Month: March 2025

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

What makes a man is inside him.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (Taggart)

       “And then, when you pray, don’t be like the play-actors….  After all, God, who is your Father, knows your needs before you ask him.”
                    –Matthew 6:5, 8  (Phillips)
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Who am I?  That’s a great and interesting question.  When you look in the mirror who/what do you see?  I have often used Johara’s Window in my teaching.  There is a window divided into four panes:  what I know about myself that no one else knows; what others know about me that I don’t know; the facade, what I let others know, and then there’s that one mysterious pane, what no one, not even myself knows about me.  We can add to that the subconscious.  There you are, a wonder of creation, or of your own imagination and fantasies, or just an ol’ fence post.  The thing is, that God knows you–all of you, inside and out.  Let’s take a look at Psalm 139 this morning.

          1 — O LORD, You have searched me and know me.
          2 — You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.
          3 — You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
          4 — For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
          5 — You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.
          6 — Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.  (NKJV)

     This may be a terrifying thought to some knowing that God sees all and knows all about you.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, escapes His notice.  He knows when you breathe in and when you exhale.  However to the Christian, to whom this really speaks it is great comfort.  We are told that no matter where we might find ourselves, that He knows where we are and is there with us.  Amazing–God holds the universe together and yet knows when the sparrow falls and the number of hairs on each of our heads.  William J. Petersen says, “He is present everywhere, personally involved at even the most minute level.  Having created every life, God presided over every aspect of each of these lives.  Every thought, attitude, word, and deed is an open book before Him.”  
     Oh, if we could just get this in our heads!  God is there!  He is very personal, more personal that we let Him.  Relationship—hmmm, I wonder, yet we should willing to accept it for He already knows all about us.  When David penned these words we need to know that  he “sees them not as mere theological abstractions but as dynamic realities that deeply impacted his life.” (Lawson)
     The NLT puts the first verse this way, “…you have examined my heart…”  Talk about open heart surgery.  God knows our very inner person, the depths of our soul that we don’t even examine.  This means literally, “to explore, spy out, to dig deeply into…”  God knows the very depth of our being and He knows it thoroughly.  Nothing can be hidden from His examination.  Verses 2 and 3 tell us that God knows our habits, our routines, our activities, our thoughts as well as the words we speak.  He knows when we go to sleep, our dreams and nightmares.
     Verse 5, the NLT, “You both precede and follow me…”  Incredible!  God is before us and He is following us!  We can’t escape Him, and He does not want us to.  He has us “hedged in,” besieged and He works in us, through us, and in spite of us to bring us closer to Him and develop us by the work of the Holy Spirit more into His image.  Oh, and thank goodness He has His hand on us.  It is not a prissy, cold-fish of a hand, but a firm, solid clamp.  The hand of a good friend clasping your shoulder, to turn you in the right direction or stop you from taking a false step.
     In ancient and medieval times there was the belief in an “evil eye.”  It spoke of a malevolent or sensuous glare from someone who could cause misfortune to come upon an individual.  It was believed that those who possessed the “evil eye” were able to cast spells on others.  Friend, aren’t you glad that we have the eye of the Lord upon us?  He guides us, warns us, comforts us, tells us which direction, which trail to take.  Oh, what a wonderful God we serve–“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!” (NLT)  Yet, He wants us to know Him.

               “I need thy presence every passing hour;
               What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
               Who, like myself, my guide and stay can be?
               Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.”
                     –Henry F. Lyte

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

It’s not polite to drink a man’s coffee and complain.” 

                    –Donald L. Robertson  (Stranger with a Star)
 
Have to be drinkin’ fast, this ol’ fence post has got to be on the road.  Yep, goin’ up to see another couple tie the knot.  So drink it fast, but don’t be a-burnin’ yur lips.  Ahhh, good, I’ll be takin’ what’s left in the pot, well, that is, if’n yuh don’t go guzzlin’ it all up, with me.
     One thing ’bout yuh, Pard, you don’t do any complainin’ lest it’s about my singin’.  Don’t figure that one out either, but least yuh don’t complain ’bout life, work, the weather, or my coffee.  Pard, I’ve seen some run to the sink to water it down, too strong.  Hmpf…
     Speakin’ of whiny babies, my eldest sent a text that showed a whiny baby of the first sort.  Whinin’ that her husband now had to go to work; he couldn’t work from home.  My mercy, she should be thankin’ the good Lord that he has a job.  Whinin’ like that an’ if’n he carries it to work, well, he might just get fired.  She was moaning that she doesn’t get to see him before he leaves.  Mercy, get up, make his coffee, cook him breakfast, then kiss him goodbye an’ send him on his way.  Whiny babies!  Ugh, few things turn the stomach more.  There was more to it along the same lines.  Why aren’t we thankful for what we have?  
     When I worked with the Royal Rangers (for those who don’t know, it’s a boys’ group similar to Boy Scouts) we had a large pacifier made.  The kid who whined had to wear it around the neck until the next boy whined about something.  We also had a rope with a giant knot for those who had been knotty (naughty).  That was rough on the neck.  My classroom pass was a pacifier.  Whiners!  Ugh!  
     Pard, seems to me that too often we are like the children of Israel and want the Lord to just hand everything to us.  The land was theirs for the takin’, but no, they had to murmur and complain–whine.  It’s too hard, they’re like giants, we’re like grasshoppers, why don’t you just smite them Lord.  Goodness, go in and conquer.  No wonder, with all their whinin’ that the Lord got fed up with them.  If they were gonna whine they were gonna do it in the wilderness.
     Hold on, Pard, don’t be drinkin’ that last cup, that’s for muh trip.  Wait, wait, don’t yuh start yur whinin’ on me.  Yuh already had three cups.  An’ yuh weren’t satisfied?  Hmmm, don’t yuh become a whiny baby!  Why Pard, next thing yuh’ll be doin’ will be wantin’ me to check yur cinch for yuh.  So go have a good week, an’ I don’t want to hear ’bout yuh whinin’!
     Vaya con Dios.

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He is too little—body, soul and spirit—he is too little.”
                    –Harold Bell Wright  (The Shepherd of the Hills) 


       “You ran well.  Who hindered you from obeying the truth?”
                    –Galatians 5:7  (NKJV)
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Perhaps you may remember the image of a dog listening to a phonograph?  The title of this image is “His Master’s Voice.”  Hmmm, is it ironic?  It made me wonder how many people listen to the “words” of a song or an entertainer and do not realize that this may be their master.  I know of many who think that entertainers are demigods; they place them on that status whether they realize it or not.  So, I ask–what do you listen to?  Who do you listen to?  It is quite a pertinent question.
     We read, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19:5, NKJV)  We often concentrate on the term “covenant” which will be called the Mosaic Covenant, but there is something else that is important and that is obeying.  Often, all too often, we get caught up in doing our own thing rather than what the Lord wants from us.  This includes our time in church, our worship, and our life before Him.
     Praise and prayer around the altar is all well and good, however there is a prerequisite, and that is obedience.  Sincere worship must begin with obedience.  The words of Samuel are still true today, “Has the LORD a great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22, NKJV)  Heed what?  His Word!  We are to obey.  Jesus tell us in John, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (14:15, NKJV)  In other words, obey!  What then are you heeding to?  Who are you listening to?
     I don’t know if you have spent much time contemplating Deuteronomy 28, but it would do us all good to ponder these verses from time to time.  The chapter begins, “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.” (28:1-2, NKJV)
A few verses later there is a dire warning, “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” (28:15, NKJV)
     Oh, I can hear the rumblings–but I am free.  I am not under the Law.  Listen, freedom in Christ does not mean freedom to sin.  We are free from the bondage of the law, we are righteous because of Christ, therefore, we should seek to do that which is righteous.  I ask you, what do you listen to?  To whom do you listen?  What voices control your attitudes, your decisions?  We are truly free, free to obey the principles of God’s Word.  We have, because of God’s grace, the responsibility to obey.
     Jeremiah gives us some sobering words, “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people.  And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.  Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.'” (7:23-24, NKJV)  Obedience brings blessing, obedience brings well-being.  Go back in your mind to the picture of the dog sitting in front of the phonograph.  Notice the position of its head.  Leaning his ear toward the sound.  What voices do you incline your ear toward?
     Again the rumblings–that’s Old Testament.  I don’t have to do that, I have freedom, I…I…I, and right there is the problem–the big “I”.  When we do what is right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25) we always get ourselves in trouble.  It can be minor or it can be severe making ourselves demigods.  When “I” gets in the way of God there is a major issue.  The problem is that we often do not like or want to obey.  We would rather enjoy our little kingdom of self, and enjoy the satisfaction that we get from doing things our way rather than obeying the voice of the Lord and His Word.
     “Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22, NKJV)  John writes again, “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.  This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” (2 John 6, NKJV)  I would say again, we do not obey to become saved, but because we are born again, we obey.  Friend–who do you listen to?  What are you listening to?

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Dull boy, dull knife.”
                    –Elmer Kelton  (Llano River)

       “But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.”
                    –Jeremiah 10:8  (NKJV)
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          3.7 — Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.
            .8 — It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.  (NKJV)

            .7 — Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
            .8 — It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.  (ESV)

I used two versions because I liked the way the ESV used verse 8; the NASB is very similar.  I know that at times my old bones feel weary, and the cold easily seems to seep into them.  The idea of refreshing the bones, and I don’t mean artificial joint replacement, is soothing and novel.
     Remember that this is a father giving instruction.  Oh, how many times have I had to deal with “know-it-all” kids.  Often they knew so much that they got themselves in trouble and hurt.  A person who has this attitude about life is heading for trouble.  The last verse of Judges tells us, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (21:25, NKJV)  Then I think of King Uzziah who “sought God…and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper.” (2 Chronicles 26:5, NKJV)  But then, he became too big for his britches.  “But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” (2 Chronicles 26:16, NKJV)  The priests withstood this irreverent king, verse 18, “…Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed!  You shall have no honor from the LORD God.” (NKJV)  Uzziah became furious, self-conceit maybe, “and while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead…because the LORD had struck him.” (19, 20)  A man who once served the Lord became lifted up, did not fear Him, and was then put to the point where he could no longer worship in the temple.  “King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death.  He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD…” (26:21, NKJV)  Did he repent?  We are not told.
     Three things we see in verse 7:  don’t think you’re wiser than you are, fear the LORD, and depart from evil.  We have first an exhortation to humility.  Know this – that self-conceit is dangerous.  This was a root charge against the Pharisees–they knew it all.  Edward Plumptre warns us, “The greatest hindrance to all true wisdom is the thought that we have already attained it.”  Add to that the smug attitude that if they don’t know it, “just Google it.”  Listen–you can’t Google salvation!
     Then we “fear the LORD,” for this is part of the whole duty of man.  Fearing the Lord begins with knowledge of who God is.  If a person is self-conceited they really don’t care to know who God is; that is, until it’s too late.  We live in a time of mockery, apathy, and indifference to the Lord.  I have often said that if the church really knew who God was that most of the problems in the church would disappear.  J.L. Flores wrote, “A knowledge of the character and wisdom of God will produce reverence.”  When this happens, “self-conceit cannot live where there are right views of God.”  But do we really want to know who God is?  
     To truly know God puts us in our place and we most definitely would turn from evil.  “If we honor the Lord, we will hate sin.” (Beasley)  We would never dare to stand in the presence of an almighty God, if we knew Him, and mock Him.  We would know Him in a better and true way.  As Bob Beasley says, “God’s love always seeks what is best for us.  Sin does not.”  Sin is a plague, the bones ache, the body falters.  Think of it this way, “Sin breaks the bones of a man’s spirit; the consciousness of the Divine favor which flows from a reverential walk with God makes them ‘to rejoice.'”  David said, “Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.” (Psalm 51:8, NKJV)  He will heal, He will rejuvenate, He will bring refreshment.  “Vice saps the health both of body and mind.” (Arnot)  Oh, what a truth that is!
     We need to let God begin to heal us and refresh our bones.  We begin by knowing and fearing Him, then we hate the things He hates.  Matthew Henry says, “The sorrow of the world dries them [bones], but hope and joy in God are marrow to them.”  Someone describe this as muscles from “aching labor” and dried bones that bring “horrible despondency.”  Know God, worship Him reverently and the Holy Spirit will refresh us, especially in the spiritual sense, but often physically as well.  When the soul is healthy there is a good chance that the body will be also.  
     Therefore, don’t be haughty, don’t be a know-it-all, but recognize your place before the Lord.  Honor Him properly and shun the vices, wickedness and evil of the world.