Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

You shape up to a man’s size or I’ll hunt you up an’ tear the gizzard out of you!”
                    –Charles A. Seltzer  (The Range Boss)

       “And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.”
                   –2 Corinthians 8:22 (NKJV)
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Passion:  1) A powerful emotion.
                2) Strong, sexual desire.
                3) Boundless enthusiasm
                4) An abandoned display of emotion.

So is the definition for passion from the American Heritage College dictionary.  With that, let me ask, are you a person of passion?  Most of the time, we think of passion in regard to the second definition.  But that type of passion is only one part.  Passion, in itself, is a powerful emotion, so powerful that it affects our will, and can affect our physical bodies as well.  In the Bible, this is the type of passion that is most commonly mentioned; one that we are to guard against.
       Passion is also used of Christ, His sufferings and agony, and death upon the cross.  Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion, details this very well.  But think of the reason.  How could Christ endure the cross?  The writer of Hebrews states, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (12:2, NKJV)  The mission, the duty, and the fulfilling joy was also the passion of Christ as He went through the crucifixion.
       Fervor is a common synonym and can mean “to boil” used in spirit.  We read Acts 18:25, “This man [Apollos] has been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord…”.  Paul also uses it this way in Romans 12:11 in dealing with how we are to live this life, “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”  When studying this it caused me to stop and ponder.  Is my spirit boiling within me to serve the Lord?  Am I fervent?  I know as a teacher, I worked, studied, prepared, studied some more then presented the lessons to the class.  You could say that the lesson was boiling over within me.
       We are to labor fervently or to strive.  1 Corinthians 4:12 tells us that Paul labored, he strove fervently…he endured.  When I was a youth one thing I was passionate for was baseball.  I lived for baseball.  I watched it on television, I made up my own game, both on a board, and when I threw the ball against the stone foundation of our house.  I collected baseball cards.  In other words, I lived and breathed baseball.  After practice was over at school, I would go home or to the sandlot and practice some more.  Practice–striving fervently, for perfection.  The passion for baseball flooded from me.
       Perhaps a word closely related is “intensity.”  I loved the intensity of the game, the intensity of practice.  It followed into my life as a coach, teacher, and Royal Ranger commander.   I learned the lesson of passion–I was to do everything as unto the Lord.   “Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,” (Colossians 3:23, Amplified) became the slogan of my life.  If you do something, do it right–do it to the best of your ability–and then get it done.  It would “drive me crazy” to see lackadaisical attitudes, lazy performance, and those who would just get by.  Mediocrity is a word I hate; it shows no passion.  The mediocre person is a sluggard, a sloth, one who is a dreg on society, and truthfully on themselves.  Work, labor–for the Master is waiting.  Be diligent in your labor for Him.      
      This is one reason we are not to be complacent in our walk with the Lord.  We cannot do our duty, live righteously before Him without passion.  We must be fervent in our walk, guarding the truth, staying alert.  Complacency is the way to perdition.  Neither are we to compromise.  How can we compromise something that we passionately believe and practice?  So I encourage you to check where your passions lie.  Take inventory, and if you are not passionate in your walk in the Lord–do so!  “I don’t have another level. I give it all I have every time I’m out there. That’s all I know. If I had to take it to another level to win, I’d be out of luck, because this is the only level I’ve got.” (Ty Murray)  This exemplifies the type of passion, fervency that we are to have in our life with the Lord.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
If you do your duty, there is no hope for you to live. If you do not do your duty, there is no hope for you to die.”
                         –Emerson Hough  (54-40 or Fight)

       “Therefore, though I have abundant boldness in Christ to charge you to do what is fitting and required and your duty to do.”
                         –Philemon 8 (Amplified)
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Solomon has been telling us all of the problems with the world.  Everything, so far, has been vanity–hopeless.  Now he is winding down.  He says that he simply wanted to speak “words of truth.”  In Ecclesiasts 12:11, he tells of his purpose, “The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.” (NKJV)  “Goads,” refers to the “mental hooks giving stability and perspective to life.” (NKJV Study Bible)  Notice also, that the NKJV capitalizes “Shepherd.”  Kings were typically compared to shepherds, but here, “Solomon is claiming that the source of his ideas is God, the Shepherd of Israel” (Ps 80:1)  (NKJV Study Bible).
       When we go back to glean more from Ecclesiastes we find that there are actually three themes:  1) Solomon speaks honestly about life; 2) All is vanity; and 3) Life is an empty study in futility.  Isn’t that uplifting?  But remember from the beginning Solomon said that all is vanity, all is hopeless.  What then do we do?  Go eat some worms?  No, the answer to a fulfilling life, one that is not vanity is found in Jesus Christ.  Charles Swindoll said, “Life without the Lord is a pathetic hollow drag.”  That’s what Solomon has been trying to tell us.  Life without Christ is vanity–hopeless.
       In verse 9, Solomon says we must “search out” or as he put it, “he pondered and sought out.”  Literally this means like a “dog wrestles with a bone.”  Have you ever thought about looking at life like that?  Of course, the goad is a “well-driven nail.”  Solomon searched, he wrestled with ideas and philosophies and thoughts and figured out the meaning of life.

               “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.  For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
                          –Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NKJV)

       Look at the conclusion!  We see throughout the book, life is a stewardship (read Acts 17:24-28).  “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.” (Corrie ten Boom)  Consider the following acrostic.  FEAR:  the F–stands for faith in His existence.  E–is the experience of His grace; A–is awe at the majesty, the wisdom, and the wonder of God; and R–stands for resolve to do what He says, to obey His words and commands.  One of the greatest things missing from the church today is the fear of God.  Joseph Parker wrote, “Fear God and no other fear will ever bother you.”  Follow that up with the words of Solomon himself, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)  Hmmm, ponder that–to a fool life is vanity–hopeless, but to the one who fears the Lord life is a wonder, a walk through life with Him by your side.
       We are to keep His commands.  Jesus said, if you love me keep my commandments (John 14:15)  We will never understand all of life.  We will never understand the mysteries of God with our finite minds.  As we go through life our duty, our responsibility, our obligation is to “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (ESV)  Let me end our study in Ecclesiastes with a quotation by Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.

               “No formula of legalism is this ‘keeping of His commandments.’  Neither is it a method of earning favor to be used when facing God.  It is a summary of the beginning, middle, and end of life as we know it on this earth:  coming to know and trust the living God; receiving the gifts of life’s goods; learning how to enjoy those mundane gifts; understanding the major part of the plan of God; and being guided into joyous and strenuous activity in the art of living, even while portions of life remain enigmatic.”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

It was amazing, the things that creep into a fellas’ thoughts when he’s locked away from the light.”

                    –Lou Bradshaw  (Crazy Jack Daggart)

       “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
                    –1 John 1:7 (NKJV)
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Have you ever been so tired that you can no longer walk?  Maybe you think so, but in reality you can take another step, then another.  I remember the time that my whole family went on a seven-mile hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.  We carried in our lunch, and had quite the day, but on the way out, the trail seemed to get longer, the steps harder.  It was because we were tired, and the altitude was affecting us Texans.  One more step, not much further.  Then Annie exclaimed, “The parking lot!”  I hated to speak the truth.  “That’s the lower parking lot, ours is about a quarter mile up toward the lake.”  She groaned, “I can’t make it.”  It hit her when she looked that we would have to hike back uphill to get to our vehicle.  Don’t fear, she made it, but I did walk behind her, pushing her along the way.
       So what hinders our walk to the royal city of God?  We’re climbing higher, so perhaps the altitude.  Hmmm, did Moses notice the altitude when he met with God on the mountain; did his legs grow weary?

               “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us….  Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.”
                         –Hebrews 12:1, 12-13 (NKJV)

       We have not lost our way, we are just tired, worn out from the cares of the world.  Worn out from the constant fighting.  Keep going–“Endurance is a key indicator of spiritual fitness.” (Alistair Begg)  We need to be like the writer of Psalm 119 who said that “my soul clings to the dust…and melts from heaviness.”  What is the answer?  Why is the one seeking after God so disheartened?  He prays that God will “enlarge my heart.”
       In my reading I came across some pertinent words from that noted preacher of the early 1800s, Charles Bridges.  During his time on earth he was a well-recognized preacher of the Church of England.

               “Thus by the shackles of sin, unbelief, and self-righteousness, we are indeed ‘sore let and hindered in running the race set before us.’  The light is obscured.  Faith loses sight of its object.  What otherwise would be a delight becomes a weariness.  Obedience is irksome; self-denial intolerable; the cross heavy.  The heart is, as it were, ‘shut up, and it cannot go forth.’  Faith is so low:  desires are so faith; hopes so narrow, that it seems impossible to make progress.  Frequent defeats induce despondency.  The world is resorted to.  Sin ensnares and captivates.  Thus ‘we did run well; but we have been hindered.'”

What is the remedy?  Endure in praying.  Endure in the reading of God’s Word.  “I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart.” (Ps 119:32, NKJV)  Hope, faith, in the One who cares for you.  He will uphold you when you can no longer lift your foot for another step.  Take inventory and do not fall into the snares of the devil.  Don’t turn to the world in your despondency, but wholly lean on the arms of Jesus.

               “O soul, are you weary and troubled?
               No light in the darkness you see?
               There’s light for a look at the Savior,
               And life more abundant and free!

                    Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
                    Look full in His wonderful face,
                    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
                    In the light of His glory and grace.”
                            –Helen Lemmel

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

The bank of clouds now swept hugely out of the western sky. Its front was purple and black, with gray between, a bulging, mushrooming, vast thing instinct with storm. It had dark, angry, threatening aspect. As if all the power of the winds were pushing and piling behind, it rolled ponderously across the sky. A red flare burned out instantaneously, flashed from the west to east, and died. Then from the deepest black of the purple cloud burst a boom.”
                    –Zane Grey  (Riders of the Purple Sage)

       “The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook.”

                    –Psalm 77:18 (NKJV)
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Have you ever found yourself in a situation where it is hard to praise God?  Perhaps a storm or battle you are going through and you just cannot praise God.  When that occurs, remember, we praise Him for who He is.  Someone said, “The situation does not dictate to us what to do…  We don’t focus on the surrounding difficulties, but to what God says.”  G. Campbell Morgan wrote, “The fixed point in the universe, the unalterable fact, is the throne of God.”  Keep that in mind as we look at the first part of Psalm 97.

          1 — The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad!
          2 — Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
          3 — A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about.
          4 — His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles.
          5 — The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
          6 — The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.  (NKJV)

       In these verses we see clearly two attributes of God–His sovereignty and His omnipotence.  The Lord reigns!  Many people do not like the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, but in reality this should give great comfort to the child of God.  He is in control!  Lawson states, “God actively, moment by moment, rules over all things for His own glory and for the good of His people…”  
       We live in a chaotic, confused world where it appears to our finite, human mind that God does not control nor does He care about the affairs of men.  Evil abounds, and sometimes our own lives spin so much we think we are riding in a tilt-o-whirl.  Other’s actions sometimes affect us, and we wonder where God is, and yet, we are told to praise Him.  Praise Him for who He is, praise Him for His sovereignty, praise Him that He cares for you.  Don’t look at the evil, the raging tempest, or the fierceness of the battle, but look at the throne.
       Notice the foundations of His throne–righteousness and justice.  When we seemingly think evil is winning and in control–look at the throne, the foundation consists of justice.  God will judge.  Keep your focus heavenward, look at the throne.  Look at His power.  Contemplate on this Psalm; read Revelation 1–get a firm view of the throne.  The “fire” represents the divine wrath and fury that goes before God.  When we read the prophets, we see that the Day of the Lord–the day of judgment will be a fearful and mighty thing.  In the midst of calamity we are to declare His righteousness.  F.B. Meyer said, “The strain of ‘Hallelujah’ is impossible till it can be said in the heat and universe, ‘The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.'”
       So in the hard time, in the midst of the turmoil of the storm, in the fog, fury, and ferocity of the battle–KNOW–that God is in control.  He is on His throne and nothing escapes His attention.  Give praise for who He is.  Praise Him for His sovereignty, righteousness, and justice.  Praise Him for His omnipotence and that He cares for you.

               “Before Jehovah’s awful throne,
               Ye nations, bow with sacred joy,
               Know that the Lord is God alone;
               He can create, and He can destroy.”
                         –Isaac Watts