January 12

Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 34, 35, 36; Psalm 12, 42, 72, 102, 132; Proverbs 12

“Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalm 12:1

I enjoy very much going door to door on visitation. It truly requires one to be filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit. You never know what can or will happen and what might be said.
A Preacher friend related a story about another Pastor he knew that was told to visit a local establishment if he enjoyed chicken wings. At first, this was quite funny knowing the eighth Baptist Distinctive is “and then we eat”. Not really. It was a topless bar and he had never heard of it.
The most heart breaking visits for me are not the homes where a loved one has recently stepped into eternity. The most heart breaking visits for me are those where people say, “I used to …” You may fill in the blank with any service opportunity that you might think about. “Oh Preacher, I used to teach a Sunday School class.” This is usually followed with the conjunction “but” (which links the excuse to the statement proceeding the conjunction “but”). The excuses range from petty differences all the way to the extremes of “spiritual abuse”. We have all been hurt at one time or another, I know. Don’t allow the offender to be closer to God than you by quitting on God. Go back to Church (or to another Church of like precious faith) and try it again. The old adage of, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” refers to knuckling down and gutting out of the tough situation. It is not an opportunity to run away like a baby.
So, how about it? Will you be steadfast in the faith or are you ceasing and failing? The choice is all up to you.