I had a conversation with my wife yesterday about her becoming a believer and sacrificing a relationship at the time that it would have been far easier to have maintained. We discussed the often-levelled-at-christians phrase, "christianity is just a crutch for the week" and how untrue it was of her at that time. Today I have found a quote by the simply wonderful Richard Sibbes which sheds some light:
"It were an easy thing to be a Christian, if religion stood only in a few outward works and duties, but to take the soul to task, and to deal roundly with our hearts,
and to let conscience have its full work,
and to bring the soul into spiritual subjection unto God, This is not so easy a matter,
because the soul out of self-love is loath [hates] to enter into itself, lest it should have other thoughts of itself than it would have."
'Soul deep' Christianity is so very difficult it is humanly impossible. It is only in His power that any achieve it.
Simon
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