Month: January 2024

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Easy money is the bane of a lazy man. I’ll work for my supper from here on.”
                    –Duane Boehm  (The Hunted)

       “How long will you slumber, O sluggard?  When will you rise from your sleep?”
                    –Proverbs 6:9 (NKJV)
—————————————
You’ve seen them, worked with them–the sluggards.  A sluggard is a person who is habitually lazy, one who does enough to barely get by.  Some of them know the tricks so when the boss comes by they seem to be working.  They make sure they are known in the conference room with at least one question along with a smirk on their lips.
     Sluggards are a drag to coworkers for they have to constantly be adding to their work to make up for his lack of it.  Sluggards are detrimental to the company as well as the workforce, yet they seem to always be around.  In plain speaking, sluggards do not pull their weight.  As a student I hated group work, for there were always the sluggards there waiting to sponge off the workers.
     But, hold on, wait a minute…perhaps we should stop and take inventory.  Are each one of us pulling their own weight?  Are we doing what we know we should be doing?  Are we a bystander, a spectator, or are we involved with our proper share of the workload?  The work has to be done; it is important that each of us are doing our rightful share.  Look at the workforce today, it is filled with lazy, good-for-nothing sluggards.  People who wander from one job or another because they are dissatisfied.  People who think they should start at the top and not pay their rightful dues.
     Let’s look at another individual closely related to a sluggard.  They may be one and the same for they share many of the same characteristics.  This is the person that Jesus decries as a shepherd.

               “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.”
                         –John 10:12-13(NKJV)

A “hireling” is someone who has been hired to provide labor or some other service in return for money or some other materialistic benefit.  This is the person who hires on but leaves before the work’s done.  He is the one who goes about his duties and obligations with a ho hum attitude.  They do half a job and expect to be paid for a full day.  They could care less about the finished product, whether the job was done efficiently and to the best of their ability.  
     I’ve worked with my share of hirelings.  They work only for the paycheck; they could care less about the job, the boss, or the company.  They want the benefits without the sweat.  They don’t “work for the brand” but only for themselves, and they are the first to make excuses if the work’s not done right, or to cast blame.  Red Steagall wrote a great poem, “The Fence That Me and Shorty Built,” here are a couple of stanzas that show the possible sluggard or hireling.

               “Nobody but a fool would build
               A fence that isn’t straight.
               I got no use for someone who ain’t
               Pullin’ his own weight.

               If you’re not proud of what you do,
               You won’t amount to much.
               You’ll bounce around from job to job
               Just slightly out of touch.”

     As a Christian we are to work for the Lord and to the best of our ability.  We are not to just get by, for we are stewards of the time, the talents, and the job that the Lord has placed in our care.  Clement of Rome wrote, “He urges us to attend to our work with a whole heart so that we won’t be lazy in any good work.”  Let me leave you today with two questions that you must answer:  Are you pulling your weight in whatever endeavor you are involved in?  Who are you really working for?

               “If you’re going to quit anything,
                    quit being lazy,
                    quit making excuses,
                    and quit waiting for the right time.”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The past is a memory, the future is a dream and we only live in the moment. It is how we live in the moment that matters…. It [the future] is determined by the will of God and the choices we make.”

                    –Dan Arnold  (Bear Creek)

       “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
                    –Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)
——————————-
               “Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’  The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’  Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, “I have no husband,” for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.'”
                         –John 4:16-18(NKJV)

     There are many things to glean from this story in John.  This woman was a Samaritan, an outcast in the eyes of orthodox Jews.  They were called “dogs,” mongrels to be precise.  They lost their “racial purity” years before and continued the practice.  To the Jews this was unpardonable.  A little historical perspective is needed here.  When the Assyrians conquered a people (this took place in Samaria about 720 B.C.) their practice was to exile some of the inhabitants to various locales.  Some of the people in Samaria were left, and into Samaria, Assyrians brought other peoples from their conquests.  Samaria was then a mixture of many peoples and the Jews of Samaria intermarried with them, thus they became “mongrels” in the sight of Jews.  There is much more to this but that will suffice for now.
     A second thing that is apparent is that this woman who came to the well was a mess.  Some interpret the “five husbands” to be but an allegory representing the people with whom the Samaritans intermarried with.  From what I read and gathered, this was not the case but actually depicted the deplorable condition of the woman’s life.  Jesus points out to her the sinful states in which she was living.  Think of all the problems, the stigma, the issues that this woman faced, not only in the minds of the people around her, but in her own mind.  Then something marvelous happened–she came upon Jesus.  
     Yes, there are many more lessons here, but I want to point out that when the woman left Jesus, she left changed.  The day completely changed her outlook on life.  It changed her attitude toward worship, towards God, towards others, and most importantly herself and her relationship with God.  Imagine the woman, from this day forward.  She didn’t dread getting out of bed in the morning for it was the day the Lord had made for her.  Instead of handing her head as she walked through the streets, she would greet people with a smile and perhaps a “God bless you.”  No longer did she carry the heavy burden of sin, but she walked with joy in her steps.  Her weariness had turned into life of refreshing for she now had tasted of the “living water.”
     When she saw the well a smile would cross her face.  Her mind would always flash back to the moment when she found Jesus.  But I believe that she went on with her walk with the Lord and that she saw the well as a place of salvation, of commitment, of refreshing.  In our lives we all have moments like this, especially if you have been a Christian for long.  Too many people live in the moment of past experiences.  I remember a pastor telling the story of a dear saint in the church.  At altar call, she would go to the same spot near the piano.  She would kneel in such and such a posture with her right hand raised and white hankie in it.  She was looking for the Lord to bless her again in a special way.  She had not moved on!  In reality she was making this spot, this one-time experience into an idol.  It was sort of like Peter when he wanted to stay up on the mountain because of the glorious moments he experienced.  The Lord had to remind him that it was down off the mountain, down in the valley that there was work to be done.
     In saying all of this, I want to get to my main point.  Never, ever forget those experiences you have had with the Lord.  They may be at an altar of prayer; it may be a time when He healed you, or delivered you from a certain disaster.  Those are important, the Bible is full of scriptures that tell us to remember what the Lord has done.  However, don’t go to the well the next day and expect to find Jesus there.  I would say three things that are important:  Remember the past; Learn from the past; Don’t try to relive the past.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The blindness I mean is blindness that keeps you from seein’ the truth.”
                    –Zane Grey  (Riders of the Purple Sage)

       “In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

                    –2 Corinthians 4:4 (HCSB)
——————————–
Here is another one of the short yet poignant verses that we often overlook or easily glance at.  

               “And He was giving orders to them, saying, ‘Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod.’”
                              –Mark 8:15(NASB)

J.B. Phillips translates it, “Keep your eyes open!  Be on your guard…”  Whereas, Henry A. Harbuck puts it this way, “Jesus began to [seriously] warn them, saying, ‘Be careful and watchful and be on guard…'”  Stay alert, be on guard–against what?  Leaven?  
     Jesus had just been asked for a sign whereupon He replied that there would be no sign given to this generation, then while talking with His disciples we find this verse.  Look first at the Pharisees; they were marked by hypocrisy.  The Pharisees wished to hold on to their self-righteous assumptions that they merited blessing from God, and so they had no place for a Savior.  Herod is marked by hostility.  He wished to hold on to the power he wielded over the people, so he had no place for the King.  Both were committed to a blindness to the truth; both were saying “I don’t want to find out what Jesus means, and I certainly will not accept that He is my Saviour or my King.”  Jesus is warning His disciples to guard against that attitude. (Alistair Begg)
     Paul writes to the Corinthians and also the Galatians warning them that a little leaven leavens the whole lump.  So what is meant by “leaven”?  This word for leaven is referring to the process of fermentation and is used as a symbol of corruption.  Leaven is often used to refer to evil in the Scriptures.  In other words, the disciples were told to be on the lookout for the evil fermentation of the Pharisees and Herodians.  William Barclay writes, “Be on your guard against the evil influence of the Pharisees and of Herod.  Don’t you go the same way that the Pharisees and Herod have already gone.”
     It must have been significant for Jesus to warn them.  “Giving orders” means to do so repeatedly.  The order stands and continues to stand.  “Take heed” is to become acquainted with and to think about the situation using discrimination (Swaggart).  There were to continually be doing this.  “They were to remain watchful and consider the ultimate consequences of this leaven of the Pharisees.” (Swaggart)
     I like what Alistair Begg says about this “leaven.”  “When pride rears its ugly head, it can lead us to judge the Scriptures rather than learning from them.  When we stand in judgment over God’s word, though, what we might regard as trivial and insignificant tweaking of truth will actually become leaven–the yeast–which spreads throughout the entire bread of our convictions.”  It is not up to us to declare that we have a better idea, or give our opinion as to what God actually meant.  We must accept Him for who His is and who He says He is.  
     There are many, and the numbers are growing, within and without the church, who say they have a better idea.  Or that this is what the Bible really says.  There are those who refuse to even hear the words of the Gospel, and dismiss flippantly that Jesus is the only way to God.  “That’s why people can read the Bible and see nothing–can listen to the gospel story and hear nothing.” (Begg)  They are more enlightened.  The disciples didn’t understand for they thought Jesus was talking about the fact that they had no bread.  Can it be that our ears are that dull of hearing and our mind loaded with fog?
     Remember, it only takes a little leaven.  Only a little sin here, and a little there.  Pretty soon the dough will be overflowing and it cannot be stopped as in a Three Stooges’ parody.  Do not be so proud as to assume that you do not need Jesus, and need Him in every part of your life.

 

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
Three riders approached the cabin, their horses riding through the tracks left by the men hours before when they left.  After dismounting, one man, seeming the leader, pushed Doc Jones towards the cabin.  “Take care of the horses, Benny,” he gritted, the cold making his face stiff.  Then he shoved Doc again, “Inside!”
       Upon entering the cabin, they were greeted by a blast of warmth coming from the fireplace to the back of the room.  To the right was a cot with a man lying on it.  Another man was sitting in a chair in front of the fire, his face haggard from pain.  The two men took off their coats, with a nod from one, Doc Jones moved to the man on the cot.  “Remember, Doc, he dies so do you.”
       Doc arrived at the side of the little bed.  Looking down, his eyes widened.  He then glanced over at the man near the fire.  Turning he started to say something, but the man at the fire quipped, “Too late, he’s already dead.”
       The eyes of the man, widened in anger toward the voice.  “You were to keep him alive!”  He drew his gun pointing it at the man in the chair.
       “Don’t Goss!  There was nothin’ I could do, not with my arm the way it is.”
       Doc Jones was bending down beside the man on the cot, examining him.  “There was nothing he could have done for this man.  His insides were all torn up by the bullet.”  The man leveled his gun then at Doc, anger filled his face when the door burst open.  The man called Benny entered.  Goss turned quickly taking a step toward the man, his gun now on him.  “Goss!” hollered the man from the fire.
       Something clicked in the man as he lowered his gun, then started walking to the cot, holstering it on the way.  “Get out of the way!” he snapped, pushing Doc Jones from the man.  Doc went to stand beside the man at the fire.  Goss knelt down at the bedside, grasping the hand of the dead man.  “Bill, you stupid fool,” he muttered in anguish.
       He sat there for several moments in silence, then stood drawing his gun again.  “I guess I don’t need you anymore.”
       “You’ve a wounded man here.  I need to check his arm or he could get gangrene or lockjaw,” shouted Doc.  “So don’t get hasty with that gun or another one of your men will die.”
       “Goss, for goodness sake, let him look at my arm.  It’s painin’ me something fierce.”
       Benny started moving toward the fire wanting to get warm.  “Dave, he’s right.  At least let the doctor look at Mason’s arm.”
       “Let’s go over by the lamp on the table.”
       Dave Goss grabbed the nearly full whiskey bottle that was on the table, then took the chair where Mason had been sitting.  He didn’t watch the two, only stared into the fire.  Benny leaned forward, “I’m sorry about Bill, I truly am.”  Goss turned his gaze momentarily to his comrade, then took a drink straight from the bottle.
       Doc Jones had cut both the shirt sleeve and undershirt off the man.  “Mister, this arm’s in bad shape.”  He looked over at Goss, “What happened for two of you to get shot up?” he asked, then hesitated before adding, “you must be Dave Goss.  Didn’t know you were in the region.”
       “Well, you know it now,” Goss snarled.  “Take care of him while you can still do something useful.”
       Doc looked at the man as he began to clean the blood from around the wound.  “Want to tell me what happened?”
       The man, Mason, looked over at Goss who simply shrugged his shoulders, taking another drink.  “Got shot in Cortez,” he stopped, looking at Goss again before continuing.  “Robbery went sour.”
       The man groaned as Doc Jones began his examination.  In a few minutes, he looked at the man shaking his head.  “Mister, that bullet shattered your bone, and that isn’t all it’s still in your arm.  Any movement could cause the bullet or one of the bone shards to cut an artery.  Son…” he was interrupted by someone pounding on the door.
       There was silence, but tension filled the room.  “Benny, see who it is.”
       Opening the door, a man stood there, “I saw the smoke and hoped I might come in to get warm, and maybe spend the night.  I was going to try to make it to Mancos, but my horse is plum wore out.”
       He didn’t wait to be invited in, but stepped inside the cabin.  “I hope I’m not a bother,” he said, nodding at the men, his eyes stopping momentarily on those of Doc Jones.
       “You best just go on your way, Mister,” came the voice of Benny at the door.
       “Can’t, my horse would never make it.  Let me warm up and I’ll go out to care for him.  If’n yuh have some coffee I sure could use a cup.  Don’t mind me, I’ll stay out of your way, I just want to get warm.”
       The stranger walked with assurance over to the fire standing to the right of Goss stretching out his hands toward the fire.  “Looks like you’ve had some trouble here.”
       “Mister, you don’t know the half of it…”