–Psalm 91:11  (NKJV)
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Friends you’ll just have to wait to see what happens in the dramatic life of Miles Forrest.  This will be the last Echo until, I don’t know when.  The old steel mount is packed and the wife and I are taking one more ride.  We’re heading out to that eastern part of the country and the Lord willing will be with my eldest for a few days.  There possibly could be some flickering from the campfire, but don’t be counting on it.  But then again, yuh never know….Today a few words of poetry, not my forte, but once in a while there are some good ones.

          Sometimes it seems like I’m standing still,
          Until I look back and see,
          How deep my valley, how high the hill
          And each step nearer to eternity.
 
          I know not my future holds,
          Lord, I have no way of knowing,
          But I know the One
          Who holds my future,
          And I have no fear of where I’m going.
                   –Walt Mills

Here’s one from the great sage and pioneer, Bob Nolan.

                I met a cowboy down the trail just the other day,  
                I still can hear his, “Howdy, boy!” as he passed and rode away.
               He turned in his saddle, he waved his hand, this happy sort of a lad,
               His smile was sent from Heaven above and Heaven made him glad.

                         The white clouds sail before the wind,
                         The grass bows to the touch of Him,
                         The hills are where they’ve always been.
                         Oh, Lord, You made the cowboy happy.
                         The plains are big and grand as You,
                         The skies are always clear and blue,
                         My heart is always smiling, too.
                         Oh, Lord, You made the cowboy happy.

               I know that someday, somewhere, the trail will surely end.
               I know that when I get there, this message I will send:

                         You gave this happy soul to me,
                         These eyes that beauty I may see,
                         Then, like the wind, You set me free.
                         Oh, Lord, You made the cowboy happy.
                         Lord, You set the cowboy free.

The Lord willin’ and the creeks don’t rise we’ll be back in the office soon, writing some more bunkhouse news.  
      Vaya con Dios.

                    –Cliff Hudgins  (Viejo and the Hunted Ranger)

       “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with your forever…  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

                    –John 14:16,18 (NASB)
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               “The shadow of the sun and moon in the water seems to shake as much as the water it shines upon.  Yet for all this seeming shaking here below, the sun and moon go on in a steadfast course in heaven.  So the psalmist tells us that, however our hearts stagger at a promise through unbelief, and our unbelief makes us think that the promise is shaken, God’s Word stands firm, though not in our hearts, but in heaven.”
                         –Anthony Tuckney

Have you ever doubted God’s word?  Does it seem shaky and at times unbelievable?  Perhaps it is not God’s word that is shaky, but your faith.  In fact, when our faith does shake and may even be shaken by circumstances that when we need to go to God’s unshakeable word.  Psalm 119 tells of a personal journey of an individual who strengthens his faith by God’s Word.

          .81 — My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word.  (NKJV)
                — My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.  (NIV)

There are times in our lives that we simply must endure, that is when we grasp onto the truths of God’s word.  Look at this verse:  salvation is needed from enemies; his soul was in need of deliverance, and he was faint, collapsing, caving in, no more strength.  There was nothing that could help, no deliverance except to trust in the word of God.  His promises are sure!  Hope in His word is our anchor; hope in His word increases our persistence.  Charles Bridges stated, “We depend not on what we see or feel, but on what the word promises.”

          .89 — Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. (NASB, NKJV, KJV)
The ESV and the HCSB translate slightly different, –God’s word is “firmly fixed in the heavens.”  That brings assurance, something that I can count on depend upon and place my soul upon.  We should never forget what God has been teaching us, in fact, Paul reiterates this when he writes to Timothy and Titus–hold firm to the truth.  Spurgeon said, “Jehovah’s Word is not fickly or uncertain; it is settled, determined, fixed, sure, and immovable.”  We are to build upon the Rock–the sure foundation where the storms of life cannot sweep them away.  “If His Word does not fit with the standards of the world, then the only conclusion for a Christian is that His Word is right, and that the world has got it wrong!” (David G. Pulman)

          .105 — Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (NASB, NKJV, ESV, HCSB, NIV, NLT, KJV)

Notice the above, all translate this verse the same!  There are a couple of slight changes in the Holman, “lamp for” and “light on”.  This is a verse that should give us hope and comfort.  Peace emanates from this verse if we take it to heart.  Spurgeon says, “One of the most practice benefits of Holy Scriptures is guidance in the actions of daily life.”  It is important that we continue to engrain God’s word in our hearts and lives.  When decisions come we already have a firm base.  When temptation comes our way we already know the standard.  Never forget that the world is in darkness, therefore that means we need a light to venture out.  His word should be used personally, practically, and habitually in all our endeavors.  James Montgomery Boice declares, “Our nighttime passage through the dark and dangerous journey of this life is illumined by God’s Word, the Bible.”

               “How glorious is your Word, O God!
               ‘Tis for our light and guidance given;
               It sheds a luster all abroad,
               And points the path to bliss and heaven.”
                         –Frank Bottome

       “They wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”
                         –Psalm 10:4 (NKJV)
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               “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.”
                         –Psalm 14:1 (NKJV)

Everyone without exception must face the basic question of life.  Whether they do it openly or by their lifestyle, that question must be answered and will be answered.  That question is what is more important than your relationship with God?  This is where it all begins.  All other basic questions flow from this first one.
     There are those who believe in a God, but do nothing other than make that declaration and do Him no homage.  There are those who believe that all paths lead to God, therefore God is benevolent.  There are those who believe in God and with their whole heart they dedicate their lives to serving Him.  Then, there are those identified by the above passage of Scripture, the ones who say there is no God.  What fools!  “Even the demons believe–and tremble!”  They have first-hand knowledge of God.  Man, therefore, is confronted with his own destiny–his relationship with God.
     What is a fool?  A fool is defined as a man who does not think.  He is always in contrast with the man of understanding.  “A fool is a man who lacks understanding; he lacks the ability to think clearly; he is a man who acts in an impetuous manner, who does not consider the consequences–that is the biblical meaning of the word fool.  He is someone who acts in an idiotic manner; he is lacking in reason and insight.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)  Part of the Great Commission is to enlighten such people either by speaking the Word, or living it out in our lives.  Hmmm, that brings up another pertinent question:  Does your life show that you believe in God?
     Men have great intellect, their have great brains, but they are governed by their lusts and passions and desires.  They want to live a life that they design therefore they must either put God on the back-burner or to say that He does not exist.  Part of the problem we are facing in this country today is the utter dereliction of serving God and having a relationship with Jesus Christ.  No!  “Get God away from me”, becomes the cry.  Fools do not reason a thing through no matter how much they say they do.  They jump to conclusions and make deductions without looking at the full truth.
     The fool rejects the concept of God because he wants to live his own life.  But what kind of life is that?  One without hope for the day, or a false hope, and certainly one with no hope for the future.  Death is all there is, that’s the ultimate destination.  How far from the truth that really is.  Lloyd-Jones puts it so simply, “There is no life, even in this world, that is comparable to the godly life.  It is a clean life; it is a pure life; it is a holy life, a life lived in fellowship and communion with God and with Christ.”  Satan is the great deceiver and he would deceive man into believing that they make up all there is to life.  Those who say there is no life after death; well, they cannot prove it.  They do not know what is going to happen to them when they die.  And yet…they’re prepared to risk it.  How foolish!  
     “Fools are completely out of step with reality, out of season with the wisdom of God.” (Bob Beasley)  “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2, NKJV)  Man is corrupt, man is becoming more corrupt.  The attack is not necessarily against Christianity, the attack is really against Christ, both the living and the written Word.  He represents life, He represents hope, He represents eternal life so those that reject this are truly, in one word–FOOLS.

                    –George W. Bush

       “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”

                    –Titus 2:11-12 (NKJV)
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               “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival… It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade with shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and illuminations from one End of this continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
                         –John Adams

On this 4th of July I want to give you something to ponder as you go through the day in celebration of this great nation’s independence.  I would ask the question, What will America be like in forty years…in twenty years?  Will the nation even be around?  Surely it will not be conquered by an enemy nation, but if the trend continues will be swallowed up by a more devious foe–inward rot.
       Daniel Webster said many decades ago.  “If truth be not diffused, error will; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the Gospel is not felt through the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end.”  I would then ask you, what are you doing to build the character of your children, or grandchildren?  There is an attack like never before on the minds and the character of our youth.
       If a person has character, everyone has confidence in him.  But then why the breakdown in leadership?  I would simply say, there has been a breakdown in the development of character.  Character means “dependability, integrity, the characteristic of never knowingly doing anything wrong, that you would never cheat anyone, that you would give everybody a fair deal.” (Omar Bradley)  Ah, but the problem has arisen, what does it mean or not mean to do anything wrong?  By whose standards does a person live–the truth of God’s Word or the relative truth of society that turns at a whim?
       With relative truth there is no foundation, there is no solid base upon which to make decisions.  Dr. Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor said, “The reason so many people are unhappy today and seeking help to cope with life is that they fail to understand what human existence is all about.  Until we recognize that life is not just something to be enjoyed, but rather is a task that each of us is assigned we’ll never find meaning in our lives and never truly be happy.”  The German reformer, Martin Luther wrote this, “The prosperity of a country depends not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, nor on the beauty of its public buildings, but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, its men of character.  Here are to be found its true interests, its chief strengths and its real power.”

       Go through this day of celebration with hefty hurrahs, for this is a great day.  A nation declared its independence and followed the dictates of Providence in the ensuing years.  But also, look and glance into the future.  Make sure you are preparing your children for it:  physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  “Both Scripture and history inevitably agree.  We, individually and collectively, always eventually get what we deserve.  We’re going to be honest and free–or dishonest and policed.” (Paul Harvey)  Hearken to the words of Jude, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (20-21, NKJV)  Hold fast the faithful word as you have been taught (Titus 2:9).