Sniffing the Perfume

“When thou [wast] little in thine own sight.” It is perfectly legitimate to be a giant for God, if that’s God’s plan for you. But when you see yourself as such, well, that is when the problems arise. This same principle is illustrated in Moses face shining; it was acceptable for others to be aware of it, as long as Moses’ was not conscious of it.

At the zenith of David’s life, when he was king, we are told, “Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who [am] I? This royal soul considered himself a “flea” when attention was placed upon him by others. He stuffed his ears with cotton when the crowds cried out, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” This wise warrior knew the fickleness of people. He was well aware, as his blessed Lord would be in future years, that those who cry “Hosanna” today, may be saying “Crucify Him,” the next.

I heard an old preacher say years ago, “Live fish stay on the bottom, dead ones float to the top.” For those who seem to be riding the crest of popularity now, I might remind you, one goes down faster than he or she went up. And once you hit bottom, and pick yourself up again, you don’t begin where you previously were, but where you are, at the bottom. And the climb back up can take longer than you’d like. So, God’s good advice to all is, “take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently.”

“A compliment is like perfume, it is to be smelled not swallowed.” 

(Bob Jones, Sr.)