“Suppose a man should come to his dinner table, and there should be a knife laid down, and it should be told him, ‘This is the very knife that cut the throat of your child!’ If the man would use this knife as a common knife, would not everyone say, ‘Surely this man had but very little love to his child, who can use this bloody knife as a common knife!’

Look upon the cross on which Christ was crucified, and the pains He suffered thereon-and the seeming sweetness which is in sin, will quickly vanish. When you are solicited to sin, cast your eye upon Christ’s cross; remember His astonishing sufferings for your sin, and sin will soon grow distasteful to your soul. How can sin not be hateful to us-if we seriously consider how hurtful it was to Jesus Christ?”

-Thomas Brooks

“Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Peter 2:23   Like a lot of folks, many of my problems were caused by me. I’ve been threatened, cursed, lied about, punched in the nose, etc. and it was all my fault. I brought it on myself. Naturally, that doesn’t excuse the other person, but the problem would never had happened had it not been for some wrong I had done. But, there have been times when I did nothing wrong to warrent such actions. That’s when it’s really difficult to deal with. That’s when hard to not retaliate. In such instances it helps to think about Christ.   Nobody ever suffered such cruel injustice as Jesus did, yet He refused to retaliate. He did not stoop to their level. That is our blessed example. Jesus is perfect in every way, yet He was hated, despised, and crucified. We too can expect injustice and suffering—it is the heritage of all humans. You can’t stop that. But, we do have a choice when it comes to the manner in which we respond. With God’s help, we can do what Jesus did. Don’t let others prod you into a fight. Everyone concerned will be better off, and God will be pleased, if you “take it patiently”(1 Peter 2:20). Just leave it with God—vengeance is His alone (Romans 12:17-19). ——–HDS   Don’t be like the bee that destroys itself for the sake of stinging others

Read Psalm 38:1-8

Nobody can deny there is pleasure in sin. If there were no pleasure in sin, nobody would fall into temptation. The Bible speaks about the pleasures of sin for a season. What season? The season of sowing. The pleasure of sin comes when we sow, but the pain comes when we reap. This is why David gave such a vivid description in Psalm 38 of what we suffer when we sin. “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!” (v. 1). He went on to say that God’s arrows were piercing him and His hand was pressing down on him. All of his bones hurt. His iniquities had gone over his head as if he were drowning in a sea of sin. “My wounds are foul and festering,” David said. “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long” (vv. 5, 6).

Why did God put this description in the Bible? Why does David compare the consequences of sin to being pierced by arrows, being pressed by His hand, sickness, a heavy burden, drowning, smothering and no peace? Because God wants us to hate sin. If for no other reason, the consequences of sin ought to warn us against sinning. The next time you’re tempted, look past the pleasure to the pain and learn to say no. Remember what David says in this Psalm. You say, “I’m a Christian. I can sin.” No, you can’t, because you’ll reap the same consequences. God chastens His own, for He wants us to walk in holiness. (By Dr. Warren Wiersbe)

Christ came to serve and to give, and God desires the same for us. “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matt. 20:27, 28).

The finest model of serving, except Christ Himself, was the Apostle Paul. Almost without exception he begins every one of his epistles with words to this effect: “Paul, a servant….” or “Paul, a bond slave….” He was indeed an apostle, but he conducted himself as a servant.

Very few of us want to be known exclusively as a servant. We want to be known as a servant and a great preacher, or a famous missionary, or an outstanding elder, or a well-known business man. What we fail to realize is that true servanthood does not have hidden aspirations to be great in the eyes of men.

When we think of our relationship to Christ, can it be said of us that we want only to serve Him?

Although his religious philosophy was questionable, Albert Schweitzer was a man willing to abandon a great career in order to serve his fellow man. In 1913, he sailed for Africa, having turned his back on fame, money and prestige. His first hospital was an old abandoned hen house and his first operating table an old campboard.

On a trip to the United States, a reporter asked, “Dr. Schweitzer, have you found happiness in Africa?”

“I have found a place of service,” he replied, “And that is enough for anyone.”

This does not represent the feelings of many of us who are members of the church. It is not sufficient to simply have a place of service. Many of us want a place of recognition and a road to fame.

All of us need to do some serious thinking and praying about this matter of being a servant.

We need to make this prayer ours: “O God, help me to be the master of myself, that I may be a servant of others.” (Copied)

Mr. Sankey tells the story of his boy who was with him, when a little fellow, in Scotland, and for the first time he possessed what in that country is known as a top-coat. They were walking out one cold day, and the way was slippery. The little fellow’s hands were deep down in his pockets. His father said to him: “My son, you had better let me take your hand,” but he said you never could persuade a boy with a new top-coat to take his hands from his pockets. They reached a slippery place and the boy had a hard fall. Then his pride began to depart and he said: “I will take your hand.” and he reached up and clasped his father’s hand the best he could. When a second slippery place was reached, the clasp was broken and the second fall was harder than the first. Then all his pride was gone, and raising his little hand he said: “You may take it now”; and his father said: “I clasped it round about with my great hand and we continued our walk; and when we reached the slippery places,” said he, “the little feet would start to go and I would hold him up.” This is a picture for the Christian. I am saved not so much because I have hold of God as because God has hold of me, and He not only gives me shoes with which I may walk and which never wear out, but Christ holds my hand in His and I shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck me out of His hand.(By Wilbur Chapman)