It had become a place I could not leave alone, nor my quiet talks with her, nor the good coffee in the candlelight.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The First Fast Draw)

       “A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.”
                    –Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)
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          “And her hand was soft and trembly
          That night underneath the tree,
           When I couldn’t help but tell her
          She was ‘all the world to me.'”
                –Charles “Badger” Clark

Actually it was closer to midnight in the rain on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  It was time, so I pulled over to a turnout on the road and there, sitting beside this wondrous gal, not on my knee, mind you, I asked the most important question of my life:  Will you marry me?  I was pretty sure of the answer, but one never knows.  I believed God was in it with me, as I received an affirmative answer.  Before I go on, I want to give you a little side-note, nothing of real pertience, but interesting.  Annie and I were married on the 11th, she was 22, this is our 55th anniversary, she is now 77.  See all the double figures?  No meaning, just fun to observe.
     The words of Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD.” (NKJV)  I like the CEV translation of this verse, “A man’s greatest treasure is his wife–she is a gift from the LORD.”  For sure He gave me a treasure that I could be with throughout my life.  In the good times, she was there, in the hard times I could count on her.  What a treasure, what a gift from God!  Here we are now in the fifty-fifth year of marriage.  Gone is our youth and vitality, but there is a stronger, firmer love that has grown through the years.
     I remember we started dating back in February of 1970.  If I remember right (and I do), there were only three days we weren’t together throughout that semester of college.  Then I had to head home, to work so I could come back the following semester.  Annie stayed for summer school.  Now mind you, this was in the primitive days before cell phones.  I’m not sure how many times we talked on the phone over the summer, maybe two or three times, but we wrote nearly every day.  Letters, you know…  We met in Wadsworth, Ohio, for a wedding in August, and it was when I was taking her home from that wedding that I proposed.  
     Fortunate?  Well I guess.  A God-send for certain.  It had to be God to know what I needed in life and He truly blessed me with a mate to see me/us through.  Plus, she can make a pie.  How many campfires we’ve shared, how many cups of coffee have we had together, how many miles have we traveled along life’s journey?  Two children, who love the Lord, four grandchildren who love the Lord–see I’m a wealthy man.
     Now, I hesitated to write personal things for my morning devotions, but I was reading a short devotion by James Merritt which he said, Share with at least one person this week what the Lord has done for you.  I reckoned that was confirmation.  Psalm 37:25, for sure is true when it says, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” (NIV)  God is good!  He has always seen us through the good and bad times.  He has always provided for us, given us what we needed, and kept us safe and secure in our journey of life.  As Annie has been with me in sickness and in health, so has the Lord.  The nearness of her was a comfort in hard times, but even more so, I knew the Lord was near.  I am so thankful that I was taught to trust in Him at a very young age; to realize that He is in control, that nothing happens to me that hasn’t passed by Him.
     Fifty-five years (fifty-six if you counted dating) with my wife–Wow, what a treasure.  Now, sixty-seven years with the Lord–Wow, what a Friend, Savior, and Guide.  Don’t know how many are left, but each one will be a blessing.

 

Sometimes, at the darkest of times, hope was the only thing that pulled you through.”
                    –James Leonard  (The Sun Never Sets)

       “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…  We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.”
                    –Psalm 33:18,20 (NIV)
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          “The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.”  –Proverbs 10:28 (NKJV)
          “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.”  –Proverbs 10:28 (NIV)
   
“Hope for the future is the fuel that drives every man and woman on earth.  Hope drives us on and spurs us to work hard, to go to school, to save, and to make plans for a better tomorrow.  Hope that sees only darkness and destitution ahead is no hope at all.” (Beasley)  Woe to that individual who has lost hope.  Woe to that person who has false hope; the person who has put their hope in idols whether it be materialism, humanism with its hedonistic pursuits, or false religions.  Woe to that person who dies without finding and accepting the hope that comes from faith in Christ Jesus.  Bob Beasley tells us, “True hope has at its basis a solid foundation, and it is at this point that the hope of the wicked and the hope of the righteous part company.”
     We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have a sure, solid foundation.  We have a living hope and a solid faith based on the Word of God.  The hope of the wicked is based on nothing eternal.  It might be put this way, their hope is based on wishes.  “He hopes for good things in this life, while all around him he smells the aroma of death.” (Beasley)  After death, there is no hope.
     I like what J.L. Flores says, “Hope is a fortune in itself.”  There is great wealth in true hope:  gladness (joy), peace, calmness, and assurance.  These are ours because of our hope in Christ.  The psalmist writes words of encouragement to those who falter, whose hope has dwindled. “Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (42:5, NIV)  Paul writes, “For in this hope we were saved…”. (Romans 8:24, NIV)  The hope of our salvation is a sure thing.  Then the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”. (6:19, NIV)
     What hope do the wicked have?  Perdition will be their lot in eternity.  What expectation do they have except to join with the clods of the earth on death?  Their false hope that all ways lead to God will come to naught as it is but a delusion.  John Bunyan wrote, “All the hopes of the wicked shall not bring him to heaven…”  Any hope they may hold are false.  True hope is in Jesus Christ and the Word of God.
     One word of warning in closing.  We are instructed by Paul, “To live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the BLESSED HOPE–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:12-13, caps mine)  There is currently an attack on the great hope that is ours (the Rapture), do not let it damper your hope.  Do not let it turn you from the truth and the hope that is yours.  Jesus is coming!  Take hope in that great fact and truth!

 

A man’s needs run accordin’ to the country he’s in and the job he has to do.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Tall Stranger)

       “Stand firm then,.. with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
                    –Ephesians 6:14-15(NIV)
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          “God blesses those people who make peace.  They will be called his children!” –Matthew 5:9 (CEV)

               “Peace, peace!  wonderful peace,
               Coming down from the Father above….”
                    –W.D. Cornell
Are you a peacemaker?  Are we to make peace with everyone?  Remember, peace is not the same as appeasement.  And yes, we should attempt to make peace with everyone as much as is possible.  Notice that the blessing is on the peace-maker, not necessarily on the peace-lover or the peace-keeper.  The action is on the making–but not taking action could be piling up trouble for the future.  William Barclay gives us a stern warning, “Peace does not come from the evasion of issues; it comes from facing them, dealing with them and conquering them.”  See, peace often comes through struggle.  “The peace a godly man seeks is not have a league of amity with sinners” (Thomas Watson).
     Paul reminds us, and it is something that tends to be forgotten, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony (peace) is there between Christ and Belial?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15, NIV)  How does one have peace with the enemy of our souls?  It is not possible, nor should it be attempted.  Peace at any cost is appeasement.  There is a time to stand.  Watson states, “We are to be civil to the worst–but not twist into a cord of friendship.”  Someone has said, if a man has the plague we will be helpful, but also careful not to spend much time in his company.
     The greatest peace that anyone can have is peace with God.  Allowing the soul to be at rest in the knowledge of Him and His salvation.  Peacemakers are those who beseech sinners to be reconciled.  It is impossible to make peace with others without being at peace with God and self.  But then, sometimes being a child of God enrages those around them, thus cutting off peace between them, but not, peace with God.
     No matter how hard we try, no matter what we do, the Bible clearly states that, “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.'” (Isaiah 48:22, NIV)  They will never have true, lasting peace in their life or in eternity.  Now is the day of salvation–now is the day of peace with God.  Peace comes when people accept the good news presented to them.  Paul writes, “…How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15, NIV)  We are to bring the news of peace, we cannot force peace upon the people.  Abraham Lincoln said, “Die when I may, I would like it to be said of me, that I always pulled up a weed and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”  A man of peace who had to administrate the most deadly war in our nation’s history–quite ironic.
     Again, I must remind you that the Beatitudes deal primarily with the spiritual.  Yes, we should try to bring peace to those around us, but know that peace in that context was primarily for the soul.  In fact, the early church thought this verse was meant to be purely spiritual; making peace in one’s own heart and soul.  The inner conflict must first be dealt with.  Only when the heart is wholly given to God can a person be at peace.  
               “What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace
               Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
               So secure that no power can mine it away
               While the years of eternity roll.”
                        –W.D. Cornell (2nd stanza)

 

What’re friends fer but to go to?”
                    –Zane Grey  (The Mysterious Rider)

       “If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble.”
                    –Ecclesiastes 4:10(CEV)
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The blahs, the mulligrubs, and how about the mubblefubbles, they come to us all from time to time, and for various reasons.  They may come because of the weather, an issue that has to be faced or was faced, or the failure in a person’s life because of sin.  I know the feeling; at times I awaken from my peaceful nightly slumber, walk to the bathroom, then look in the mirror.  Not horror, but I am confronted by the image of an old fence post, splinters, edges worn, cracks in the wood, and quickly, if not careful and not leaning on the Holy Spirit, spiritual blahs can set the tone for the day.
     Perhaps you get up, and you feel like a Mack truck has smashed into you and run you over, physically and/or spiritually.  You moan and groan, and try to pick yourself up from the pavement of life.  While you are doing that may I remind you of the words of Paul, “Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, NASB)  Make those groanings into an altar, moan then with reverence.
     Maybe your day has started out well.  You’re singing a song as you walk along and some of you might feel so good that you’re ready to tip-toe through the tulips (or at least clog in the kitchen).  Then you slip.  Down the muddy bank you slide right into the much of “Pilgrim’s” slough of despond.  The slime covers you, the quicksand of despair and evil holds you and tries to suck you deeper into the slough, the stink of the bog already reeking in your nostrils.  No hope, no help–woe is you.  I will tell you friend, look up.  There is a nail-scarred hand reaching down.  Hope, relief, redemption is there–just grasp the hand.
     My mind goes to Samson.  What comes to your mind when you first hear the name?  Strength?  Deliah?  Failure?  Here was a man, chosen by God to be a judge over Israel.  A valiant man, a man of unparalleled strength when the Spirit came on him, but also a weak man who could not control his passions and lusts.  Gary Inrig points out, “He was a man with a passion for freedom in the middle of a society committed to compromise.”  With his faults, with his failures, he was a fighter.  No one came to his aid, and in fact, his own people bound him and gave him over to the enemy.  Compromise?  More like treason.  We know of his failures, of his flirting with disaster and eventually weakening, but for a moment, think of the possible times of victory in his mind.  There are a couple of verses we often overlook when reading about Samson and they are important for they say the same thing.  When that happens in Scripture we ought to take notice.  The first is Judges 15:20, “And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.”  It is repeated in Judges 16:31, “He had judged Israel twenty years.”
     In the midst of the enemy, he judged.  Twenty years mind you.  We know almost nothing of the events of those twenty years except some exploits by Samson.  Yet he was a judge, there must have been some victories, some reason for the Lord to put him in that position for so many years.  Perhaps we get a glimpse on it in Hebrews, “For the time would fail me to tell of …Samson…who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” (11:32-24, NKJV)  Whew!  Is that enough to get our attention?  In the midst of the enemy, Samson judged.  I wonder, perhaps could Samson have flitted through David’s mind when he penned, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:5)
     So when the blahs, the mulligrubs, and even the mubblefubbles come, when the moans and groans come, when you find yourself in the stinking slime of despondency remember…  Again I say remember,
          “Oh yes, oh yes, I’m a child of the King,
          His royal blood now flows in my veins,
          And I, who was wretched and poor, now can sing–
          Praise God, Praise God
          I’m a child of the King.”
                –Cindy Walker