Well, I wasn’t looking for any trouble, but I weren’t no pilgrim neither… I’d deal with it if it came.”
–Lou Bradshaw (Cain)
“And the king’s servants said to the king, ‘We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.’”
–2 Samuel 15:15 (NKJV)
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I’m not much of a hand-clapper, never had been. Most of the time I think people clap, and they have no idea as to why. Often it is to mediocrity. Clapping, to me, is sort of like a parent hollering from the stands when a ball goes by an infielder, “Good try.” Sit down! It wasn’t a good try; if it had been a good try he would have caught the ball. The same goes for standing ovations. Most of the time it is for mediocre performance.
However, that is not to say that I never clap. Sometimes the toe gets to tapping and then the hands just have to come together. Sometimes there are those magnificent performances and outstanding plays that deserve recognition. The thing is that when we clap there should be good reason. If we clap in church it should not be for the performance, but recognizing that God should be the recipient of the applause. Psalm 47 begins with the admonition to clap unto the Lord.
1 – Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry.
2 – For Yahweh, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over all the earth.
3 – He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet.
4 – He chooses for us our inheritance—the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah
5 – God ascends among shouts of joy, the Lord, among the sound of trumpets.
6 – Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise!
7 – Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of all the earth.
8 – God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.
9 – The nobles of the peoples have assembled with the people of the God of Abraham. For the leaders of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted. (HCSB)
Think of what it will be like when Jesus finally is victorious at Armageddon. When Satan is cast into the bottomless pit, the Antichrist and False Prophet thrown into the Lake of Fire. There will be thunderous applause in heaven and on the earth for the Beast will be no more.
The fight of all time is finally over; it is time to celebrate. The King of kings, and Lord of lords will be fully recognized by all. The leaders on earth who still remain will belong to God, their power will be totally subservient to Him, in fact, many of them will probably lose their positions to one of the saints. One writer has described this in regard to Jesus on the throne as “the culminating act of the eschatological drama.” (W.O.E. Osterley)
“O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gracefully sing his power and his love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.”
–Robert Grant
Author: Ira Paine
Coffee Percs
The old man moved to the fireplace, poured a cup of coffee from a large pot hanging in the hearth.”
–Cliff Hudgins (Viejo and the Ranger)
Come in, Pard, throw yur spurs under the table, I’ll be bringin’ the coffee shortly. I remember some ol’ boys like in the above quotation movin’ slowly to the coffeepot. They always kept the coffee on, and yuh can be sured it was hot and strong enough where yuh could stand yur spoon up in it.
Say, Pard! Didn’t yur Ma tell yuh not to wear yur hat at the table? I’m surprised, I’ve not known yuh to do it before. Haircut? What!? Yuh saw a sign thinkin’ it said saloon and it turned out to be a beauty saloon. That’ll teach yuh. They tricked yuh. Well, don’t feel that yur alone, that smarty-pants from California has said the same thing an’ she’s one of the smart ones, a bureaucrat yuh know. They told yuh not to smile? Smiling is now illegal in California? How would they know if’n yuh had yur mask on. Oh, it’s not smilin’ it’s bein’ happy. They’re sayin’ that bein’ happy is discriminatin’ against all those folk out there that ain’t happy. Poor folk!
Say, if’n they would come and drink some coffee with us, maybe some of their woes would pass on. My coffee has a tendency to change one’s demeanor. Makes yur gizzard want to stand up and say “howdy.” Gloom and despair are a terrible thing to carry around, much less live in it every day. My mercy, all they have to do is turn to the Lord. In fact, He’s a-awaitin’ to ease their gloom and take away that despair and throw it into the sea.
I jist don’t understand why folks want to choose to be antagonistic toward the Lord. Now, that’s a big word, do yuh know what it means? I mean, God is so good to us; why would people choose to be filled with hate. Hmmm, maybe hate makes ’em happy? Nah, else they’d be wearin’ a smile instead of a smirk or sneer.
Why jist bein’ here with yuh this mornin’ Pard, has brought a smile to my face. The coffee helps, but we both know we’re happy because of the good Lord and how He cares for us.
Oh, Pard, yuh better put yur hat back on before tryin’ to mount. It is somethin’ to behold an’ that ol’ nag of yourn might get the heebie-jeebies and will take off before yuh can check yur cinch.
Vaya con Dios.
Echoes From the Campfire
I believe God has a plan. I may not know exactly what it is or what I’m supposed to do, but the plan is in place. I just need to trust Him and do my best to follow wherever He leads…or die trying.”
–Dan Arnold (Riding for the Brand)
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
–2 Peter 3:18 (NKJV)
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I have been doing a small study with my eldest granddaughters on the Fruit of the Spirit. If a person is a believer and you hear them say, “I don’t have any peace,” then they are either ignorant, or are trying to seek peace in the wrong manner, or have false views of peace, or they have not truly been saved.
The last fruit mentioned is that of temperance, or self-control. I like what Dr. Zenas Bicket says of Self-Control; he calls it the Regulator:
Love without restraint becomes passion.
Joy without moderation becomes frivolity.
Peace without temperance becomes idleness.
Patience without balance is apathy.
Gentleness without temperance is weakness.
Goodness without control becomes fawning.
Faith without moderation of reason becomes blind superstition.
Meekness without temperance is timidity.
Self-Control is the thing that regulates the rest of the fruit. It is the guiding force so that the other fruit does not become reckless and that senseless emotionalism does not run rampant.
Far too often, Christians forget the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we could not know Christ. Without Him, the blood of Jesus could not be applied to our lives. It is the Holy Spirit that guides us into the truth. Yet, He is often placed on the back burner. There may be talk of the Father, and the Son, Jesus, is often mentioned, but not so much the Holy Spirit. But it is the Holy Spirit that convicts and brings us to Jesus. He is equal to the Father and the Son.
We can grieve the Holy Spirit; He can be quenched. We can push Him away, and that is dangerous. It is the Holy Spirit that testifies of Christ. Jesus said that He must leave so the the Holy Spirit (i.e., Comforter, Advocate, Helper) can come. He is the “paracletos”, the One who stands beside us to give us what we need.
Without the Holy Spirit who raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11), the message of Jesus would have disappeared. The incarnation would have been forgotten, the miracles and the sinless life not mentioned, even the crucifixion and resurrection would not be remembered but for that Holy Spirit. The Bible was given to us by Him; He inspired its writing and is the life within it. D.L. Moody said, “And if it had not been for the Holy Ghost coming down to bear witness to Christ, to testify of His death and resurrection, these facts [events of Jesus’ life] would have been forgotten as soon as His birth.”
The Holy Spirit then, is vital to our lives and daily walk. We are to live, to grow, to walk in the Spirit. It is He who gives us power to be a witness (martyr). It is the Spirit that will guide us along the road to glory. Think of that glorious promise of Romans 8:11. Those words were at one time my favorite chorus.
“If that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead
Dwell in you, dwell in you,
If that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead
Dwell in you, dwell in you,
He shall quicken your mortal body, if that Spirit dwell in you,
He shall quicken your mortal body, if that Spirit dwell in you.”
You cannot read through the New Testament (and much of the Old) without seeing the work of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps that would be a good devotional study–reading the passages in the Scripture that speak of the Spirit.
Life is uncertain. What we want is not always what we need. We only live one day at a time. We live today. We are not promised tomorrow. One day each of us will give an accounting for the days were were given. Will it be today?”
–Dan Arnold (Alta Vista)
“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
–1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NKJV)
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Have you ever had a song keep coming to your mind? Think of all the neat, little jingles of commercials. They are meant to get stuck in your mind so they continue over and over. I’ve been praying and asking the Holy Spirit for the last year or so that if I wake up in the middle of the night my mind would be on a song of praise and the same when I awaken in the morning. For the past week a verse of the following old song, published in 1922 by J.B. Vaughn, has been going through my mind.
“There’s a blessed time that’s coming, coming soon,
It may be evening, morning or at noon,
The wedding of the bride, united with the groom,
We shall see the King when he comes.”
People go round today saying that they are blessed. And it’s true, though in the current situation those once blessed people are now grumbling. Grumbling doesn’t take away blessings already bestowed, but they can hinder ones that the Lord want to give us. But, there is a time coming when there will be blessings more than we can understand. The Lord is coming! Did you hear? The Lord is coming, I don’t know when; I don’t know the time, but I do know this–He is coming.
His is coming for His bride who is without spot or wrinkle. A bride He will rescue from the clutches of this evil world. He will not allow her to be sullied, to be spotted, or to be abused. He will rescue her and take her to be with Him forever.
“Are you ready should the Savior call today?
Would Jesus say, ‘Well done,’ or ‘Go away’?
My home is for the pure, the vile can never stay,
We shall see the King when He comes.”
The above verse is the one that has constantly been flowing through my mind. “Are you ready?” Friends, now is the time to make sure you’re ready. Heaven will not see anything vile, evil, or putrid within its gates. Only the pure shall see God. How does one stay or become pure? By repenting, by obeying the commands of the Lord, by reading and following His Word. Don’t for a moment think that universalism is true. Don’t for a moment be duped by those who say that those who live in sin, those who practice iniquity, those that mock God will make it through those pearly gates. It takes repentance and belief that Jesus is the Son of the Almighty God.
“Oh, my brother, are you ready for the call?
To crown your Savior King and Lord of all?
The kingdoms of this world shall soon before Him fall,
We shall see the King when He comes.
We shall see the King, We shall see the King,
We shall see the King when He comes;
He is coming in pow’r, we’ll hail the blessed hour,
We shall see the King when He comes.”
Jesus will return for His bride in the clouds. Not all will see Him, for He is coming only to take His bride away, the saints of the Church. They will be clothed with robes of righteousness and eternity with the Lord awaits them. Then the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” on earth. Unspeakable terror and evil will abound. Kingdoms will crumble, those that survive will shake their fists at God. Then, He will come again, the world will shake, and there will be agony when the Lord comes to the earth when all shall see Him and bring judgment.
Now is the day of salvation. Turn from your wicked ways, then on that glorious day–“we shall see the King; He is coming in pow’r, we’ll hail the blessed hour, We shall see the King when He comes”!