March 25Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ — 2 Pet. 3:17, 18.
We grow in knowledge as we take note of the promises of God, and by faith apply them to ourselves, and seek to discern in our lives the fulfillment of those promises; we grow in grace simultaneously, for unless each item of knowledge be received into a good and honest heart, and bring forth its measure of obedience and righteousness (grace), we shall not be prepared for the next step of knowledge, and would thus be stopped, or possibly turned back. And as a loss of knowledge would mean a measurable loss of grace, so also a loss of grace would mean a corresponding loss of knowledge—going into darkness, the promises of the Lord's Word becoming more and more dim and obscured, in proportion as our goodness or grace would be lost in worldliness or sin—Z '03, 70 (R 3156). To be forewarned is to be forearmed. In this evil day the Lord has forewarned us of coming evils against which we will be immune, if we cultivate the proper spirit; but which will as errors of the wicked surely entrap us, if we do not so do, thus bringing us to a loss of our reward. Our only safety in the presence of these evils is daily growth in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus—P '26, 28. Parallel passages: Prov. 4:14; Mark 13:23; 2 Pet. 1:10-12; 2:18; 1 Cor. 15:58; Gal. 5:1; Eph. 4:14, 15; 1 Tim. 4:1, 2; 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 John 2:18-21, 26. Hymns: 49, 145, 130, 22, 267, 198, 196. Poems of Dawn, 304: 'Twas a Sheep. Tower Reading: Z '11, 120 (R 4802). Questions: How have I been affected by my knowledge of the evil conditions coming? Have I grown in grace and knowledge? How? Why? With what results? |
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'TWAS A SHEEP
'TWAS a sheep, not a lamb, that went astray
In the parable Jesus told;
'Twas a grown-up sheep that wandered away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And out on the hilltops and out in the cold
'Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd sought,
And back to the flock, and back to the fold,
'Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd brought.
Now, why should the sheep be so carefully fed
And cared for still today?
One reason is that if they go wrong
They will lead the lambs astray;
For lambs often follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever they wander, wherever they go.
And if sheep go wrong, it will not be long
Till some lambs are as wrong as they;
So, still with the sheep we must earnestly plead,
For the sake of the lambs today.
If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost
Some sheep will have to pay!
'TWAS a sheep, not a lamb, that went astray
In the parable Jesus told;
'Twas a grown-up sheep that wandered away
From the ninety and nine in the fold.
And out on the hilltops and out in the cold
'Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd sought,
And back to the flock, and back to the fold,
'Twas a sheep that the Good Shepherd brought.
Now, why should the sheep be so carefully fed
And cared for still today?
One reason is that if they go wrong
They will lead the lambs astray;
For lambs often follow the sheep, you know,
Wherever they wander, wherever they go.
And if sheep go wrong, it will not be long
Till some lambs are as wrong as they;
So, still with the sheep we must earnestly plead,
For the sake of the lambs today.
If the lambs are lost, what a terrible cost
Some sheep will have to pay!