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FOR OR AGAINST? (I)
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Mark 9:38-41

Revelation 3:14-22

 

“For he that is not against

us is on our part.”

 

FOR OR AGAINST? (I)
 
Jesus said, “For he that is not against us is on our part” (Mark 9:40). However, the opposite is also true, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth” (Luke 11:23).
 
There are times in life when we have to take sides—between truth and error, good and evil. We had better be found on the right side, on the side of truth and good, and not falsehood and evil. God hates neutrality—the Mr Nice Guy who wants to please everyone, who says yes to both good and evil, right and wrong, truth and error. He is a good for nothing. Jesus warned against neutrality: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Rev 3:15,16). Jesus also said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt 6:24).
 
Bishop Ryle rightly observed, “We all naturally love an easy Christianity. We dislike collisions and separation. We like, if possible, to keep in with both sides. We fear extremes. We dread being righteous overmuch. We are anxious not to go too far. Such thoughts as these are full of peril to the soul. Once allowed to get the upper hand, they may do us immense harm. Nothing is so offensive to Christ as lukewarmness in religion. To be utterly dead and ignorant, is to be an object of pity as well as blame. But to know the truth and yet ‘halt between two opinions,’ is one of the chief of sins.
 
“Let it be the settled determination of our minds that we will serve Christ with all our hearts, if we serve Him at all. Let there be no reserve, no compromise, no half-heartedness…. Without decision there is no happiness in religion. He that follows Jesus most fully, will always follow Him most comfortably. Without decision in religion, there is no usefulness to others. The half-hearted Christian attracts none by the beauty of his life, and wins no respect from the world.”
 
THOUGHT: Neutrality is the sin of compromise.
PRAYER: Lord, grant me the wisdom and courage to stand on the side of what is true and right according to Thy Word.

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