Pastor H.
L. Sheppard
Bulletin
February
2006
MAKE UP YOUR
MIND
Few persons pass through life without being forced to
take a position on a controversial question.
Some such questions are in the "Have you stopped beating your
wife?" category and require fancy footwork to escape unscathed. The zenith of this art was reached by a
“You have asked me how I feel about whisky. All right, here is just how I stand on this
question: "If when you say whisky,
you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge; the bloody monster that defiles
innocence, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children;
if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the
pinnacles of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation
and despair, shame and helplessness and hopelessness, then certainly I am
against it with all of my power.
"But, if when you say whisky, you mean the oil of
conversation, the philosophic wine, the stuff that is consumed when good
fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their
lips and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes, if you mean Christmas
cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old
gentlemen's step on a frosty morning; if you mean the drink that enables a man
to magnify his joy, and his happiness and to forget, if only for a little while,
life's great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrows, if you mean that drink, the
sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are
used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our
deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirmed, to build highways, hospitals and
schools, then certainly I am in favor of it."
"This is my stand.
I will not retreat from it; I will not compromise."
The good senator's statement is a classic study in the
ambiguity of double-speak. It is
impossible to be on both sides of an issue, just as one cannot fight with both
sides in a battle.
A constant ongoing war is being waged between the
forces of good and evil. Emerging from a foxhole on the frontline of violent
spiritual struggle, we can see evidence of this all-consuming battle in the
torn and bleeding body of Apostle Paul.
He fought in the bloodiest conflicts and came out decisive, determined
and dogmatic in his absolute resolve to serve the Lord Jesus with all his heart,
soul, mind and strength. He did not
waver from his position. His words echo down the corridors of time:
Rom.
Rom. 8:39 Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
THIS was not a man unsure of his position on what
pleased God. Paul was not "Double
Minded" (Gk. Listening to Two spirits):
James
1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways.”
James
4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
Again,
Paul's resolute spirit and adamant attitude toward the things of God is
revealed in his words to his young protégé, the evangelist Timothy:
2 Tim.
2 Tim.
2 Tim.
Therefore, I encourage you to make up your mind to
commitment 100% of yourself to God’s service. Don’t waver, don’t be double minded, don’t
allow your flesh to persuade you differently. The time has come to stop vacillating, stop
wavering, stop leaning from one position to another and stand firmly on the
side of right. God wants “all” of you;
not just a part, he wants “all” of your heart, soul, mind and strength. Make up your mind to live totally for Jesus
Christ, then DO IT!