“Then shalt thou walk in thy way of safety, and thy foot shall not stumble.” -Proverbs 3:23
That is to say, if we follow the ways of wisdom and holiness we shall be preserved in them. He who travels by daylight along the highway is under some protection. There is a way for every man, namely, his own proper calling in life, and if we devoutly walk therein in the fear of God He will preserve us from evil. We may not travel luxuriously, but we shall walk safely. We may not be able to run like young men, but we shall be able to walk like good men.
Our greatest danger lies in ourselves: our feeble foot is so sadly apt to stumble. Let us ask for more moral strength that our tendency to slip may be overcome. Some stumble because they do not see the stone in the way: divine grace enables us to perceive sin and so to avoid it. Let us plead this promise and trust in Him who upholds His chosen.
Alas! Our worst peril is our own carelessness, but against this the Lord Jesus has put us on our guard, saying, “Watch and pray.”
Oh, for grace to walk this day without a single stumble! It is not enough that we do not actually fall. Our cry should be that we may not make the smallest slip with out feet but may at the last adore Him “who is able to keep us from stumbling.”
“Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, ‘Is not this the man whom they seek to kill?'” -John 7:25
As a result of the fall, sin has blinded us, made us ignorant, and hard-hearted. The natural man is spiritually dead to the things of God. Our spiritual ignorance produces confusion about who Christ is. The veil can only be lifted by the Holy Spirit with the Word of God when God commands. -excerpts from Anthony Vance’s evening sermon on John 7:25-31
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. -Psalm 121:3
If the Lord will not suffer it, neither men nor devils can do it. How greatly would they rejoice if they could give us a disgraceful fall, drive us from our position, and bury us out of memory! They could do this to their heart’s content were it not for one hindrance, and only one: the Lord will not suffer it; and if He does not suffer it, we shall not suffer it.
The way of life is like traveling among the Alps. Along the mountain path one is constantly exposed to the slipping of the foot. Where the way is high the head is apt to swim, and then the feet soon slide; there are spots which are smooth as glass and others that are rough with loose stones, and in either of these a fall is hard to avoid. He who throughout life is enabled to keep himself upright and to walk without stumbling has the best of reasons for gratitude. What with pitfalls and snares, weak knees, weary feet, and subtle enemies, no child of God would stand fast for an hour were it not for the faithful love which will not suffer his foot to be moved.
Amidst a thousand snares I stand
Upheld and guarded by Thy hand;
That hand unseen shall hold me still,
And lead me to Thy holy hill.
This is what our kids went over last night in their class, but I think it has an excellent message for everyone!
The Short Adult Version: “Being a Christian is like is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then he cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.”
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This is a longer version:
(Based on Liz Curtis Higgs’ book – for those that do not have the book. The book is so much fun to read though; I recommend getting a copy. Liz has such a special way of writing, and there is such a rhythm to the story. She has also added a Scripture on every page!)
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Today I want to tell you a story. It’s a special story called a ‘parable’. A parable is an earthly story that has a heavenly meaning. In the Bible there are many parables that Jesus told so we could understand His teachings better.
This is a story about a farmer and a pumpkin.
The Farmer lives wa-a-a-a-ay out in the country. On his farm He has a pumpkin patch.
Pumpkins are really special. They start out as small oval seeds that grow into big, orange pumpkins. The farmer plants the seeds, waters, and cares for the pumpkin vines and patiently waits as they grow.
Finally by October there are big, orange pumpkins in his pumpkin patch! Some are tall and lean, some are short and round, and some have bumps and lumps. But they are all pumpkins and all were planted and cared for by the Farmer.
One day the Farmer chose a pumpkin for a special project. [Sarah’s edit: add Ephesians 1:4 and discuss how God chose us!=doctrine of election!] He brings it in from the field and washes it off. You have to be careful with pumpkins; they’re tough on the outside, but if you drop them, they break into pieces!
The Farmer takes a large knife and cuts a hole in the top of the pumpkin. Inside there is yucky, slimy pulp waiting for Him. That has to go! He cleans it all out and throws it away – never to be seen again.
After that He gives the pumpkin a new face! He cuts two triangles for eyes, a square for a nose, and a big, wide smile!
Then He does something really special. He puts a small white candle down inside the pumpkin and lights the wick.
How that pumpkin glows! As people pass by, they see the smiling pumpkin and smile back. They know that once again the Farmer has taken a simple pumpkin and changed it into a glorious sight!
The Meaning of the Parable:
Just like us, all the pumpkins were different. But there was something the same about every one of them – that yucky, slimy pulp on the inside!
The yucky, slimy pulp is like the sin that’s in us. Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That’s every single one of us.
God has made a way that all our sin can be forgiven and washed away. God even says He’ll cast them as far as the East is from the West. Romans 5:8 says: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16 goes on to say: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
After cleaning out that pumpkin, the Farmer gave the pumpkin a new face! The Bible says God can make us a new creation too.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Then came the really special part. The light was placed inside that pumpkin and it glowed for all to see!
2 Corinthians 4:6 says: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
And Matthew 5:16 says: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” So we can become like that pumpkin – a glorious sight for others to see the love of Jesus!
A 2004-ish rendition of carved pumpkins from our annual chili supper which is no longer really annual.
A lonely uncarved pumpkin outside the cottage at Henry Clay’s home.
New Life Baptist Church 