A Sober Mind is Composed

You must be staid and composed, and not giddy and unsettled. This we commonly take to be signified by a sober mind — a mind that acts and moves steadily, and is one with itself; in opposition to a roving, wandering heart, a heart divided, which cannot but be found faulty. Be sober-minded; that is, let your hearts be fixed (Ps. 108:1). Stablish your hearts and be not like Reuben “unstable as water”; for those that are so will never excel.

Fix now, in the days of your youth, for God and Christ and serious godliness; fix for heaven as your end, and holiness as your way. Halt no longer; hover no longer between two, but be at a point. You have often been bid to choose whom you will serve; stand no longer deliberating, but bring this matter at length to the issue you will abide by, and abide by it, “Nay, but we will serve the Lord.” Fix to that, whatever it is, which you are designed for in the world; fix to your business; fix to your book, if that is to be your business.

Whatever it is that you are employed in, let your application to it be close and constant. And do not upon every slight and trivial pretense start aside from it, and say you are weary of it, or you hope to mend yourselves, when the same volatile humor that makes you uneasy in the place and work you are in, will soon make you so in another.

Learn to fix your thoughts, and be not wandering; let them not run from one thing to another, as the bird in wandering, and the swallow in flying, for thus

they run at length with the fool’s eyes unto the ends of the earth; but what thy hand finds to do, and thy heart to think of, which is to the purpose, do it and think it with all thy might. Pursue it close till thou bring it to an issue, and then it is done and thought to purpose indeed; what thou dost, mind thy business.

Learn to fix your aims, and act with a single eye; for the double-minded man, who is far from being sober-minded, cannot but be unstable in all his ways, and turns himself as the wind turns, and “he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea” (James 1:6,8). Act considerately, that is, consistently with yourselves, and as those who understand your own ways, and have not your ear open to every whisper and suggestion that would turn you out of it. Be no more children tossed to and fro with every wind, enticed to and fro with every bait (Eph. 4:14), but in understanding be ye men, be ye fixed; let your foot stand in an even place, and then let your hearts be established — be not moved — be not removed.

If Jesus Came To Our House

If Jesus came to our house to spend a day or two;
If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what we’d do.
Oh, I know we’d give our nicest room to such an honored Guest,
All the food we’d serve to Him would be the very best,
And we would keep assuring Him we’re glad to have Him there,
That serving Him in our home is joy beyond compare.

But, when we saw Him coming, would we meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to our heavenly Visitor?
Or would we have to change our clothes before we let Him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they’d been?
Would we turn off the radio and hope He hadn’t heard?
And wish we hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word?

Would we hide our worldly music and put some hymn books out?
Could we let Jesus walk right in, or would we rush about?
And I wonder, if the Savior spent a day or two with me and you,
Would we go right on doing the things we always do?
Would we go right on saying the things we always say?
Would life for us continue as it does from day to day?

Would our family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would we find it hard each meal to say a table grace?
Would we sing the songs we always sing, and read the books we read,
And let Him know the things on which our mind and spirit feed?
Would we take Jesus with us everywhere we’d planned to go?
Or would we, maybe, change our plans for just a day or so?

Would we be glad to have Him meet our closest friends?
Or would we hope they’d stay away until His visit ends?
Would we be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
Or would we sigh with great relief when He at last is gone?
It might be interesting to know the things we would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with me and you.

Rev. Matthew Henry (1662–1714) pastored a Presbyterian congregation at Chester, England, for twenty-five years. He is best known and loved for his Bible commentary (1708–10). This series of articles is taken from his The Young Christian.

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