The Besetting Sin

by R. D. Sandlin


“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” Brethren, not only in the flesh, but in the Lord. An unbelieving heart was the cause of their departing from God, and it will produce the same ruin in us. “Departing is such sweet sorrow,” says Shakespeare, but there is no “sweet” to it, if it is departing from God—it’s just sorrow.

Departure from God exists first in the heart then manifests itself in the life. Indulging in unbelief in any form or subject is the one great sources of all alienation from God. To distrust God is to depart from Him.

We feel it is of little consequence whether we have faith or not, provided our conduct is right. But you can have a clean life and behind it hide an evil heart of unbelief. Only the man who lives a life of faith in God is safe, and none else are safe but he.


Till men have faith in Christ, their best services are but glorious sins.
(Thomas Brooks, Puritan)

A Story To Remember

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church's pastor slowly stood up and walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the evening, he briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening. In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest was one of dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak.

'A father, his son and a friend of his son were sailing off the pacific coast,' he began, ' when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.'

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

The aged minister continued with his story, 'Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy would he throw the other end of the life line?
He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and that his son's friend was not.

The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!', he threw out the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of the night. His body was never recovered.

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth. 'The father,' he continued, 'knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus; therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend.'

'How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten son that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line that He is throwing out to you in this service.' With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room.

The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation a the end. However, no one responded to the appeal. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side.

'That was a nice story,' politely stated one of them, 'but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.' 'Well, you've got a point there,' the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again looked up at the boys and said, 'It sure isn't very realistic, it it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His son for me.

You see...I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend.'

- Author Unknown -

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson.

The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son, 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.

There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.

Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life.'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you but, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

- Author Unknown -

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