Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
–Galatians 1:10 (ESV)–

Broad is the road that leads to death,
And thousands walk together there;
But wisdom shows a narrow path,
With here and there a traveler.

Deny thyself and take thy cross,
Is the Redeemer’s great command:
Nature must count her gold but dross,
If she would gain this heav’nly land.

Lord, let not all my hopes be vain,
Create my heart entirely new,
Which hypocrites could ne’er attain,
Which false apostates never knew.

–Isaac Watts, “The Almost Christian”–

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Dr. John R. Rice, Why Preach Against Sin? (Sword of the Lord, 1985), p. 3.