Luke 13:8

ONE MORE CHANCE

‘Lord, let it alone this year also.’

Luke 13:8

How very few of us ever stop to think of the great mercy and long-suffering of our God, Who spares our lives from day to day and year to year.

Let us resolve, as we stretch forth our hands into the hidden future, let us resolve to bring forth more holy fruit than we have done in the years now for ever gone.

I. The call to arise.—The stirring summons and the beautiful promise of St. Paul to the Ephesians should be ringing in our ears and touching our hearts: ‘Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ Sins and shortcomings of all kinds, especially those which through the power of the flesh would kill the spirit, must be left dead in the darkness of the past as we arise and come towards the light. I know thousands will say that, even when we have manfully resolved to let all that is unworthy die, it is not easy; nay, it is very hard. But remember, God shows us how to do it. As in the natural world there is no poison without an antidote, so in the spiritual world there is a God-sent antidote for the poison of sin (see Illustration). Sin is the poison which is death to the soul; the Cross of Christ is the certain cure. Kneel in penitence before the Cross, and the blood of the holy Victim cleanseth us from all sin.

II. The new light.—And He Who has the power to cleanse us from the sins of the past is the same Holy Friend Who gives the light to walk by in the present and in the future. ‘Christ shall give thee light.’ And we know full well by experience how sorely we shall need this light as the days and hours fly by. There are many enemies of the soul hidden as it were in the dark, but nevertheless striving to lead us into unclean paths, far, far away from all that is holy. There is that one great adversary, the devil: and it is only by the power of the light which Christ gives that we can detect his many devices to destroy our peace (see Illustration).

III. Light in the darkness.—Let us pray for this mighty gift.

(a) Some of us may have to feel bitterly the darkness that enshrouds the soul when it is wounded and bruised by an unexpected fall.

(b) Some of us may have to feel the darkness that falls upon the heart when one we love is taken away from earth, and the bitterness of bereavement cannot be sweetened by human power.

(c) And some may themselves have to hear the call, to lie down and die, and feel the darkness that hangs around the hour of death.

Whatever may be the nature of the darkness that is sure to come, the darkness of sin, of temptation, of bereavement, of sickness, of poverty, of death itself, there is but one light wherein we shall hope, and that is the light that Jesus gives.

Rev. W. E. Coghlan.

Illustrations

(1) ‘I have read somewhere that in the West Indies there is a tree which bears beautiful golden apples; they are enticing beyond measure to look at, but to eat they are deadly poison. When the natives used to go to war they would dip their arrows into the juice that their foes might meet with certain death. Now, wherever this tree is found there is always another close by, the juice of which, if used in time, is a certain cure.’

(2) ‘There is a story told of a hunter in a far-off land, who had to pass the weary hours of a dark night close to a wounded tiger. He dared not move a limb, for even when the leaves were stirred by the passing breeze he heard the hoarse growl of his fearful enemy. “Hours rolled on, and his powers of endurance were well-nigh exhausted; when at length the welcome streaks of light shot up from the eastern horizon. When the day dawned the tiger stalked away to a distant thicket, and the stiff and weary watcher felt that he was safe.” Thus it is with the beleagured soul; it is only in the light given by the Sun of Righteousness that our enemies can be put to flight.’