Trials

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     James 1:2-6 says, “ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

     We have a copy of an old Bible, in German, which is a ”Martin Luther edition.   I can’t read it, but can notice some of its differences.  The placement of one book is unusual in that the Epistle of James is the last book in the New Testament.  Luther’s statements about the epistle may reflect some of his personal views, so I have been told by others.  The copy is heavy and a bit tattered here and there as it is almost 150 years olf.  Mom used it to store flowers taken from the tops of various caskets over the years as well as some historical papers from the family, mostly obituaries and locks of hair.

     The epistle has much to say about the Christian life   adn while some may propose that it is in conflict with the writings of Paul, it isn’t.  Basically, it shows works as a result of salvation and not for salvation.  The epistle also deals with Christian living while we are on this earth until we go to glory.  It is also a litmus test of one’s faith.  The above passage is the beginning of the epistle which deals with  temptations adn wisdom.  The King James Version uses the word “divers” in referring to the temptations and is from the word for “manifold” temptations, which is very similar to “many colored” as one looks through a kaleidoscope.  The passage reminds us right from the beginning that we should be considering joy when we are facing these many temptations, which do not come one at a time, but are quite often in groups.  A disruption in your life plan may occur at any given moment, even with a sneeze that throws your back out of joint, a broken shoe lace, a leaking faucet and the list can go on and on.  We soon learn that God is “perfecting” our faith from one event to the other which is where the joy comes in.  You are growing in your faith from one event to the next and so God is working with you.  One of things that will result from these manifold trials is patience.  While the process is not comfortable for most people, it is still very productive.  Growth is taking place in the Christian life.  We can praise God today for His working in our lives even with seemingly little things that may seem to be annoyances at first, but are in reality growing us bit by bit.

To Turn from Wicked Ways

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Second Chronicles 7:12-14 says, “ And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  

     Second Chronicles 7:14 is one of the more famous passages from the Old Testament.  It has been used a lot in promoting a cure for the plagues that come upon any nation and especially our nation as we are leaning more towards Christianity than other religions.  It is used in advertising for prayer programs and for revival.  You can purchase larger formats to hang on your wall or on other articles perhaps even Tee Shirts.

     Verse 12 gives us the timing of the passage.  Solomon had dedicated the temple and oxen and sheep were sacrificed in great numbers.  God consumed the sacrifices with a magnificent display of power and the people were praising God. They were praising God for a time, but then trouble came.  Solomon was the last king of the unified israel and a split came upon the country and Solomoon’s Son would lead only a part of the Kingdom because they did evil and began to do just what God warned them not to do.   Soon, altars appeared in Israel and idolatry began to flourish.  Eventually, Israel and Judah, the now divided kingdom, would go into captivity and the magnificent temple would be destroyed.  We know well the story of what took place  after Solomon’s reign of forty years as it is recorded in the Old Testament.  We, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, know what is needed in our country today and so we quote the above passage.  One thing seems to be lacking however and that is the phrase, “and turn from their wicked ways.”  As a nation, we have failed to do that and as individuals we have also failed to do that.  It is called “repentance.”    Mankind is not willing in the days in which we are now living to come to repentance for our sins.  Our idols still are among us but we have failed to name them.  When people will flock by the thousands to sit out in terrible weather to watch a football game but not be willing to go to a place of worship, then an idol has replaced God.  We have killed over fourteen million babies this year along in the whole world.  Mankind has gone back to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah as sexual pleasure has consumed mankind today.  Where does repentance for a nation begin?  It has to begin with you and me.  Believers need to humble themselves individually and to begin being serious about our relationship with God and to turn from those things which are contrary to God’s Word.  Praise Him for giving us His Standards ford daily living.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

The Contest onMount Carmel

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Kings 18:21-23 says, “ And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.  Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:” 

     There were a number of years in my life early on where I thought Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were real.  It didn’t last too long before I figured it out.  At first, i would believer everything I was told by an adult and couldn’t tell if they were joking with me or not.  

     Even in my early years, i was being primed to disbelieve the accounts in the Bible.  One of the most “unbelievable” accounts was the contest on top of Mount Carmel between all of the prophets of Baal, who numbered around 40 at that time and a man called Elijah.  Two offerings, one for God and one for Baal were placed on altars and the prophets of Baal were up first and danced around for several hours and nothing happened.  Elijah criticized them and  ridiculed them until they were cutting themselves and crying out, but nothing happene.  Then,up steps Elijah and he adds several barrels of water on top of the sacrifice, says one prayer, and fire consumes the sacrifice, the altar, the rocks and the water.  It seems to be impossible, yet God did it.  It  would have been one of those times when you would have wished you had been there to see it take place.  With God, all things are possible.  We just don’t believe His record.  We don’t believe in His power.  We don’t believe He will judge.  We don’t believe that what He says will come to pass.  We probably would have been just like the Israelites who constantly grumbled at their circumstances while in the wilderness.  Paul exhorted Timothy that all Scripture was “God breathed” and that it is profitable to us for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness.  Every verse is profitable to us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The life of the believer should be saturated with the Word of God.  John MacArthur once said that if a believer is cut, they should bleed “Bible.”  Praise God today for His word.  God said it.  I believe it.  That settles it.

Hailstones

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Revelation 16:21 says, “ And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”

     Weather conditions can sometimes be quite alarming.  We were driving back from Tennessee on a stormy Saturday a number of years ago when a storm started.  We could see the  storm approaching as we headed North on Interstate 81.  It  started raining, wind blowing and all of a sudden hail stones began to fall about the size of marbles.  I got off of the interstate as soon as possible and parked under the overpass seeking shelter until the storm passed.  All areas of the car were hit and dented except the right side.  In just a few minutes the car suffered over 3,000 hits.

     Hailstones have been getting bigger each year.    Stones the size of golf balls and then up to grapefruit have fallen in various places in our country and Canada.  The above passage of scripture describes a hailstone the size of a “talent.”  That’s going to be about one hundred pounds minimum and could be more.  A hailstone that big is going to cause severe damage.  As you can see, man will not repent but rather will be blaspheming God because of the size and damage of the hailstones.  The weight called a “talent” is used some 49 times in singular and plural form.  It is used mostly to describe the amount of gold, silver and bronze that was used in the construction of buildings such as the Temple of King Solomon and the implements of worship.  The signs of the times are progressing day by day as we see judgment coming upon the world.  The sins that cause severe judgment in Biblical history are being repeated in this very era in which we live.   We should stand amazed at how God uses common things to warn people of His power and judgment.  In Egypt, God used gnats and flies as a warning as well as frogs and locusts.  The hailstone is but one of the many judgments that will take place in the final days upon this earth.  Our confidence is in the final outcome that we read about in the last chapters of the Book of Revelation and where John says, “Even so Come Lord Jesus.”  There is a new chorus that has the words, “Our God is a mighty God.”  His power is beyond description and as you look up at the stars and realize that He spoke them into existence as well as the gnats and honeybees, you see the evidence of His work all around us, both large and small.  Praise God today for His power and His plan for all eternity.

General Quarters

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     John 4:35 says, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”

     Being in the U. S. Navy,  I did spend four months on a naval destroyer on an exercise around South America.  Every sailor had a position to occupy during “General Quarters.”  All hands were to be in that position when the alarm sounded.  At that time, I was a saxophone player in the band and we did most of our work when we went ashore.  At General Quarters,  my only skill was “passing the ammunition” for a forty millimeter anti-aircraft gun.  Several of us were needed to get the shells as they were passed from the compartments below to the gun mount.  Fortunately, we never were in a firing position but close to one as the ship later went into blockade duty around Cuba.

     There are some things in life where “all hands are needed.”  One of the most important one is the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection for all of mankind.  The above passage reminds us that the world is the “field” that is ripe for harvest and the time is now and should not be delayed.    It was true during the time when Jesus Walked upon the earth and it is equally true now.  Souls are coming and going constantly.  Even as you read this short devotion, hundreds of people die and most of them are leaving this life without the hope of eternal salvation.  Many hear the message and openly refuse it but a few do accept the call that God gives.  King Agrippa wanted a more convenient time to decide.  The Philippian Jailor responded to the message and was saved as well as those in his household as also the Ethiopian Eunuch became a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.  A farmer can tell when the fields are ready to harvest and he doesn’t delay as some calamity such as the weather may come and ruin the grain.  The fields of souls is ready in every generation and the gospel message needs to be proclaimed as Satan, the enemy does not take a day off.  Just listen to the news each day and you can see how the calamities are taking place and humanity is pursuing after false gods and trying to find peace in their own way of salvation.  The Lord Jesus Christ however, made the statement, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man comes to the fAther except through Me.”  There is no other way.  All roads do not lead to heaven.  Only one road will get you there, and it is through Christ alone.  The call has gone out, “General Quarters.”  “All hands on deck.”  Praise God that He has given us another day to work for Him.

Instructing

 Greetings to  you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Psalm 32:8-10 says, “ I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.   Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.  Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.”

     It is always wise and good to follow instructions even when you don’t understand “why.”  I learned at an early age that you saved a lot of time if you followed instructions especially while working on a farm.  Every year, we would put up hay in the upper floor of the barn, called a “hay mow.”  The hay was baled in rectangular bales weighing around 55 pounds or so.  When it was time to use the hay for feeding the cows during milking, about five or six bales were dropped through a trap door to the main floor and then needed to be transferred to the manger for feeding the cows.  By this time, the bales were secured with baling twine which held the folds of hay together.  One day, a new worker dropped the hay through the trap door and then proceeded to cut the twine thus making each bale pop open much to the owners disgust as now each fold need to be taken by hand to the manger.  He was grumbling the rest of the night.  The new worker had not followed the instructions.

     We have in our possession a book that has a lot of instructions written down as a guide for our very lives andif followed will lead us to heaven and give us a “Godly” life while we live here on this earth.    The Psalmist in the above passage reminds us that we will be instructed by God Himself and we have that instruction in the Bible.  Do we understand all of the instructions?  We probably would admit that we don’t understand all of them but we seek to do them simply because God said so.    How would you like to have been the Levitical priest carrying the ark of God across the Jordan river and God had promised for you to do it on dry ground while t he water in front of you was raging at that time of the year?  The flow of water didn’t stop until the Levite put forth his foot to take that first step.  The Apostle Paul gave the Ephesian church the instruction on how to “walk” the life of the believer .  Five examples are given in the last three chapters of how to conduct your life in the world today.  Driving an old truck in the field was a challenge for me as I soon learned what “double clutch” meant.  If you follow the instructions, all goes well.  How are things going in  your life today?  Are you following God’s instruction manual?  Praise God today for His Word.

Judgment

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Matthew 24:37-39 says, “ But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

     “Wake up!”   I have heard that phrase a few times in my life.  I am usually up long before my wife, but the other day over overslept a little and felt the blankets being pulled off the bed and the words, “Time to get up.”  There are also other times when the phrase about waking up is needed.  I watched a video recently on Amazon about Noah and the ark which had the words in it, “Wake up.”

     Even in Acts 1, we can see the disciples asking when the kingdom was going to be in place and when would the Lord Jesus Christ return .  People try every now and then to come up with a specific date but the dates come and go and we are still here.  I have said at times, “Well, today is one day closer to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is where it is time to wake up, so to speak, as the signs of the times are getting more and more pronounced.  Just look at the morning news if you dare to do so, as it is filled with violence.  Couple that with the description of a godless society as seen in Second Timothy 3:1-5 and you come to the conclusion that the time is indeed short and people had better accept God’s way of salvation before it is too late.  The lovers of pleasure find it hard to turn from their ways and to do what God has said all along in His Word.  People of the days of Noah were really “living it up” as they followed the desires for pleasure and the attitude that God would not send anyone to hell just for having fun.   Genesis 6:5 says, “ And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.:  If this evaluation sounds familiar, it is because it is the current thought of most of the people in the world today.  What we see in the news today is not just in our country but around the world.  The Scriptures remind us that judgment is coming and it will be severe and far worse than the flood.  The response for every man, woman, boy and girl is to turn to God now before it is too late.  Hail stones are getting bigger these day but just wait for the storm that will produce hail stones that weight a “talent.”  You will need more than just a hard hat to escape being killed.  If you are reading this, more than likely you are a believer and we are the proclaimers of the Gospel message which is the only hope, so shout it from the rooftops to all with whom you will have contact.  Praise God as the Second Coming is one day closer than it was yesterday.