The following was written by John Charles Ryle (1816 – 1900) in his book “Thoughts for Young Men”. It will do us well to carefully read over and think on the advice he gives. Few people in today’s world write and preach like J. C. Ryle and others did.
PART ONE:
…………… QUOTED FROM RYLE ……………..
Resolve at once, by God’s help, to break off every known sin, however small.
Look within, each one of you. Examine your own hearts. Do you see there any habit or custom which you know to be wrong in the sight of God? If you do, delay not a moment in attacking it. Resolve at once to lay it aside. Nothing darkens the eyes of the mind so much, and deadens the conscience so surely, as an allowed sin. It may be a little one, but it is not the less dangerous for all that. A small leak will sink a great ship, and a small spark will kindle a great fire, and a little allowed sin in like manner will ruin an immortal soul. Take my advice, and never spare a little sin. Israel was commanded to slay every Canaanite, both great and small. Act on the same principle, and show no mercy to little sins. Well says the book of Canticles, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines”.
Be sure no wicked man ever meant to be so wicked at his first beginnings. But he began with allowing himself some little transgression, and that led on to something greater, and that in time produced something greater still, and thus he became the miserable being that he now is. When Hazael heard from Elisha of the horrible acts that he would one day do, he said with astonishment, “Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?” (2 Kings 8:13). But he allowed sin to take root in his heart, and in the end he did them all.
Resist sin in its beginnings. They may look small and insignificant, but mind what I say, resist them, make no compromise, let no sin lodge quietly and undisturbed in your heart. “The mother of mischief,” says an old proverb, “is no bigger than a midge’s wing. [a tiny dipteran fly]” There is nothing sharper than the point of a sewing needle, but when it has made a hole, it draws all the thread after it. Remember the Apostle’s words, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (1 Cor. 5:6).
Many a man could tell you with sorrow and shame, that he traces up the ruin of all his worldly prospects to the point I speak of, to giving way to sin in its beginnings. He began habits of falsehood and dishonesty in little things, and they grew upon him. Step by step, he has gone on from bad to worse, till he has done things that at one time he would have thought impossible; till at last he has lost his place, lost his character, lost his comfort, and well-nigh lost his soul. He allowed a gap in the wall of his conscience, because it seemed a little one, and once allowed, that gap grew larger every day, till at length the whole wall seemed to come down.
Remember this especially in matters of truth and honesty. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). Whatever the world may please to say, there are no little sins. All great buildings are made up of little parts; the first stone is as important as any other. All habits are formed by a succession of little acts, and the first little act is of mighty consequence. The axe in the fable only begged the trees to let him have one little piece of wood to make a handle, and he would never trouble them any more. He got it, and then he soon cut them all down. The devil only wants to get the wedge of a little allowed sin into your heart, and you will soon be all his own. It is a wise saying of old William Bridge, “There is nothing small betwixt us and God, for God is an infinite God.”
There are two ways of coming down from the top of a church steeple; one is to jump down, and the other is to come down by the steps: but both will lead you to the bottom. So also there are two ways of going to hell; one is to walk into it with your eyes open, few people do that; the other is to go down by the steps of little sins, and that way, I fear, is only too common. Put up with a few little sins, and you will soon want a few more. Even a heathen could say, “Who ever was content with only one sin?” And then your course will be regularly worse and worse every year. Well did Jeremy Taylor describe the progress of sin in a man: “First it startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed! then the man is impenitent, then obstinate, then resolves never to repent, and then he is damned.” If you would not come to this, recollect the rule I give you this day, resolve at once to break off every known sin.
…………… END QUOTED FROM RYLE ……………..
Remember what 1 John tells us, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” If we REALLY want and desire to KNOW GOD, we HAVE to remove ANY and all OBSTACLES that prevent us from doing that. Oh, sure – we can be like most people who claim to be Christians, and just get by in the Christian life. But, if we want to see God work in our lives and daily have fellowship with Him, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes to KNOW HIM!