June 25

A Christian's sincerity is not eclipsed without the intervening of the earth between God and his soul. Get above the love of the world. This is a stubborn root for hypocrisy to grow on. If your heart becomes attached to something else in the world, and chooses it above everything else, you will be sick with longing for it and vulnerable to take the first advice Satan offers for getting what you want most. Hunters do not care how they get in-- over hedges and ditches and through marshes-- just so long as they catch the rabbit.

It is a mystery how a saint, with the precious ointment of Christ poured upon his heart, could still have such a strong scent after the world. It would seem that the sweet perfume which comes to those beds of spices-- God's promises would spoil the Christian's desire for hunting earthly game. The breath from Christ in them should so fill the saint's senses that gross earthly enjoyments would no longer be pleasing to him.

This is true as long as the Christian's spiritual senses are open, but as a head cold stops up the nose from doing its job, so a Christian's negligence obstructs his heavenly graces. And when a saint cannot enjoy Christ's divine savor, the devil takes advantage and immediately sets some sorldly attraction before him. Soon the flesh picks up the scent and takes the Christian into a chase which dead-ends in sorrow and shame. Get above the fear of the world.

Fear of man brings a snare. A coward will run into any hole, no matter how filthy, to save himself. And when the holiest saints are tempted, they are like all other men. When Peter's reputation seemed to be in a little danger, he did not "walk uprightly according to the truth of the gospel" (Galations 2:14). Instead he took one step forward and another back again-- sometimes he was willing to eat with Gentiles, but at other times he was not. Why? Because he feared "them which were of the circumcision" (Galations 2:12).

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