takes them away. I surely can't forget when the Lord did
just that for me. It was wonderful to know that all was clear between
God and me. I could sleep better and it was wonderful to know that if
death overtook me I would be ready to go.
When I realized that I needed to be sanctified, or the sin principle
needed to be cleansed out of my heart, I sought the Lord to give me the
Holy Spirit. You can't ask forgiveness for the sin that passed down upon
all men from the fall, or the sin of Adam and Eve. It has to be cleansed
out of your heart by the purging of the Holy Spirit. There are two works
in the heart. First we are saved from our volitional sins and then we
are sanctified or cleansed of that sin principle or carnal nature. Peter
speaks of some receiving the Holy Spirit and said, "purifying their
hearts by faith." God had given "them the Holy Ghost." Acts 15:8,9. Then
we can have power over all the power of the devil. The works of the
devil are destroyed out of our hearts. Praise God forever! It is a
wonderful experience.
Oh, how we love our Lord and Saviour for all that He has done for us!
How sad we would be if He had not come to this world to take our
punishment. How thankful we are for the Holy Spirit that was promised to
us after Jesus went away. He told His disciples that the Holy Spirit, or
the Comforter, could not come unless He went to the Father. (John 14).
We read how God gave the disciples the Holy Spirit, after Jesus arose
into the skies, after His resurrection from the grave. In Acts, second
chapter, they were waiting in the upper room and the Holy Spirit came
upon them and God performed a miracle. They spoke the wonderful news and
17 or 18 different nations heard about it in their own language. It was
on the day of Pentecost when people from all of these nations had come
to the temple to worship God. Many of them believed on Jesus as the
promised Saviour, were saved from their sins, and were filled with the
Holy Spirit. It's a glorious experience and is for everyone who has been
saved from sin.
Sins Named
My grandson, let us look at the Bible and see some sins that are
mentioned.
In Galatians 5:19 we read that adultery is a sin. In verse 21 it is
clearly stated that "they that do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God." So there is no doubt about these sins. _Adultery_
means, "violation of the marriage-bed." Romans 7:2,3 says "For the woman
which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he
liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her
husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she
is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be
married to another man." We know that when a couple marries, it is for
life or until one of them dies. Read Matt. 19:7,8, where Jesus reaffirms
this truth.
_Fornication_ is the "illicit sexual intercourse of unmarried persons,"
which is also adultery. This is a sin. Many today are just living
together. This is a sin and a stench in the nostrils of God. It is
terrible and so immoral, even if many today are doing it. "But
fornication, ... let it not be once named among you, as becometh
saints." Eph. 5:3. "Flee fornication.... What? know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of
God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1st Cor.
6:18-20. You see our bodies are to be kept pure and clean. That means
our minds are to be clean and pure also. Sometimes the devil will bring
evil thoughts to our minds but we must not think upon them. Think pure
thoughts.
God created our bodies and every part is for a purpose. We want to keep
our bodies free from impurities. There are urges in our body, and
sometimes a drawing to the opposite sex, but we must not let that urge
have control. We must keep our bodies under control. The Apostle Paul
tells us what he did. He said, "But I keep under my body, and bring it
into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway." I Cor. 9:27. Jesus also tells us "that
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart." Matt. 5:28. We need to be very careful
of our thoughts, and where our eyes wander. Keep the right kind of
thoughts. A mother told her son when he was taking a trip, "Son, never
do anything to place your body where your soul would not be the master."
Petting and kissing among young people will lead to wrong thoughts and
lead them into traps. We need to be careful and watchful about all of
these things. "Keep thyself pure." My dear Grandson, we are in a battle
in this world against all evil. The devil wants to destroy our souls and
cause us to miss eternal life with Jesus Christ, the Lover of our souls.
The devil has many agents in the world who also help him. In the schools
today your teachers are taught how to change your thinking. They will
slowly but surely work on you day by day to do so. Beware of this. Don't
let anyone destroy your faith in God, in the Bible, nor in what it
teaches as being the Eternal Word of God. Guard this faith and live by
it. It means your eternal destiny. Whether anyone says God's Word is
true or false, it will still be true. Men's thoughts and ideas will
never change God's Word.
The next sin is uncleanness. The dictionary says that _uncleanness_
means "morally impure, foul, filthy, unchaste and obscene." The Bible
says, "God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." I
Thess. 4:7. This means that we are to keep ourselves pure in thought,
word, and deed. Keep a rebuke in your heart against dirty jokes and
those things that lead to impurity. The Bible says, "Unto the pure all
things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is
nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled." Titus
1:15. Homosexuality would come under this sin. The Bible plainly
condemns this sin. In Romans we read about the corrupt man and it says,
"God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:... For this
cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust
one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and
receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet
[fit]. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness." Romans 1:24-28. It
is very plain that homosexuality is a terrible sin. God has a purpose
for the use of each member of our bodies and it is not to be used in
sinful ways. Sex is for a purpose and that is to bring children into the
world and for the purpose of love-making between married couples. But it
is not to be abused and temperance is to be used. Temperance is one of
the fruits of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:23). Each member is to be used for the
purpose that God has intended. Remember this and the Lord will give you
understanding.
_Lasciviousness_ means "lustful, wanton, loose; a person who excites
lustful emotions in others." Let us study this with careful thought. The
world today advertises the fact that this or that will give "sexual
appeal." This is lasciviousness. Wearing clothing that does this is sin.
Acting in a way to cause others to have lustful emotions is a sin. That
is, if a person purposely acts in this way, or dresses in this way.
Speaking words and making signs that does this are sins. Oh, God is
calling for a pure and holy people! His church, which is made up of holy
(sinless) people, is without spot and blemish and has been cleansed and
made pure through the blood of Jesus Christ. (Eph. 5:27). We must be
pure to be in it.
The next sin mentioned is _idolatry_ which means "divine honors paid to
idols, images, or any created object." (Web. Dic.) It also says it means
"excessive admiration, or love, for any person or thing." To worship any
image or man-made god is sin. There in only one true God and we must
worship Him in spirit and in truth. Also we do not want to have an
"excessive love" for any person or thing more than our love for God.
Some people allow *things* to keep them from having a true love for God.
This is a sin. If you let money, possessions, or any person keep you
from serving the Lord with all of your heart, then you have an idol. The
Apostle John said, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." I John
5:21. We are to "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matt. 22:37. Surely that means a lot,
doesn't it? There can't be one thing or person between us and God. He
must absolutely be first in our life. Oh, my grandson, it truly is a
wonderful thing to put God first! He is so precious to my soul and I
know He will be to yours as you love and serve Him with all of your
heart! Jesus has said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt.
6:33. What God adds is just perfect even though at the time we might not
understand it.
The next sin is _witchcraft_. Today many people are turning to magical
powers and are having communion with evil spirits and the devil. This is
what witchcraft is. Fortune tellers, spiritualist readers etc. are all
of the devil and should never be considered nor tampered with. Many
have, in fun, or wanting to know something, imbibed an evil spirit and
were tormented by it day and night. God will protect His people if they
will look to Him and not yield to evil spirits. It is dangerous. Read
Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:10:12; Acts 16:16-19; 8:11-21; 13:6-12.
Hatred is a sin. Even if someone does us a wrong we must forgive them or
Jesus has said that He would not forgive us. (Matt. 6:14,15).
Ill-feeling toward someone is a cousin to hatred. We need to forgive and
ask God to help us to love everyone regardless of what they do to us.
Wrath is also a sin and many times is connected with hatred. We must not
give vent to our anger but bring it under control. God has help for
everyone who will pray to Him and seek after Him.
_Variance_ means "a verbal strife followed by strained or severed
relations: wrangle or squabble: to dispute angrily." This is connected
to hatred and wrath.
_Emulations_ means "to strive to equal or excell with a view to out do;
ambitious or envious rivalry." In other words stepping on someone else
to get ahead of them or others. Oh, the Lord wants us to be considerate
of others!
Strife and envyings come under this same thing. We must love every soul
and not try to disregard their feelings or desires. Be happy for others
to get ahead and "rejoice with them that rejoice and weep with those who
weep," is what the Bible tells us to do.
Murderers are those who wilfully kill and are sinners. They must seek
forgiveness to be ready for heaven. If a person accidentally kills, that
is not a sin, but it is a tragedy. It is the person who purposely kills
who is a murderer and a sinner. To take one's own life is a sin, that is
if the person is in his right mind. We know that some people's minds are
afflicted (or wear out), and they are not responsible, yet there are
some close lines even in these cases.
Drunkenness is a sin. _Drunkenness_ is the "state of being drunk with
strong drink or alcoholic liquor so that the use of the faculties is
materially impaired." (Web. Dic.) Oh, the sorrow and trouble that
drunkenness has brought to little children, homes, wives and husbands,
mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers and nations! It is a terrible
thing! Today there is so much dope being taken. It is a terrible thing
to abuse one's body. God will not hold a person guiltless who abuses his
body in any manner. Read Prov. 23:29-32. God has deliverance for all who
get into this sin if they will only seek after God. But my dear
grandson, flee from all of it. "Touch not the cup." Never even taste it
and you will never be a drunkard. Some say they can take it or leave it,
but many did that for awhile and today they are on "skid row." They lost
their health, their wealth, their children, and their companions. Their
life is wretched. Some might say, "It would not happen to me," but they
must flee from it as they would a serpent that is ready to strike.
Smoking cigarettes and taking anything that harms the body is a sin. The
Bible says, "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy:
for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." I Cor. 3:17. What
could be plainer? My dear grandson, I am expecting you to flee from all
of these sins which are against the body which will destroy your body
and soul in eternal torment for all eternity. Remember that eternity
never ends. There is no time in eternity. Death seals your doom. It will
pay to live each day in a way that we will be ready to meet God, or will
be ready in that hour of death. It might come unexpectedly.
Seditions and heresies are sins. False teachings which are contrary to
the Bible teachings are heresies. They are sin. We want to live
according to the Bible and know its doctrines so we can not be led into
heresies. So many are being deceived by false teachers. People today
believe everything they hear and do not search the Bible to see if it is
true. We must not believe teaching from false teachers. Some will say,
"But that person has studied the Bible many years and he ought to know."
He may have a degree in theology etc., but that doesn't make any
difference. We still must stay upon a firm foundation and find it in the
Word for ourselves. There is a chain running through the Bible that
links truth and it must not be broken, or it will not be truth. We are
instructed in the Bible to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto
more ungodliness." II Tim. 2:15,16.
The next sins that are given are revellings and such like. _Revelling_
means "a noisy or riotous feast; or to feast with joyous or clamorous
merriment, boisterous festivity." In other words it means a loud,
boisterous manner of acting, or being in a crowd that acts that way. In
I Pet. 3:4 it says for us to have a "meek and quiet spirit, which is in
the sight of God of great price." This is in harmony with God's Spirit
and His Word.
I do trust that you have an idea of what God is expecting of us. In
other words, we have listed what the Bible teaches about some things
that are wrong, and what is right. As you said, the Bible is a big book
and we can't find everything, unless we are familiar with it, so I trust
these few things have been a help, as you study them. Remember that we
need to have Jesus to help us daily to obey the Word of God and be ready
to meet the Lord. First, it takes being saved from our sins, being
filled with the Holy Spirit and praying and studying God's Word. It is a
precious life when we are in the center of God's will. When we are
saved, we can have the fruits of the Spirit in our life which are named
in Gal. 5:22,23. They are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and many other good things that
God will give to us as we live and serve Him.
Romans 1:29-32 mentions more sins. It says that those who turn
themselves over to the devil to work his evil ways are "filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness,
full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters,
haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the
judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death,
not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." What a
terrible list of sins! Oh, we must flee from any of them. If you get
your dictionary and look up the meaning of each one of these you would
see how sinful sin is. No wonder God looks down upon sinful mankind and
is grieved. Now mercy is held out to all who will turn to Him and
through Jesus Christ seek forgiveness and turn away from sin, but the
time is coming when mercy will be withdrawn. This old world will be on
fire and only the holy and true will be taken to that prepared place for
a prepared people who have sought God. Oh, I surely want to be ready in
that day and hour, don't you?
Seeking Forgiveness Was the Key
When I was about twelve years of age, the teacher asked me to erase the
blackboard after school. After I finished, I walked down one aisle
between the seats. On one girl's desk I saw a match box, and in this box
was a tiny doll. I had seen her play with this doll and I thought it was
the cutest doll I had ever seen. I never had dolls when I was small, as
my folks could not afford to buy me one. I would wrap up a stick or
something and carry it around for my doll. So this doll attracted me
very much. As I looked at it, I wanted it so very much.
Before I tell more about this incident let us read a Scripture in the
Bible which tells us about being tempted to sin. In James 1:14,15, it
brings out how it works. "But every man [woman or child] is tempted,
when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death." Let us see what the word tempted means. _Tempt_ means "to
induce; entice; allure." The devil works through us to tempt us. First,
we are tempted by our own lust. Lust means an "overmastering desire."
_Entice_ means to "attract by offering hope of reward or pleasure." So
we see that the devil will induce us to do wrong by placing an
overmastering desire for something, which he convinces us will bring a
reward or some pleasure.
Note the next verse says, that when this lust or desire for a certain
thing is _conceived_, which means "formed in the mind," or it is decided
by the person that he is going to do a certain thing that is wrong, then
that brings forth sin. Now sin is finished [completed] when the act is
committed. After the act is committed then it brings forth death to the
soul. In other words, sin separates a person from God. That means
spiritual death. If a person continues to live in sin, or in spiritual
death, and then dies a physical death, he would be eternally separated
from God. But thank God, this need not be. The key to being restored to
God is found in God's Word. Since sin has to be punished, we find that
Jesus, the Son of God, was willing to come here, live and die and arise
from the grave so we can have forgiveness for our sins, as we, with
godly sorrow, seek for it.
Now I will continue with the incident in my own young life. First, I
want to say that from a child I loved the Lord and my parents taught me
what sin was and I didn't want to displease the Lord. But I was not
above temptations. So when I saw this little doll, I was tempted by the
devil. I had an overmastering desire to have that doll and I was enticed
by the hope of the reward of having it for my own and thought no one
would know about it. So quickly I picked it up and took it home. You
see, when I let lust, or that overmastering desire, become conceived, or
formed, in my mind, and I took the doll, I committed sin. Sin was
finished and I was cut off from God. Spiritual death took place in my
heart. No longer could I come to God and have communion with Him. Sin
had separated me from God. So as the Scripture says, "when it [sin] is
finished, it bringeth forth death."
I brought the doll home with me, but oh, I didn't feel good in my heart!
I knew I had sinned and I wished I had not taken the doll, but I had it
and was on my way home. I came into the house and my watchful mother saw
it. She asked, "Where did you get that doll?"
"Old Tennessee gave it to me," I quickly said, which was a lie. Another
sin was added to my first sin. The devil not only gets a person to sin
but he gets them to commit other sins to cover up the first sin. Thus,
he leads people on and on, and deeper into sin they fall. (Old Tennessee
was an elderly black man who drove a horse and wagon by our home, filled
with junk that he had collected. Sometimes, when he would stop and talk
to us children, he would give us some of his junk which we would value.)
I took the doll upstairs to my room and put it in my dresser drawer. I
didn't want to play with it. It didn't look so pretty anymore. My heart
was heavy. I didn't rest very well that night as I dreaded going back to
school. I just knew the teacher would guess that I had taken the doll.
To my surprise, nothing was said the next day about the doll. I avoided
the girl and hurried home after school. But yet the fact of stealing
that doll weighed heavily on my heart. A few days later I took the doll
out in the alley and took a brick and smashed it all to pieces and
buried it, but that didn't take away the sin or the guilt. I had sinned
against God and was still a liar and a thief. Oh, how bad I felt! I had
been taught to pray from a little child, and had always prayed, but
every time I would try to pray that sin would come up before me, so
finally I quit praying.
School was soon out and a few weeks passed by. Bro. John Wilson came to
our house from Missouri and held a few nights' meeting at the chapel.
One night he preached on hell fire. Oh, I could almost feel the fire of
hell around me! I trembled, but hurried out as soon as meeting was over
and the invitation had closed. I went home and to bed as soon as
possible, but not to sleep. I rolled and tumbled on my bed. The weight
of sin was so heavy on my heart that it seemed the mattress was on top
of me instead of me on the mattress. I knew I was on the road to hell.
Finally, toward morning, I told the Lord that if He would spare my life
until I heard the alarm go off in my parent's room that I would get up
and go ask my father to pray for me to get saved and I would seek
forgiveness for my sins from God. This calmed me, and I lay there
waiting. When I heard the alarm, I ran to their room and knelt beside
their bed. I began to weep and beg Papa to pray for me to get saved. He
prayed for me and I prayed. I asked the Lord to forgive me of my sin of
stealing and lying and promised I would make it right. I told the Lord I
would tell the girl I had stolen the doll and pay her for it. God took
my word for the act and He forgave me and flooded my soul with peace.
Oh, I had found the key to peace for my inner longings! The key was a
desire to find peace and then obeying God's Word which said, "If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:9. That key opened the
lock to my heart and let Jesus come in. Jesus has said, "The words that
I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." John 6:63b. Oh,
the peace that filled me and I became a new creature in Christ Jesus! I
was happy again.
I had promised the Lord that I would make my sin right when school
started. So one day I was sitting behind this girl and I tapped her on
the back. I told her about my taking the doll and offered to pay her for
it. She said, "I often wondered where that doll went to, but I didn't
care anything about it anyway." I insisted on paying her but she said to
forget it. Oh, the relief that I then had because the devil fought my
making it right by telling me that she would tell every one in school
about my being a thief. I never heard anything more about it.
Then I had to make the lie right, for I had told my mother and all of my
brothers and sisters that old Tennessee had given it to me. One time in
family worship I started to tell it and broke down and wept, but kept on
telling about it. I asked forgiveness and my father said that they all
forgave me. I didn't know until years later that none of them understood
anything I said because I had cried so hard, but I thought they did and
that was what counted. I had obeyed the Lord who makes us know that we
are to make our wrongs right.
When Jesus came to Zacchaeus' house and he sought salvation from Him,
Zacchaeus said, "If I have taken any thing from any man by false
accusation, I restore him fourfold." Luke 19:8. We must make our wrongs
right. If we do, and have repented and confessed our sins, we can hear
the same words that Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "This day is salvation come
to this house, ... For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost." (verse 9, 10.)
I am thankful to say that this was the only thing that I ever took in my
life and it was a great lesson to me. Oh, how wonderful it is to be the
Lord's! If we love and serve Him, we can have peace in our souls. We
might have many problems and troubles in this life but if we have peace
in our heart and are in contact with God, these things can't take away
our peace and we can face life. The Bible says, "Man that is born of a
woman is of few days, and full of trouble." Job 14:1. Troubles will come
to us but if we obey God's Word, we can have peace in our soul and be
ready to meet the Lord when He comes in the clouds of glory.
I do pray that all who may read this will take the key, which is the
Word of God and through obedience use it to unlock your heart and let
that Word fill your heart and life, and you will have peace. Every
longing will be satisfied as you continue to obey the Word.
The Keys to Continued Peace
When a person has confessed his sins with godly sorrow, and they are all
under the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross, he is "born again"
and has become a new creature in Christ Jesus. (II Cor. 5:17). How
precious it is to know that "old things are passed away" and "all things
are become new!" His wrongs have been made right, as far as possible,
and according to his knowledge. Then he needs to walk in this kind of
way and life. It takes some watching and praying to keep the peace in
the soul that God has given. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit
can one continue in contact with God. After a person has fully
surrendered himself to the Lord and has the cleansing work of the Holy
Spirit in his soul, he is equipped to go forth and fight the devil who
goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pet.
5:8). The devil is no respector of persons. He is more than a match for
the child of God but when the child of God seeks grace and help from
God, the devil has to flee. He now needs to know how to face the devil,
so he can be "more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus."
We read in James 4:6-8 that first, we need to know that God gives grace
or help to the humble. We need to humbly realize our need of God's help.
Then we are to submit ourselves to God, draw close to God and "he will
draw nigh to you." Every step we take toward God, He will take one
toward us. After we are in the will of God and have implored His help,
we can then, in the name of Jesus, "Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you." One brother said he talked to the devil just like he did to
his dog. He said, "Get out of here!" The devil had to pack his bags and
leave.
When a person is saved, one of the first things the devil tells him is
that he isn't saved. This is a famous trick of Satan and it's sad to
say, that he uses it over and over and it has worked on many souls. We
need not be "ignorant of his devices." It's a pretty sure fact that you
are saved or the devil would not bother about you. So don't let that
trouble you, but "resist the devil," or he will take your peace.
Prayer is another thing we must do to keep our peace. God knows what we
need before we ask Him, but His plan is for us to ask. Prayer is not
just always asking God for something, but it's a means of fellowship
with God. It's a communion between God and us that brings love, joy,
peace, comfort and all that we need. It's a heart to heart talk to God.
In prayer we tell our Lord and Saviour of our great love for Him. In
prayer we never cease to praise Him for dying on the cross and taking
our punishment for our sins. In prayer we, so to speak, just lift our
hearts and minds up into that heavenly realm and we touch heaven. A
thrill of heavenly love flows from God down into the very depths of our
inner being. Power, strength and grace is given, and with a deep inner
joy we go forth and face the world. Others might wonder how we can have
the courage to face the hard things, but it's because of grace gained
through prayer. Prayer should never be neglected or we will feel our
peace slipping away.
Prayer can be a groan, a sigh, a dropping of a tear, a smile, an inner
praise going up to God, laughter in the spirit, or an inward or audible
"praise the Lord!" Prayer is the sincere desire of the heart or an
attitude of the heart. Surely we can "pray without ceasing," as we keep
a heart full of love for our Lord and a feeling of utter dependence upon
Him. In living in this way, our peace will be abounding.
Another foe we must watch is self. Often it has been said that we must
die out to self, but it goes deeper than just saying it. Self longs to
live, but it must be crucified. We must remember that "ye are not your
own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's." I Cor. 6:19,20. If we belong to
God then we do not belong to ourselves. We must be aware of the fact
that self will make many concessions to live. Self sometimes will allow
its owner to do many sacrificial deeds if it can live. It will even bear
hard things, but it must go. Self must be crucified. We must die to good
deeds, and to bad deeds, successes, failures, exaltations, humiliation,
friends and foes. Oh, it must not be us but Jesus that will be lifted up
in our lives! The Apostle Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20. So it must not be self
that lives but Christ must live in us.
We need to watch our thoughts to keep our peace. We are told that God
"wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because
he trusteth in thee." Isa. 26:3. When our peace is disturbed we need to
check to see where our mind has been or what we were thinking about.
The mind is the battle ground. The devil has access to the mind as well
as God. We are tempted through the mind. The devil will present wrong
thoughts and then the Lord is right there to bring us good thoughts or
suggest the right thing to do. We need to separate our thoughts. We need
to cast out the wrong thoughts and only think on the good thoughts from
God. The devil is like a persistent salesman. He will talk and talk at
the door and if you are not careful he will get the door open and have
his foot in it. If you give him any encouragement he will be sitting in
your living room and have his wares all spread out before you. So we
must not let the devil get past the door of our mind. Just tell him
right off, "I am not interested."
We think of the children of Israel in Egypt, when God told them to put
the blood of the lamb on their doorposts one night, so their eldest son
would be spared when the death angel passed over. Ex. 12:12,13. The
blood on the door was the powerful warning to keep evil from the
Israelites on that night when the Egyptians were visited and death was
in every home. Just so, dear Grandson, the blood of Jesus on the door of
our heart and mind will keep the devil from coming into our mind,
sitting down and displaying all of his wares of evil. When tormenting
thoughts, thoughts of fear, thoughts of unjust deeds of others done to
you, thoughts of self-pity, anxiety, doubts, unforgiveness, mistrust of
God, or evil of all kinds appear to take up your thoughts, just resist
them and point to the blood on the door of your heart. Those thoughts
will have to flee. Sometimes a person can think upon an unjustice done
to him and it will grow bigger and bigger. The mistake is made by not
resisting it in the beginning and forgiving the injustice. God's ways
are right, if we will follow them.
When bold and daring thoughts move in and are persistent, trying to fill
every corner of our mind, we need to point to the blood. They have to
leave. Bring the mind under subjection to the blood and think of good
things. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if
there be any praise, think on these things." Phil. 4:7,8.
Obedience to God's Word
Be careful to obey the Word of God, and do not let others influence you
to do wrong. Be strong and courageous to stand for right and truth. Dear
Grandson, there will be many in the world who will sneer at you for your
stand for right. Some will persecute you, but don't let this influence
you to let down your standard from God of what is right. God expects us
to obey Him. Others might try to make you think that the way they have
figured it out is right, but still we must obey the Lord.
When I was about 13 years of age I learned a lesson on obedience and
resisting others influence that I never forgot. I let others influence
me to disobey my father's command. It was presented to me in a way so
that it seemed that it would be all right, but yet it was a direct
disobedience.
Unexpectedly, my parents were to be gone on Sunday. Early that morning
my father came upstairs to my bedroom, and told me about their going,
and told me to take the three younger children to Sunday school and
church services, and then come home, prepare dinner and stay at home
until they returned in the late afternoon.
After the morning services, some of the young people wanted me to go
home with them for dinner and then in the afternoon they were going to
another town close by, and have young people's meeting. I repeated what
my father said and told them that I couldn't go. One girl especially
began to beg me to go by saying that she was sure my father would not
care. I still refused to go, so she talked to her mother about it. Her
mother told me that she would take care of the three smaller children if
I wanted to go with the young people to the meeting and she was sure my
father would know they were in good care. This over-persuasion was hard
to turn down, so I went home with them for dinner and to the young
people's meeting in the afternoon. I didn't feel very good over it as I
knew what my father's command was and I knew that when he told me to do
something he expected me to do it. Needless to say, when my father heard
about it, I was punished for disobeying him. He also had prayer with me,
instructing me to seek God's forgiveness. The good intentions of others
did not sway him. He told me I should not let others influence me to
disobey him, regardless of what they presented. It grieved him very much
to think that I didn't do as he had told me, and he said that he didn't
know if he could trust me again. I was very sorry and grieved also, as I
did want him to trust me.
My dear grandson, God is grieved when we let others influence us to do
wrong, even though it may seem right to them. They might present a
plausible thing, but if God said for us not to do it, we must not. We
must obey God. We are individually responsible to God to give an account
for our deeds. We can't tell God that others thought it was all right.
That will never excuse us.
We read of Saul, the king of Israel, who let the people persuade him to
keep the sheep, oxen, etc. of the wicked nation of the Amalakites, when
God had told him to completely destroy everything. The people said that
they should take the best and offer them as a sacrifice to the Lord.
This might have seemed plausible, but it was a direct disobedience to
the Lord's command. The Lord told Saul, "to obey is better than
sacrifice." Saul's punishment was great. Samuel, the prophet of the Lord
said, "thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath
rejected thee from being king over Israel." I Sam. 15:20-26.
God expects us to obey Him and when we do, we will have peace in our
souls. Disobedience will bring the disfavor of God upon our soul and it
will have to be punished.
Jesus has said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. Love
for God will make us careful to keep His sayings and He will give us a
peace that the world cannot take away from us. We can't find soul peace
in the world. And after all, my dear grandson, we want to live so we can
live with our inner self. God created us with a part of Himself in us.
There is something within us that looks up to a Creator. Some will
disregard the true God and worship the gods of stone etc. They think
that will satisfy the longing in their souls but it doesn't. Only when
we are in contact with the true God can we find real peace.
Now my dear grandson, and all who read this, take the true key to peace
and let it open your heart and by prayerfully seeking God, you can have
peace in your soul. I love the souls of all mankind and want everyone
who will desire peace in their heart with God, to make it into heaven by
observing the Word of God.
--Grandma Miles (A. Marie Miles)
"I Can Handle It"
"What does Jeff's death mean to me? Well, some kids will probably stop
dropping flippies for awhile. I mean, you got to watch that stuff and
know what you're getting so you don't take some with too much rat poison
in it. Me, I know what I am doing, I can handle it."
This was the answer to a question asked of one of Jeff Stewart's friends
who came to the cemetery, with other barefooted friends, who were
clutching wild flowers, to place on his grave. Jeff Stewart was the son
of a Methodist preacher and had refused to listen to his parents. They
had pled with him in tears to turn away from drugs. He had gotten into
it through others' influence, but when his parents tried to help him, he
would generally say, "I can handle it."
Jeff Stewart was a handsome boy, so said his mother, and a B student. He
was only 17, but had died of an overdose of barbiturates on August 22,
1970 in a shack that he and his drug addicted friends had built on a
side street in Hopewell, New York. In the midst of "rock music" he and
his friends "smoked marijuana" and "dropped acid," (LSD) regularly.
At times Jeff wanted to get off drugs and had told his mother that he
wished he had never started taking drugs, was a little boy again and
could start life all over.
There is a struggle going on in the minds of every young teen-ager. At
times he is a carefree person but then at other times he tries to act
grown up or feels that he knows what he should do and the path he should
walk. These are difficult times in a teen-ager's life. Influences from
within and from without will cause him to decide upon his course.
Parents see this indecision and they try to guide their teen-agers in
the right direction. The pastor, Sunday school teacher, and the young
people's leader are all interested in the teen-agers and are trying to
show them the right way. At times the teen-ager thinks his parents or
other spiritual instructors are right, but the crowd at school, and
often the teacher, use their influences to pull him the other way. Day
after day he is making decisions. The wrong influences seek to turn the
teen-ager away from morality and God's Word but they do not give
anything to take its place in his heart or erase guilty feelings.
Therefore he finds emptiness within, so is compelled to continue to
seek something else to satisfy him. Then he is led deeper into grosser
evils, trying to "handle" his inner longings.
Some might say, "But how do you know?" I know because I went through
those years and I know the influences to which I was exposed. One time I
wanted a certain thing or would want to do a certain thing but then
later I didn't like or want it. Some at school would present their ideas
and my parents and spiritual advisers presented their ideas. In my mind
I was continually weighing out what was right or what I really wanted to
do.
As we think of the young boy who died of continually taking drugs and
felt that he could "handle" his own life, we see how he chose to travel
the wrong road. Even though his buddies saw what had happened to him
they were so stuck on drugs that they, too, thought they could still
"handle" their lives. What a mistake they are making and I am sure you
are convinced of that fact. None of us are able to *handle* our own
lives. When we are born we have within our very nature a bent toward
evil. That bent toward evil has to be curbed. God gave children parents
because they needed help to face life and to curb that which was within
them that would lead them to the wrong path. Children and teen-agers
should recognize this fact and listen to them. Even if you do not want
to admit it, you can't *handle* your own life without the aid of your
parents. Furthermore you can't handle your life and walk the right path
without God's help. The devil works through the influences of others to
lead you astray. Only through the power of God can the power of the
devil be broken, the bent toward evil be destroyed, and you be able to
do the right or choose the right path. Never feel that you can *handle*
your own life. No man, woman, child, or teen-ager can *handle* his life
or obey the Word of God, which teaches him the way to live in this life
and be ready to die, without help from outside of himself.
In my early teen-age life there were two verses of Scripture that I had
learned by memory which were a guide to me. One was, "Children, obey
your parents in the Lord: for this is right," Eph. 6:1. The other one
was, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." John 3:16. The first one made me know that God would bless me if
I obeyed my parents. Many times my idea of what they required wasn't the
thing that I wanted to do, but I obeyed. Why? Because I loved Jesus. I
was convinced that I was doomed for hell, but Jesus had loved me so much
that He came to this world, lived, and died on the cross and arose again
for my salvation. If it had not been for Jesus taking my sins and loving
me so much I would be eternally lost. That was a great influence in my
life and today I am very glad that I obeyed my parents and also let
Jesus handle my life and lead me in a right direction.
When teen-agers rebel they are headed for trouble and oh, what great
trouble! Let us remember the young man who thought he could handle his
life but had a tragic ending and was eternally lost. Dear Grandson,
remember the Bible has the answer to every problem, and Jesus will help
you handle your life if you will let Him.
* * * * *
"Two Italian boys of New York City were returning from a swim. They were
each about fifteen years of age. Pietro had picked up a piece of copper
wire and thought he would have a little fun with the third rail of the
New York Central track, along which they were walking.
"He poked away around the wooden covering of the rail, but nothing
happened.
"'That's funny,' he said. 'I guess I didn't touch the right spot.' Then
he pushed the point of the wire down underneath the covering.
"There was a flash of blue flame and a shriek of pain as 11,000 volts of
electricity shot through the wire. In a moment Pietro's clothing was on
fire and his hair and eyebrows were burned off. He tried to drop the
wire, as it hissed and sputtered at white heat, but it wouldn't let go.
He tried to pull it away, but it stuck to the rail as if it were
soldered there. The other boy tired to pull him away, but he was hurled
to the ground with a terrific shock. Then the brave fellow threw his
rubber coat around Pietro and pulled him loose.
"Pietro started to run but fainted and fell. They took him to the
hospital, and the doctor said, 'One chance in a thousand to recover.'
"The boys said they knew there was something dangerous about that rail.
They had heard other people say so, but they didn't think it would hurt
to play around with it a little.
"Just so, sin is dangerous. It scorches and burns and kills, like the
live third rail. People know it, and yet they play around with sin.
Many times there are signs near high voltage wires--_Danger, Do Not
Touch_! God has put up some signs, too. In His Word He warns against the
danger of sin. If we want to be safe, and happy, we will heed these
warnings."
* * * * *
"A minister of Geneva, on a trip to Paris, one day fell into a
conversation with a man who began to reason with him about Christianity.
The minister answered every argument with a quotation from
Scripture--not venturing a single personal remark or application. Every
quotation his companion evaded or turned aside, only to be met by
another passage. The skeptic became enraged. 'Don't you see, I don't
believe your Bible! What's the use of quoting it to me?' he shouted. The
minister's reply was another thrust of the Sword of the Spirit, 'If ye
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.' Years passed, then
one morning the minister received a letter. Opening it he read, 'You
took the Sword of the Spirit and stabbed me through and through one day,
and every time I tried to parry the blade and get you to use your hands,
and not the Heavenly steel, you simply gave me another stab. You made me
feel I was not fighting you, but God.' It was signed by the former
skeptic in whom the 'seed of the Word' had finally been mixed with
faith.
"Even as the natural seed changes soil into plants, so the living seed
of the Word changes the character of the individual who comes in contact
with it. For example, in the night of the Dark Ages when the Word of God
was planted by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of chosen men, it brought
forth the fruit of the Reformation. There was a rediscovery of the
truth, that salvation is not by ritual or works, but by faith in Jesus
as our Saviour."
* * * * *
My grandson, I will close these instructions to you, as well as to all
who read them, with a prayer for each one. As a teen-ager I found that
it paid to live for God. As a mother I found that God was there to help
me in all the needs of life and as a grandmother and a possible
great-grandmother, I find great joy in living for God. It pays to put
God first in our lives. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness and all these things will be added unto you," is the safe
way to live because Jesus, our Lord and Master, who has all wisdom has
told us.
--Grandma Miles (A. Marie Miles)
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