The first article of the creed of the frontier is to be game. Good or bad, the last test of a man is the way he takes his medicine.”
–William MacLeod Raine (Crooked Trails and Straight)
“There are thorns and snares on the path of the crooked; the one who guards himself stays far from them.”
–Proverbs 22:5 (HCSB)
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“Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom; Lead thou me on.
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on.
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene–one step enough for me.”
–John H. Newman
Have you ever been walking along a path, looking down the trail or maybe along the scenery to the side, and all of a sudden you catch your toe on a rock or root and begin a headlong tumble? Perhaps you have done something similar at work or at home and put something on your calendar looking forward to it and forgot to do the duties of the day. I have known teachers who so looked forward to summer vacation that they didn’t fulfill their responsibilities the last month of the school year. Shame! Nowadays, most folks are looking down, but not at the trail, but at the phone in their hand. Do you think your soul could be in the shame situation? Let’s look at the first part of Psalm 25 (HCSB).
1 – LORD, I turn my hope to You.
2 – My God, I trust in You. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me.
3 – Not one person who waits for You will be disgraced; those who act treacherously without cause will be disgraced.
4 – Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths.
5 – Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.
6 – Remember, LORD, Your compassion and Your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity.
Right now, if one looks at the media, it would seem that those who mock God and the truth of His Word are sitting there gloating with a sneer on their faces. The question is!”, if you find yourself in that situation where you enemy seems to be gloating are you looking up to the Lord? Are you trusting in Him?
It is in times like these that we truly need the direction of the Lord. I really like the way verse 4 is stated, “Make!” Sometimes in life we must be made to do things. We need for the Lord to “make His ways known to us. We want to know the right direction, yet sometimes we refuse to walk there. It is in the fog or battle that we cannot see the way, the path becomes unclear and we need for the Lord to make us take the next step.
One other aspect I see in this verse is that of a trainer. Sometimes we need to be made to do something and then there are those times that we need to be trained to do it ourselves. I am personally brought back to basic training. Train me how to use my weapon, train me how to follow commands, train me how to make use of my equipment, train me how to be alert. How do we use our weapons? We are told to put on the armor and hold the sword. But then what?
Our responsibility here is to take the next step; to call out to the Lord and put our trust in Him. Are you doing what you are supposed to be doing–today? Are you obedient today? I like what Samuel Amnesley said, “Do what you know to be your present duty, and God will acquaint you with your future duty.”
Author: Ira Paine
Coffee Percs
Fresh eggs and coffee sat on the dining room table along with butter, cheese and fresh onions picked from the garden plus peppers and herbs filled a bowl sitting in the middle of the table.”
–J.S. Stroud (The Old Rider)
Yur just in time. Coffee’s just finished boilin’, an’ if’n yuh sit yurself down I’ll pour yuh a cup. Ahhh, hot enough to burn all the hair off yur tongue. Strong–just like I like it. Don’t want to be wastin’ time drinkin’ weak coffee.
It was a fine week that the Lord gave me last week. How was yourn’s? On Thursday, I had a grand time speakin’ for the Coldspring Library’s yearly dessert fundraiser. I told them some stories; stories I tell yuh, not yarns. Yarns are not truth, but my stories are, at least from my humble perspective, and in my mind.
Doin’ my best to stay away from the stupidity of politics. Politics has always been a worrisome game, but it’s somethin’ that we need, but just tell me how some folk can get so crazy and absurd with their ideas? There seem to be so many whiners out there anymore. I used to keep a big poster on my classroom wall–NO WHINING. If people would could quit their whinin’ and fussin’ maybe there could be some work done.
Mercy, Pard, yuh guzzled that cup right down, here’s another. We’ll drain the pot before I finished my jabberin’. What I was fixin’ to say, was that if I remember right, one of the major sins of the people of Israel; one of the things that kept them out of the Promised Land was all their whinin’. Bible called it “murmurin'”. Why they even whined/murmured about how the Lord was takin care of them. Just look at the table: enough food to eat, yuh have coffee, and there’s even a wooden table to sit at. I reckon before we ask for Lord from some of those extra blessin’s to be thrown our way, we need to be thankful for what’s He’s already given us.
Saw a movie about a young kid ridin’ along with the herd. The herd started to run and he had to abruptly change direction. The kid fell right on his head–his cinch had come loose. Now a-body never know when they might have to do some hard ridin’, so always make sure to check yur cinch.
Echoes From the Campfire
It was a custom that no man coming into your camp went away hungry, be he friend, stranger, or peaceful enemy. You could fight after you ate, if that was your mission.”
–Bobby Cavazos (The Cowboy From the Wild Horse Desert)
“But he must be hospitable (loving and a friend to believers, especially to strangers and foreigners); [he must be] a lover of goodness [of good people and good things], sober-minded (sensible, discreet), upright and fair-minded, a devout man and religiously correct, temperate and keeping himself in hand.”
–Titus 1:8 (AMPC)
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Believe it or not, time got away from the ol’ retired person. It was a busy day. That is not to make an excuse, even if you do not accept it, but because of that I’m borrowing from a book that I have used many times. I purchased the book back in 1972 when I lived in Panama City, Florida. It is by Lois A. Cheney, GOD IS NO FOOL.
Before the battle a soldier said, “I am afraid.” In that battle he performed beyond himself.
Before a certain, important sermon a minister said, “I am afraid.” In that sermon he preached far better than he was able.
Before an overwhelming challenge Moses said, “I am afraid.” From the challenge came the future of God’s people.
It’s old-fashioned to have fear.
We don’t have to fear God any more,
–grin and wink–
The ole guy just rolled over and died.
We don’t have to fear sin any more,
–grin and wink–
We just label the response and alter the stimulus.
We don’t have to fear hell any more,
–grin and wink–
It’s just a medieval myth.
We don’t have to fear anything any more,
–grin and wink–
We can use it, dissolve it, or absorb it.
Man-giants, it would seem
Knew when to fear.
Where,
Oh where
Are the Christian giants?
–grin and wink–
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Ponder those thoughts and along with them, ponder the two following Scriptures.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
–Ecclesiastes 11:13 (NIV)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
–Proverbs 1:7 (NIV)
Hmmm, where are those who “fear the Lord?” Maybe it would be a good word study–just a thought.
Echoes From the Campfire
No use to lay there and wish that fire going. Long ago I learned nothing gets done just by wishing. You have to do it.”
–Louis L’Amour (Hanging Woman Creek)
“We are none of us to have the spirit of Cain, who was a son of the devil and murdered his brother. Have you realised his motive? It was just because he realised the goodness of his brother’s life and the rottenness of his own.”
–1 John 3:12 (Phillips)
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When I taught my senior Bible class one of the units I put in the curriculum was, “Choices.” From the time we are very small, in those days of developing personality we are constantly bombarded with choices, and that continues until we die. Many times with the physical/material choice, there is also a choice to be made in attitude. Many choices involve morality and following God’s Word.
To not make a choice is in itself making a choice. One thing for sure, if you don’t make choices, someone else will make the choice for you. It’s starts in the morning: get up, hit the snooze, or pull the covers over the head? From there the day is full of choices, many of them small, while others may have severe consequences.
I came across an article this week in my reading from a little booklet I own. It was written by an Air Force chaplain, John R. Ellis, back in the 1960s.
“‘Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ (Numbers 13:30)
This is an ancient story about a commander who sent out a patrol to gather intelligence data prior to a planned invasion. The majority of the patrol reported that the land was occupied by giants and that they were as grasshoppers in the sight of the enemy. But two men were men of faith–Joshua and Caleb. Caleb urged, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’
This story suggests we have two ways of facing life: the way of fear and the way of faith. Life consists of a long series of problems that require decisions–both personal and professional. We want to know how to handle these problems.
The majority of us are not interested in pious platitudes or cliches. We want a philosophy that will win, one that we can live by.
Each person has within himself the ability to find a satisfactory solution to each problem of life. Dare we suggest that a former commander of the European Security Region was right when he voiced his philosophy: ‘There are no problems. There are only opportunities to excel!’?
Prayer: Lord God, help me to accept the problems of life as a challenge. Temper the challenge with courage, and give me faith to know from whence comes my strength. Amen.”
Most of the choices we make do not need courage or an abundance of faith. However, there are those times in life where we must stand up and be counted. Times when we make a decision to serve God or cower away to sit in the corner. Tell me, what were the names of the other ten spies?