June 30, 2004
"Down in the Mud"
"Down in the Mud"
Dear Friends,
Elder Thomas Mann, pastor of the Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, has graciously allowed me to use an article that he wrote for their church newsletter, "The Olive Leaf", for our "Jerusalem's Daughters" feature this week. I always enjoy reading something with a "sacramentalist" view (seeing the invisible meanings in visible things) that reflect the type of teaching that Christ used so often in parables. We can so easily relate and connect with the visible things that it helps us to grasp the invisible lessons that may be gleaned along the way. As Br. Thomas reflects in the introduction to these lessons, this scene that he writes about carried with it "memories from my own boyhood days and (more especially) . . . spiritual lessons in the pursuit of godliness."
May these lessons that we may experience in our daily lives (if our hearts and eyes are opened to the leading of the Holy Spirit) aid and encourage us to, as William Temple's definition of worship includes, continually "devote our wills to the purpose of God".
God bless you all in your worship and service of our ever-faithful Saviour,
Elaine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Down in the Mud"
by Elder Thomas Mann
From Volume Eleven, No. 6, of "The Olive Leaf"
Perched atop a bleacher at Camp Moriah this week, deep in conversation, I spied a young boy making his way through the mud in what had been the volleyball court before torrential rains turned parts of it into a seepy, swampy mess.
Most likely, the boy was not there by "accident." I judged his age to be about four and asked myself, "What would I have most enjoyed as a boy of four?" Why, play in the mud, of course! was my immediate answer.
But the interesting thing to me was the way this young fellow interacted with the mud and the lessons I saw in the process.
Soon he was stuck -- both feet sinking into the mire -- and no amount of wriggling, writhing and grunting seemed to pull him free. Oblivious to his surroundings, he quickly determined that the best way to break free was to pull his foot from his shoe which he promptly did. This left him a bit off balance, causing him to place his stocking feet in the mud. At this point he reached down to remove the mud from his socks and then rubbed his hands on his shirt. On the way down he realized mud had now reached his knee. He rubbed it off, and again wiped his hands on his shirt. But the mud was a stubborn thing, so as he tried to balance himself on one foot and reach for his shoe, he soon sat down in the mud with a splat.
It was an amusing scene, of course, but not one which didn't carry with it a trainload of memories from my own boyhood days and (more especially) a list of spiritual lessons in the pursuit of godliness. Here are a few:
1.) Don't walk in the mud if you don't want to get stuck there.
I'm sure the mud looked wonderfully enticing to the little boy. However, he undoubtedly gave little thought to what it would be like to have his feet fastened in the mud and to what his mother would say to all this! Second Timothy 2:16 tells us to avoid profane and vain babblings, "for they will increase unto more ungodliness." The unhindered pursuit of sin will ultimately lead to our ensnarement by the very sin we pursued. The prodigal son certainly did not set out on a career in the muddy swine-pen, but his lavish lifestyle apart from God landed him there. We must avoid whatever steps lead to such tragic ends.
2.) It's impossible to get clean in a mudpit.
Watching the little boy repeatedly clean mud from different parts of his body only to wipe his hands on his shirt and go back for more reminded me that we cannot get rid of sins in our lives without the painful work of self-mortification. Too many times we labor to cover sin's consequences, rather than laboring to get rid of the sin altogether. I remember some people telling me one time that they could maintain friendships with drug addicts, "...but we know where to stop." However, no one is strong enough to resist the kind of temptation that comes with the company of the ungodly. Cleaning off the mud doesn't happen while you're still in the mudpit! Paul would say, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33).
3.) Without intervention, it's impossible to be freed.
Because mankind is by nature in the pit of sin, he is in no position to free himself. Only through the intervention of Jesus' loving salvation is there any hope for sinners. Furthermore, on a practical plane, we are all in perpetual need of the gospel to overcome the nature that draws us back to the pit and we need the encouragement of one another. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
-------
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem . . .
--- Isaiah 52:2
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well . . .
--- Isaiah 1:16-17
Elder Thomas Mann, pastor of the Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia, has graciously allowed me to use an article that he wrote for their church newsletter, "The Olive Leaf", for our "Jerusalem's Daughters" feature this week. I always enjoy reading something with a "sacramentalist" view (seeing the invisible meanings in visible things) that reflect the type of teaching that Christ used so often in parables. We can so easily relate and connect with the visible things that it helps us to grasp the invisible lessons that may be gleaned along the way. As Br. Thomas reflects in the introduction to these lessons, this scene that he writes about carried with it "memories from my own boyhood days and (more especially) . . . spiritual lessons in the pursuit of godliness."
May these lessons that we may experience in our daily lives (if our hearts and eyes are opened to the leading of the Holy Spirit) aid and encourage us to, as William Temple's definition of worship includes, continually "devote our wills to the purpose of God".
God bless you all in your worship and service of our ever-faithful Saviour,
Elaine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Down in the Mud"
by Elder Thomas Mann
From Volume Eleven, No. 6, of "The Olive Leaf"
Perched atop a bleacher at Camp Moriah this week, deep in conversation, I spied a young boy making his way through the mud in what had been the volleyball court before torrential rains turned parts of it into a seepy, swampy mess.
Most likely, the boy was not there by "accident." I judged his age to be about four and asked myself, "What would I have most enjoyed as a boy of four?" Why, play in the mud, of course! was my immediate answer.
But the interesting thing to me was the way this young fellow interacted with the mud and the lessons I saw in the process.
Soon he was stuck -- both feet sinking into the mire -- and no amount of wriggling, writhing and grunting seemed to pull him free. Oblivious to his surroundings, he quickly determined that the best way to break free was to pull his foot from his shoe which he promptly did. This left him a bit off balance, causing him to place his stocking feet in the mud. At this point he reached down to remove the mud from his socks and then rubbed his hands on his shirt. On the way down he realized mud had now reached his knee. He rubbed it off, and again wiped his hands on his shirt. But the mud was a stubborn thing, so as he tried to balance himself on one foot and reach for his shoe, he soon sat down in the mud with a splat.
It was an amusing scene, of course, but not one which didn't carry with it a trainload of memories from my own boyhood days and (more especially) a list of spiritual lessons in the pursuit of godliness. Here are a few:
1.) Don't walk in the mud if you don't want to get stuck there.
I'm sure the mud looked wonderfully enticing to the little boy. However, he undoubtedly gave little thought to what it would be like to have his feet fastened in the mud and to what his mother would say to all this! Second Timothy 2:16 tells us to avoid profane and vain babblings, "for they will increase unto more ungodliness." The unhindered pursuit of sin will ultimately lead to our ensnarement by the very sin we pursued. The prodigal son certainly did not set out on a career in the muddy swine-pen, but his lavish lifestyle apart from God landed him there. We must avoid whatever steps lead to such tragic ends.
2.) It's impossible to get clean in a mudpit.
Watching the little boy repeatedly clean mud from different parts of his body only to wipe his hands on his shirt and go back for more reminded me that we cannot get rid of sins in our lives without the painful work of self-mortification. Too many times we labor to cover sin's consequences, rather than laboring to get rid of the sin altogether. I remember some people telling me one time that they could maintain friendships with drug addicts, "...but we know where to stop." However, no one is strong enough to resist the kind of temptation that comes with the company of the ungodly. Cleaning off the mud doesn't happen while you're still in the mudpit! Paul would say, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33).
3.) Without intervention, it's impossible to be freed.
Because mankind is by nature in the pit of sin, he is in no position to free himself. Only through the intervention of Jesus' loving salvation is there any hope for sinners. Furthermore, on a practical plane, we are all in perpetual need of the gospel to overcome the nature that draws us back to the pit and we need the encouragement of one another. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
-------
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem . . .
--- Isaiah 52:2
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well . . .
--- Isaiah 1:16-17
| "Down in the Mud" | SBGA | Elaine Housley |
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"Jerusalem's Daughters" - Elaine Housley