Friday, September 12, 2008

Follow the Lord

Into the sun

We ought to follow the Lord. The sheep follow the shepherd. “He putteth forth his own sheep,” saith Christ, “and goeth before them, and they follow him.” They follow as the soldier follows the captain; he points the road, leads the van, and bears the thick of the danger, while the faithful warrior keeps close behind. They follow as the disciple follows the Master, not teaching, nor discussing, or disputing, but sitting at his feet, believing that when he leads in the way of knowledge, it is a true and a right way, whereas if we seek to be wise beyond what is written, we make unto ourselves pits and traps, and fall into a snare.

Caleb followed the Lord, many others do the same, but then they could not win that adverb, which is Caleb’s golden medal. He followed the Lord “fully,” says one text, “wholly,” says another. Some of us follow the Lord, but it is a great way off, like Peter, or now and then as did Saul the king. We are not constant; we have not given our whole heart to God. The pith then of the man’s faithful following lies in the adverb — “fully.”

From a sermon entitled "Caleb - The Man For The Times," delivered November 1, 1863. Flickr photo by James Jordan; some rights reserved.

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