Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Kindness is a gift.”

                   –A.W. Hart  (Killer’s Chance)

       “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
                   –Romans 13:10(NKJV)
—————————————–
Today I want to borrow from my trusty little devotional by Lois A. Cheney, God Is No Fool.  I have used this book over and over, meditating on the gems that are in it.  I want to keep with the theme of yesterday’s devotion.

          Is there a hell?
               Once upon a time a person was touched by God, and God gave him a priceless gift.  This gift was the capacity for love.  He was grateful and humble, and he knew what an extraordinary thing had happened to him.  He carried it like a jewel and he walked tall and with purpose.
               From time to time he would show this gift to others, and they would smile and stroke his jewel.  But it seemed that they’d also dirty it up a little.  Now, this was no way to treat such a precious thing, so the person built a box to protect his jewel.  And he decided to show it only to those who would treat it with respect and meet it with reverent love of their own.
               Even that didn’t work, for some tried to break into the box.  So he built a bigger, stronger box–one that no one could get into–and the man felt good.  At last he was protecting the jewel as it should be.  Upon occasion, when he decided that someone had earned the right to see it, he’d show it proudly.  But they sometimes refused, or kind of smudged it, or just glanced at it disinterestedly.
               Much time went by, and then only once in awhile would one pass by the man, the aging man; he would pat his box and say, “I have the loveliest of jewels in here.”  Once or twice he opened the box and offered it saying, “Look and see.  I want you to.”  And the passerby would look, and look, and look.  And then he would back away from the old man, shaking his head.
               The man died, and he went to God, and he said, “You gave me a precious gift many years ago, and I’ve kept it safe, and it is as lovely as the day you gave it to me.”  And he opened the box and held it out to God.  He glanced in it, and in it was a lizard–an ugly, laughing lizard.
          Yes, there is a hell.

       Paul told Timothy, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you….” (2 Timothy 1:6, NKJV)  Now, Paul was speaking of spiritual gifts, most likely the “gifts of calling” because he mentioned it was given by the “laying on of my hands.”  But we should heed this advice whether we are speaking of spiritual gifts or natural gifts.  We all have at least one spiritual gift as seen in Romans 12.  It is important to recognize that these gifts are different than those mentioned in Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12.  Everyone has one of the gifts in Romans 12, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…” (12:6, NKJV)
       The gifts/talents that the Lord gives us are not to be despised whether spiritual or natural.  To do so would be to despise the Giver of the gifts.  For a few seconds, take a look at your natural gifts.  They may be small and few in number, or they may be great–no matter, stir them up and use them.  I knew a man who had tremendous talent and used them for the Lord, but he also had a small gift, the gift of a smile.  Every time he stopped at the same convenience store he would smile and tell the attendant, “Have a good day.”  Finally, after several weeks of this, the person asked him, “why do you smile?”  That presented an open-door opportunity to witness, but it was the simple gift given of a smile.  Immediately comes to my mind is a student who I told, “God gave you a gift of a smile which is infectious–use it.”
       So again, I ask–are you using your gift(s)?  If not, stir them up.  Maybe you have the gift of organization (administration/leadership depending upon the translation) then put it to use.  Maybe your gift is ministry (and we all can do this).  Ministry is not necessarily preaching of the Word, but it might be making coffee at the men’s meeting.  It may be giving a drink of water to a thirsty soul.  Whatever the gift is–stir it up.  Do not be like the unfaithful servant and hide your gift, but stir up the gift into a flame.  Use the gift of prayer, especially that of intercession.  Think about the things that the Lord has given you–use them for His kingdom!

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

If I go two days in a row without working, then I get all squirmy inside.”

                      –C.J. Petit  (Gus)

       “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.”

                      –Luke 12:47 (NLT)

————————–

I have probably heard dozens of sermons on the Parable of the Talents.  I hope I am not overly redundant, but there are a few things I would like to point out.  In Matthew 25:14, the parable starts out, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.”  I first want to point out that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are not the same.  Once a person becomes a Christian, one who is born-again, purchased by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, they are part of the kingdom of God.  This man was involved with the kingdom of heaven, but before he left he called his servants.

       “And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” (Matthew 25:15)  There is so much to say regarding this verse.  Why wasn’t I given the “talent” to make a million dollars?  Perhaps the Lord knew that I wouldn’t handle it very well.  He did not leave that gift to me because it was beyond my ability.  It is important to realize what it is that you have, and then to use it.  You cannot use the talents given to someone else.  I will never have the voice of some of the great singers, but some of them could not stand up in front of thirty high school seniors and teach.  Get the picture–use what you have.

       That first servant must have had great ability.  He would be the man on Wall Street who knew when to make the right trade and when to sell.  He most likely had charisma that the other two didn’t have.  He knew how to work and wasn’t afraid of working and putting his gifts to work as well.  He would be the Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Greg Maddux of baseball–great gifts and put to their best use.  (Yeah, I know I’m showing my age with those people, but I don’t watch much in the world of sports anymore).  

       Much has been said about the third servant.  He was only given one talent, and what did he do?  He buried it!  What a waste!  When asked why he hid the talent (money) he replied, “And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.” (Matthew 25:25)  Pity the man who misuses what the Lord has given.  As I wrote the words of Walter C. Kaiser yesterday, “Believers are to be rebuked for rejecting God’s worldly gifts and refusing to use them in a proper way.”  We have all been given gifts; are we using them, or hiding them?

       Concentrate now on the second servant.  He is common, has some ability, and uses it.  “Nobody in this thing called Christianity is qualified–but we all have a part to play.”  (Bill Wilson)  You may not be qualified to be a government official, but you can be involved in helping choose the school board.  This servant wasn’t given as much as the first because the master understood his abilities.  The devil could have used this to discourage the servant.  “Look at you, you’re as good as him.  Why didn’t the Master give you more–you deserve it,” comes the voice of the devil.  If the servant would have followed these words he would have become bitter, angry, and frustrated.  Instead, he used what he had been given and doubled it.

       Maybe we all should take time to look in the mirror and see if we are satisfied in doing what the Lord has given us.  Jesus simply said, “Go”.  Go where?  God into the world in which you live.  Give a smile, hum a tune, live the life of Christ to those around you, remember you are a “living letter” to them.  I believe that this second servant, upon hearing of the master’s return, began to search his soul.  Can you read his thoughts?  Did I do enough?  I could have done better?  What if I got up a half-hour earlier and prayed?  What if I didn’t go to those concerts, ballgames, fishing trips–would I have been more successful?  Get the picture–could he have done more.  He doubled his gift, and there may have been a little trembling when he stood before the master who looked at him.  He gave the two plus two more to the master.  Then he heard the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your Lord.”  (Matthew 25:23).

       One more word about the unfaithful servant.  The one who despised small things.  The one who hid what was given to him.  The one who refused what the Lord had given him and dug a hole in the ground and hid it.  Maybe he said, “I can’t” or “I won’t” or “I deserved more” or “I don’t want that talent” or, or, or….  The words he heard from the Lord should make us all tremble, “And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  (Matthew 25:30)

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

That evening I cleaned and oiled my weapons and made sure everything was in good working order.”
                         –Lou Bradshaw  (Blue)

       “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”

                         –Revelation 3:2 (NKJV)
————————————
What do you expect from life?  What do you see happening in life?  Is it what you expected?  Solomon in verse 11 of Ecclesiastes 9 shows us five negatives.  

          “I have observed something else in this world of ours.  The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle.  The wise are often poor, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy.  And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives.  It is all decided by chance, by being at the right place at the right time.”  (NLT)

An opportunity doesn’t always guarantee success.  I’ve seen people with great talents use them for the wrong purposes, or they do not take time to develop them properly and for the right reasons.  Two things are seen:  the sovereignty of God and the simpleness and sometimes laziness of man.  Man may be given wonderful talents, but they are used incorrectly.  Elvis and Jerry Lee come immediately to mind.  Walter C. Kaiser states, “Believers are to be rebuked for rejecting God’s worldly gifts and refusing to use them in a proper way.”  To be given a gift by God and using it in a wrong manner may be worse than the man given a “gift” and hiding it.
       Most of you will not remember Jackie Jensen.  He was a premier hitter in the late 1950s and destined for stardom.  He led the league in RBIs twice, but eventually left the game because he could not overcome his fear of flying.  Another man destined for greatness in baseball was Herb Score.  His career was shortened by a line-drive in the face from the bat of Gil McDougald.  One never knows.
       Strength is impressive, but what is it that made you strong?  Steroids?  The wise counsel is never popular, rarely obeyed, and seldom remembered.   Human rulers will always outshout wise counselors, and fools prefer the former.  I look around at the world today and I see what is called “woke.”  It is really part of the postmodern agenda of deconstruction–make up your own truth; it is all relative.  In the church I see what could be called “Accommodating Theology.”  It’s your opinion about God that counts, not what the Bible says.
       Read the rest of chapter 9–it states what I just paraphrased.  Verse 12, “For a man also does not know his time:  like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.” (NKJV)  With evil all around are you ready to handle it?  What are you doing to prepare yourself for the times in which you live?  Are you a prepper or one who trusts in the Lord?  Preparedness is good, but faith is better.
       So how do you live your life?  How do you survive the times?  “In the divine plan of things, the race belongs to the one who runs in the strength of God.  Strength, wisdom, speed, discernment, and learning are only valuable in so far as they are ordered by God.” (Kaiser)  Therefore, use your gifts and talents wisely–as unto the Lord.  Remember the words of Paul when he wrote the church at Corinth.

               “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
                          –1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NKJV)

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He recognized the feeling for what it was—the need within himself to protect and care for something beyond himself. It was that, in part, that had led him into so many fights that were not his; and yet, was not the cause of human freedom and liberty every man’s trust?”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Mountain Valley War)

       “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

                    –Luke 21:28 (NASB)
————————————–
How long?  How long will evil continue?  How long must we be assailed with the wicked agenda of the transgenders, drag queens, and gays?  How long will there be a mockery of the government?  How long will justice be perverted?  How long before You return, Lord?  
       Have you ever heard yourself say, “How long?”  How long will this sickness last?  How long until I can get financial stability?   Spurgeon said, “The ‘How long?’ sounds as if it were one of the saddest of all utterances in which misery bemoans itself.  Many times this bitter complaint has been heard in the dungeons of the Inquisition, at the whipping posts of slavery, and in the prisons of oppression.  In due time God will publish His reply, but the full end is not yet.”  Contemplate, if you will, the first part of Psalm 94.

          1 — O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs–O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
          2 — Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render punishment to the proud.
          3 — LORD, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?
          4 — They utter speech, and speak insolent things; all the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
          5 — They break in pieces Your people, O LORD, and afflict Your heritage.
          6 — They slave the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
          7 — Yet they say, “The LORD does not see, nor does the God of Jacob understand.”  (NKJV)

       In the midst of pain, suffering, turmoil and the seeming unfairness of life, know this–God is not mocked.  There is a day coming when God will settle all accounts.  The prophets declare it to be a day of doom and destruction.  Now, everyone, but especially those of the household of faith should be thankful for God’s mercy.  “Those who will not deliver themselves into the hand of God’s mercy cannot be delivered out of the hand of His justiice.” (Matthew Henry)  
       I used to “joke” with my students that be careful for once in a while the “spirit of slap” will come upon me.  Those in the front row better be ready to duck.  It was all in fun, but sometimes there is that real urge to slap, and maybe even more those of the realm of darkness.  I think that the Quakers might have had it right when they said that the retaliation hurts the person more than the one who is slapped.  Oh, but don’t it feel good, until the Holy Spirit convicts.
       More and more the devil is whispering to God’s people, “Where is the sign of His coming?  How long will you wait for something that will never happen?”  Evil is so rampant and is becoming more perverted and the devil smiles whispering to us “How long?”  He mocks the things of God; he mocks justice, morality, and the dignity of man.  He gets us to focus on the wickedness in the world and not on the person of Christ.
       Look at verse 4, “Hear their arrogance!  How these evildoers boast!” (NLT)   It seems that the Lord really does not see (verse 7), but remember, “This is the self-deceived condition of the godless.  In their sinfulness, they are unable to see God and thus assume that he is ignorant of their actions.” (Steven Lawson)  I have read Romans 12:19, several times.  “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (NKJV)  Notice the word, “wrath.”  We do not like to think in this modern and enlightened age of “woke” of God’s wrath.  Churches have thrown it out.  Preachers will not preach about the wrath of God, but it cannot be ignored.  Today, is the day of salvation–for tomorrow may be the day of God’s wrath.  How long? O, Lord–until He is ready.

               “We fight for truth; we fight for God;
               Poor slaves of lies and sin!
               He who would fight for thee on earth
               Must first be true within.”
                    –Thomas Hughs