Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
He is…one man…who cannot and will not turn his back on trouble, especially if there are innocents in peril.”
                    –Lou Bradshaw  (Blue)
 
       “The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us]  that we [believers] are children of God.”
                    –Romans 8:16(Amplified)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World
 
Key Verse:  “We known that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NASB)
 
       It has been a while since we have looked at our current situation and how to live as a child of God in the chaotic world.  I would suggest that you reread 1 John 3:1-4 before starting today’s devotion.
       Remember who you are!  That cannot be emphasized enough.  Remember who you are!
 
               “It is because we do not see ourselves as the children of God and going through this life and world in the way that this text [1 John 3:3-4] indicates; that is why our unhappiness tends to get us down.  We do not relate it to the whole; we do not put it in its context; we live too much with the things that are immediately in front of us instead of putting everything into the context of our standing and of our destiny.”
                         –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
 
Whose name do you carry?  Christ…ian.  There are those in the church who contend that the term Christian is archaic, outdated, and should not be used in this progressive culture.  But it is the name of Christ, and it defines who we are.  We are to be Christ-like, that is the reason we do right, that is the reason we seek to live a holy and righteous life.  One thing to realize, as you read the New Testament, is that it is not interested in the conduct of those who are not Christians.  The Epistles were written to the Church.  There is no comfort of encouragement offered in the Bible to anybody except those who are children of God.  Forget Universalism, forget Globalism.
       I would bring forth the words of the pagan, Socrates–“Know thyself!”  Know thyself in the light of Christ and God’s Word.  Know that we are children of God.  Know, be persuaded, to certain, have an assurance that you are a child of God.  Be aware of your new life and realize the old sinful nature.  Have a heart and desire for God and the things of God, not that of the world.  Know also that we are destined for glory for we shall be like Him.
 
               “I can therefore rest my confidence of glorification upon the promises of God, and the promises of God are based upon the character of God.  God cannot, because He is God, break His promises, and He has also given an oath, so we have a double assurance.  The promises are there with His purposes and His character at the back of them.”
                         –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
 
       Friends, no matter how much the world may scoff and mock, the Second Coming is a fact!  One day we shall see Him as He is.  Even now, while we are on earth, the Holy Spirit is working on us and ridding us of sin.  We have to be like Him.  To be like Him is to overcome the world.  To be like Him, one day, will cause us to be changed into glory.  
 
               “Changed from glory into glory
                     Till in heaven we take our place
               Till we cast our crowns before Him
                     Lost in wonder, love and praise.”
                             –Charles Wesley
 
As I think of becoming like Christ, I think of the frustrations in trying to live a righteous life and failing.  Yet, God, says that we are to seek righteousness, and as we seek it the Holy Spirit works on us.  However, one day–yes, day we shall be like Him when we see Him face to face.
 
               “Some day, till then I’ll watch and wait,
               My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,
               That when my Savior opes the gate,
               My soul to Him may take its flight.
 
               And I shall see Him face to face
               And tell the story–Saved by grace;
               And I shall see Him face to face,
               And tell the story–Saved by grace.”
                              –Fanny Crosby

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

You’re young. You have but little notion how cruel man can be to man. You’ll learn, though, and you’ll need a strong faith to get you through it.”
                    –Elmer Kelton  (The Buckskin Line)

       “God is faithful; you were called by Him into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

                   –1 Corinthians 1:9 (HCSB)
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Have you ever been frustrated?  Or should I say, what is it that frustrates you?  When driving does it just jerk your jaws when people run stop signs or cut in front of you?  Are you frustrated because you always seem to get in the wrong line at the checkout?   How about people?  Some people are just downright frustrating.  
       For sure, it will take faith to get through this life and into eternity.  It is through faith we are saved.; it is faith that appropriates the grace of the Father through Jesus Christ His Son.  Because of God’s faithfulness, we do not have to worry about Him becoming frustrated with us.  He is not going to wipe us off the face of the earth because we frustrate Him.  Oh, He may be grieved at our wrongdoings and disobedience.  And no matter what the bureaucrats do or the supreme adversary might attempt God’s plans will not be frustrated.  I like what Lloyd-Jones said,
 
               “This is absolutely certain:  Nothing can frustrate His plans; nothing can make HIm forego what He has promised; nothing can cause Him to change what He has purposed with respect to you.”
                               –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
 
       We can always rely upon God.  We can safely lean upon His Word, rest in His promises, and feel assurance that He is not frustrated, at least in the way the man understands frustration.
       Let me pass on some thoughts from that great expositor Lloyd-Jones.  “The Bible tells us about the faithfulness of God who always keeps His promises and never breaks His covenants.  It tells us that God will always fulfill every word that has ever gone out of His mouth.  It tells us that God will always faithfully and certainly defend and deliver His servants at all times of trial, testing, and conflict.  It tells us that God can be relied upon to confirm and to establish all whom He has called, guarding them from the evil one and keeping them and guiding them until His purposes are fulfilled in them.”
       What does God say about you?  Find out in the Bible.  What are His promises to you?  Go to His Word.  Remember you are a child of God.  Remember also that the Holy Spirit is working in you.  Part of our job is to read God’s Word, and to yield ourselves to the working of the Holy Spirit.  Hmmm, maybe if we do not do that we do “frustrate” God just like a child frustrates their parents.  But knowing that they love us, we can go to them for we have faith in them–faith in their love and wanting our best.  The same is true of God–we can always go to Him, rely upon Him because of His great love and His enduring faithfulness.

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

No hardship could seem too great, no trail too long, no mountain impassable when the vision was upon them.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Tall Stranger)

 
       “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho, and the LORD showed him all the land:  Gilead as far as Dan.”
                    –Deuteronomy 34:1 (HCSB)
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The definition of a mountain pass “is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge.  If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route.  Since many of the world’s mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have been important since before recorded history, and have played a key role in trade, war, and migration.”
       In my life and travels I have traversed many mountain passes.  Some to get where I need to be, others to see what was on the other side, and some to show others what was there.  Some of these passes were easy to travel with no real grade.  Others were close to being treacherous with narrow roads, hairpin curves, and rocky.  Some were well protected with guard rails, while others had no shoulder or railing.
       The object of a pass is to get to the other side.  It is the easiest way possible, but it can still be dangerous.  Upon reaching the summit there is usually a sigh of relief before heading on down the other side.  At the summit often one can have a wonderful vista of the country, while at other times the forest is too heavy to see anything except the way down the other side.  There have been times at the summit of the pass where there were storms–thunder, rain, hail, sleet, or snow and often fog.  Nothing could be seen except the storm.
       The pass; it must be crossed if one is to get to their destination.  In life, physically in traveling it is true, but there are spiritual passes that we must pass over as well.  There are mountains in our way that must be crossed in order to get to our destination.  Sometimes these take extreme effort; the will combines with the spirit to overcome and cross the summit.  The going may be hard and the way full of obstacles, but the pass must be crossed.  In these times it is important not to rely only upon your strength, but to lean hard on the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us over the trail.
       There is one pass that all must eventually cross.  The name of that last pass is Death.  The old-timers would say when a comrade died, “they passed over the Great Divide.”  Death is the last pass over the Great Divide between life and death.  The travel up that last slope may be a steep grade, or for some it may be a gradual incline, but the pass is there.  Paul says that for the believer it is only “sleep.”  
       That last Pass leads to the promise of eternity.  What is on the other side will be determined whether or not the individual accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior.  For that person crossing the pass leads to the glorious wonder of heaven.  For the person who does not know Christ, they will see the burning lake of fire into which their trail will take them.  All will cross this Divide, this last pass; this trail cannot be detoured.
       One thought regarding Moses as he stood on that last pass of his life.  God showed him the Promised Land.  I wondered if God showed him only the land, but the promise within the land.   I wonder if Moses saw into the future of events that would take place on the land, from the nation of Israel, to the cross of Calvary, to the coming of Armageddon.  

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

For when I looked upon the beauty and upon the distance, I could only think how short was a man’s life, with all the things to be done, the words to be spoken, the many miles to ride.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Man From the Broken Hills)

       “Jesus replied, ‘There are twelve hours of daylight every day.  As long as it is light, people can walk safely.  They can see because they have the light of this world.  Only at night is there danger of stumbling because there is no light.'”
                    –John 11:9-10 (NLT)
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What a time we had!  Annie and I traveled around this country (around 5000 miles).  Did we see some sights!  I had never been to the Bitteroots and wanted to see them so we secured a cabin there.  Montana is big, the distance is vast (almost like Texas).  It truly has “big sky” and an openness; made me wish I had visited some years back when the body was more able.  I did some ponderin’ along the way for a person cannot travel that many miles without pondering about something.  Some of it may show up here now and then.
     It was grand spending time in God’s great cathedral.  Stained glass windows cannot compare to the variety of scenes that He has created and painted in this vast country of ours.  From the time we left traveling through Texas on into New Mexico and Arizona we saw the amazing hand of God upon the landscape.  Into Utah and Bryce Canyon and then up through the state into Idaho and finally to our cabin in Montana–surely God created a wonderful place for us.  Each was different; each had its own beauty.  It made me recall the words of James Fenimore Cooper’s–Pathfinder.

               “Look about you, and judge for yourself. I’m in church now; I eat in church, drink in church, sleep in church. The ‘arth is the temple of the Lord, and I wait on Him hourly, daily, without ceasing, I humbly hope.”
 
The Lord spread beauty out before us.  We so often take His creation for granted, not noticing it unless something spectacular is pointed out to us.  Yet, in all our travels, we were told to avoid some wondrous spots as, Yellowstone and Glacier because of the people.  People were crowding in, and we left on vacation to get away from people.  Only three times did we come upon traffic.  Oh, the bliss of traveling where there were few others.
       How many more miles have I to ride?  Well, I don’t rightly know, that’s all in the hands of the Lord, but at least He gave us one more unforgettable ride through the canyons, the valleys, and up into the high lonesome.  How many more “Echoes” will I write?  That too is in His hands.  Until He tells me to stop, or until I am no longer able I will try and do my little part to encourage, inspire, exhort, and even teach.