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the devil's night

10/30/2019

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        The Devil’s Night…

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
 

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.  (Ephesians 5:11-12)

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  (Romans 13:12)
 
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  (1 Peter 2:9)
 
FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS; they don’t want to go away. Feelings are stubborn things; they don’ want go away. Another thing about facts and feelings is that they tend to run together so that we can not always tell the difference.
 
SINCE I WAS TEN OR SO, I’ve heard that Halloween is “the devil’s night.” Medlock Hollow, my birthplace, was a sanctuary of a sort. We were isolated and protected from the evils of urban life… except what we, ourselves, imported in. Nobody ever rolled our house with toilet paper. In fact, a roll of that kind of paper would have been a strange thing at our house and especially on our house, a tree, or in the outdoor privy. We didn’t “do” Halloween at Medlock.
 
WE WENT TO SCHOOL AT ALPINE, TN and it was somewhat “progressive.” On the morning after Halloween, at the elementary school, we discovered that the boys’ outdoor privy had been turned up on its side and we would have to scout for our own private place until a crew from the county could make it to Alpine and upright our school privy. Nobody dared to get close to the big square hole in the ground. We knew danger when we saw it. Fall in there and you were a “gon-er.” Finally, some men came, and it was wonderful (!) to see our privy back in its place.
 
ONE OF THE FARMERS DISCOVERED THAT HIS WAGON was on top of his barn. Some boys had removed the wheels and somehow lugged the wagon up on top of the barn and reinstalled the wheels. His big bull of almost a thousand pounds had somehow submitted to strangers and permitted himself to be led to the high school. They broke into the school and led the bull upstairs to the auditorium and tied him to a post.
 
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE HAD NO "BULL EXPERIENCE," I should tell you that a bull can be coaxed up the stairs ten times easier than he can be coaxed down the stairs. I still don’t know how they got that bull own those stairs. Alpine was “progressive” in the sense that it was in step with other places across America that was celebrating “The Devil’s Night:” a night that used fun, mischief, and pranks as an excuse to move into the more devilish forms of wild indulgence that came to be called “The Devil’s Night.”
 
IF INTERESTED, YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT AT WIKIPEDIA: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Night I plugged “Devil’s Night” into Google and in just seconds it registered 65-million hits on the Web. So, my use of “Devil’s Night” is not of my own creation to cast a slur at America’s “fun night.” At least 65-million places on the Web know about: “The Devil’s Night”  and it’s associated with Halloween.
 
FOR US, A LOT CHANGED SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. In one day, America dropped everything and went to war. We would never be the same. What the great depression could not do in 12 years, the Japanese did in one day. We woke up! For us, that meant moving 300 miles east to Mountain City, TN. Among other things, I was introduced to Halloween.

NOT "TRICK OR TREAT" BUT SOME JUST PLAIN MEAN STUFF. I heard it called “mischief” and “pranks.” It was a license to go beyond that, into the domain of “vandalism.” Other days you would go to jail, but on Halloween, somehow you got a pass to destroy property and lay burdens on people. The ground floor of Halloween was to soap the windows of the car and/or house.

 
WHEN WE MOVED TO MOUNTAIN CITY, TN IN 1942, I was suddenly a city dude, with running water and electric lights and an inside privy. I also learned that it was “progressive” in its observance of the Devil’s night.
 
IN MOUNTAIN CITY, WE COULD WALK OUT THE FRONT DOOR and see the elementary school and 100 yards further was the high school. We were in the lap of luxury! We were….affluent! (I had never heard of the word, but that was us!)
 
MY UNCLE QUALLS (MY DADDY'S BROTHER) found himself a bride and moved into a house with a tin roof about 200 yards from our house. We also lived about that far from the city jail. The sheriff lived in the jail. We had never been so safe. No rattlesnakes, coons, foxes, or wild cats (we had plenty of them all at Medlock).
 
HALLOWEEN ROLLED AROUND AND SOON AFTER LIGHTS WERE OUT, rocks were raining down on Uncle’s metal roof. Uncle ran out the front door and the boys got away. He latched the screen and left the wood door open. The rocks came down and when he pushed through the screen door, barefooted, there was a paper bag on fire on his porch. He began to stomp the fire(barefooted?) only to discover that the bag was almost half full of fresh cow manure. (All of this in sight of the county jail..!!)
 
THAT ALL PASSED AND HE WENT TO BED but left the front door open and the screen door un-latched so he could rush through the door. He was almost asleep when the gravel on the roof brought him to. He rushed through the house and kicked the screen door with his bare foot only to discover that they had found a railroad crosstie and laid it across the screen door. He must have broken some toes. So much for the affluent society we had moved into. This was a taste of “The Devil’s Night.”
 
THE WAR ENDED AND WE MOVED TO THE HOMESTEADS at Crossville, TN. We had 18 acres, a barn and farm animals, including a prize milk cow that gave four gallons of milk a day when she was fresh. Tennessee had an “open range” law which allowed people to turn their cows loose in the countryside to graze along the roads. It kept the roads clean, saved the State and County money and fed a lot of cows. Every place was responsible to keep their yards fenced and gated to keep cows out of their yards. Halloween came in 1946 and I was twelve.
 
ONE OF THE FAVORITE "TRICKS" OF HALLOWEEN was for a half-dozen boys to lift the rough Oak gate off its hinges and carry the gate a good distance down the road. The farmer would have to get help to carry his gate back and put it back on the hinges. We had our little crew and came to the 3rd gate. (The others were too tight to get off the hinges.) We lifted it off, proud of ourselves. We saw a light flash on the front porch and knew the man had gone inside and we had seen his living room light as he went inside.
 
A MINUTE OR SO AND THE LIGHT FLASHED AGAIN. We were moving along quietly with the gate and heard a metallic click, like the click of a shot gun. We set the gate by the side of the road and took off as fast as we could run. Ka-blaaam!!!  It was indeed a shotgun and the shot scattered along the wire fence beside us. (He didn’t shoot into the road.)
 
THEN, A SECOND KA-BLAAM!!! And more pellets hitting the length of the wire fence. We were hoping it was only a double-barrel and not a pump gun with six shells. We ran and waited. That was all. Just two. It was enough. “Don’t bother his gate next year.”
That was right-much-more than “trick or treat.”
 
FAST-FORWARD to today. Most of the Halloween activity of today is with little kids dressed up in no-telling what. Some with a Halloween theme and many with any kind of a fun-dress-up they can find or buy on the cheap (or maybe not so cheap). Mama or Daddy are with them (and may come in the house with them if they are small) and they know the people where they are going and it’s totally a fun thing, and nobody has had a single thought about being evil; it’s a break in boredom.
 
BUT I MUST SAY THAT WE ARE STILL STUCK WITH THE OVERRIDING THEME of the occult…witches, goblins, super-power from somewhere and it turns us loose at least on the edge of mischief. I don’t know what they are doing in Detroit and Chicago; hunkering down for their lives. They kill several hundred every year, Halloween or not.
 
WE MUST BE CAREFUL IN OUR CHUCHES AND OUR FAMILIES what kind of memories we are installing in our little kids. Does it look like we are endorsing the occult? We are to do everything to the glory of God, and it is the responsibility of every family to do right before God in the raising of children.
 
WE CAN HAVE A HARVEST FESTIVAL AND HAVE JUST AS MUCH FUN. Fun is not necessarily over on the side of the devil. Fun is what we make it and we can have fun to the glory of God as easily as we can honor the devil. You think? There are all kinds of dopey, fun things we can do without getting in bed with the devil. Hope this helps.Ω
 
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
October 30, 2019 – WEDNESDAY
A.M.  Jeremiah 27-28   P.M.  2Timothy 4
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Great Verses to Memorize:
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but
teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;  (Deuteronomy 4:9)

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7


Song for Today:
No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus – (Piano- Laura Francis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5I2GQQExpY

And:
Victory in Jesus (3:25) (1st/2nd/Grade-Calvary Chr. School – Sou. Pines, NC)
                                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_2dN5XM114
  (Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


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the whole counsel of god

10/29/2019

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            All the Counsel of God…   
Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God:
 

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
 
 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.  (Acts 20:26-30)

WHEN JESUS WAS RESTORING PETER TO FELLOWSHIP (after denying Jesus three times at His trial) one might think that Jesus would tell Peter to get on the ball about witnessing to people everywhere who needed to hear the Gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ from the dead. (He did tell us all to preach the gospel to every creature.)

BUT JESUS, INSTEAD, TOLD PETER:” if you love me, feed My sheep.” It took me twenty years to get hold of that. God wants the babes in Christ to grow so they can model to the world what a Christian looks like.

WHEN PAUL FINISHES HIS TRAVELING AND PREACHING, and says his goodbye, the last thing he says is to “feed the church of God.” They’re living in an atmosphere of evangelism and spreading the word that the “Promised One” has come, was crucified and raised from the dead. They get that. That’s their message and program.

BUT SOMETHING THEY MAY NOT GET, is the need to proclaim the WHOLE COUNSEL of God. At that time, the need was to explain how the Old Testament was the root out of which there was to come a church built around the CHRIST who had come and then went away into Heaven and would return.

Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.  For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.  And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.  (Acts 3:21-23)
 
PLEASE NOTE THAT GOD'S HOLY PROPHETS HAD EXISTED and had been proclaiming God’s message since the world began. There’s no room here for billions of years between the time the world began and the appearance of prophets on the earth.  Adam and Eve  were within a few days of being as old as the earth.

THIS SMALL DETAIL IS PART OF THE MESSAGE PAUL PROCLAIMED (above) and then said he had proclaimed all the counsel of God. The age of the earth is part of the whole counsel of God, according to Paul. There had been prophets proclaiming the message since the beginning of the world, not billions of years later.

 
ALL THE COUNSEL OF GOD (Acts 20:27) “Jesus had commissioned the apostles to teach the disciples to “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20), and Paul endeavored to do just that in all the churches for which he felt responsible. It is important that each church, especially its leaders, seek to teach its members the whole Word of God, not to concentrate on a few pet doctrines.” (Henry Morris: The New Defender’s Study Bible, page 1680.)
 
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TAKES UP A VERY SMALL SPACE IN THE BIBLE. It is the centerpiece and axle of the Bible. But the Gospel is not the whole counsel of God. The Lord wants us to know and share the Gospel with everyone we can, and I have been trying to do that since I got saved in the bean market in October, 1943. I urged my 4th grade classmates to go to the meeting until they were tired of hearing it and worked me over a bit at morning recess. I had cussed with them and that was alright. But talking about getting saved was not what they wanted to hear.

TODAY, I STILL UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS MY GOD-ORDAINED DUTY AND PRIVILEGE
 to open a conversation about eternity and God at Cracker Barrel (or the auto parts store). To the waitress: “May I ask you something? When you were little, did your mother take you to Sunday School? When you were in Sunday School, did you hear about John 3:16? Do you have a Bible at home?” And with that, we are off and running. I’m not very spiritual or the best witness in the world. But every Christian can be a faithful witness.  
 
SO, THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD IS MORE THAN THE GOSPEL AND GETTING SAVED. It is the whole Word of God. The whole counsel of God is the Old Testament and later included the New Testament. After Christ was crucified and raised from the dead, it was about 30 years before any part of the New Testament had been written, probably the book of James. But the first Christians, as they were persecuted and left Jerusalem, preached the Word.
 
THEY PREACHED JESUS CHRIST OUT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.  (Acts 8:4) (They were preaching out of the Old Testament; passages they had memorized.)
 
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.  (Acts 20:32) (The “word of his grace” was the Old Testament.)
 
And he (Phillip) arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,  Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.  (The Old Testament)
 
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.  (
And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, (Old Testament) and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?  (Acts 8:27-30)
 
And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?  Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.  (Acts 8:34-35) Phillip preached Jesus out of the Old Testament.
 
The New Testament is in the Old, contained.    The Old Testament is in the New, explained. God did not swap the Old Testament for the New Testament. He added the New Testament to the Old Testament. Ω
 

Read Through the Bible in a Year
October 30, 2019 – WEDNESDAY
A.M.  Jeremiah 27-28   P.M.  2Timothy 4
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Great Verses to Memorize:
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but
teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;  (Deuteronomy 4:9)

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Victory in Jesus (3:25) (1st/2nd/Grade-Calvary Chr. School – Sou. Pines, NC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_2dN5XM114
 (Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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celebrating the harvest

10/28/2019

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            Celebrating the Harvest…        
These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.  (Leviticus 23:4)
 

THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF AMERICA were strongly influenced by Jewish law and tradition of the Old Testament. It was the moral compass and North Star for American life and values. Even Benjamin Franklin was forced to admit that the God of Heaven should be consulted in the forming of a new nation in the wilderness.
 
ALTHOUGH AMERICA DID NO ADOPT THE SEVEN JEWISH FEASTS, yet American law and tradition are greatly influenced by the Bible and its tradition. In America, we know deep-down that it is right to serve God and not the devil and that we should give praise and thanksgiving to the God of Heaven for the food we eat.
 
AMERICA'S LEGAL AND MORAL STRUCTURE ARE BASED UPON THE BIBLE, most heavily on the Old Testament and Jewish traditions, and to narrow it further: on the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses. In 1892, Supreme Court Justice David Brewer wrote that America “…is a Christian nation.” https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/724/church-of-the-holy-trinity-v-united-states .

IF WE WERE TO EXAMINE THE STRUCTURE OF THAT RULING, we would find that it depends heavily on the writings of Moses. The Christian faith is built solidly upon the Old Testament and could not exist without it.

 
AFTER THE NATION OF ISRAEL HAD CONQUERED THE LAND God appointed for them, Israel began observing the Spring and Fall celebrations in Jerusalem in obedience to God’s commands. The Spring and Fall celebrations were associated with the Spring and Fall harvests in Israel. It was a time to thank God for His giving them the early and latter rain and weather necessary for the growing of crops.
 
THESE CELEBRATIONS EFFECTIVELY TIED THE NATION TO JEHOVAH GOD and to His temple in Jerusalem.  In the Spring and again in the Fall, all the adult males of adult age were directed to come to Jerusalem from all parts of the nation of Israel. Some of them walked 100-150 miles, one-way. During these two annual trips to Jerusalem, they observed a total of seven holidays: four in the Spring and three in the Fall. Both trips to Jerusalem were related to major harvests in Israel: spring harvest and the fall harvest.
 
“THESE SEVEN HOLIDAYS ARE DISCUSSED THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE, in both he Old and New Testaments. However, only in one place, the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus, are all seven holidays listed in chronological sequence. These holidays are called “the feasts of the Lord.” That expression indicates that these holidays are God’s holidays---they belong to Him---in contrast to man’s holidays.” (The Feasts of the Lord by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal. ©1997)
 
IN SUMMARY, GOD APPOINTED ISRAEL SEVEN FEASTS (HOLIDAYS) to be observed annually. In the Springtime, (March-April) four feasts were observed: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and The Feast of Weeks. In the Fall, (September-October) three feasts were observed: Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. These Holy Days (holidays) were not invented by man as our holidays are today. These Holy Days were ordained by God. They were HIS HOLY DAYS.
 
SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY UNTO THEM, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.  (Leviticus 23:10-11)
 
AMERICA DOES NOT OBSERVE ISRAEL'S "FEASTS OF THE LORD." We were never told to do so. It was a covenant between God and Israel on the land of the nation of Israel. We observe Thanksgiving Day, established in practice by the early pilgrims that came to America. In principle we DO observe a national day of Thanksgiving at which time those who wish to do so, may give special thanks to God for His blessings upon our nation and his blessing us with weather that could raise food for us to eat.
 
IN  AMERICA, WE HAVE TWO HOLIDAYS THAT RELATE TO THE HARVESTING OF FOODat the end of the growing season. At the end of October, we have Halloween that calls attention to the dark, underworld and kingdom of Satan. It recognizes his presence and power by its decorations and ceremonies. It is a fun time and children are introduced to its mysterious fun practices by their parents. Some churches participate in Halloween.
 
FOR MANY YEARS, HALLOWEEN HAD BEEN CREEPING INTO CHURCH CELEBRATIONS because it was a “fun thing to do.”  But, today, there is a strong trend away from including Halloween celebration and symbols in Bible-believing churches.  The Bible says: Neither give place to the devil.  (Ephesians 4:27)
 
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 
 

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
 
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.  (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)
 
AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, WE HAVE THANKSGIVING. It relates to our harvesting season. Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. It has no root in the Bible. It is passed off as a “fun night.”
 
SINCE AMERICA WAS BORN IN THE SHADOW OF MOSES and NOT in the shadow of Satan, let’s think this thing over about who gets the credit for growing our pumpkins and vegetables and fruit and grain. The devil didn’t give you anything….but a hard time. When you fall down the devil is going to laugh at you. God has prepared a place for the devil and his angels. That being the case, I’m going to be careful who I buddy up with.
 
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  (Matthew 25:41) Ω
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
October 29, 2019 – TUESDAY
A.M.  Jeremiah 25-26   P.M.  2Timothy 3
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Great Verses to Memorize:
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;  (Deuteronomy 4:9)

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Give Me Jesus (3:05) (Calvary Mem. Church – Sou. Pines, NC)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64X3dotG5A
 
Acapella Mixed Quartet: Plenty Good Room (4:22) (Breath of Life Quartet 1975)
(I learned this song from the Eureka Jubilee Singers at Highland Park Baptist Church about 1955.) They are no longer on the University of Iowa website.  The best version of the song is by an SDA group, 45 years ago.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl-zATFGwm8
  (Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

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plenty good room...

10/28/2019

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    Plenty Good Room…
In my Father's house are ​many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.   And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (John 14:2-3)

THERE WAS NO ROOM for Mary and Joseph in the inn and I’ve wondered how deeply they felt the rejection, even though they knew God was going to provide for them. One of the most intense feelings of the human spirit is acceptance and rejection by other people.  Have you ever gone through a time when you felt like there was not enough room for you, that you were not wanted?
 
I’VE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS BEFORE, but I feel it is time to look at it again. For me, the first experience of the feeling of rejection was when I was almost six and school would start soon. My Aunt Esther (mother’s sister) was taking me from Medlock Hollow to visit with her and Uncle Ed Ramsey in Nashville, TN for two weeks. It was a plush trip in her black, smooth-riding, quiet, six-cylinder ‘36 Dodge.
 
I WAS ACCUSTOMED TO GRANDPA'S '29 MODEL A FORD that was built to get you from Point A to Point B on four cylinders…not so smooth. Dad liked better cars than this but had lost his nice V/8 Ford coupe in a bank swoop during the Great Depression that relieved us of our sawmill, steam boiler, lumber truck, and Dad’s prize Ford V/8.
 
WE HAD PLENTY TO EAT but Medlock had none of the niceties of electric lights, refrigerator, or turn-a-knob stove in the kitchen. I was going to Nashville where there was…everything! They could pick up the phone and order me a popsicle that would be delivered by a Harley tricycle that had a dry-ice compartment for ice cream. Movies? They had movies in the park after dark. Swimming pool? They had the big Cascade Plunge where you could wet your toes or dive from ten feet high at the deep end.  At six, I was still “a toe man” at the shallow end.
 
BUT, ON OUR WAY TO NASHVILLE "GLORY LAND," I was in the back seat and the conversation in the front seat between Aunt Esther and my cousin, Anna Price was waay over my head. My efforts to break into the conversation got nowhere and suddenly I realized: “I’m a bother to them; they don’t really care anything about me; they don’t even know I’m with them, and I’ve got two weeks of being ignored like this. I am in sad shape. I should have stayed in Medlock Hollow where I belong and let them go on home to Nashville where they belong in that strange place. They don’t have a horse or a dog.” I was…. home sick! And it wasn’t even dark yet. A six-year-old needs familiar turf.
 
SINCE THAT DAY, “feeling lonely” dredges up that afternoon in the back seat of the ’36 Dodge. So much of life is based on how we were shaped in our first six years. I later read about it in the psychology books that made it official. Feeling left out is a real thing with a lot of people. The good side of the “Dodge incident” was the lesson that sometimes the answer is to: “get outta Dodge.”

I GOT TONSILLITIS AND ASKED AUNT ESTHER how much longer before I could go home. The next week, I told Aunt Esther: “If I could find my way out of here I would just walk home.” (125 miles) Aunt Esther was amused. I wasn’t amused. She told people about this until I was grown.

 
I DECIDED ON THAT TRIP, that in this life I would not hang around where I’m not wanted.  “It’s their bad luck if they don’t know how wonderful I am.” (Later, I learned that I was petted to death and got an undue amount of attention in Medlock. There were other people in the world besides me, but that was a later lesson.)
 
GOD KNOWS ABOUT OUR LONGING FOR HOME and writes about it in His book. When Israel was hauled off to Babylon in captivity, they were got homesick. In our verses for today, Jesus says He’s going to fix the home problem. “Home” is a wonderful word that goes deep. Even dogs, cats and birds know about home. At night, the chickens come home to roost. In baseball and softball, we run to home base and hopefully make a “home run.” Jesus said: …The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  (Mat 8:20)

WE NEED BREATH AND WE NEED HOME. The homeless people in our streets usually don’t move around from day to day. They stake out a place and go there at night. If it’s under a bridge, in a cardboard box, they will make a nest of sort and claim it, defend it against intrusion. The few belongings they have will be stashed there. If they are sick, they will die there. It’s “the place” that’s so important.

SURVEY AFTER SURVEY SHOWS THE SAME THING: the number-one thing that may draw people back to church next week is a feeling of genuine welcome. Cracker Barrel’s firm policy is to greet everyone who comes in the front door. Many other stores do the same. They know. We’re all sensitive about having a place, about feeling welcome.

JESUS SAID HE WOULD PREPARE A PLACE FOR US. We need a place. We will not be roaming all over Heaven when we get there. We will have our place in Heaven. Jesus has been working on our place in Heaven for two thousand years. It must be a good place and prepared just right. We won’t be disappointed.

WE WILL HAVE A PLACE and we will have a person, His Person. He will receive us there unto Himself. Jehovah God said: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his Saints.  (Psalm116:15). He sees every sparrow that falls and are we not worth as much to Him as a sparrow?

GOD'S INVITATION IS TO ALL. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (Mat 11:28)  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  (Mar 16:15) When someone rejects our message of salvation, we must to say to ourselves: ”He’s one of the creatures we’re supposed to preach the gospel to.” An inner voice says: “Be patient. I died for this person. There’s plenty good room in the Father’s House. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
October 28, 2019 – MONDAY
A.M.  Jeremiah 23-24   P.M.  2Timothy 2
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Great Verses to Memorize:
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;  (Deuteronomy 4:9)

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song For Today:

Acapella Mixed Quartet: Plenty Good Room (4:22) (Breath of Life Quartet 1975)

(I learned this song from the Eureka Jubilee Singers at Highland Park Baptist Church about 1955.) They are no longer on the University of Iowa website.  The best version of the song is by a SDA group, 45 years ago.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl-zATFGwm8
  (Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 


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storms and poverty

10/23/2019

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      Storms and Poverty…
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat,….(Isaiah 25:4)
 
The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.  (Nahum 1:3)
 

TODAY (OCTOBER 24, 2019) IS "FOOD DAY" at the Flat Rock Community Center. The above building and program are an outcome of four separate tornadoes that plowed through our immediate area on April 27, 2011, killing a total of some 46 people. On that day 62 tornadoes struck Alabama and moved off the mountain into Chattanooga. In the Chattanooga region, over 81 people were killed. Across the south, 316 died that day from tornadoes.
 
ONE OF THE TORNADOES SWEPT ACROSS THE LOCAL Widow’s Creek Steam Plant by the Tennessee River at Stevenson. It took down the high-voltage towers that carried electricity away from the plant. A large area was without power for several weeks.
 
SEVERAL EMERGENCY VEHICLES WITH ELECTRIC GENERATORS ON-BOARD came to Flat Rock and provided power to the Flat Rock Community Club so that meals could be provided there for several weeks. Here is a link to a local 4-minute newscast, if you care to watch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5F95bgVbOc   
 

THE STORMS LEFT NOT ONLY GREAT DEVASTATION AND DEATH, but also, an unexpected blessing. Through the storms, the area community came together like no other time. Suddenly, we were all “neighbors.”  When the funerals were over and storm debris was finally removed, we were left with “ourselves.”
 
THE STORMS HAD HEIGHTENED THE REALIZATION that we had in our community many families that were having a tough time of it, long before there was a storm. Before the storm, there had been an effort to provide food and clothing to those in need. But the storms brought a new and deepened realization of that need.
 
IN ADDITION TO THE NORMAL AGING OUT OF A GENERATION, there were many grandparents who were trying to raise grandchildren on minimal Social Security and food stamps. Drugs and disintegration of families is the twin engine that is requiring grandparents all over America to raise their grandchildren on a reduced income. Sand Mountain has its share.
 
AFTER THE STORMS, BEFORE LONG, a separate organization was formed: The Flat Rock Community Center that focused on food and clothing. The Flat Rock Methodist Church donated land and a new building was erected. Electricians, carpenters, painters and planners came together. With a new building came a new and concentrated way of helping the poor. The plan was simple: used clothing and household items could be recycled and sold at very low prices in the store and the money could be used to buy food for those who could provide proof of need through their tax records.
 
SO, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. People bring their used clothing and a crew of ladies come together every Tuesday morning and spend the day sorting clothing and hanging it up on racks in the store: “just like Goodies!”  It’s all volunteer.
 
ON THE FOURTH TUESDAY, THE CENTER'S BIG BOX TRUCK picks up our food order (from a local warehouse that serves several centers) and a volunteer crew meets the truck at the Center to unload it and get things lined up for Thursday.
 
ON THE FOURTH THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH, volunteers (12 to 90 years old) arrive to fill food tubs that move past them along the rollers. It takes 20 people to “man” the food line on the 4th Thursday. We are helped much by local public-school students and church groups and homeschoolers. Currently, the project is serving about 220 families who are signed up with the program.
 
IT IS AMAZING TO SEE HOW SO MANY PARTS OF THE PROGRAM come together on a regular basis to make it work. Beyond the valuable labor supplied by the various groups, is the steady comradery that is formed by people glad to have a part in a very noble cause. It’s not easy. But it is doable and has been going on for eight years, now. If you live in the area, you might want to come by and see if you are interested in being a part of the outreach.
 
ONE SIGNATURE OF THE STORMS THAT I SAW was a shovel that had been driven through a 12” tree about ten feet above the ground. At various meetings, people gathered to share their stories of what happened to them. Some of the stories are almost unbelievable and I will not print any of them here. Sand Mountain, Alabama is referred to as a “tornado magnet” because of some peculiar factors that seem to assist the formation of tornadoes. The weather bureau has been conducting scientific studies to try to explain it. Ω
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 24, 2019 – THURSDAY
A.M.  Jeremiah 11-13   P.M. 1 Timothy 4 
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
A Great Memory Verse:
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat,….(Isaiah 25:4)
 
Song for Today:
‘Till the Storm Passes By (3:32) (Gaither Quartet)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpr5HPyI4z8
                                 

 You may have to adjust the volume.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 


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liviing with the saints

10/13/2019

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Living with the Saints
 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.  (Psalms 116:15)

For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.  (Psalms 37:28)
 
Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.  (Psalms 30:4)And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.  (Revelation 20:9)
 
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:  (1 Corinthians 1:2)
 

“SAINTS” OCCURS 96 TIMES in the King James Bible, beginning in Deuteronomy and ending in Revelation. It means those who belong to the Lord.
 
EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN BORN AGAIN IS A SAINT. We may not act like it at times, but we are saints, nevertheless; if we have been truly born again by the Spirit of God. King David didn’t look like a saint when he stole Bathsheba from her husband and had her husband killed, but he was a saint. He belonged to the Lord. Saints can (and do sometimes) sin and disgrace the name of the Lord and bring dishonor upon their family.
 
JESUS PRAYED IN JOHN 17: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.  (John 17:21)  It is God’s will for us to be one with Him and one with each other. However…
 

PASTOR CHARLES SPURGEON OF LONDON in the late 1800’s said: “I love all of God’s people, but some of them I don’t want to be around ‘till I get to Heaven.”

IN ENGLAND, IN A VILLAGE OF SHEEP FARMERS in the early 1800’s, a young man was caught stealing a sheep from his neighbor’s flock. He was tried by the village elders and found guilty. They decided that he should be branded. So,

THEY HEATED TWO SMALL BRANDING IRONS, held him down on the ground and burned into his forehead: “ST” for “Sheep Thief.” He was then turned loose to tend his family’s sheep and to mingle with the people of his community. The scars on his forehead soon healed and were the first thing everyone saw as they met him in the village.

HE DECIDED TO MEND HIS WAYS AND BECAME ONE OF THE MOST CARING and accommodating people in the village. He visited the sick with soup and bread and fixed the roofs of the elderly and tended to the sick sheep in other people’s flocks. Time passed and he became an old man, still tending sheep but moving much slower and tottering.

ONE DAY TWO LITTLE BOYS MET HIM AND PASSED HIM on the road. As they skipped and threw rocks at targets along the road, one of them said: “What do those letters mean in the forehead of Old Jim?” The other little boy paused and said: “I don’t know. I’ve never heard anyone say. But I think it means “saint.”

 WE DO NOT BECOME SAINTS BY WHAT WE DO; we become saints because of our position in Christ. Hopefully, our position in Christ will show up in the way we live and treat other people. “The word saint actually means "set aside to God." Every Christian should be set aside to God. For example, the pans and vessels that were used in the tabernacle and later in the temple were called holy vessels. Holy? Yes, because they were for the use of God. On what basis is a child of God a saint or holy? On the basis that he is for the use of God. This is the position that we have.” (McGee)

GOD HAS ORDAINED THAT SAINTS BE GOOD FOR ONE ANOTHER. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

BUT AS GOOD AS SAINTS ARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, we DO HAVE A FEW PROBLEMS with ourselves because we have two opposing natures that require continual prodding. We have the new nature which cannot sin, that dwells in the same body that can do nothing but sin: it’s called the old Nature.

PAUL REPORTED: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; …. (2 Timothy 4:10) Demas was thought by Paul to be a saint or he would never have taken Demas with him on the missionary trip. But after a while, Demas had had enough of the missionary thing and skipped out. He may have been a saint, but not a very good example of a saint.
 
…Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.  (3 John 1:9) Do you think we have this kind of people with us today?  For some, church meetings are a good place to get their ego stroked. They feed on the approval and praise of others as they speak or sing or make over this or that one, expecting to be told what wonderful people they are. They are addicted to receiving the approval and admiration of others. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?  (John 5:44)
 
THIS IS A TOUGH STANDARD, but it is the standard Jesus gave us. We’re still on the subject of “living with the saints.” This is not about eliminating all honor and recognition but going to excess with it. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour (is due). (Romans 13:7)
 
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, maybe even people in the church who may be deeply motivated to be stroked and petted. I shouldn’t go too far, here, because there are some people who are so beat down from the week’s work that they need a breath of fresh air. They’ve been told all week how sorry they are (sometimes even at home) and they come to church to get a breath of fresh air. “It’s ok here. I’m safe here. I can feed here. Somebody will love me here.”
 
I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL HERE.  But some people will go to church to get an opportunity to lord it over somebody because they are the head of a pecking order. (How am I doing here? Leave it alone?) OK. But Paul had a problem with it and had to talk about it. There was this guy whose nature simply required that he be the top dog about everything.
 
WHEN JESUS WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS, His inside circle was having this exact problem. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?  But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.  And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.  (Mark 9:33-35)
 
THAT WASN'T WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND. They were thinking about a great outward kingdom like David or Solomon had with buildings of grandeur, soldiers and servants and important meetings and the swelling applause of great crowds of people. They believed Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah who would reign on a real, physical throne and all that went with it.
 
THEY HAD BEEN WITH THE MASTER FOR THREE YEARS, but these saints were not acting like saints yet. They thought greatness was being able to order another man around and snap their fingers at a lowly servant to do their bidding. They were saints but not mature sains.
 
PAUL HAD PROBLEMS WITH MISBEHAVING SAINTS everywhere he went.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.  (1 Corinthians 1:10-11)
 
AT ROME, IT WAS THE SAME WAY. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.  (Romans 16:17-18)

IT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO "BE NICE" TO THESE PEOPLE. "Avoid them.” Don’t have anything to do with them because if you do, it will end up in a needless quarrel. That’s what they like to do. There ARE some people who love to argue…about anything. AVOID THEM! The Scripture does not go into whether they were saints. If the behavior is there, avoid them.
 
TWO WOMEN COULDN'T GET ALONG: I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.  (Philippians 4:2)
 
A WORSE PROBLEM IS THE HEAD-STRONG HERETIC:  A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; (Titus 3:10) A man that is an heretic - The word “heretic” is now commonly applied to one who holds some fundamental error of doctrine, “a person who holds and teaches opinions repugnant to the established faith, or that which is made the standard of orthodoxy.” Webster

"THE TRUE NOTION OF THE WORD IS THAT OF ONE WHO IS A PROMOTER of a sect; or party. The man who makes divisions in a church, instead of aiming to promote unity, is the one who is intended. Such a man may form sects and parties on some points of doctrine on which he differs from others, or on some custom, religious rite, or special practice; he may make some unimportant matter a ground of distinction from his brethren, and may refuse to have fellowship with them, and endeavor to get up a new organization. Such a man, according to the Scripture usage, is a heretic, and not merely one who holds a different doctrine from that which is regarded as orthodoxy. (Barnes)

THE POINT OF THIS ARTICLE IS: that if we are saved, then we are saints with privileges and responsibilities. It may be summed up in this instruction from Paul: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.  (Ephesians 4:30-32)
 
NOTE THAT GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD in the above verses has to do with holding grudges against other saints in the church. We are told: DON’T GRIEVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITH YOUR GRUDGES! If you have a matter that you can’t solve, then do it this way:

Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.  (Matthew 18:15-17)
 
DAVID SETS BEFORE US HOW IT IS FOR BRETHREN to dwell in peace:  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.  (Psalms 133:1-3)
 
LIVING WITH THE SAINTS IS A BLESSING AND A CHALLENGE Ω
 
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Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 14, 2019 – MONDAY
A.M.   
Isaiah 45-47   P.M.  Galatians 3
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 

A Great Memory Verse:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Peace in the Valley (2:12) (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
      
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-QBG6W-6EI                                               
 You may have to adjust the volume.
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 


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stand by me...

10/10/2019

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There Stood by Me the Angel of God

But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them,
  and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.  (Acts 27:21-24)


THE PICTURE ABOVE APPEARS TO BE OF THE DISCIPLES IN A STORM.It is a much smaller ship than Paul was talking about. Nevertheless, the storm is equally frightening and hopeless without the hand of God.
 
THERE MAY COME INTO YOUR LIFE SUCH A STORM that more than anything in the world, you want the angel of God to come and stand by you. I have been there several times. During those times, God becomes more than a story book or an idle tale we’ve heard repeated. It may be at the hospital or the graveside; a friend betrays you or the telephone rings and it must be a mistake.
 
GOD DOES NOT SEND AN ANGEL FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT or to teach us the fundamentals of the faith. It’s like in the Old Testament when a prophet of God showed up. They never showed up because everything was going smooth and the nation was at peace with God. When Elijah showed up, it was because God was at the end of His patience and He was now going to try one more time to get their attention before He had to destroy them.
 
GOD'S WAYS ARE OFTEN PAST OUR UNDERSTANDING and He doesn’t always do it like we would have done it. Sometimes God plays it within an inch of our lives, not for correction, but to reveal Himself to us in a way that could not take place any other way. Those are landmark experiences and we never, never, never forget them.
 
IN THE CASE OF JESUS IN THE BOAT with the disciples, why didn’t God suppress the storm and prevent it from happening? Do you remember the famous picture of the children crossing a bridge and a board was out? The angel, unknown to them, was standing over them, protecting them from falling through the bridge. A woman looked at the picture and exclaimed: “Why doesn’t the angel just fix the bridge?”

YES, WHY DOESN'T THE LORD DELIVER US FROM ALL DANGER so that we never need fear what might happen to us? Well, that would eliminate the need for us ever to have to trust God, wouldn’t it?  It’s risky to have to trust God. The bottom line is that we don’t trust Him, and we don’t want to have to trust Him. But God tells us: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.  (Heb 11:6)

TRUTH IS, WHEN WE GET SAVED, we are immediately enrolled into the school of faith. We find ourselves trusting God for little things and it grows until we are comfortable in trusting Him for the big things. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.  (Romans 1:17) We go from one level of faith to another level of faith. We never get beyond God’s plan for us to trust Him.
 
IN THE CASE OF PAUL ON BOARD THE CARGO SHIP, the ship captain paid no attention to Paul. And now, that the ship is about to be lost, Paul gently reminds the captain that he told him already. But Paul doesn’t dwell on it, trying to score points. He said: “Be of good cheer.” How is the captain going to be of good cheer? By believing Paul. By believing that an angel from God had stood by Paul and told him that nobody was going to die from the ship wreck. The ship would be lost but nobody would die.
 
THE BALL IS NOW IN THE CAPTAIN'S COURT. There were 276 people on board. Paul told them all to eat something, which they did. When they were all fed, they began to throw the wheat overboard. A lot of money was lost that day. Why did God allow the ship and its cargo to be lost? We could ask the same thing about the hurricanes in Florida and Texas. It’s part of trusting God to suffer loss and yet, like Job, declare that the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
 
WE ARE USED TO BEING IN CONTROL. God made us that way. That is not evil. But, when God steps in, we must transfer our sense of security from ourselves to the hand of God. That’s a big step. We need to get this one prayer fixed in our minds: Stand by me!
 

SOMEONE WROTE A SONG ABOUT THAT and Tennessee Ernie Ford sang it. He was born in 1919 in Bristol, TN and I was privileged to work in a church there a few years. Ernie Ford’s mama and daddy would sometimes visit the church on Sunday nights. Ernie was gifted with a great singing voice and winning personality. He came from a strong Christian family.
 
HE ENDED UP AS THE BOMBARDIER ON A B-29. He married and followed his gift of music. But, along the way both he and his wife were captured by whiskey and it took the lives of both. When he was the key figure of the Ford Show for five years, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, he insisted that every program would end with a hymn. They opposed him but he insisted.
 
One of the songs he sang was: “Stand by Me.” I’ve included a link for you to follow. As of today, it’s part of a package of songs, so you can listen to as many as you like. I can’t separate them. So, when you get through, just turn it off.
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 11, 2019 – FRIDAY
A.M.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45-47&version=KJV   P.M.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+3&version=KJV
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
A Great Memory Verse:
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Song for Today:
Stand by Me (2:40) (Tennessee Ernie Ford)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khDb3kbErTQ
  You may have to adjust the volume.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 


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GOD'S LITTLE ENGINEERS

10/10/2019

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     God’s Little Engineers…
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.  (Proverbs 6:6-8)

TIME AND AGAIN, the Lord points us to things He has made to get our attention. When I drive under an expressway bridge or board an airliner, I’m consciously aware that an engineer has been there before me. It’s for sure that a Boeing 747 did not suddenly rise out of a heap of crushed cars in a junk yard. Come to think of it, somebody must have designed the Toyota we’ve been driving from place to place.
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I AM IMPRESSED NO LESS BY A MOUND OF FIRE ANTS!  Who taught them to build it that way? The Bible tells us they have no guide, overseer or ruler. When I was a barefooted boy, I spent a lot of time watching ants go to and fro, carrying heavy loads. If they found something dead, they would move it toward the hive, carrying it or dragging it. Sometimes several would get together and move a treasure toward home. It was years later that I found ants in the Bible.

I LIKE TO WATCH DIRT DAUBERS working on their house. Barbara’s mother, Willie Mae, was especially fond of dirt daubers. They made a mess on our brick wall but that wasn’t as important as listening to the little engineers singing and working all day long.

THEY HAD TO FETCH MUD AND WATER to shape their house to the design that was in every one of them. After the house was built, they gathered bugs and spiders and stored them inside their house. They laid eggs and when the eggs hatched, the babies had food to eat. Who taught mud daubers how to build a house and provide food for their babies? Are you sure you want to ignore the hundreds of designs all around you that prove a highly intelligent God is working around you every day? Does it remind you that this same God made you and that you will one day meet Him, face-to-face?

IT WOULD TAKE A VERY BIG BOOK to include all the little engineers God has made. Not only are they specialists in what they build, but they also guard their domain. They all have some means of defense. Do you despise the pesky, aggravating mosquitos that bite you in the afternoon while you’re trying to work? Or the one that’s in your bedroom after the light is turned out and you are slapping yourself, trying to kill him? The mosquito has a beating heart…and a game plan.

DID YOU EVER RUN A LAWN MOWER over a Yellow Jacket hole in the ground? They  know what to do if that happens. They all know who is driving the lawnmower. They won’t sting you until you are a threat. I ran a riding mower over a nest in the ground and was covered up before I knew what was happening. I ran toward the house, shucking off my clothes as I ran. Then, another year, there was the nest in the bank where I was weed eating. Why don’t they build nests like all the other bees?

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT WHEN THE WASPS are making their paper nests they leave one wasp to guard their house? Wasps know how big and in what shape to make the individual shell and how to fasten them all together. One of the amazing things about the wasp is how they build the stem that their house is fastened to. It’s not paper! If you knock the house down, you may have some trouble removing the base of the stem that is fastened to the ceiling.

HORNETS? WOW! WHAT BUILDERS THEY ARE, and they love house flies. They’ll come right up to your front door going after flies. The flies get scarce when hornets are building a nest. After a while it’s no flies, but….plenty of hornets! When I was about five, one day my daddy went to sleep in a rocking chair on our front porch. He had taken his teeth out and his mouth had drooped open. A hornet was chasing a fly. The fly went into daddy’s mouth and the hornet went in after it. Action!

I WATCHED THE WHOLE THING; it happened so fast! Dad woke up with a start and started digging the hornet out of his mouth. I know it hurt, but for a few seconds, it was the most fascinating thing I had ever seen. The little engineers don’t waste their time. That is, unless it’s the lowly house fly. Did you ever step on a house fly? Me neither. I never knew of anyone stepping on a house fly. You may step on a wasp but not on a housefly.
We don’t have room to talk about the fascinating world of spiders, birds, beavers, cats, dogs, horses and elephants and the whole wide world of sea creatures from sardines to giant blue whales.

ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO PLAY LIKE there is no God? I don’t know why wasps have stingers and mosquitos can outwit a grown man.  They are all God’s messengers telling us there is an all-wise God of infinite variety who made all these things. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  (Romans 1:20)
 
GOD IS SHOWING US SOMETHING: “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16) Ω
 
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 10, 2019 - THURSDAY
A.M.  Isaiah 43-44        P.M.  Colossians 2
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)


Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These
are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  (Luke 24:44)


Song for Today:​
Farther Along (8:04) (Joni Eareckson Tada & Gaither Group)  Joni has been in  a wheelchair since a teenager, and is qualified to lead us in this song. (
Born: Oct.15, 1949 - age 69 years)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h491ur_iAw

 ● Joni’s personal testimony – 28 minutes – PLEASE WATCH!!    
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1kjbYPGMBE
 
                       You may need to adjust your volume
 
                 
                                      
 

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REPROACHED FOR CHRIST

10/8/2019

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       Reproached for Christ…
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.  (1Peter 4:14-16)

PETER IS TALKING TO EVERYBODY. In that day, when the Christians were persecuted in Jerusalem and left town, they went everywhere preaching the Word (Acts 8:4). There weren’t any apostles or pastors among them. The promised Messiah had come, had been crucified and resurrected from the dead.

THEY BELIEVED IT AND WERE WILLING to leave their homes and businesses to be true to Him and to keep out of jail. So, preaching was no big deal to them. They were NOT pastors. (Preaching and pastoring are two different things.) Preaching is done in the pulpit AND “out there” where there is no pulpit.


I HEARD A PREACHER SAY: “We should live and preach so that if people get mad, it will be because of our position and not because of our disposition.” Pastors should NOT use the pulpit to vent their personal frustrations. Picking on people in the pew is not nice or smart. Preach the Word of God. That’s why you’re there.


IN OUR TEXT, PETER IS TALKING BROADER than to “preachers” as we think of them today. The New Testament tells us several ways people are called of God. Called to be saints (Romans 1:7). Called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Called unto the fellowship (1Corinthians 1:9). Called unto His kingdom and glory (1Thessalonians 2:12). And there’s more.

WHEN GOD CALLS A PREACHER IN A SPECIAL WAY, to deliver His message, the people may not get a warm, fuzzy feeling from it. Getting right with God can be…unpleasant. Jesus commented: The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.  (John 7:7) Jesus was generally liked by the common people but He was not always a good mixer.

CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO BE LIGHTS IN A DARK WORLD and sometimes there’s no nice way to do it. If you plow close to the corn (I heard this when I was a boy) it may make some mad. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?  (Matthew 15:12)

NOT ONLY WAS JESUS A PERSON OF LIGHT, He said: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  (Matthew 5:14-16) Is carrying God’s lantern too heavy for you?

DO YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING? If we are going to walk with God, if we are going to be Jesus’ disciple, we are going to make some people uncomfortable. Even if you don’t write “holy” on your sleeves, you are not going to fit in. People may gang up on you and accuse of things that are not true. They may reproach you and try to shrink you down to their size. Before our text for today, Peter had already said: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: (1Peter 4:4)

IF YOU RUB SOMEBODY THE WRONG WAY and they target you to be smeared with lies, just make sure it’s not true. Go on your way and don’t try to defend yourself against every lie that’s told on you. When my first wife died, and they did an autopsy, they cut a place on the calf of her leg and forgot to sew it up. When a nurse came along and saw it, she gossiped to everyone who came into the clinic that we may have had a fight.

SHE MENTIONED THAT I WAS GONE A LOT AND PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW much about me. The tale spread. One of my daughters-in-law happened to be in a clinic where the story was being discussed and she confronted the lady, a senior, with a bit of fervor. Another nurse pointed out that the lady being reprimanded was elderly, to which my daughter-in-law replied: “Then, she’s old enough to have learned to keep her mouth shut.” (Nice to have someone on your side if you are reproached.) I didn’t know about all this until several months later. Nobody told me.

IF WE DRAW REPROACH BECAUSE OF A TRUE TESTIMONY FOR JESUS CHRIST, so be it. Don’t sweat it. Let it go. Don’t spend time trying to defend yourself. Move on. Anyway, the gossipers in town will not stay on your case very long because gossipers feed on a constant supply of idle tales. They must have a new tale every few days to keep their ego up. If you are the subject of gossip, just hang on and you’ll be out of date in a few days.

OUR TEXT FOR ODAY SAYS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT IT. That may require some practice, but it IS the way to handle it. Make it a practice not to answer your critics. Just go about doing good. Try to do at least one thing every day to help somebody (and don’t write it in your diary to keep track of what a nice person you are). Jesus went about doing good. That was part of His ministry.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.  (Acts 10:38) If you can’t heal all that are oppressed of the devil, you can still go about doing good. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 9, 2019 – WEDNESDAY
A.M. 1Samuel 22-24  P.M. Luke 16:1-18
 (Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

 Good Memory Verse: 

As every man hath received the gift,
even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  (1Peter 4:10)

Song for Today:
Let Me Walk Close to Thee (2:27) – (Haven of Rest Quartet)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qWDJzLNNfE
 You may have to adjust the volume or delete an ad.
 
 
 
 
 



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Getting ready for fall

10/2/2019

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                 Getting Ready for Fall
The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
 
And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.  (Deuteronomy 28:9-11)
 
THE ROOT OF CHRISTIANITY IS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. Without the Old Testament, there would be no New Testament. Deuteronomy 28 is a summary of God’s covenant with the Jewish people in the land God gave them. It is an earthly covenant between God and the nation of Israel; of promise and performance. It is not about being saved. It is about walking with God on the earth.

THE CORE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP IS VESTED IN THE ANNUAL FEASTS OF THE LORD.“Three times a year, all the males of responsible age were required to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem, where God had chosen to put His name and to engage in several days of celebration with the Lord: (The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Week, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Exodus 23:17; 34:22-23; Deuteronomy 16:16)

THESE WERE KNOWN AS THE PILGRIM FEASTS because of the required pilgrimage to Jerusalem. During the Feast of Tabernacles, the people brought their tithes and offerings to the Temple, for they were not to “appear before he Lord empty-handed” (Deuteronomy 16:16) (The Feasts of the Lord – Kevin Howard, Marvin Rosenthal.)

OCTOBER REMINDS US THAT THE GROWING SEASON and garden produce is ending. Canning, drying, and freezing season is ending. Pretty soon it will be time for pumpkins, Butternut and Acorn squash harvest. Right now, it’s time for planting turnips, kale and other nourishing greens.

IN A FEW WEEKS, CHURCHES WILL BEGIN HARVEST CELEBRATIONS with bobbing apples, apple pies, and general excitement. It’s time for looking toward Thanksgiving. October and November are months we can use to be a good testimony for the Lord in Thanksgiving. We certainly don’t owe the devil anything. He is not worthy of celebration and we owe the Lord, everything!

THE OTHER DAY, I TURNED 85. First time that’s ever happened. But after a few days of practice, I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it. I’m older than my daddy and both my grandpa’s. My mother is still two years older than me. Barbara’s running behind 2+ years. I’ve been drinking carrot juice now and then for 40 years. Good stuff, but the new is beginning to wear off.

FIVE QUARTS A WEEK AMOUNTS TO ABOUT A BARREL A YEAR. (Maybe I’ve had half that much.)  It’s good for energy and bones; about the same in protein as mother’s milk; helps to hold back arthritis. (I don’t have any arthritis in my hands.) Sometimes I think I might have arthritis in my head, or maybe it’s half-Heimer’s. Anyway, it’s a good time to think about autumn. Life has a spring and autumn. It’s all good in the sight of the Lord.

Read Through the Bible in a Year
OCTOBER 3, 2019 - WEDNESDAY
A.M. Isaiah 27-28    P.M. Ephesians 5
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
And
the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.  (Deuteronomy 28:11)

Song for Today:
Just As I Am (3:30) (Samonte – A Capello )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxA0TFe3-Uo                              
  (You may have to adjust the volume and delete an ad.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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    Author

    Dan Carr is a "retired" pastor, writer, teacher and continues to write at this website. This blog and other articles are e-mailed free to anyone who wants them. Go to: 
    http://www.biblewalking.com/
    contact-us.html.  


    Dan and Barbara live 
    at Flat Rock, AL between Chattanooga, TN and Huntsville, AL. on Sand Mtn.
    We enjoy gardening, reading, church, family and friends.

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