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‘He, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.’
Mar_10:50
I. Spiritual sloth.—It is the cause of many another sin which is not commonly traced to it. Religion demands effort, and sloth is not willing to give it, but excuses itself in a hundred ways. How shall we get rid of this closely clinging habit? Clearly it must be by a resolute effort, and succession of efforts: by putting on with prayer the opposing habits of industry, promptitude, punctuality, self-restraint; by discovering what are to us the occasions of sloth, and placing our watch there.
II. The habit of making excuses—the cloak we wrap around ourselves to shelter ourselves from blame or criticism which, like a keen wind, would search us through and through. The word tells its own story, for what is an excuse but an effort to withdraw ourselves and our conduct from blame or suspicion, or to escape some irksome or disagreeable duty? [The case of Adam (Gen_3:9-12); Aaron (Exo_32:21-24); Saul (1Sa_13:11-12; 1Sa_15:13-15; 1Sa_15:20-21).] It is a great proof of moral courage when a man frankly owns himself to be in the wrong, no matter what the consequences.
III. Wandering thoughts.—We are so apt to forget our responsibility in the matter of our thoughts, and yet our powers of mind are of all our natural gifts the most precious, as they are the most wonderful. Our thoughts cannot be kept inactive. If we would keep them from forbidden ways we must direct them to right ways. Satan finds mischief for idle thoughts, as well as for idle hands. We must be diligent to give them constant employment.
IV. Fault-finding.—This habit makes its wearers to be continually on the look-out for the mote in their brother’s eye, while they disregard the beam that is in their own. Nor does it stop short at finding fault with the actions of another; it must go on to impute unworthy motives to those actions. Instead of being on the look-out for some ground of complaint, we must try to be on the look-out for some ground of rejoicing.
These are hindrances to Christian progress, as was the outer cloak of the blind beggar, and they are also hindrances to self-knowledge.
—
Rev. W. G. Mosse.