"See then that ye walk circumspectly." Eph. 5:15. To walk circumspectly is
to walk cautiously; to look where one is stepping; to be vigilant,
watchful, diligent, attentive. Be our pathway ever so light, if we do not
look where we are stepping, we may stumble. Conybeare and Howson render
the above text in these words: "See then that ye walk without stumbling."
We are to walk not as foolish people but as wise. We would say that the
man acts foolishly who does not look at all in the way he is walking.
Those who are wise in business walk carefully; they look where they are
going; they take advantage of every opportunity to make their business a
success. In our Christian walk we are to seize upon every opportunity to
make progress. There is no time in this short life for ease. Carelessness
and indolence are dangerous and destructive to spirituality. An indolent
man will never accomplish much for God nor be of any great benefit to his
fellow men. But oh, how easy to become careless!
Many begin the Christian walk in carefulness and diligence, but soon give
place to carelessness and neglect. How prone people are to lose interest
in anything when the new has worn away! They take great interest in the
new preacher, but they will become so familiar with him and so accustomed
to him that they will lose interest. They have never heard any one preach
so well as the new preacher, and what he says has such weight and
authority; but behold, after the new has worn away, he can not preach any
better than any other they have no more regard for his words than they
have for the words of others. There is an old adage which says, "A new
broom sweeps clean." The boy is eager to cut wood with the new ax. A child
will carefully write like the copy for the first few lines; but the
farther down the page, the greater the carelessness. The young lady takes
great interest in the music lessons at first; she wants to practise all
the time; but it soon gets old, and then it is hard to keep up an
interest. The husband is very loving, kind, and attentive to his wife for
a while; but alas! in a little while she becomes old to him, and then he
lets her shift for herself. This need not and should not be; but it seems
to be the nature of man.
In the Christian life there is a strong tendency to let things run down.
Some persons hear a sermon and they are awakened, but they are soon lulled
to sleep again. Perhaps the example of some one has shown them that they
do not pray enough, and they resolve to pray more, but they soon drift
into the same careless way. Maybe they see that they do not read enough
and improve themselves, and they are greatly stirred to do better, but
alas! how soon they allow that resolution to weaken and become as
negligent as ever. Nothing but the greatest diligence and unyielding
determination will save us from getting weary in welldoing. Keep up a
strong faith. Hold your mansion in the skies well in view and let nothing
hinder you in your journey home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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