Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

A snake ain’t dead until you cut off its head.”
                    –Donald L. Robertson  (Tortured Season)

       “He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.”

                    –Deuteronomy 8:15(NIV)
——————————-
               “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
                          –2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)

               “But I’m afraid that your minds might be seduced in the same way as the snake deceived Eve with his devious tricks. You might be unable to focus completely on a genuine and innocent commitment to Christ.”  (CEB)

There are snakes out there!  All kinds and some of them are very deadly, while others just give the impression of one of the deadly vipers.  Yes, there are some people who like snakes, even adore them.  But in most all literature the symbol of the snake is evil, deadly, sinister.  I have seen through the years of my experience that not all snakes crawl around on their belly or lie in wait in the bushes.  Some walk tall, talk smoothly, and use enticing words from which their venom flows.  There are people who are really more dangerous than any snake in the bush.
      Consider the following and it is easy to see that if taken literally they are full of poison.  Are the people speaking these stupidities acting as serpents?  Are they full of the devil?  Or are they simply confused simpletons?  No matter which, they are still supposed to be leaders in our country, yet…

Alexandra Cortez (AOC) — “We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was…  His rhetoric and beliefs were IGNORANT, UNEDUCATED, and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans.” (capitals mine)

Jasmine Crockett — “Just because someone has committed a crime doesn’t make them a criminal.”

Brandon Johnson (mayor of Chicago) — Jails, and incarceration, and law enforcement is a sickness…”

Confusion, foolishness, or the work of the devil.  Listen when people gloat over murder that is an indication of a demonic spirit.  Calling law enforcement a sickness and one can see why there is so much mayhem in Chicago.  I would then ask, what is the definition of a criminal?  Is it not someone who has committed a crime?  Not a real intelligent comment from Crockett.  And saying that Charlie Kirk was ignorant and uneducated is absurd.  If he was uneducated why in the world would he bother to debate those on a college campus?
     Paul is clear in his writing, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” (Romans 1:28, NKJV)  Know this, the problem we have in America is not a drug problem, not a gun problem, not a terrorist problem, not an abuse problem, not an economic problem–the problem that America has is a God-problem.  Evil spreads, violence spreads, addiction spreads when men and women ignore God’s Word.  Know this, there is an enemy who seeks to confuse people, who seeks to deceive and keep people from the truth of God’s Word.  Someone has said that Satan seeks to cause an emotional battle in your soul.  
     Watch out then, where you step.  There may be a snake.  Watch out who and what you listen to, it may be the voice of the serpent.  Let the Holy Spirit guide your steps and keep your eyes focused on the truth and upon Jesus.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Do right! Always do right. Sometimes that means helping others to make things right.”
                    –B.N. Rundell  (Naches Trail)

       “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
                    –Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
—————————–
Jeremiah tells us, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (33:3, NKJV)  Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NKJV)  The call is, “come to Me!”  Then know that help is available.  There is so much that man can do in the physical and intellectual realm that often they do not realize that there is a higher Power who they can come to.  In the arena of the spiritual, though, it must all come through Jesus.
     Man can endure much.  I have read many accounts of POWs and what they had to endure, but even in those trying circumstances most would say that it was hope and faith in God and in our country that aided them and gave them strength.  When the early Christians marched into the Colosseum they could do so only in the strength of Christ.   When man tries to be good in his own self their ending is frustration and no matter what, man can never be good enough.  Paul reminds us of this, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” (Romans 7:19, NKJV)  Then he shows his frustration–“O wretched man that I am!…”(Romans 7:24, NKJV)
     I came across a little story that is told of a highly successful businessman who was once asked by a reporter if he considered himself a self-made man.  “Yes,” he replied.  Then after a thoughtful moment he added, “But if I had it to do over again, I would call in some help.”  Humorous, yes.  Thoughtful, yes.  Truthful, a resounding, yes.  A self-made man in the eyes of the world may be on their way to Perdition.  There will be no self-made men in heaven in regard to their spiritual well-being.  Yes, we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but we do not save ourselves.  Yes, we are to do good works, but those good works do not save us, we do them because we are saved.
     In the midst of turmoil, where is our help?  When terror strikes, a bullet seeks a victim, a person overdoses, a marriage fails–where is our help?  In this lostness of time in which we live we cry–“O wretched man that I am!”  Now, to the good part.  When we cry out there is a loving Savior there, with hands outstretched ready to help.  To finish up Paul’s frustration, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24, NKJV)  Go ahead answer…Jesus!  Where does my help come from?  Jesus!  Who can I turn to when there is no human solution?  Jesus!  When I need a Savior, when I need a friend, who is there for me?  Jesus!  He is the God who is there!  

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

A disciplined calmness seemed to permeate the man.”
                    –Henry McLaughlin  (Journey to Riverbend)


       “Lord, happy is the man You discipline and teach from Your law.”
                    –Psalm 94:12 (HCSB)
——————————–
          “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.'”  –Numbers 13:30, NKJV

Discipline!  What a term.  Most people cringe when they see or hear that word, yet it is vital to our well being.  Now there are all kinds of discipline and many books have been written on the subject.  When we think of discipline we normally think of pain and sometimes, though wrongly, punishment.  
     I would ask you to read Numbers 13 and 14.  We see two types of people, those who have the discipline of faith and those who do not.  Someone has said that without discipline of some sort “there is disorder, chaos, anxiety, and randomness.”  When you read these verses you see the undisciplined multitude of anxious unbelievers.  See, there are two ways of facing life:  the way of fear and the way of faith.  The way of faith takes a disciplined thought-life and a disciplined faith.  John Ellis tells us that “Life consists of a long series of problems that require decisions–both personal and professional.”  To handle these properly and efficiently we need the discipline of faith.
     Those without discipline of mind, of thought, of voice, of faith… too often go off the handle.  They blurt out stupidities.  I sent a little note to my daughters yesterday:  “We have got to stop saying ‘How stupid can you be?’  It seems that too many people are seeing this as a challenge.”  Listen to them, oh my, but guard the ears and be prepared for the profanity.  Undisciplined lips.
     Let’s look at what takes place after the declaration of faith from Caleb and Joshua.  First, the people of Israel complained to Moses and said, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt!  Or if only we had died in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14:2, NKJV)  If only they knew that they would soon be given the chance to die in the wilderness for they would be required to wander until that generation had passed.  There were more grumblings and rumblings from this undisciplined mob.  They went so far as to say, “Let us select a leade4r and return to Egypt.” (14:4)  
     The men of faith, Moses and Aaron fell  on their faces, hurt, shamed, and knowing that the Lord would not be pleased.  Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes, and proclaimed again their faith and warned the people.  Then the people, the undisciplined, those with lack of faith, the loud-mouths spewed hate from their mouths, “And all the congregation said to stone them with stones…” (14:10)   We see that the undisciplined do not want to hear the truth, the word of faith.  Read on, see the great discipline of Moses, and read of the Lord coming upon the scene.
     Think of yourself, is your faith disciplined?  Are you scatterbrained, or are your thoughts disciplined and on the Lord?  Let me close this morning with a little prayer by former Air Force Chaplain, John R. Ellis:  “Lord God, help me to accept the problems of life as a challenge.  Temper the challenge with courage, and give me faith to know from whence comes my strength.  Amen.”  In other words, let me walk through this life with the discipline of faith.

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

We all have to fight off the wolves that would take from us. Those wolves can come in the form of losing loved ones, sickness, death, betrayal, violence, insecurity—basically the darkness that comes from living and makes people lose hope or take the easy path instead of the righteous one.”
                    –D.W. Ulsterman  (Vaughn’s Hill)

       “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

                     –Matthew 4:16 (ESV)
————————-
Just a few thoughts while I’m resting and away from the homestead.  Sometimes we read and we don’t pick up on certain words.  That’s one reason why I like to read what others say, for they might pick up on something I miss and then I can go back and ponder it.  Take a look at John 13:30, “Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately.  And it was night.” (NKJV)
     There are several things that could be said here about Judas.  He took the bread that Jesus gave him, but it does not say that he participated in the communion supper.  If you read a few verses before, it is mentioned that after Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.  Ponder that for a while.
     What I want you to concentrate on however in this verse are the words, “And it was night.”  By time, it was night.  Day had passed and they were walking in the night to the garden.
     It was night for Judas.  Light had passed from him.  He had rejected the light of the world.  “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:5, NKJV).  Judas, for some reason, refused to accept the light that was in front of him.  Judas, now would put his betrayal into action.
     It was night for Jesus, as He struggled with what lay before Him when He prayed in the garden.  He was in anguish for He saw a darker night looming in the near future.  A darkness of the soul when His Father gave Him up as the ultimate sacrifice.
     It was night for the disciples but they did not realize it yet.  That would occur on that dark day of the crucifixion and the darkness of the time until the resurrection.
     It was night–a darkness upon the earth as had never occurred before.  The Son of God would become sin.  Satan and his minions would rejoice in that spiritual darkness, but then—-the Light would burst into flame.  Jesus would put an end to darkness.  It is gone, but man must look to the true Light.
     Friend, when in your life it seems that all is dark and there is no hope, look up and see the face of Jesus.  That Light is there for you to see your way into the hope of glory.  With that hope, darkness is dispelled.