Nor does any person stand completely alone in this world, for when he passes he brushes, perhaps ever so slightly, upon others, and each is never quite the same thereafter.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (High Lonesome)

       “How can there be harmony between Christ and the devil? What business can a believer have with an unbeliever?”
                    –2 Corinthians 6:15 (Phillips)
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“What a fellowship, what a joy divine…” come the words from the pen of E.A. Hoffman.  This familiar hymn was always sung when I was a kid at our church whenever we had membership Sunday.  Fellowship and joy divine, something that is needed in our lives today.  We take for granted fellowship and joy, and so many Christians walk around with the mully-grubs or fret over this and that when instead our souls should be filled with the joy of the Lord.
     Now I want you to focus on the next words of the hymn and continue on into the chorus:  “Leaning, leaning, Safe and secure from all alarms…”  It is a joy divine when we lean on the arms of Jesus.  However, so often in our lives we lean against the wrong person or the wrong thing.  As a teacher, back in the day of yore, there were times that I leaned against the chalkboard and you can guess the result.  Come to our kitchen when the wife is baking and look at the flour on the side of her clothes.  Whatever, and I will add whomever we lean against will leave a residue, a mark.  Some of them are easy to wipe or wash off, while others leave a stain, and some mark our lives.
     We need to be careful about leaning against something dirty, something wicked, something evil.  When we lean against sin we can become polluted by that sin.  I remember when I was in the military and was exposed to the foul mouths of some of the guys.  It would wear on me, but then a Christian brother would walk by and greet me and it felt as if I was being cleansed.  This is the “laver” aspect of the believer (a study for another Echo).  Perhaps we get used to the evil that is so prevalent around us.  Alistair Begg says (and I am using many of his ideas this morning), “It is all too easy to sin with our eyes and minds, realizing only when it is too late that the sin has left its mark.”
     What is our attitude toward sin?  Are we too complacent and lean against it?  Maybe we compromise and get the stain of sin on us.  James tells us to, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (1:21, NKJV)  Listen, friend, sin leads to death, that stain can stay on you throughout your life–the mark of sin.  “Obedience to the Word prevents death; it protects a believer from sinful behavior that can lead directly or indirectly to physical death.” (NKJV Study Bible)  The Word, the Word, the Word, receive “the implanted word.”
     Who are you leaning on?  There is strength when two believers are together, but when a believer and an unbeliever are together there should be discomfort and discord.  As we read in Amos, “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” (3:3, NLT)  We are not to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14) or as the CEV translates it, “Stay away from people who are not followers of the Lord! Can someone who is good get along with someone who is evil? Are light and darkness the same?”  Other versions say do not be “teamed together,” while Phillips writes, “do not be linked together.”  When people see you, who do they think about:  some vile person, some foolish person, or the Lord?
     “What are you leaning against?  Are there sins that the world around you accepts and promotes but which you need to walk away from?” (Begg)  Evil companions, filthiness, habits, jesters, who are you leaning against?  Then think of that dear brother or sister who you lean against and gain strength.  Study the life of David and Jonathan and see how they worked together, mainly to benefit David.  Hearken to the words of Solomon when he writes, “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor.  If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.  But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other.  But how can one be warm alone?  A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer [leaning against each other].  Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NLT–brackets mine).
     Finally, lean on the Spirit.  He will restore you, He will revive you, He will strengthen you.  He will leave His mark upon you.  Take hold of Him, lean against Him, let Him use the Word of God that is in you to assure you and lead you through each day.  The words of that chorus should bring us comfort, “Leaning, leaning,  Safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

 

It’s just too bad that sometimes it takes a long time for evil to get its rightful due.”
                    –B.N. Rundell  (Montezuma)

       “Doom to those who call evil good and good evil, who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who make bitterness sweet and sweetness bitter.”
                    –Isaiah 5:20  (CEB)
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          “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  –Romans 12:21 (NIV)

     What will you leave behind?  Fingerprints are a means by which we track our criminals, the means by which we keep records of those who have broken the law.  Footprints are marks by which we follow our heroes, those who guide us along the trek of life.  So, again, I ask, what will you leave behind?  Look at the news and it is easy to see that we live in a world of evil.  Evil brought on by the foolish following of our sins.  
     Evil can never be conquered by evil.  However, evil can be thwarted by justice, and if we read the Bible we know that Jesus came to defeat evil.  One day evil will be no more, but until that time what do we do with the evil that is around us?  I have heard that some lose faith, they live in fear because it seems that evil abounds.  They have lost the fight.  They have succumbed to the forces of evil and let them win.  
     Jeremiah lamented over the evil that beset Israel.  Elijah groaned, believing that he alone was the only faithful person left.  God had to redirect his thoughts, saying, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18, NKJV)  No matter what it looks like, there is always someone, somewhere that is living a life pleasing to God, a life that He recognizes as one of His.  No matter how evil and unfaithful man is God reminds us that His plans will never be shaken, dismissed, or thwarted.  Look at the riots–evil.  However, there are good people who live there as well.
     Some will jeer that they are the silent ones and are not doing the will of God.  But perhaps we need more silent ones.  Individuals who habitually pray without fear, without making a foolish mockery of their prayers like the Pharisee who would pray proudly.  When we see the riots, prayer is needed, justice is needed; but do not fear, evil will not prevail.  Yes, it is true that the innocent may be hurt or even killed.  But remember, God takes note of that in the eternal annals, and justice will truly prevail.  When we read of the tribulation, that most evil time on earth, there will be a remnant that will come through.  A remnant of David’s kingdom who finally recognizes Jesus as the Messiah.
     Back to the first question–what will you leave behind?  Will you leave fingerprints of a doer of evil?  Will you leave footprints so that your children and others can follow you on the gloryland road to heaven?  Do you guard your heart, and the truth that resides there or will you succumb to the fear and the lies that are shown to you?  Each and every day we must gird ourselves for the battle.  Do we look with our eyes at the evil, the destruction, the stupidity of the situation that is around us, or, do we strengthen ourselves in the Lord, listen to His voice to be strong and of good courage?  Choose, my friend.  God is good and God is faithful.  He will keep you through the darkness of the evil that seems to be among us.  As one person said, “Do not let the disorders of our day dim our faith in the ultimate triumph of goodness.”

 

Regret is the one sorrow which never dodges the footsteps of the hunted.”
                    –Max Brand  (Riders of the Silences)

       “Turn me away from wanting any other plan than yours. Revive my heart toward you.”
                   –Psalm 119:37 (TLB)
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Chapter 4 of Proverbs finishes by telling some specific instructions on how to travel on this journey of life.  Read them over a couple times, ponder them, reflect on them, and adhere to the truth of what they are saying.

          23 — Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
          24 — Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.
          25 — Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.
          26 — Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.
          27 — Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.  (NKJV)

Satan would like nothing better than to destroy your soul, your life, therefore we must keep the heart with all diligence or as the ESV puts it, “with all vigilance.”  The CEV puts it this way, “Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.”  Our thought life stems from our inner being, and there is indeed a hard fought battle for the mind.  Give in and you give in to the devil.  Therefore we must guard with all diligence and vigilance.  Someone said, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”  Warren Wiersbe has written, “If we pollute that wellspring, the infection will spread; before long, hidden appetites will become open sins and public shame.”  We need to be like David when he cried, “Search me, O God, and know my heart…(Psalm 139:23).  Remember, we need to keep the heart because it falls directly under the inspection of God.  The words of Dan Dick ring true, “If we don’t commit ourselves to what is good and right, then we are empty.”
     This world is after us.  It is filled with distractions to get our focus off the Word, the journey, the path, and the destination.  The world tells us to seek the “good life.”  And it is up to you to determine what that may be.  “But it is only when we can free ourselves from the pursuit of such things that we can begin to enjoy life the way God intended it.” (Dick)  One way that can help destroy if not our lives, at least our testimony, is with a perverse mouth.  There is so much foul talk these days; there is no thought of manners, politeness, or courtesy besides the instructions in the Bible.  Paul told Titus to be sound of speech (Titus 2:8), and we read in Proverbs, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” (13:3, NKJV)  Ralph Wardlaw says, “As is the conversation, so is the heart.”  We are in Scripture against:  perverse lips, lying lips, flattering lips, deceptive lips, and undisciplined lips.
     If you have done much hiking it is easy to be distracted by the surroundings instead of watching where you step.  A misstep could lead one to stumble, fall, and then they could be in a world of trouble.  Psalm 101:3, says to set no wicked thing before your eyes.  Psalm 119:37, informs us to keep our eyes from the worthless.  We should keep our gaze on our destination and not be distracted by the billboards along the way or the side roads.  “The pleasures of sin and the seductions of the world do not lie in the road.  They belong to the bye-paths.” (Charles Bridges)  What are you looking at when you walk the road to glory?  Fix your gaze on what is right and good and proper.  Know your mission in life and go towards it, not turning to the side.  The fruit on the tree caught Eve’s eye, and Lot’s wife decided to look back instead of looking forward to her deliverance.
     Ponder your path, in other words plan carefully what you do.  Dick says that, “Many people go through life without a thought about where they are heading.  They live one day at a time, waiting for life to happen to them rather than planning how they might make their lives more meaningful.  It is good when we are flexible enough to deal with the curves that we’re thrown in life, but it is also prudent for us to make the best use of our time while we are here.”  William Arnot states, “The best time to ponder any path is not at the end, not even in the middle, but at the beginning of it.”  Where are you going?  The road is to heaven, but there are many side roads that lead to perdition.  Life is not tip-toeing through the tulips, nor is it to party-hardy along the way.  Life requires a calm and serious thinking about it.
     Therefore, do not take one step off the right way.  Stay steadfast on the trail that leads to heaven.  Follow the sure directions from the guidebook–the Bible.  If you have ever walked a precarious trail in the mountains, one that requires one foot to be placed in front of another then you should understand this verse.  To step off the trail could spell disaster; it could mean being crippled or worse.  Hold fast to the promises of God.  Heed the words given to Joshua, “do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left…” (Joshua 1:7).  Look straight ahead with honest confidence, take one step at a time under the Lord’s direction and do not deviate one degree from His direction and instruction.

 

I reckon folks out on the Chisholm Trail can have feelin’s the same as when they’re home safe an’ sound. Mebbe stronger an’ deeper an’ better feelin’s.”
                    –Zane Grey  (The Trail Driver)

       “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
                    –1 John 3:2 (NASB)
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Charles H. Spurgeon said that, “Praise is the rehearsal of our eternal song.”  Praise is an act of the will and because of that it is something that we choose to do.  We should be praising and thanking and as Lawson says, “practicing the greatness of God” throughout the day.  Lawson continues to say, “The chief purpose of the believers, both now and throughout the ages, is the pursuit of the glory of God.”  Psalm 145 is the last of the psalms attributed to David and he ends his writing with praise.

          1 — I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.
          2 — Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
          3 — Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
          4 — One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
          5 — I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works.
          6 — Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness.
          7 — They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.  (NKJV)

     In praising God we actually do nothing to make Him bigger; there is nothing we can do to increase His size, His majesty, or His glory.  What happens is as George Wood says, “When you praise and extol the Lord, you are changing the size of God in you.”  Adoring the Lord, extolling His attributes and recognizing them, magnifying His glorious name “should be the constant delight of our souls, the endless theme of our hearts.” (Lawson)
     “How big is God?” the words of the song render forth.  The real question is how big is He within your heart and soul.  How much do you and I limit Him, and by praising Him we open His greatness to our souls.  What is our view of God?  This comes forth in our praise–limit our praise, we limit our perspective and expectation of God.  We praise God’s name, meaning His holy character.  When we think of who God is, it is overwhelming and it should bring us to praise in awe.  I hesitate to use the term “awesome” when I speak about someone or with someone.  To me, there is little in this world that is awesome.  Some become flippant with this term, I think it is worthy of only the extraordinary event, performance, or person.  God is awesome!
     How often and when do we praise Him?  Everyday, all day long.  We start now, at this point in our lives and it will continue throughout eternity.  Praise Him in His attributes, both natural and moral.  Praise Him for His love, devotion, and faithfulness.  Praise Him for His mighty deeds in history, and then do not forget Him for what He has done in your life both great and small.  See, praise helps us become grateful people.
     David writes that we should meditate on His splendor, “meaning the sum total of His divine attributes and actions.” (Lawson)  Henry Cowles states, “These qualities of God’s character and deeds should not merely be talked about and extolled in song but be deeply pondered and laid close upon our heart, so that the impression may be wrought into our very soul and may mold our whole spirit and character into God’s own image.”  Remember when we praise we open our hearts to Him.  We begin to see Him as He really is, in splendor, majesty, and glory.  
     How is His image expressed from your soul?  How is His image impressed on your heart?  Has His splendor spilled over into your life?  When we begin to praise Him, we can truly pray the words of T.O. Chisholm’s hymn, “Stamp thine own image deep on my heart.”  We can render forth in praise–God is good!
   
               “Our souls, we know, when He appears,
               Shall bear His image bright;
               For all His glory full disclosed
               Shall open to our sight.”
                     –Isaac Watts