"ALL OR NONE"

     David Lloyd George once remarked, "The most dangerous thing in
the world is to try to leap a chasm in two jumps." The story is told
of the little boy who cut his puppy's tail off an inch at a time to
keep from hurting it so badly by cutting the whole tail off at once.
These two situations illustrate the tragic error of many persons with
respect to Christ.
     Accepting Christ is an all-or-none proposition. Trying to accept
Christ without total commitment to Him as an obedient follower of His
every command is like trying to leap the chasm in two jumps. You leave
one bank and miss the other. Jesus put it this way: "He that is not
for me is against me." The Lord will not share a divided heart. In our
hearts Jesus must be "before all" and "above all" or He is not "at
all." Look not for a stone or island half-way. There is none!
     One of the sad facts of life is that many people have not
realized that commitment to one thing often means forsaking other
things. The word of God declares, "You cannot serve God and mammon."
One cannot hold to both God and the world. I fear there are many who
try to give up the world like the little boy cut off his puppy's tail
-- an inch at a time. The result is the same, the pain is multiplied.
     It is imperative that we make clear decisions with reference to
Christ. We must turn from the world and come all the way to Christ. We
cannot leap the chasm in two jumps or little by little. One must leave
the shores of sin decisively, with finality, holding no moments of a
sinful past. A surrendered heart is the only kind that will be
accepted by our Lord. The heart that is obeying the Master's every
expectation. Truly, following Christ is an "All or none" proposition.
     --- Jack Thompson, preacher for the White Park church of Christ.

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