Without duty, life don’t make any kind of sense. If folks are going to live together they have to abide by some kind of rules, and the law is those rules. The law doesn’t work against a man, it works for him.”
–Louis L’Amour (Catlow)
“Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be”
–1 Thessalonians 5:22 (Amplified)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” –1 John 5:19 (NASB)
To start with I want to look again at the verse I finished with on Monday.
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
–1 John 2:1-2 (NASB)
There is so much involved in these two verses but I want to deal with a few things to help us along the way. To help us when we are faced with the issues of the day. Right here, John sees the danger and knows the frailty of human nature. He sees man in his complacency, he sees him in his hopelessness, he sees him when he compromises and when he is depressed. He doesn’t want us to sin, but if we do, “children,” we can go to the Advocate–Jesus Christ.
John wants to give us a message in these troublesome times. When the world is topsy-turvy and terror abounds. He gives a command, yet at the same time he gives comfort. He exhorts us, and also gives us consolation. There are two parts here: what we have to do; and what God is always ready to do for us.
Here is the answer! Never forget it! Never lose sight of it! The answer is the Word. The Word defines sin for us: disobedience to God’s revealed law; anything that is condemned in the Bible; disobeying conscience; and governing our lives by desires and not by truth.
“To live a life of sin means that we are not governed by God, that thoughts of God are not at the center of our lives, that we do not ask ourselves, ‘What would God have me to do, what does God prohibit?”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Do not sin, but do the will of God. What is it that we are to do? I always like the Shorter Westminster Catechism, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
Sin breaks our fellowship, our relationship with God. People clamor for relationship, but sin breaks that relationship. God tells us not to sin, for it is abhorrent to Him. Sin is what caused the death and suffering of Jesus; it was sin that brought God down from heaven. Sin is dishonoring to the gospel, to its claims, and its power. Sin is inconsistent with our profession as a Christian–if people continue to sin they deny what they profess to believe; they are inconsistent and self-contradictory. Sin will lead to doubts; it will make you feel uncertain of your relationship to God; it will make you feel that you have no right to pray. Sin will lead to a sense of utter hopelessness.
Ahh, but now go back to the verse above. We have an “Advocate.” Someone to stand in our place in front of the Father. Someone who came to bear our sins. Someone who paid the price–the propitiation. That Person is Jesus Christ. Little children, do not sin.
Month: April 2021
The Saga of Miles Forrest
It was about time for Queens’ trial. Charlie had left to find him, and I thought it best to remain away from the scene and show up in the courtroom when it was time for me to testify. I had a little over a half hour to wait before he came on the docket. After the trial, Sheriff Gold, Charlie, was heading to Silverton to check on Mateo. Nothing special, just routine.
I had just taken a sip of coffee when through the doors of the diner came Mrs. Blackstone. “You lied to me!” she bellowed, then looked around at the customers gawking at her.
“Sit down, I’ll get you a cup of coffee,” I said pulling out a chair for her.
“I don’t want to sit, I want to know why you lied!” she exclaimed but had calmed her voice some.
She did take a seat, so I poured her some coffee. “Missus Blackstone, I have never lied to you. Would you care to explain?”
Her fingers were fiddling with the cup, her eyes upon it then she looked up at me. “You said you didn’t know where my husband was.”
Well, at the time I didn’t know that Frank Black of Silverton, owner of the Empty Diggin’s Saloon and drunk was her husband. Since then I had said nothing of him to her. She had taken a job at Foster’s Mercantile working with Darnelle.
“I didn’t lie to you. I recently found out that Frank Black may be your husband. By the way, how did you come upon this information?”
“Marshal Queens told me,” she paused, then stared at me, “He also told me how you were trying to get his job.”
That gave me pause to ponder, was Queens becoming sweet on Mrs. Blackstone, or using her? I didn’t want to push the job over on Rev. Chapman, but I did anyway. “Listen, I have to be in court in a few minutes. I want to take you to talk with the Preacher, he can better explain than I.”
She didn’t say anything and I was able to motion to Molly with my head to come over. As Molly was walking to the table, Charlie burst through the door. The anger in his eyes were plain to see. Marta saw it also and came quickly to the table putting her hand on his shoulder.
“Miles, Queens is at the courthouse,” he said clenching his fists. “He is holding Offut and Judge Klaser waiting for you!” he exclaimed, and I could see he was very frustrated. “I tried to talk with him, but he said if I poked my head in the courtroom again he’d shoot the Judge… He wants to see only you.”
I looked at Molly with a grimace on my face. “Take care of Mrs. Blackstone until I get back will you?” I got up and picked up the Greener.
“He said to leave the shotgun,” Charlie informed me.
As Charlie and I left the diner I could see the concern in the eyes of Marta and Molly. I winked at Molly, and Charlie gave a nod of his head to his wife. We didn’t talk as we began to march the two blocks up to the courthouse. “Lord, You’re in charge of this, I’ll leave it in your hands,” I prayed quietly.
“Huh?” Charlie muttered. “Did you say something?”
I turned my head in his direction as we continued on our way. “Just a little prayer. I don’t know what’s up there, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know that the Lord does so I just asked Him for some help.”
Arriving at the courthouse, we walked up the few steps that led into the entrance. There were offices on both sides, clerks and lawyers, with the courtroom in the back. All was empty and our footsteps echoed as we walked to the door. I pounded on it rather hard. “Queens! It’s Miles Forrest!”
I heard steps on the wood floor and a voice muttering something. Then Queens called out, “Is the Sheriff with you?”
“He’s here!”
“Tell him to go outside and across the street. I want to see him through the window so I know where he is,” hollered Queens.
“Listen, Queens, it doesn’t have to be like this,” I began.
“Shut up! Tell him!
I turned to Charlie, “He wants you outside and across the street where he can see you.”
After Charlie had cleared the entrance I opened the door and yelled, “Queens, I’m comin’ in.”
Entering the room I wasn’t ready to see what was before me. Queens had his gun pointed in my direction and…
Echoes From the Campfire
All his life there had been a battle, and all his life he had worked. He would go down working, go down fighting, go out trying as he had always done. Had he known how, he would have quit, but life had taught him everything but that.”
–Louis L”Amour (Comstock Lode)
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
–Romans 12:21 (NASB)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
Key Verse: “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” –1 John 5:19 (NASB)
To make it through this crazy, mixed-up world, we must walk with God. Our every footstep must be guided by Him. Too many people think that these few short years are for their pleasure and entertainment, and while we can have these things to an extent we must realize that life is a serious journey for it is what takes us on into eternity. Choose heaven or hell, and that is done in this life.
We must therefore, be certain about life, its meaning and purpose. We cannot be superficial about the values and principles of life. Our foundation is to be on Jesus Christ. Far too many people, Christians included, tend to become victims of circumstances. Worries about today, frets about tomorrow, anxieties and the wringing of hands depict most of those who walk this earth, and too often man seeks to escape through a myriad of means.
“Oh no, another day is before me,” is the cry. Then they go on their way, day by day, feeling uneasy or feeling concerned about what might happen. Oh, just get me through this day, but at the end of the day, things have not changed and people find themselves living the same life, nothing really vital has changed. We let life and/or the things of life control us. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated, “One of the real difficulties in life is not to be mastered by it.” Focus for a minute on the following verses:
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
–1 John n2:1-2 (NASB)
The Bible is a book of great principles and the foremost of these is our relationship to God. Our troubles are due to a wrong relationship with God. “If we are centrally wrong, finally we shall be altogether wrong.” (Lloyd-Jones) We cannot solve problems without a right relationship with God. To have a right relationship with the Father we must be people of the Word. Our problems become secondary and our relationship with God primary. That is real faith–being in the right relationship with God, really knowing Him.
Here is a fundamental question: Come what may will all be well with your soul? Relationship with God does not try to improve particular problems. However, it puts us as masters of our circumstances; our circumstances are not masters of us. Think of Paul and Silas singing in prison, of Daniel in the lions’ den, of the three Hebrews walking in the fiery furnace, and so many others.
My heart can sing when I pause to remember
A heartache here is but a stepping stone
Along a path that’s winding always upward
This troubled world is not my final home.
But until then my heart will go on singing
Until then with joy I’ll carry on
Until the day my eyes behold my Savior
Until the day God calls me home.
–Stuart Hamblen
When we are right with God; when we are walking by His side we do not have to be anxious about life. There should be no fear of tomorrow and there is the recognition that the Lord is in control of my life. “We may be called to do things which come to the natural man in an utterly devastating manner, and yet to us, because we are right with God, we will have an understanding and we will not be afraid.” (Lloyd-Jones)
Coffee Percs
He took two more deep swallows then hit the cup against the side of his leg. I don’t know how he can drink that hot coffee so fast. Running his fingers inside the cup, he wiped out the last drops after which he dried his fingers on his pants, and put the cup away.”
–D.C. Adkisson (Redemption)
Always good to have yuh drop by, Pard. Get on down, and step into the kitchen, the coffee’s been brewin’ so should be plenty hot and strong. Just been shakin’ my head as I saw yuh ride up. My, my, my, I read the news a couple of times this week, and I had to stop and think what country I was livin’ in. Ol’ Will Rogers said that all he knew he gains from the newspapers, my land, if’n he said that now it would be mostly lies, foolishness, and plain ol’ stupidity.
The NCAA said they would accept transgenderin’ and woe to the states that don’t. Pard, now that sounds like a threat to me. Gun laws, sex laws, racial laws all of which make no sense at all, court packin’, playin’ politics rather than servin’ the people. See, Pard, when man goes away from God’s moral law they have no place to turn except to the foolishness of man. There are some out there demandin’ that justice be done, but what they really mean is that their justice be done.
Here, let me pour another cup for yuh. Sure good to be back in the ol’ homestead. Still some work to be done, but were able to sleep and cook. Nice to have family around so we didn’t have to put up a tent. What? Yuh don’t think I could have made it? I’m spry enough when I have to be–just don’t be a-proddin’ me too much or yu’ll find out. It’s nice to sit back in my chair and gaze at God’s great cathedral and count my blessin’s.
Keep yur nose to the wind, watch the clouds and be ready and waitin’, but in meantime yuh be sure an’ check yur cinch.
Vaya con Dios.