August 11, 2009
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Came across a passage from, (who else?) CS Lewis yesterday, which I found particularly encouraging, and felt it was worth sharing:
Here’s part one
(I’ll add part two as an edit tomorrow):http-equiv=”Content-Type” content=”text/html; charset=utf-8″> name=”ProgId” content=”Word.Document”> name=”Generator” content=”Microsoft Word 11″> name=”Originator” content=”Microsoft Word 11″>
C.S.Lewis .. Nice People or New Men?
“If you have sound nerves and intelligence and health and popularity and a
good upbringing,
you are likely to be quite satisfied with your character as it
is. ‘Why drag God into it?’ you may ask.
A certain level of good conduct comes
fairly easily to you. You are not one of those wretched creatures who are
always being tripped up
by sex, or dipsomania, or nervousness, or bad temper.
Everyone says you are a nice chap and (between ourselves) you agree with them.You are quite likely to believe that all this niceness is your own doing: and
you may easily not feel the need for any better kind of goodness.
Often people
who have all these natural kinds of goodness cannot be brought to recognize
their need for Christ at all until, one day,
the natural goodness lets them
down and their self-satisfaction is shattered.In other words, it is hard for
those who are ‘rich’ in this sense to enter the Kingdom.It is very different for the nasty people–the little, low, timid, warped,
thin-blooded, lonely people,
or the passionate, sensual, unbalanced people.
If
they make any attempt at goodness at all, they learn, in double quick time,
that they need help.
It is Christ or nothing for them. It is taking up the
cross and following–or else despair.They are the lost sheep; He came
specially to find them.
They are (in one very real and terrible sense) the
‘poor’:He blessed them.
They are the ‘awful set’ He goes about with–and of
course the Pharisees say still, as they said from the first,
‘If there were
anything in Christianity those people would not be Christians.”tomorrow: hope for the hobbled,
(and an explanation of the background shot)
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Comments (7)
Good to hear from you, where have you been? Thanks for your comments…Praise Him!
Mike
Hope for the hobbled … I like that.
Hi Jim
This is really good! My sister has a hibit of telling me, Your so good sis..bla bla bla. I always stop her, because I know who I really am and I dont ever want anyone thinking im so Holy. Im so normal just like everyone else. I needs Gods grace and forgiveness just like she does. I always think about that scripture where Jesus says depart from me I never knew you. Yikes….can you imagin. I always pray God shows me my heart and ask him to draw me near.
This post reminds me of a song by a recording artist I went to college with by name of Josh Bales. goes like this:
Only the sinner, only the weak
Only the man who lies and steals and cheats
Only the woman who runs around
Only the child with a selfish mouth
Only prostitutes and murderers
And crooked business men
Only those who have no alibi
Only those who cannot hide their sin
Only the dirty
Never the clean
Only the beggar men
Never the king
Only the messed up
Never the made, the made
Only the sinner
Jesus saves
Never the righteous, never the good
Never the man who does all the things he should
Never the rich, no never the strong
Never the woman who never breaks the law
Never the healthy, never the wise
Never the man who claims to have some alibi
Only the dirty
Never the clean
Only the beggar men
Never the king
Only the messed up
Never the made, the made
Only the sinner
Jesus saves
@xThexGodfatherx -
– Mostly just treadin’ water, Mike..an awful lot going on in life right now…more news on that soon.
@CHorsey -
– As one who has at times lamented or mulled over “hobbledness”, I like it too.
@AngelAware -
– You know, Kathleen, I’ve joked at times that God has given me certain limitations so that I wouldn’t get too arrogant, or proud. The fact is, I’m really thankful for my limitations for that very reason.
@cowboy_christian -
– Steven, I’m always so impressed with your compendium of lyrics and lore…this is fantastic! Where do you get them? I get the impression you’ve had a lifetime of being exposed to this type of poetry, music and stories. Thank you so much for sharing this entry.!
The Lord bless you all
Jim
Good stuff!! I love CS Lewis. Thanks for posting it.. reminds me that I’m ok… Being overbearing, snappy, angry, and hopeless!! I really try not to be, but lately ive been under very bad condemnation because of it.. Lord Help me…
I knew the man in College, and I own the album. as far as I know, he wrote it himself. you can check him out here