Author: Ira Paine

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Out here we set store by neighbors. Count them a blessing… Anybody who was in need was a neighbor.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Quick and the Dead)

       “Once you were less than nothing; now you are God’s own. Once you knew very little of God’s kindness; now your very lives have been changed by it.”
                    –1 Peter 2:10 (TLB)
——————————–
Oh, the wonderful mysterious work of God in mercy.  The words of the song often associated with Jimmy Swaggart come to my mind.
 
          “Mercy rewrote my life,
          Mercy rewrote my life,
          I could have fallen, my soul, cast down,
          But mercy rewrote my life.”
               –Mike Murdock

Think of the great mercy that God has shown you.  Think that when you show mercy to someone that it is a source of satisfaction to God.  When we show mercy by just giving a cup of cold water to some thirsty soul God smiles.  Micah tells us that the Lord requires us to love mercy (6:8).  Mercy, thank the Lord that “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)  New mercies–every morning!  Just think of that!
     As image-bearers of Christ, mercy should be a way of life for us.  Our lives should reflect that of Jesus, therefore mercy is a norm.  Where we go, blessings should go with us to others and in return we will be in favor with God.  We will be known and remembered by God (Psalm 112:6), and as we show mercy to others we can rest assured that our children will receive mercy when needed (Psalm 37:26).  Mercy indeed, in itself, is merciful then.  With proper attitude are we to show mercy.  In Deuteronomy we read, “You shall give to him freely and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake” (15:10, ESV)  All!  Think of that–works, career, negotiations, life, building, planting, journeying will be blessed by the Lord.  Thomas Watson says that “The honeycomb of a blessing shall be still dripping.”  Its sweetness never stops.
     Interesting that mercy shows many benefits for the person today.  As we bless others, we are blessed.  Oh, it is not just a feel-good, mushy type of emotion, but something deep in the soul.  Yes, and even greater for we will find our greater reward in heaven.  

          “I could have fallen, my soul, cast down,
          But mercy rewrote my life.”

Now what?  Since you have been shown mercy, what will you do with it?  Look closely at the way William Barclay translates this verse in its fullness:  “O the bliss of the man who gets right inside other people, until he can see with their eyes, think with their thoughts, feel with their feelings, for he who does that will find others do the same for him, and will know that that is what God in Jesus Christ has done!”  Mercy!  What a thought!

 

Coffee Percs

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He walked to the fire and tried some of the coffee out of their pot. Usually they made fair coffee, but tonight it wasn’t fit to drink… He sipped a little and turned the cup upside down.”             

                    –Elmer Kelton (Captain’s Rangers)
 
     Come on in, Pard.  Yep, yuh caught me shakin’ my head.  Pard, just how fruity can these fruitloops get?  My land, they’ve put a whole new spin on the ol’ Sage Solomon’s words, “There is a time for everything.”  I was watchin’ a clip from that cowboy blogger, Chad Prather, and on it was this “wonder” sayin’ that “queer and trans people actually experience time completely differently from cis-het people?  It’s a concept called queer temporality.”  Oh, an’ I had to google what in the world is “cis-het”.
     Oh man, sorry Pard, I didn’t mean for yuh to spurt out a mouthful of coffee.  No worry, it’ll clean, there’s no varnish on that table to be worryin’ about.  But I understand…  Do folks sit around dreamin’ these things up, or do they eat enchanted mushrooms to illuminate what little brains they have?  Pard, there’s still a drop on yur chin…
     More an’ more I see what Paul meant when he said that the Lord will send a great delusion.  Why, half the folks now are in that stage; it wouldn’t take much more to push them on over into never-never land, or maybe it should be wonder-wonder land, the land that time forgot.  Yuh think it’s bad now with all the nonsense and foolishness and chicanery, it’s hard to imagine what it will be like after the saints are taken on up to glory.
     Ahh, good coffee, an’ see I didn’t spill a drop.  Don’t know if yuh look at social media much, but I see more an’ more junk regarding new and/or personal interpretation of the Bible.  Woe, that is dangerous pard.  That’s like sleepin’ next to an ol’ rattler hopin’ yuh won’t roll over on him in the night.   Those folks are addin’ to the visions and dream, and what the Spirit has already laid out for us.  Mostly I think it’s ’cause they want to feel high and mighty ’bout themselves with their new revelations.  Why I saw where one preacher said that there needs to be a third testament.  One that fits our culture.  What she really meant one that fit her agenda and lifestyle and morals and ethics.
     Whooeee, ol’ Pecos Bill would have trouble ridin’ some of the lyin’ broncs out there.  Yuh know, I’ve been studyin’ Proverbs, and my oh my, there’ a lot in those words regarding the use of the mouth.  Liars and shysters…we know who their father is.  Yep, ol’ slewfoot hisownself.  Imagine wantin’ to have the devil as a father.  Goodness the extent fools will go to…
     Well, Pard, yuh be sure to speak the truth.  Do it with yur mouth and with yur life.  Yur actions speak loud, so watch what yuh be a-doin’.  Have yurself a week, remember it’s one the Lord has given yuh so be using it wisely and for His glory.  Yep, yur right, that includes checkin’ yur cinch.  Why some youngster may be a-watchin’ an’ if’n he sees a grown up not doin’ what’s right he might get some ideas of his own that ain’t plumb proper.
     Vaya con Dios.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
You are a pure soul in a dark world.”
                    –A.K. Vyas  (Dodge City)

       “Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
                    –Psalm 50:5 (NIV)
———————————–
Consecration, holiness, sanctification–preach on any one of these and the cry will come forth, “legalism”.  Shall we forget that we are to be consecrated to the Lord?  Shall we deny that He says, “be holy, because I am holy”?  How can we deny the doctrine of sanctification?  Yet, for so many and for some reason these terms, these concepts are an anathema.  We are to grow in grace, we are to be holy, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Justification–no, that is taken care of at the cross, but now we seek, being led by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to be more conformed to the image of Christ.
     The little hymn by Frances R. Havergal has been on my mind lately.  I would ask you, to whom do you belong?  To whom do you work?  To whom do you serve?

          “Take my life, and let it be
          Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
          Take my hands, and let them move
          At the impulse of Thy love,
          At the impulse of Thy love.”

Our life–it is to belong to Him.  We serve Him in the workplace, the school, the highways and byways, the ballfield, the fishing hole, and of course the local church.  Consecration takes effort, will, and I will add, time.  All that we have is to be dedicated to the Lord–the gifts and talents He has given us, the work we do, the possessions we have, our daily walk is all to be consecrated to Him.  Paul reminds us that we are to be a “living sacrifice.”

          “Take my feet, and let them be
          Swift and beautiful for Thee;
          Take my voice, and let me sing
          Always, only, for my King,
          Always, only, for my King.

What comes out of your mouth?  James asked this question.  Is it blessings or cursings?  One or the other.  Where do your feet take you and what do you do at the destination?  Do you let your light shine for the Lord?  Are you a living letter, a testimony for him?  Questions that need to be asked until we no longer need to ask them for they always come out with the same answer–only for my King.

          “Take my silver and my gold,
          Not a mite would I withhold;
          Take my moments and my days,
          Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
          Let them flow in ceaseless praise.”

Ah, a great reminder of proper stewardship.  Money, talents, time, they all belong to the Lord.  The breath you take, is it dedicated to the Lord?  Oh, come on now, Ira, you’re getting too frivolous.  Am I?  Are we not to be good stewards of every breath we take?  We read, “For in Him we live and move and exist…”(Acts 17:28, HCSB)  I like the way the CEV translates this, “He gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are.”  Stewardship of all we are and of all we possess.  Imagine what it would be like if every Christian would purposely adhere to this great teaching.

          “Take my will and make it Thine,
          It shall be no longer mine;
          Take my heart, it is Thine own,
          It shall be Thy royal throne,
          It shall be Thy royal throne.”

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, NIV)  The heart, the soul (will, emotions), the mind (intellect) are all to belong to the Lord.  No, He does not want first place.  If there is a first place, there will be a second place trying to take over.  He wants it all!  I have heard many people at the altar and in testimonies say that they love the Lord with all their heart.  I have yet to hear, “Lord, I love you with all my will,” or “Lord, I love you with all my mind:  thoughts, intellect, and knowledge.”  “Lord, I love with all my feelings, my emotions, my desires.”  No, we cannot do that for it is sanctification and consecration.  It is something with do with the aid of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The flashes of lightning lit up the trail and the cliffs above us brighter than the brightest day. An instant later, a cacophony of thunder clapped all around us, frightening the mules, shaking the ground and reverberating through the trees. Each strike left a man feeling fragile, helpless, as if he lay upon the anvil of God, spared once but just as easily struck down at the next bolt.”

                    –G. Cameron Cooke (Trail of the Gunman)

       “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
                    –2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV)
———————————
     We really cannot even begin to imagine what it was like before creation.  Back in infinity and eternity before God spoke the cosmos into existence, what was it like?  In reality, my friend, it really doesn’t matter.  During this period (I can’t use the word time, for it had not been created yet) there was God, and there was–God.  I do not believe that it was total darkness for all there was, was God and God is light so perhaps it was total light.  The light of God, light unbelievable.  Where there is God, there is light.  I don’t believe darkness appeared until creation.  We read in Genesis, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (1:1-2, NKJV)
     Something to ponder, and here’s something else.  This darkness on the face of the deep, was it without light or was it dark because it represents evil?  It was before the creation of light and He divided it from the darkness on the first day.  One other thing to add to your pondering is that every day, God saw that it was good–except the second day.  The day of the firmament separating there was no pronouncement by God that it was good.  Hmmm….  In this regard Joseph Parker states, “Our wisdom is like a tree growing only questions.”  Don’t be fretting over it, certainly don’t lose any sleep or grow an abundance of grey hair.  But even in these questions, our ponderings if you will, know that we can never understand them with our puny little finite minds.  “The mysteries of the creation are but shadows of the mystery of the Creator.” (Parker)
     A hike in the midst of God’s creation.  Oh, the splendor of a hike in the world around the high lonesome where the trail leads to a high altitude mountain lake just filled with trout.  The serenity of that blue mountain lake, the thought of trout for supper, or perhaps breakfast.  Look around at the majesty, the mountains–the natural altars of God.  Maybe the hike has led through a copse of aspen in the fall with their golden foliage quaking in the breeze.  Glance upward through the golden spires and it might be a dream of the pathway into heaven to those streets of gold.
     Ponder Eden, that marvelous garden.  Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon?  Ponder that magnificent sight if you will.  Ponder the view of water roaring over Niagara.  Know this, all of the wonderful creation on earth had to be worthy of the Creator’s work.  It wasn’t just throwing a dab of paint on an endless space in a vacuum.  It was in the mind of God–the time, the setting, the creation itself.  
     But hold on!  This marvelous creation, the work that came from the lips of God.  No matter what you or I have seen or been, it is not enough.  Glance at the sun that routinely “comes up” every day set forth by the physical laws of nature–created and put in motion by God.  All of this–all of it, is not match for the sight of God Himself.  That is why there can be no graven image of Him.  Who can see Him in all His glory?  Parker says, “The most intellectual conception of God would seem to me to be that God cannot be intellectually conceived.”  We cannot see God!  We cannot fathom the fullness of God!  How then do we recognize Him?  Only by the heart.  “God is great and we know Him not.” (Parker)  That is unless we are born again and have a new heart.  Then we can know a tiny piece of God for “as Christian believers, GOD is in every part of our life; He has manifested Himself to us; He has taken up His abode with us.” (Parker)  
     Oh, what a marvelous thought, one that is too grand for me to grasp.  “Though our minds cannot grasp His infinity, our hearts can feel His love; though our imagination cannot search His understanding, our conscience can respond to His righteousness; though we cannot explain, we can pray.” (Parker)  Take time today, and often through the journey of life to think grand thoughts of God.  Know that He fills and satisfies; that He comforts and inspires.  We cannot understand so we must bow before it.  We accept Him by faith for we want to please Him.  We are eternally thankful for who He is.  He is the all completeness of righteousness; holiness and unapproachable in His wonderful, yet terrible light.  But never forget this my friend, He is also our heavenly Father in whom we can go to with any issue, problem, and sometimes just to sit and be with Him.