November 30, 2016 
The biggest loser!
There are usually two sides:
the one dangerous—the other safe; the one is uncertain—and the other is sure.
It is always the wisest—to be found on the safe side!
Look at the unbeliever:
He denies the Bible to be God’s book.
He walks by his own reason.
He gratifies his senses and his lusts.
He lives in sin.
He must soon die.
He has no Savior.
He has no true hope.
If the Bible is false—then he is safe; BUT if the Bible is true—then he is damned forever!
He is certainly not on the safe side!
There are many things in the Bible which he does not like.
He is prejudiced against it.
It never prophecies good concerning him—but always evil.
It requires him to change his present sinful course—but he loves it.
He loves sin—and the Bible condemns it.
He gratifies the lusts of the flesh—and the Bible bids him to mortify them.
In a word, there is as much opposition between the Bible and him—as between light and darkness, holiness and sin, truth and error. Therefore he hates it!
At the best, with him all is uncertain, unsatisfactory, and vexatious.
He is certainly not on the safe side!
Now look at the true Christian:
He believes the Bible to be from God. He has examined it. He has evidence of its inspiration in his heart. He fully believes it.
What the Bible says of himself as a sinner—he knows to be true.
What it says of Jesus as a Savior—he has proved to be a fact.
As guilty—he has applied to God for pardon, and obtained it.
As impure—he has sought the cleansing operations of the Holy Spirit, and has experienced them.
His guilt is gone—therefore he has no slavish fears.
His soul is justified—therefore he has peace with God.
He approves of the inspired precepts—and regulates his life by them.
He carries his cares to God—and is sustained under them.
He realizes that God is his Friend, his Father, and his everlasting Portion.
He is peaceful.
He is often happy.
To him death has no sting—and eternity has no terror.
He knows Jesus as his Savior—and trusts in Him.
He knows God as his Father—and walks with Him.
He knows the Holy Spirit as his comforting Teacher—and listens to Him.
He is, perhaps, more tried than the unbeliever—but he has supports, consolations, and pleasures—of which the unbeliever knows nothing. He lives to bless others, to honor God, to prepare for a glorious immortality.
He would not change his worst day—for the unbeliever’s best day!
He is on the safe side!
If the unbeliever should be right—then the Christian is no loser.
But if the Christian is right—and he is—then the unbeliever is the biggest loser—an infinite loser!
Reader, on which side are you? There is but one safe side.
There is no safety for a sinner now—but at the Cross!
There will be no safety at death and judgment—but in Christ!
He who is on the safe side now—will be on the safe side then!
There will be no changing sides then!
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne! All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at His right hand—and the goats at His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father—inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world!’ (the safe side) Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones—into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons!’ (the perilous side) And they will go away into eternal punishment—but the righteous will go into eternal life!” Matthew 25:31-46
(James Smith, “The Safe Side!”)
iChristian 
I love the differences! I love reading I am seeing only one facet! And I thank you both for allowing my words!! ((hugs))
Hey Paul! I love the fact you spend time here on this little blog of mine to share your comments with me and others. 😀
It’s a great way for me to connect with Brothers & Sisters as it’s a lonely place when you’re blind, and don’t get a lot of interaction with other believers…not as much as i’d like anyway. So i find it amazing that people like yourself can chat, discuss and share with me on here.
So i wouldn’t call it allowing…you’re always invited! 😀
Thanks again for taking precious time out of your day to share with us. God bless you Paul!
Steve – what a wonderful comment – what a wonderful admission – and one I think anyone who does this blogging thing could admit to!
As for blindness – I think it is highly under-rated (kind of tongue in check – but not totally) –
Hey Paul! Great song. I couldn’t work out most of the images, even when screen zoomed right in! lol 😀
While listening to the words and having the word “contrast” in my mind, it flooded me with contrasting and ironic thoughts/memories. The fact that i am registered blind and also colourblind made me laugh at first. But then i remembered growing up as an unbeliever and learning how to be racist and not seeing colour or human at all…only hate. I thought this about everyone too.
Then i remembered becoming a believer and reading about renewing my mind(reason for my tag line above) and learning about True Love and how we are to show God’s way of loving and not our selfish way. The fact that God created us all in His image, and that any person i meet is worth more than anything i’ll ever own. It was a radical way and one i’d simply never heard of before. You often post about God turning our world upside down(or the right way up) and this is truly what happened(and continues to happen) in me.
I haven’t enough room on here to type out all of the things that had/have to be renewed in my mind, such a horrid place, and i thank God everyday for not letting me kill myself when i had lots of chances, it would have been a better world without me. Yet He had different plans for me…..Wow! 😀
Sorry for blabbering on but thanks again for another fine comment! 😀
“I haven’t enough room on here to type out all of the things that had/have to be renewed in my mind, such a horrid place, and i thank God everyday for not letting me kill myself when i had lots of chances, it would have been a better world without me. Yet He had different plans for me…..Wow!”
I am finding the each and every one of us has a unique story. One we think is not what others want to hear. Yet those I love are those who are vulnerable. Who tell their story in their own way. And almost always at the heart of every story is “love” (of the unconditional kind). That always blows me away – your brief blather no less than any other. Always love.
And with all this introspection about are we a going to hell or heaven – that puts it all in context for me.
Amen! I love to hear about people’s stories, like you say…we all have one. I also love to get through the veneer and speak about deeper things, i’m really not good at talking about the weather when souls are at stake! lol 😀
Always blessed by you Paul.
((hugs))
“He is certainly not on the safe side!”
I always struggle with these passages. Here are five good reasons why we are right and you are wrong. I know my God and you don’t. I am right and you are not. You are stuffed and I am not. I am saved and you are damned. Hmmmm …
The God I read in the bible seems to always turn “our logic” on its head. Our bible traditions, our sage habits and customs … all of our “we have God right here – we are okay” stuff – and flip it sideways. And that usually leaves all of us on the “safe side” with red faces looking back from the wrong side of the tracks (we tut-tutted at in others).
sage habits = “safe habits”
Hey Paul! 😀
I hear what you’re saying about the graceless finger pointers.
When i first read this post…it described my first 29 years exactly as the unbeliever, and i was stunned thinking it described my life so well. I was brought up completely ungodly in our broken home and went through life as described.
Then at 29 through suicide stuff, i was born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, and now i find myself doing what the second half says, even saying “Death has no sting” which i say a lot! 😀
But like the writer i struggle to explain the seriousness and enormity of the two positions i have experienced, and keeping the balance between Truth in Love.
Thanks Paul, i always love your challenging comments! 😀
I think James Smith, the writer, is contrasting the two-belief and unbelief. I think if that approach is taken, it would be impossible to display the differences without appearing to “point fingers” or seem condescending. But in actuality they are simply contrasted differences. So that approach therefore may inherently be a flawed approach to display these particular differences, if only for a single reason, that being, coming across as condescending.
Hi Debbie! Thanks for another great comment! 😀
Once again this post hit me as i explained to Paul in the comment above. I think i’ve heard so much wishy washy stuff that this unpolished talk just nails me!
I thought when i started posting Puritan and 18th, 19th Century quotes i’d get into a bit of trouble through the comments, but i’m enjoying studying these men of God and it’s completely different to what i’m hearing in our pulpit. 😀
Thanks again for taking time to read, like and comment here, i’m loving the interaction of sisters & Brothers in Christ through this little blog. God bless you Debbie. 😀
Thanks Steve. I did pick up on that in your post, and recent posts definitely, about the differences of past vs present day Christianity, and like me, it can feel a little scary, as in, what are we doing? And you already know my comment is a response to Paul’s comment, as it seemed to be sort of a single faceted view of the main post. God bless you Steve!