# Others May, You Cannot!



## cris (Nov 12, 2009)

Hi friends,

after I looked for this for a couple of months, I found it. Paul Washer mentioned it in one of his podcasts.

Please allow me to post it here:

Others May, You Cannot!

—G.D. Watson (1845-1924)

If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience, that you will not be able to measure yourself by other Christians; and in many ways, He will seem to let to let other good people do things which He will never let you do.

Other Christians and ministers, who seem very religious and useful, can push themselves, pull wires and work schemes to carry out their Christian goals, but these things you simply cannot do. Others may boast of their work or their writings or their success, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you ever try it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, but most likely God will keep you poor, because He want you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence on Him and the joy of seeing Him supply your needs day by day out of an unseen Treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and keep you hidden and unappreciated because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work on and on without others knowing how much you are doing; and then, to make your work still more precious, He may let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit will rebuke you for little words or deeds or even feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem to be concerned about, but you must make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and He has a right to do whatever He pleases with His own. He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in the way He deals with you, but if you will just submit yourself to Him in all things, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and bestow upon you many blessing which come only to those who are very near to His heart.

Settle it then, that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. Now, when you are so possessed with the living God that your secret heart becomes pleased and delighted with this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, then you will have entered the very vestibule of heaven itself.

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What happens many times is that I think other people around me allow themselves more freedom (if this is the right word) in Christ than I can. And I tend to say "you're going too far".
Now, back to the article. I think this is biblical, to view it in terms of "why do you care about the others? you just follow me", like Jesus told one of His apostles.
Do you agree that there's a danger of looking down on the others if thinking in those terms? ("some may, but not you!")
Secondly, would you agree that it's better not to engage my friends in these conversations, and just let it go?
What do you guys think about this article?

Thanks a lot about your replies
Cristian


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## NRB (Nov 12, 2009)

Paul Washer was the one to open my mind, eyes, and heart to the Doctrines of Grace.
He's a wonderul sermonizer (is that a word??) !!!


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## SolaSaint (Nov 12, 2009)

Cristian,

I think it is a great article. Thanks for posting it for it does ring true to some of what I've seen in my spiritual life lately. As o your question if I have it right, I don't believe thinking in this way will produce a looking down on others. We know they are in Christ and we will love them as brothers and sisters and realize that we maybe looked upon the same way in other areas of our Christian walk from another brother or sister. God uses us in differing areas of ministry and sometimes we are semi-blind to the other areas and sometimes judge others when we shouldn't. They probably do the same to us. 
So Jesus' words (John 21:22) are appropriate for us.


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## ewenlin (Nov 12, 2009)

I have this tract pasted on my wall in my bedroom...  Saved me from a lot of grieving


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## Galatians220 (Nov 12, 2009)

Two years ago, I posted this tract on another "Christian" forum and promptly got run off of it for good. It's tucked into one of my Bibles and I just read it again about a week ago. I'm so happy to see it posted here.

Margaret


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## tt1106 (Nov 12, 2009)

I have used this piece many times in my Sunday School class. It is by far the most compelling, thought provoking piece of literature to make a Christian cotemplate the Gift of Grace and the humility with which we receive it. 
It is usually met with mixed sentiments, especially at my old chuch in the UMC.


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## Marrow Man (Nov 12, 2009)

Galatians220 said:


> Two years ago, I posted this tract on another "Christian" forum and promptly got run off of it for good. It's tucked into one of my Bibles and I just read it again about a week ago. I'm so happy to see it posted here.
> 
> Margaret





What exactly was so objectionable that you were run off the site for good?


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## TaylorOtwell (Nov 12, 2009)

Challenging!


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## captivewill (Nov 12, 2009)

cris said:


> Hi friends,
> 
> after I looked for this for a couple of months, I found it. Paul Washer mentioned it in one of his podcasts.
> 
> ...


I found this tract in the rack at a small country Baptist in Oakland Maryland years ago.What a great and challenging message.


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## ChariotsofFire (Nov 12, 2009)

cris said:


> Hi friends,
> 
> What happens many times is that I think other people around me allow themselves more freedom (if this is the right word) in Christ than I can. And I tend to say "you're going too far".
> Now, back to the article. I think this is biblical, to view it in terms of "why do you care about the others? you just follow me", like Jesus told one of His apostles.
> ...



btw, Thank you for the encouragement. Now, I'm not exactly sure what is happening with your friends, but I wanted to encourage you to continue engaging your friends. Don't let it go.




> Phil 2:3
> "3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."



Don't think that you are better then your friends for not participating in evil. Why? 



> 1 Cor. 15:10
> "10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me."



By God's grace, you have seen that certain activities that your friends participate in are not quite right. By all means engage your friends, and seek to show them from Scripture what is right. Build them up and encourage them. 



> 1 thes. 5:11
> "11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."





> Hebrews 3:12-14
> 12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from(N) the living God. 13But(O) exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by(P) the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ,(Q) if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.


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## Galatians220 (Nov 12, 2009)

Marrow Man said:


> Galatians220 said:
> 
> 
> > Two years ago, I posted this tract on another "Christian" forum and promptly got run off of it for good. It's tucked into one of my Bibles and I just read it again about a week ago. I'm so happy to see it posted here.
> ...


 
People thought it was "abusive." It was a site for people who have been treated badly in churches and it was seen as a "throwback" to the abuse some people had been subjected to in some manner of punitive or charismatic or "fundy/snake-handling" fellowships. And for sure, there were a number of people who said, "God wouldn't act like that." When I tried to argue that I would consider it an honor to be one of those for whom He drew those boundaries, etc., I was told that I was "abusive."

Whatever.

Margaret


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## Scott1 (Nov 12, 2009)

> He may not explain to you a thousand things which puzzle your reason in the way He deals with you, but if you will just submit yourself to Him in all things, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and bestow upon you many blessing which come only to those who are very near to His heart.



This brings to mind... as sinners, we often focus on justifying our thoughts, words and deeds rather than on whether they show love of God and of our neighbor.


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## cris (Nov 13, 2009)

NRB said:


> Paul Washer was the one to open my mind, eyes, and heart to the Doctrines of Grace.
> He's a wonderul sermonizer (is that a word??) !!!


I'm glad you listen to him, too.
I do all the time.
In my case, he opened my mind to the puritans.
God bless him, there's much need for bold preachers like him

@Josh: thx so much for your thoughts, it's been very helpful


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## kvanlaan (Nov 13, 2009)

Excellent. Better a peon in God's hands than a giant in the World.


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