Friday, November 21, 2008

Something to Ponder

This quote is from John Stott's book on Basic Christianity.  It was brought to my attention by an article written by Dr. Derek Thomas.  It's quite thought provoking!

"The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers - the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish.  For thougsands of People still ignore Christ's warning and undertake to follow him without first pausing to reflect ont he cost of doing so.  The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so-called 'nominal Christianity'.  In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent, but think, veneer of Christianity.  They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved; enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable.  Their religion is a great, soft cushion.  It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life, which changing its place and shape to suit the convenience.  No wonder the cynics speak of hyprocrites in the church and dismiss relitions as escapism." (p. 108).

1 comment:

Laurie M. said...

Thanks for sharing this. I'm honestly terrified of not finishing the race. I spent years as a false professor of faith and am well aware of my capacity for self-deception. How can anyone predict with absolute certainty that they will be one of those who persevere, especially here in America, where it's so easy to be a Christian? So, my prayer has been that the Lord will keep me, and not let me deceive myself, and not let me fall away. He is my only hope - if He can't hold me, I can't be held! I certainly don't have strong enough fingernails to hang onto Him.