I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.”
–Acts 20:29 (NLT)
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Don’t get on to me! I’m old, the mind is feeble, and so it’s a day late, I still included it. Sure, sure, yesterday was the last day in January, but February is still a cold month and can produce lots of snow. Anyhow, this is one of my favorite songs, and no, it is not a hymn but definitely has some biblical truths in it. Early on in his career Garth Brooks said it was one of his two favorites, I don’t know about now. Take your time as you read it and ponder the thoughts. The composer is Stephanie Davis.

WOLVES

Jaunary’s always bitter
But Lord, this one beats all.
The wind ain’t quit for weeks now
And the drifts are ten feet tall.
I’ve been all night drivin’ heifers
Closer to lower ground
Then I spend the mornin’ thinkin’
‘Bout the ones the wolves pulled down.

Charlie Barton and his family
Stopped today to say goodbye.
He said the bank was takin’ over
The last few years were just too dry.
And I promised that I’d visit
When they found a place in town,
Then I spent a long time thinkin’
‘Bout the ones the wolves pull down.

Lord, please shine a light of hope,
On those of us who fall behind,
And when we stumble in the snow
Could you help us up while there’s still time?

Well, I don’t mean to be complainin’, Lord,
You’ve always seen me through.
And I know you got your reasons
For each and every thing you do.
But tonight outside my window
There’s a lonesome, mournful sound,
And I just can’t keep from thinkin’
‘Bout the ones the wolves pull down.

Oh Lord, keep me from bein’
The one the wolves pull down.

If you’ve been following my Miles Forrest story you would notice that he is having some trouble with wolves. This is not the first time in his life that he has had to face a pack of wolves. Wolves hunt in packs, and they like to eat their prey alive, striking first at the underbelly that contains the visceral.
The sound of the wolves brings shivers if you’re out. They lurk, waiting to catch you unawares, to tear you apart. How many over the year have been pulled down by the wolves? I’m not meaning here of the animal, but the force that tear at your soul. Because God is sovereign there is no need to question why He allows it, but instead we should be more on our guard.
Notice who they are. They are those who stand in the pulpits, those who teach and they are waiting to tear out your innards–your soul. You must have the Word of God in you so you will be able to detect the “wolves.” You must walk this life aware of the shadows and what might be lurking there ready to devour. Then perhaps all of us should pray:
“Oh Lord, keep me from bein’
The ones the wolves pull down.”

Love is a mighty-purifier of mortal man.”
–Ernest Haycox (Whispering Range)

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
–James 4:8 (NLT)
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This is a very important date in my history. If not for this date, and the event that occurred I would not be here today. Today is the birthday of my Grandpa.

Robert James Adkisson
January 31, 1902
April 28, 1983

Grandpa was born to Elijah Elias Adkisson and Ruth Amanda Coulter Adkisson in Rhea County, Tennessee. At a young age they moved to the Fort Smith area of Arkansas and eventually to the coal-mining community of Williams, Oklahoma.
He worked in the coal mines for around thirty years in Oklahoma and Colorado. By the time I came along he was working at the Boulder Brickyards and eventually retired as a night watchman for Western Cutlery. The family moved from Oklahoma because the mines were closing down and arrived in the Waunita Hot Springs area of Colorado. For a short season Grandpa was a lumberjack before finding a job in the mines in Boulder County. The family lived in the coal community at Superior, did their shopping at the company store and lived in company housing. I’m not sure if they lived in the coal community in Oklahoma or not. He quit the mines right after a deadly accident at the Vulcan Mine. Grandpa didn’t work at that mine, but mine accidents were a worry to him. His brother, William, was killed in a mine accident in Oklahoma.
Most of the people in Boulder called him “Bob,” but to me he was just Grandpa. He took me every year to the Boulder Rodeo, to Denver Bears baseball games (Dad usually came to those), and fishing. Grandpa was a fisherman. He would fish whenever the opportunity presented it. One thing though, Grandpa would never fish on Sunday.
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Ponder This: I was going back through my devotions from last year and came across these notes I wrote down from A. W. Tozer. The title of his article was, “Christians Are So Well-Fixed, Heaven No Longer Beckons.” He said that Christians live too much in the “present now” and that the anticipation of heaven “has almost died out.” We don’t need tomorrow’s heaven; we don’t need hope for we have everything now. There are a couple of powerful statements he made that should be heavily pondered.

“The true Christian is one who is sick of this world.”

“All of the Christians I meet who are amounting to anything for God are Christians who are very much out of key with their age–very, very much out of tune with their generation.”

Tozer continues and brings forth the concept that this is a “wicked and adulterous generation.” The times are evil and if we, Christians, are in touch with the world we are definitely out of touch with the Lord. Maybe it is unbelief that keeps us tied down and why entertainment is sought in churches. One of my pet peeves (#39) is turning the lights down to make it darker in church, especially during the “worship” service. We are to be children of light, we are to be light unto the world, and we darken the church? Hmmm, something is wrong here.
However, I close moving away from my thoughts to some words in which we should rejoice. Tozer writes that we should “soar as high as you can with your Christian hope…”

If civilization was to endure, those who believed in it must be prepared to strike back at the dark forces that would destroy it.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Cherokee Trail)

“Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?”
–2 Corinthians 6:14 (NLT)
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“Reality does not play mind games. What is more, if the mind is anesthetized in order to abort what comes to birth when wrong ideas are conceived in the womb of culture, the very life-giving force of the nation that nurtures that idea will die as well.”
–Ravi Zacharias

“Persistence is success.”
–Joseph Parker

Hard to believe–one month is already down for 2018. Time rushes on. Perhaps you’ve noticed, I have not said one word regarding resolutions. The reason being is that I wanted to give you time to settle into your routine.
Some say they do not believe in making resolutions. That is a real shame. Goal-setting is important to a productive and healthy life, otherwise people seem to drift aimlessly from here to there, and sometimes back again. As Christians we should always be seeking to improve ourselves in various areas of our lives. We can always improve physically, mentally, and spiritually. Making resolutions help us mark our progress and help us see results.
Then there is that group who mockingly say that “resolutions are made to be broken.” That is more of a shame. Christians should never, ever have this mind-set. We should develop discipline and diligence in the fulfillment of our resolutions, especially if they were prayerfully sought, and then directed by the Holy Spirit.
A resolution is sort of like a vow, though not as stringent or serious. Failure does not negate a vow, the same is true of a resolution. So you didn’t lose five pounds in January; February is here so try harder. Pull yourself together, then get resolute about keeping your resolution. If you haven’t made any ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of your life where improvement is needed.
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Ponder This: Proverbs 15:31-32, “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.”
What do you do when given reproof? Go hide, take it, let it go in one ear and out the other, or take inventory of your life in that area. The natural person puts up a wall around himself that rejects godly reproof. He prefers words of flattery or encouragement. The poor self esteem is at stake. That’s one reason the prosperity or feel-good gospel is popular rather than true doctrinal preaching.
We should examine every issue of our lives against the backdrop of God’s righteousness and His Word. The rebuke from God’s Word is not nearly so painful as the rebuke of actual experience.

Living a life is much like climbing mountains–the summits are always further off than you think, but when a man has a goal, he always feels he’s working toward something.”
–Louis L’Amour (The Lonely Men)

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”
–Colossians 1:1-3 (NLT)
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Many years ago, in fact I was in the seventh grade, Douglas MacArthur came out with his book in weekly format in “Life” magazine. I was enthralled with it and couldn’t wait until the next week to read the next installment. Since today is his birthday I thought I might throw in a couple of his quotations.

“Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.
People grow old only by deserting their ideals.
Years wrinkle the skin but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair . . .
these are the quick equivalents of the
long years that bow the head and turn
the growing spirit back to dust.
Whatever your years, there is in every being’s heart the love of wonder,
the undaunted challenge of events,
the unfailing childlike appetite for what next,
and the joy and game of life.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt,
as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear,
as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
So long as your heart receives messages of
beauty, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from
the earth, from man and from the Infinite, so long are you young.”
–Samuel Ullman (used by MacArthur often and became “MacArthur’s Credo”)

I used to send this to teachers on their birthdays. What is age after all? It is the envitable thing that happens to all if they don’t succumb to death by some other means earlier. Read through this and you might have some thoughts about how old you are in your thoughts.
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“I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.”
–General Douglas MacArthur

History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has either been a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.”
–General Douglas MacArthur

In view of those two quotations we should definitely heed even the more the Scripture: “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34, NKJV)