Godly Living in a UnGodly World

Hi,
 
Anthony Roberts is glad to be alive.  At first, Roberts claimed that he was shot through the skull with an arrow, while walking through a park in Grants Pass, Oregon.  He later admitted that a friend was trying to knock a one-gallon gasoline can off his head.  It was part of an initiation into a rafting and outdoor group called Mountain Men Anonymous.  It cost him an eye, but doctors say it could have cost his life. If sin exacted its price as instantly as this, there might be a sharp increase in holiness. 
 
A friend and I were golfing when a young man came along behind, and asked if he could join us.  As the three of us continued together, the conversation turned to spiritual matters.  He shared with us the fact that he belonged to the largest church in town, but said he could not be good for more than 20 minutes at a time. 
 
Sin like cholesterol, appears to be harmless, even while setting us up for catastrophic failure.  One sausage patty won't cause a heart attack.  It may trigger indigestion, but an antacid will neutralize that.  So we have a second sausage biscuit.  Then, after the fats have accumulated silently for years, they strike without warning.
 
James wrote, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  James 1:27  Peter instructs us to "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him."  2 Peter 3:14
 
How can one keep himself spotless, blameless, and at peace with the Lord?  Certainly not by continuing to regard sin in a flippant way, or even as an accepted thing in ones life.  First; the serious soul can give himself to Christ without reservation.  Don't give only your sins to Him.  Give all of yourself to Him.  He can take that emptied heart and fill it with His divine love, cleansing it.  Secondly; that one who loves God can remain surrendered to Him without reservation, and Christ Jesus can keep that vessel clean as He puts it to use.  "....present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God..."
 
May the Lord bless and keep you today; and always remember that you are loved!!!

Henry