"That man could have been me, if it hadn´t been for the grace of God", said a known preacher to an old friend of mine, a graduate  in law and a preacher himself.   They walked on one of the sinful streets in Copenhagen when they were approached by a drunk lecher.  Then afterwards those words were said.

They have been ringing in my soul.  Not at least when I think of the many sad cases of adultery by good men, I´ve known, including celebrated preachers, church members of high standing and fathers of a family causing the many broken homes, many tears and unhappy children.

I could  have been in that tragic company myself apart from God´s" grace.

It has at times been close.  "I was almost in utter ruin" (Prov. 5:14). -  A friend said to me, "When I became a widower, I could write books about the many women trying to seduce me.  Once at a hotel a woman was waiting for me.  If I had yielded my whole life would have been ruined."

I just talked to my wife about all that.  Not as a self-righteous saint, but I did say, "The more I´ve been tempted by the opposite sex, the more I´ve come to love you.  No other woman could bear with a guy like me!"  She has been my faithful "nurse" caring for my medicine, washing, food, the cleaning of our home, observing my appointments and trying to keep a tight rein on me when it come to keeping my study tidy (not easy), etc.  I know I´m speaking on behalf of many likewise happy husbands.

Church goers are not always better than worldly people.  They may be familiar with church programs as such, and they may comply with the outward moral standard of their community, and yet they may know very little of an obedient walk with Christ.  And so they are often of little help to young people under subtle sinful pressure, for the show must go on.

The redemption in Christ is more than an outward show.  It touches all the hidden areas of our life that need to be redeemed and cleaned up.

The young people are looking for real answers from us pious old timers. The answer is Christ.  Indeed,  "He is able to save..."  (Hebr. 7:25)

April 20, 2019 - jn