George H. Morrison's Old And Beautiful Devotions

[Brother Jerry]

Amen

Paul wrote to the Corinthians of this as well

2 Corinth 10:5 "...,and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ"

If we take every thought and allow Christ to speak through that thought then it will not come out our lips in a disobedient manner.

Sincerely
Brother Jerry

[Rookieupgrade1]

AMEN Brother Tom, AMEN!!

[airIam2worship]

I know there is a Scripture that says the mind is the battlefield, I just can't remember where it is. Does anyone know? I did a search on my software and it comes up with no rusults.

[Rookieupgrade1]

Isn't this based in what Christ said about what goes in your mouth does not make you unclean but what comes out of the mouth is a reflection of what is within. Why clean the outside of the cup when the contents are wicked?

I know it's a bad quote.......

[Soldier4Christ]

The Mind is a Battlefield is a term that has been frequently used by many. I don't think that it is worded quite that way in the Bible but it is covered in a number of verses. I know that Rick Warren has used this term a lot and there is a female Christian author ( can't remember her name right now ) has a book out with that title.

[airIam2worship]

The Mind is a Battlefield is a term that has been frequently used by many. I don't think that it is worded quite that way in the Bible but it is covered in a number of verses. I know that Rick Warren has used this term a lot and there is a female Christian author ( can't remember her name right now ) has a book out with that title.

I think it's Joyce Meyer "Battlefield of the mind"

I know that satan attacks our thought life that is why we have to constantly keep our minds and heart fixed on God. satan is not all powerful, but in our fallen state he plants seeds of doubt about God, and he plants seeds of evil, trying to make us take time away from God and focus on worldly things, and trying to make us feel like we are really not saved, or that if we commit one little sin it's ok. he is very cunning and the thing here is that he is so subtle that he makes it seem like they are our own thoughts.
We have to push bad thoughts out of our mind and focus on God and His Word only.

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen, Sister!

(Yes that's the one I was talking about. )

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

This is really a beautiful thread, and there is much here for a good Bible study. There is a secret here, and it involves what our thoughts and hearts would be like without JESUS. But we, as children of GOD, do have JESUS, and we have the Holy Spirit of GOD living in our hearts. There has already been massive changes take place to the core of our beings. We no longer do things alone, and we are never alone.

We were once captives of sin and darkness, and those things were our masters. The good things that can be and have been given to us are from above, and JESUS CHRIST is now our MASTER! Do we really have to search very far or hard for peace, joy, and spiritual riches for our hearts? NO, these are things that GOD will give us freely if we want them, seek them, and pray for them. BUT, there is another secret here that isn't a secret at all. We can't expect GOD to fill us with with HIS PEACE and JOY if only give HIM a few minutes each day and wallow in the darkness of this world very much. We truly can't serve two masters, and we can't expect THE MASTER to freely give us all things when we don't make HIM the core, focus, and LORD over our lives.

1 Chronicles 28:9 NASB  "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Psalms 4:6-8 NASB  Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

Psalms 19:14 NASB  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 6:10-14 NASB  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

[airIam2worship]

Brothers and Sisters,

This is really a beautiful thread, and there is much here for a good Bible study. There is a secret here, and it involves what our thoughts and hearts would be like without JESUS. But we, as children of GOD, do have JESUS, and we have the Holy Spirit of GOD living in our hearts. There has already been massive changes take place to the core of our beings. We no longer do things alone, and we are never alone.

We were once captives of sin and darkness, and those things were our masters. The good things that can be and have been given to us are from above, and JESUS CHRIST is now our MASTER! Do we really have to search very far or hard for peace, joy, and spiritual riches for our hearts? NO, these are things that GOD will give us freely if we want them, seek them, and pray for them. BUT, there is another secret here that isn't a secret at all. We can't expect GOD to fill us with with HIS PEACE and JOY if only give HIM a few minutes each day and wallow in the darkness of this world very much. We truly can't serve two masters, and we can't expect THE MASTER to freely give us all things when we don't make HIM the core, focus, and LORD over our lives.

1 Chronicles 28:9 NASB  "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

Psalms 4:6-8 NASB  Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

Brother Tom you said some very important things here.
We must always keep in mind that we are never alone Jesus is with us at all times, even when we think we are alone and no one is watching. What we do, what we say, where we go, and what we think are all exposed to Him. There is nothing hidden from Him. He knows all our thoughts, He knows our hearts and He knows our intentions. With this said if Jesus was physically visible to us all the time and we were able to see Him go everywhere with us, and listen to everything we say and see everything we do, would we change or watch what we do, say and where we go? Or would we be walking in the Light completely confident that we are pleasing our Father.
We can never live two lives, that is impossible we wouldn't be successful with either one and we wouldn't be happy, we would always have to be looking over our shoulder, making sure no one is watching or hearing what we say. We have to completely give all our attention to one or the other.
I choose to always live and walk with Jesus, He is the only one I choose to please, and the only one Who matters, as long as I am walking with Him I can have peace and happiness knowing that He is my Helper, and my rewarder

[nChrist]

July 19

John the Witness-Bearer - Page 1
by George H. Morrison

John bear witness of him and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me— Joh_1:15

The Large Place Witnessing Has in Scripture

The thought of witness-bearing finds ample expression in the Bible. "Witness" is one of the key words of the Scripture, occurring in the early records of Genesis and in the writings of prophets and apostles. It makes an interesting study to collect the passages in which the word "witness" is found. Sometimes it is God who is the witness; at other times it is the arching heaven above us. Then we read that when Joshua had made a covenant with the people, he took a great stone and set it up under an oak tree, and said, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us" (Jos_24:26-27). Christ Himself is spoken of as a witness — "Behold I have given him for a witness to the people" (Isa_55:4); Paul tells us that God had never left Himself without a witness (Act_14:17); and it was at the feet of that same Paul that the witnesses laid down their clothes in the hour when Stephen cried, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Act_7:59). Let us remember, too, that when we believe on Jesus, there is a witness which we have in ourselves (1Jo_5:10). Such passages as these help to make plain to us what a large place the witness has in Scripture. The Baptist is not isolated in his witness-bearing; he is one of a great and evergrowing company. Let us try, then, to gather up some of the things to which John bore witness. It may be that we also, like the Baptist, may be sent to be the witness-bearers of Christ Jesus.

Witness to the Presence of Christ

First, then, John bore witness to the presence of Christ. The Jews were eagerly expecting the Messiah. They were thrilled with the hope that He was coming. God had awakened such a longing in their hearts that they knew the advent was not far away. So were they straining their eyes to the east and to the south; so were they anxiously awaiting some splendor of arrival; and John bore witness that the Christ they looked for was standing among them even while he spoke (Joh_1:26). He was not hidden in the clouds of heaven; He was not lurking in some far concealment; He would not burst upon them in any visible glory, nor with any credentials that would be instantly accepted. Even while John spoke the Christ was there, moving among them as a man unknown—John bore witness to a present Lord. Now that is a witness which we all may share in. We may show our neighbors that Jesus is among them. We may make it plain to our visitors, as John did, that Jesus of Nazareth is not far away. And we do this not so much by speech or by having the name of Jesus on our lips as by revealing His love and power and patience in the general tenor of our lives. There are some men who immediately impress us with the fact that they walk in the company of Christ. There is no explaining the impression that they make unless it be that they are living with Jesus—their secret is, they have a Friend. That is true witness-bearing, and it is like the Baptist's. It is a witness to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Witness to the Greatness of Christ

Again, John bore witness to the greatness of Christ. Of course the Jews were expecting a great Savior; all their long history made them sure of that. The threefold dignities of king and priest and prophet were to mingle in the person of Messiah. But greatness has diverse meanings; it is touched with a thousand differences on a thousand lips; and when a nation falls from its high ideals, as the Jews had fallen in the time of John, the great man of the popular imagination is not the great man in the sight of God. Now this was part of the witness-beating of the Baptist, to reveal the true greatness and glory of Messiah; to single Him out as He moved amid the people, and proclaim that He was greater than them all. There were no insignia on Jesus' breast; He was not clothed in any robes of state; there was nothing in His adornment or His retinue to mark Him off as one who was truly great. And it was John's work to pierce through all disguise and see the grace and glory of the Man and cry that though He had no beauty that men should desire Him, yet none was worthy to unloose His shoe-latchet (Joh_1:27). In different ways, and yet in the same spirit, we should all be witness-bearers to Christ's greatness. It is always possible so to think and act and live that men will feel we serve a great Commander. He who thinks meanly and does petty and foolish deeds and has no lofty ideals clearly before him is not commending an exalted Savior. It is in a spirit that is so touched to reveal spiritual greatness, however humble be the believer's daily round, that witness is borne to the greatness of the Lord.

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[nChrist]

John the Witness-Bearer - Page 2
by George H. Morrison

Witness to the Lowliness and Gentleness of Christ

Once more, John bore witness to the lowliness and gentleness of Christ. I think that if John had been a time-server, and had cared only to flatter Jewish prejudice, he would have told his audience that the Spirit had descended, not like a dove, but like an eagle. It was not a dove for which the Jews were looking. They wanted a power to expel the Romans. What a chance for a false prophet this would have been, considering the symbolism of the Roman eagles! But John could only tell what he had seen—a faithful witness will not lie (Pro_14:5) — and he bare record saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove" (Joh_1:32). That means that almost in the teeth of his own stern heart, John bore witness to a dovelike Savior. There was to be a brooding peace about Messiah, a lowly gentleness, a still small voice. And when we remember what John's own nature was and think of the Christ of common expectation, we see how true and faithful was this witness-bearing. May not we, too, bear witness in our lives to the lowly tenderness of our Redeemer? May we not make it plain, as John did, that the Lord whom we know is filled with the dovelike Spirit? We do that whenever we master temper or check the bitter word or take the lowest place. We do that when our unforgiving hearts and our stubborn and proud and selfish wills become imbued with that love and thoughtful tenderness which is the very spirit of Christ Jesus.

Witness to the Sacrifice of Christ

Lastly, John bore witness to the sacrifice of Christ. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (Joh_1:29). John had roused the conscience of the people; he had awakened in them the sleeping sense of sin. Jewish missionaries tell us that today that is still the first thing they strive to do. But when the sense of guilt was roused in them—what then? Then John's great work of witness-bearing reached its peak. So it may be with every one of us. We, too, may be witness-bearers of the sacrifice. We may so hate and abhor and shun all sin, we may so feel the price of our redemption, we may so live in the sweet sense of pardon, we may be so hopeful for the lowest and worst men, that our life (unknown to us perhaps) shall be a witness-bearing to Christ crucified.

____________________

George H. Morrison Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________

[nChrist]

July 20

The Unrecognized Christ

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not— Joh_1:26

The Presence of Christ Is Perpetual

It is almost a commonplace to say that the world does not know its greatest men. To be very near is often to be blinded. It is only afterwards, in quiet reflection, that the large outlines of greatness are detected. Yesterday and tomorrow may deceive us, and indeed they very often do, but (as Dora Greenwell says) the real deceiver is today. Now our blessed Lord is different from the greatest in that His presence is a perpetual presence. He is continually moving in the world through the acting's of His gracious Spirit. And that is why such a text as we have chosen is not only true of days beside the Jordan, but is true always and to the end of time. There is an unrecognized Christ in every age. There is an unregarded Presence in all history. There is a spiritual Power moving in the world, though (like the wind) men know not whence it cometh. "There standeth one among you whom ye know not."

The Unrecognizable in Our Civic Life

One thinks, for instance, of our civic life—of all that meets the eye in a great city. If an old Roman were to come back to earth and move through the streets of one of our great cities, he would feel at home with our bazaars and barracks: he would say, "We had all these in ancient Rome." But show him the infirmary, the almshouse, the orphanage, the sick children's hospital, and these he would never recognize. It was the spirit of Christ that reared the hospital. It was His hand of love that built the orphanage. And yet how seldom does that thought intrude into the minds of those who throng the streets. In every city of our modern world, as by the banks of Jordan long ago, "there standeth one among you whom ye know not."

The Unrecognizable Ideals of Conduct

Again, think of our ideals of conduct and of the elements unrecognized in them. We might take a very simple illustration. When some poor, useless rascal has an accident and the doctor is summoned to his side, that doctor at once acts on the assumption that he must do everything in his power to save his life. Now why should he save it? Why should he preserve it? Would it not be better to let that rascal die? I want to know where the doctor got his thought that the sorriest life is infinitely precious. He certainly did not get it from his science nor from nature nor from evolution. The preservation of the rascal is the one thing evolution does not teach. When I see that doctor with his sleeves rolled up fighting desperately for a rascal's life, I feel that there is the Christ unrecognized. He is the light of every man who cometh into the world. Whenever a man does anything true and tender, when the fireman enters the flames to save a child, when the common sailor flings himself overboard to rescue someone who is bent on suicide, "there standeth one among you whom ye know not."

The Unrecognizable Ideals in Our Social Lives

Again, one thinks of the social unrest which is so much a feature of our life today. It is evident that the bad old times are gone. Then the poor were content to live in hovels; now they are not content. Then they were content with wretched wages; now they are not content. Then they were content that little children, untaught, should have their playground in the gutter; but such things are intolerable now. What lies at the back of that unrest? It is the dawning sense that the poorest and the humblest have equal rights with the richest in the land. And to discover where that sense originated—the infinite value of the bottom dog—is a matter that is worth consideration. It did not come from Satan; Satan has nothing to do with thoughts that liberate. It sprang from the heart of the Carpenter of Nazareth. Put the leaven in the meal and it ferments. Put the Kingdom of Heaven in society, and like the loaf, it rises. When I see the heavings of the masses now, the fermentation, the sara indignatio, I feel that "there standeth one among you whom ye know not."

The Unrecognizable Solver of Our World Problems

Lastly, take the problems of the world, for the world never had more agonizing problems. It seems to many of us as if the world were getting ready for the second and glorious coming of the Lord. National hatreds are not dead. National jealousies were never more bitter. National memories are rankling yet with the catastrophe of the Great War. It looks sometimes as if the only power abroad were that of the prince of the powers of the air—and then come soberer and wiser thoughts. What of the growing movements for disarmament? What of the slowly altering attitude of white men towards the black? Has the prince of the powers of the air begotten these? Someone is moving, though we recognize Him not. He does not strive nor cry nor lift up His voice in the streets. Evil is always clamorous and strident. He comes as the coming of the morning. So do I feel through all our great world problems, which sometimes chill the heart, that "there standeth one among you whom ye know not."

____________________

George H. Morrison Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________

[nChrist]

July 21

The First Disciples

Follow me. I saw thee— Joh_1:43-48

The Beginning of Changes

When a man has risen to great eminence, we are always interested in the story of his childhood. We listen eagerly to any scrap of information about his earliest days. And the deep interest that centers in these verses springs from the fact that here are the beginnings of fellowships and friendships that have changed the world. When we think of all that Christ was to be to John and of all that John was going to be to Christ; when we recall what the future had in store for Peter, we feel what great issues lay in these first meetings that are so simply and so quietly told. It is not often with any stir or uproar that the great moments come to men or women. They are not heralded with any sound of trumpet — the way of the Lord is not prepared like that. Quietly and unobtrusively two men follow Jesus, or a friend gives a word of welcome to a friend, or a brother goes and seeks out a brother—and from that hour all things shall be changed.

Christ Appeals to Different Natures

Note first to what different natures Jesus appeals. Four or five men are mentioned in our verses, and we know a little about the character of each. We know enough to convince us of the differences between the natures of these first disciples. Peter was eager and enthusiastic. John had a perfect genius for loving. Philip was slow, deliberative, cautious. Nathanael had a most unworldly and gentle heart. Yet all were drawn to the one Lord and Master and took their place in the ranks of the disciples. Some teachers appeal to certain kinds of men, or they attract those who are educated to one level; but it was one of the mysteries of Jesus that He drew to Himself such distinct and diverse men. Let the teacher of a class remember that. Let the mother lay it to heart among her children. Their natures are utterly different one from the other, yet all may find their friend in the one Lord.

Christ Leads Men to Himself in Different Ways

Again, mark in what different ways men are led to Jesus. When Andrew and the other disciples followed Jesus, they did so because of the Baptist's word. Their days of companionship with John had made them ready to enter into the fellowship of Christ. Now John was the last and the greatest of the prophets; he closes and embodies the spirit of the Old Testament. These two, then, were the first of those many thousands who have been led through Psalm and prophesy to Christ. Then follows Peter, and his was a different avenue. It was his own brother who brought him to the Lord. So Peter is the first of that great company who have been brought to Christ by the influence of home. But it was not even a brother that brought Philip. It was the voice of Jesus saying, "Follow me." Philip is the leader of all who have yielded and been obedient to the Master because they have heard Him calling them. Last comes Nathanael, and it was Philip who brought Nathanael. There was old intimacy between the two. Nathanael is a type of everyone who is brought in by the influence of a friend. Do you note the diverse roads into Christ's presence? There are a thousand paths converging to that spot. They used to say that all roads led to Rome; perhaps it is truer that all roads lead to Christ. One highway rolls along through Psalm and prophecy; another is built on the prayer and the peace of home. One path would not be known save for the Shepherd's voice, and another lies through the meadowland of friendship. Of all these, we have God's foreshadowing in the coming of the first disciples.

Christ Deals with Newcomers by Different Methods

Again, remark by what different methods Jesus deals with newcomers. We can never note too earnestly or gratefully the value, in the eyes of Christ, of one. It was for one coin the woman swept the house. It was for one sheep the shepherd went seeking. It was for one son the father watched and prayed. Christ preached to vast audiences on many occasions, and a great crowd moved Him to compassion; but the woman of Samaria did not get poorer teaching because she formed an audience of one. The same thing strikes us in Jesus' dealing with newcomers. They are not dealt with on any scale of ten. Each stands apart and has a separate treatment, for each was precious in the eyes of Christ. One newcomer has his motives searched and sifted—that is the meaning of the sharp "What seek ye?" (Joh_1:38). Another is convinced that he is known— "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (Joh_1:47). A third is summoned and strengthened by a word of command, "Follow me" (Joh_1:43). Let us not dream, then, that the Lord's way with us will be the same as His way with other people. Let us not despise our own peculiar welcome because no one else had ever quite the same. He knows us separately; separately He loves us; and every newcomer has his separate dealing.

The Kingdom Begins in Personal Acquaintance

Lastly, the Kingdom begins in personal acquaintance. Do you know how other societies are formed? They are formed by the drawing up of rules and statutes; and men are solemnly enrolled as officers, and everything is formal and exact. Here only, in quiet and simple ways, a Kingdom (though not of earth) is being founded, and it begins in acquaintance with the King. As it began so has it continued. The mark of citizenship is personal knowledge still. Strangers and aliens may say, "I know about Him." But the true citizen can say, "I know Him."

____________________

George H. Morrison Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________

[nChrist]

July 22

The Best Wine Last - Page 1
by George H. Morrison

Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now—- Joh_2:10

With God, the Best Is at the End

Into the story of this memorable marriage I do not propose to go. Rather, I wish to base what I may have to say on this remark of the ruler of the feast. Why, do you think, did this saying so impress John that it lingered ineffaceable in his memory? Was it merely because of the pleasure it evoked to hear his Master's handiwork so praised? I think there was a deeper reason. John was by nature an idealist, loving to find the abstract in the concrete. In the particular instance of the moment, he was quick to see the universal law. And it flashed on John, hearing this chairman speak, that he was speaking more wisely than he knew and uttering a truth that had far wider range than the miracle at that wedding of Cana. Was it not true of many an earthly pageant that the best wine was given at the beginning? Was it not true wherever Christ was active that the best wine was kept until the end? In other words, take man apart from God and always it is the worse which follows; but take God in any of His thousand energies, and always the best is kept until the end.

Without God the Last Is the Worse

It is on these two truths I wish to speak. And first on the sadder and more somber of them. Think, then, for a moment of life itself, unsustained by the hope we have in God. Now I am not a pessimist as you all know; nor am I given to painting dark or depressing pictures; yet the fact is too plain to be gainsaid—afterward that which is worse. First comes childhood with its joy and wonder and with its world compact of mystery and charm. Then follows youth with its ideal and vision; then opening manhood with its glowing hopes. And the world is still a very noble place, and the gates of the prison house have not yet closed, and the body, whether for toil or joy, is still a subtle and a powerful instrument. Then come the heat and battle of middle age, and the weakness and the weariness of age, and the years when men say, "I have no pleasure in them," and when all the daughters of music are brought low; and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail, and they who were strong men once shall bow themselves. Is this the gallant youth of long ago, this bent and tottering and palsied form? Are these the eyes that once were bright with love? Is that the brain that was so clear and keen?

Last scene of all

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Afterward That Which Is Worse

Or think again of life's relationships on which the blessing of God is never sought. When character is unchastened and unpurified, how often do the years bring disappointment! Think of the tie of fatherhood and sonship. To the little child the father is a hero. No pictured saint wears such a golden halo as does the father in his children's eyes. His character is flawless and complete above all question and all criticism; it is the image in the childish mirror of the dim and shadowy character of God. Happy the child who, when its eyes are opened, still finds a character that it can reverence! But if the father is living without God, who is swifter to see it than the growing boy? And all that revelation of unworthiness, with occasional glimpses of what is darker still, makes the cup bitter which was once so sweet. And then the words were spoken at a marriage. Are they never true of that most sacred tie? Are there no wives or husbands who are whispering, "Afterwards that which is worse"? They remember a day when life was full of courtesy and of little attentions that were better than gold and of a charity that suffered long and of a kindness that was the breath of heaven. Where has it fled to, that kindness of the morning? Who set by the hearth these irritable, tempers? Is that cold voice the voice that was so tender in the gentle and sweet days of long ago? Unguarded by the consciousness of God, unchastened by the discipline of watchfulness, unwatered by the kindly dew of prayer, unhelped by the strength made perfect in our weakness; how many homes there are that know too well—afterward that which is worse.

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[nChrist]

The Best Wine Last - Page 2
by George H. Morrison

Sin Gives the Best in the Beginning

Once more you will think how true this is of sin. It is indeed the masterpiece of evil. It is the token and the triumph of all sin that it always gives the best wine at the start. That is why men of open and generous natures are often those most bitterly assailed. They do not calculate nor look ahead nor reckon seriously with the morrow. And sin is so fair and pleasant at the outset and hides its afterward with such consummate mastery that the reckless heart becomes an easy prey. Do you not think, now, if all the miseries of drunkenness were to meet a man upon the verge of drinking—do you not think he would cry out for help and turn from his accursed vice and flee? But drunkenness does not begin like that. It begins in the social hour and happy comradeship, and only afterwards there are the blighted prospects and the shattered body and the ruined home. Let any young man see what I as a minister have seen of the worse-than-death that follows social sin, and he will fall on his knees in prayer to God for strength to keep himself unspotted from the world. But sin is cunning and conceals all that; it sets on the table a delicious vintage; and only afterwards—but always afterwards—that which is worse.

Sin Conceals the Worse

And I cannot leave this darker side of things without asking, must all that stop at death? I wish most passionately I could believe it did; but I see no reasonable ground for that assurance. You tell me that you don't believe in hell. If you take hell to be a red devil with a fork, I don't believe in it either. But I believe in law; I believe in immortality; I believe in the momentum of a life. And if the momentum of a life be downward, and be unchecked by the strong arm of God, how can we hope that it will be arrested by the frail and yielding harrier of the grave? I hesitate to dwell upon that thought. All I wish to say to you is this. If sin conceals the worse behind tomorrow, may it not conceal the worse behind the grave? Sum up the issues of sin that you have known; the bitterness, the tears, the vain regret; think of its darkened homes, its blighted lives, its wreckage everywhere of broken hearts; then go, and as you gaze into a lost eternity, say, "Afterwards, that which is worse."

The Progress of God's Creation

But now I turn, and I do so very gladly, to the energies and activities of God. Wherever God in Christ is working, the best wine is kept until the end.
Think first for a moment of creation. There was a time, not so long ago, when religion trembled at the assault of science. It seemed as if science, flushed with her many victories and pressing forward to universal conquest, might drive from the field, in ignominious rout, many of the truths of revelation. One hears a great deal less of that today. The combatants have been laying down their arms. They have been learning that the field of battle was divinely meant to be a field of brotherhood. And nowhere have they better learned that lesson than in regard to the method of creation, for Scripture and science are agreed in this, that the best wine was kept until the end. First there was chaos and the formless deep; then light, and the ingathering of the waters. Then the first dawn of life in lowliest form, followed by bird and beast. And always the path was upward, from dull and shapeless horror, to what was better, richer, and more beautiful. And then at last, not at the first, came man, capable of communion with his Maker; greater, by that spark of God within him, than sun and moon and all the host of heaven. And it is in man, so noble though so fallen, so touched with heaven although so soiled with hell, that we discover it is the way of God to keep the best wine until the end.

God's Revelation Is Progressive

The same is true in the sphere of revelation, the revelation of the divine to man. Not all at once, in sudden burst of glory, did God reveal Himself to human hearts. We speak of revelation as progressive. That is a truth which we insist on now. Only as men are able to receive it will God reveal the riches of His grace. And so from age to age men were led on from the first flush and crimson of the dawn to the perfect radiance of Him who said, "I am the light of the world." Have you ever wondered why God delayed His coming, why the wheels of His chariot tarried for so long? Compared with all the ages of mankind, it is but a little while since Christ was here. But this is the meaning of that long delay, that the God of creation and of grace is one, and that in both activities alike, He keeps the best wine until the last. You remember how the writer to the Hebrews puts it, "God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Heb_1:1-2). Precious are the promises of the Old Testament. Precious are the teachings of the prophets. Precious is every gleam that was vouchsafed to the waiting heart of patriarch and psalmist. But it is when we turn to Christ, the Son of God, the way, the truth, the life, the resurrection, that we cry with the ruler of the feast at Cana, "Thou hast kept the best wine until now."

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