Deep Thoughts in my Coffee Cup

I love hearing a good quote and then hunting it down and reading the entire article that goes with it. Yes, most of this is because I'm paranoid and don't want to recommend or accept something that isn't the gospel truth...ie. the BIBLE. It does make for some interesting reading though. Depending on the era...it can make for some deep thinking too.

My most recent hunt was for, "A keen observer once said to me, "You Christians seem to have a religion that makes you miserable. You are like a man with a headache. He does not want to get rid of his head, but it hurts him to keep it. You cannot expect outsiders to seek earnestly for anything so uncomfortable."

Now, if you choose to be a mighty quote hunter like myself...you need to scribble down key words so that you don't drive yourself mad looking them up on Mr. Google. For this one I managed to grasp "keen observer" and the concept of a headache but can't get rid of head. It still took some searching. Plus, I wondered who in the world wrote this...

Turns out to be...an article by Hannah Whitall Smith...who I didn't know anything about. Segue into her bio....she was a saved Quaker who wrote "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life" in 1870. I love this bio blip..."Smith was by no means a dour servant of Christ but rather, her life expressed the joy found in complete surrender." Just a good reminder to SMILE...if you are truly filled with JOY!!!

To sum up her article. She challenges whether a Christian can have, not just forgiveness of sin, but freedom from sin. "But you will say that no man can redeem himself by his own power, and no man can live without sin. Amen to that. But if men tell us that God's power cannot help us and redeem us out of sin, we cannot accept it!"

Of course, there is a good quote within the quote...where she quotes Dr. Chalmers..."We can now walk before God in peace and graciousness. How can we believe that God would be allied with a persistent sinner? How will we, recover from such a catastrophe, continue that which first involved us in it? The cross of Christ, by the same mighty and decisive stroke with which it took the curse of sin away from us, also surely takes away the power and the love of sin."

So, that's my deep thoughts in my cuppa for today. Grab yourself and fresh, warm cup and read it...after you've read your BIBLE (first things, first)...here ya go!

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Sadly, it has come to my attention that Ms. Smith's life ended with her not understanding this truth, that she herself wrote about. She became deceived and a full supporter of the Universal Church Movement...a proclaimed heretic, not hero. It is truly sad to discover that she didn't fully grasp the truth of "happiness versus holiness" for after reading more deeply about her...I'm sure that the truth of that doctrine could have comforted her during her very sad and troubled last days. To read more of her gritty ending...go here! I'm not deleting this post...as I feel that this particular article holds important thoughts for every true believer.

"An examination of Smith and her book is not complete without asking if the goal of the Christian life is happiness or holiness. Our days might be bitter, but God’s love remains sweet. In the light of the admissions by the Apostle Paul of times that even he was temporarily “cast down” (2 Corinthians 7), we cannot expect to be happy constantly until we get to heaven."
~Personal Freedom Outreach

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