Tattered Home

By Paul Leaman

Back an old dirt road, the weeds standing high,

down beyond a standing oak, did an old house lie;

It was in a frightful state, neglected many a year,

That, no one lived in this old house, was very, very clear.

The roof had large holes here and there, and sagging somewhat too,

Just how long the old house stood, I'm sure no one knew;

If it had ever been painted, there was no way of knowing today,

The outside, I tell you, was completely in disarray.

All the shutters were gone but two,

I think they were once painted blue;

The windows were all broken but one,

The casing and woodwork, every where undone.

Having no front door, I went up and looking inside,

I saw an old dirty table, two chairs cast aside;

The floor was covered with filth and debris,

It was in a sad shape, I'm sure you would agree.

Then walking through one room to the next,

There, in dim light, seeing some objects;

I walked over, and there on the floor,

Bones, just what it was, you couldn't tell anymore.

It may have been a squirrel, but I was not sure,

So I went on through the house, taking my little tour;

There was not really much to see but neglect and decay,

Here once stood a proud new home, but it sure wasn't today.

What about your spiritual house, Oh my Christian friend?

Is it in a state of spiritual decay, fearful of its' end?

Have you kept your house clean and pure?

Do you know that you are truly saved, or, are you unsure?

If your life is filled with the filth of sin, confess your sin today,

Christ will come in and cleanse you anew, if you have gone astray.

So set your house in order, throw out all the trash my friend,

And be determined to live for Christ, and love Him to the end.

Glow for it!

VERSE: You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Mt 5:14-16 (New King James Version)

Jesus says that believers are the ‘light of the world’. After this, He goes on to say that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. When one becomes a Christian, he or she starts taking stands or making decisions that may not always be popular with others. Or he or she may do things that most other people may not care about or things that people may find strange. In any case, it’s hard for a committed Christian to always be ‘low-profile’. Things in his life will make him stand out. According to Jesus, that’s the idea of being a Christian.

One may try to underplay these differences for fear of offending people or inviting mockery. It’s not always easy to make ‘that difference’ in one’s Christian walk. But placing a lamp below a basket defeats the very purpose of its existence. ‘For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to GIVE the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Cor. 4:6) Jesus died on the cross for our sins, that we may be called children of God. This knowledge is not just like a paragraph in a text book but it is a ‘light’ that takes people from the darkness of sin into the life of freedom, hope and purpose in Christ. Like the verse says, Christians are here so this ‘light’ can be GIVEN.

God has made the way to eternal joy through Jesus. Believers have found this way. But we are in a world so darkened by sin; many people can never find this way. The believer’s challenge is to show people in word and deed that Jesus and His saving grace makes the difference in life, so that God’s name can be glorified.

God has made the way. Glow for it!

THOUGHT: We as Christians are the light of the world. How bright are we shining?