We could not look to anyone for help, we must help ourselves; we could not look to anyone for food, we must find our food and prepare it ourselves.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Killoe)

    “Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food…  The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up”
          Proverbs 23:3,8 (NKJV)
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I remember that one of the great novelties was to eat at a smorgasbord.  There was one in Westminister, Colorado, and once in a while Mom would take me there.  I think they now have upgraded the name to “Cafeteria” (i.e., Lubys, Picadillys), however, at a smorgasbord you choose from all the foods, not just order from a variety.
    Yesterday, I wrote of a famine in the land, but today I want to draw your attention to the fact of too much food, too many different types.  I’m a plain, old-fashioned type of guy.  Breakfast:  eggs, some meat, if possible a biscuit, and if I’m lucky hash browns, and if I’m extremely blessed–biscuits ‘n’ gravy.  Lunch: nothing special.  Supper:  meat, potatoes, vegetable, and once in while a piece of pie.  I’m not for all these fancy dishes or variations.  I go to a restaurant and order what I like, while others like to take a chance on something new.  
    Let me tell you that not all food is good.  There are some that taste good, and there are others that leave a bitterness in your mouth.  There are some things that look good, and the hungrier you are the better they look.  There are some things best left alone.  For example, I don’t know about mushrooms .  I like them in things, but you won’t find me going out to the woods to gather mushrooms.  They look alike to me.  Some are good, and some are deadly poisonous.  That takes me to my Scriptures for the day.  There was a famine in the land.  Elisha was at a “convention of the prophets” (their sons–whomever they were).  Now from what I know of preachers getting together there has to be food, but there was none to be found.
    The old cook must have had faith for he put a pot on to boil.  Maybe he thought that Elisha would perform a miracle, but the water was boiling, but there was nothing in it.  I recall how mountain men in our country when they were starving would make moccasin stew”.  Throw their moccasins in the pot, boil it up, then drink it.  Hmmm, tasty?  This cook, then sends a servant to gather whatever food he could find (the basis of gumbo, whatever the hunter brought back and whatever was around the house went into the pot).  The servant was obedient and tried to be helpful, after all he was hungry too.  He gathered herbs and wild gourds, slicing them, then throwing them into the pot of gumbo.  After the preachers were seated and began to eat suddenly one cried out–“There is death in the pot!”–the stew was poisoned.

         “So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.  Then they served it to the men to eat.  Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, ‘Man of God, there is death in the pot!’  And they could not eat it.”
                      –2 Kings 4:39-40 (NKJV)

    Listen!  That is true of what is being taught in the world and in some churches, “for fatal doctrine acts upon the soul as poison does upon the body.” (Arthur Pink)  Hold on to true doctrine!  False doctrine can lead you astray no matter how much your ears itch.  Do not feed upon it, but turn to the Word of God to find truth.  Satan is an imitator, and he will have “food” that looks like the gospel, but it is poison to the soul.  He makes sure that there is no shortage of the “food” that he has to offer.  It is up to us to recognize truth from error.  We cannot, we must not call right wrong, and wrong right no matter how good and delicious it might look for it is “death in the pot.”  
    There is a danger of compromise with the culture of the world.  There is a danger of acceptance and toleration.  However,  that could mean that there is death in the pot.  Yes, Elisha had a cure (2 Kings 4:41) but it is up to us not to eat of the things of the world.  Take heed to what David wrote,

         “Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked words with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
                      –Psalm 141:4 (NKJV)

    Don’t eat what the world is offering you.  It is time that we must discriminate between what is helpful to the soul and what is harmful.  Don’t eat the poison of the world.  Feed upon the Word of God.  “Only by making the Word of God our constant guide shall we be delivered from the evils surrounding us.” (Arthur Pink)

Every dream has a price, and the price for the wandering life is hunger, loneliness and danger, the blistering thirsts of deserts and the icy crash of waves, the tearing winds and driving sleet far from the hearthside and the warm arms of loved ones.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Sitka)

    “They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.”
              –Isaiah 49:10 (NKJV)
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Several years ago, a parent came to me asking where I got my notes for my class.  I don’t know if it was a challenge or a honest question.  I replied, “I don’t know.”  I’m a teacher, so I was in constant reading and research.  My notes came from a variety of sources.  It was my custom, if I felt I was weak in a subject area, that over the summer I would read 3-4 books about that area.  My notes covered two-thirds of a page, and the third part was reserved for notes I might come across, or read, then the next year I would add them to my regular notes.  It was a process of continual revision of my notes.
    Now, I said all of that to let you know that most of my “Echoes” are original.  However, I do borrow from many sources as I try constantly to read.  You may have noticed recently that I have used Lloyd-Jones several times and Arthur Pink.  If I remember right, it was Confucius who said that a teacher is actually a collector–a researcher.  So my writings reflect that, I am still (at this age) continually adding to my “notes” and thoughts.  Today, I have borrowed several things from David Wilkerson.  I want to look this morning at Psalm 107 (oh, and by the way, soon, I’ll start back with the Psalms.  I miss reading and writing about them.)

         “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.”
                   –Psalm 107:1-3 (NKJV)

Ponder those words for a minute.  Let them sink into your soul.  I want to make sure you read and reread them before I continue.  As I read, the words from an old song come to mind, “Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, (Crosby) and “I’m redeemed, by love divine, glory, glory, Christ is mine…” (Rowe).
    Are you hungry?  Are you eating the right food?  I’ve read where much of the world is starving and two-thirds of it is malnourished.  Kids in America may look healthy because they are getting plenty of calories, but what kind?  Look at the next two verses:

         “They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in.  Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them.”
                   –Psalm 107:4-5 (NKJV)

    There is a tremendous hunger in this country today, one that is similar to the kids full of the wrong kind of calories, but a famine of hearing the truth of God’s Word.

         “’Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.'”
                   –Amos 8:11 (NKJV)

Oh, there are plenty of churches, plenty of preachers, there are programs on television and social media, but many of these are the wrong “type of calories.”  It is hard to find a good church!  By good church I mean one that preaches the complete, true Word of God and also practices what the Word instructs.

         “Some pastors and congregations simply have no interest in righteousness.  The people care only having having their ‘needs met,’ so the church’s schedule is full of activities like father-daughter dances and family nights at pro-sports events.  Do these activities cause hell to tremble?  No, many churches of this kind are an absolute mockery of God.”
                   –David Wilkerson

    Friend, we need to be feeding on the Word of God like never before.  Having needs met is important, but much more important is having the soul feed with proper “food.”  Paul stated, that he had everything he needed. (Philippians 4:19)  Now, we find ourselves in the midst of turmoil because of the virus.  Many cannot, or will not make the effort for true fellowship.  First, we should have the Word preached–the undiluted Word of God.  Second, we need fellowship.

         “Without regular fellowship among a true body of believers, any Christian can end up cold, leaving their first love, wandering around, continually thirsty.  Some end up sampling unhealthy doctrines, while others end up isolated and bitter.”
                   –David Wilkerson.

    However, when a person realizes that he is not on the right track.  That he is not “eating” properly, that in fact, he is indeed starving he should immediately cry out to the Lord.  Verse 6 and 7 of Psalm 107, tells what will happen when we seek the Lord.  He delivers us from distresses, and leads in the right way!
    “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV).  This is what will fill the stomachs of our soul.  This is what we should be seeking, not fun and games, and entertainment.  Folks, perhaps it is time that we “get hungry.”

But above all—to endure pain, heat, shock, all the desert hardships, all of the agonies of life—to endure—that was their symbol of greatness… –to look up with unquenchable faith in something evermore about to be—that was what any man could do and be great!”
              –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)

    “[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
              –1 Corinthians 13:7 (NKJV)
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              “Lord Jesus make Thyself to me,
               A living bright reality,
               More present to faith’s vision keen
               Than any outward object seen;
               More near, more intimately nigh
               Than e’en the sweetest earthly tie.”
                      –Hudson Taylor

Are you ready to meet the new month?  Things are happening around us that we have no control over.  This country is going to change fast, my fear is not for the better, but they are going to change.  The above prayer is one that Hudson Taylor prayed everyday and he used it as a kind of bookmark for his Bible.
    I don’t think that we should ask the Lord to show us the “spirit world.”  In fact, that is something we are told not to do, and if we had an insight it most likely would scare us to death or at the very least give us the heebie-jeebies.  Eastern religions and Cosmic Humanism tell us to connect and get into the spirit world, but that is a dangerous place.  It is a place of demonic activity, and a place where angels trod.
    On the other hand, I do think we should pray that the Lord give us insight to what is happening in our lives.  Show us how close we are living to Jesus, how we can improve and have a closer relationship with Him.  Give us a glimpse of heaven so that we can be of better use here on earth.  A glimpse that will shatter any tie that binds us to this world.  This world and the things in it are not ours so help us, Lord not to tie ourselves to them.
    We need to pray that we will have eyes of faith.  Look at just a few things from Hebrews 11:

         By faith we understand… (vs 3)
         By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice… (vs 4)
         By faith Enoch was taken away… (vs 5)
         By faith Noah…moved with godly fear… (vs 7)
         By faith Abraham obeyed… (vs 8)
         By faith Abraham dwelt… (vs 9)
         By faith Sarah received  strength to conceive… (vs 11)
         By faith Abraham…received the promise…then offered up Isaac… (vs 17)
         By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau… (vs 20)
         By faith Jacob, blessed the sons of Joseph… (vs 21)
         By faith Joseph gave instructions… (vs 22)
         By faith Moses was hidden… (vs 23)
         By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter… (vs 24)
         By faith Moses forsook Egypt… (vs 27)
         By faith ______ did…

Add your name to the blank.  What are you doing by faith?  Perhaps the greatest thing that can be said is that you are walking daily in the light of God’s Word.  See, real faith is actually faithfulness.  That is why when the Lord calls you home, He looks for faithfulness–a life of faith.
    One more thing to ponder is found concerning Moses.  Hebrews 11:27, says that Moses “endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”  We cannot see God, but Moses saw Him through spiritual eyes.  We can do the same, even more so as we have the Bible to read.  Through its pages we can get a glimpse of God and see what He is doing, not only in this world, but in each of our lives.

But one thing that I always got
    From every job I’ve done,
    Is do the best I can each day
    And try to make it fun.

        The boss expects a job well done
    From every man he’s hired.
    He’ll let you slide by once or twice,
    Then one day you’ll get fired.”
              –Red Steagall (“The Fence That Me and Shorty Built”)

       “You must be ready dressed and have your lamps alight, like men who wait to welcome their lord and master on his return from the wedding-feast, so that when he comes and knocks at the door, they may open it for him at once. Happy are the servants whom their lord finds on the alert when he arrives.”
              –Luke 12:35-37 (Phillips)
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My mercy; it’s hard to believe that one month is already placed in the annals of history.  I could go on a political tirade here, but part of my responsibility is to remain sane, calm, cool, and collected.  But it does relate to what I want to say this morning.

         “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
                   –1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (NKJV)

Some versions refer to “stewards” as “managers.”  I like the way that J.B. Phillips rendered verse 2, “And it is a prime requisite in a trustee that he should prove worthy of his trust.”  “Trustee” of what God has given us.  Jesus spoke of “stewards” in Matthew 24.  There is the parable of the faithful servant (steward) and the evil servant (steward)–24:45-51.  He continued the thought in Matthew 25, with the parable of the talents be given out to the servants (stewards).  They were expected to manage the house and the talents properly.
    I want to first mention the “mysteries of God.”  We are to be stewards of the mysteries of God.  That sounds somewhat scary–what are they?  I have thought about that phrase several times, and through reading and study I conclude that we are seeing the mysteries of God in action.  Men and women are walking aimlessly in this life, not knowing where to turn, and trying to come up with solutions to problems.  God has the answer and has given it to us.  His Son!  Mysteries are the essential truths; things undiscoverable by human intellect.  They come by the Holy Spirit when one accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior.
    Now to the main matter–stewards.  What actually is a steward?  We see the term “steward”, we see “manager” and “trustee.”  A steward was simply a person in charge of the household, or the estate.  That entailed caring for the estate, whatever that may be, and also seeing to the distribution of good according to the needs of those in the household.  Many ministers use this term in regard to tithing, but that is only part.  Being a good steward/manager/trustee is to follow the example in the Old Testament of tithing, but it is far more than that.  A steward manager/trustee recognizes that he is a servant thus he owns nothing of his own.  All belongs to the Master!  We give what He tells us to give.
    It is more than monetary giving, however.  How have you managed your time?  Of course, one-third of it is for sleeping, another third is for your job, but what of the other eight hours?  Your mind?  How is that used?  In other words, we are to be good stewards/managers/trustees of everything under our keeping, and yes, that includes money.
    The question is then how to be a good steward.  Did you fulfill your duties and responsibilities in the month of January?  If so, then you were a good steward.  Alan Redpath says that it is “for a man to turn his back deliberately upon all self-ambition and self-confidence, submitting to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ in his life.”  Realizing that you are not autonomous and will have to answer to the Master is part of being a good steward.  You are taking care of His, and with that remember that means that you must take care of yourself as well for you belong to Him.  
    A good steward/manager/trustee will then, will do the will of God.  My pastor, last week preached that it is doing your job, year after year, day after day.  He continued to say that in running the race, which is life itself, the track is not set by the runner.  Whatever course we find ourselves on we are to run it with perseverance.  We will stay on the prescribed course for to get off it would means disqualification.  Things, (i.e., the virus) will try to slow you down–run on.  Sin will try to get you off course–run on.  Weariness and fatigue may set in making you want to stop, maybe even quit–run on.  Run with endurance the race that God has for you personally.  Then when He returns He will see that you were a good steward and will say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant [steward/manager/trustee]: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21, NKJV)