Who Do You Believe?

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  1 Corinthians 5:8

This morning with the smell of battle still hanging over the land, it does not take a genius to ask, "Who are you going to believe?"  Both sides of the presidential debate last night will have used words such as, integrity, truth, and honesty. Either side will want us to believe that their candidate has these qualities and the other does not. This morning, both sides will claim victory for their debater. And we are one step closer to yet another closely divided election. As a non-affiliated voter, I see that I have not prayed enough yet for our nation. With around 330 million persons to choose from we should be able produce someone of honesty and integrity, who is also the truth. Oh, wait, I just described someone I know! 

No, sorry, it isn't Bubba from across the street, or even Milt from over yonder. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6) Why can't we get that guy for our president? For one thing, our Lord is already seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, not sure He would accept a mere presidency of one nation as an enticement to come down here again. For a second thing, our Lord is going to reign over the Earth for a thousand years toward the end of the Revelation. Again, our presidency which, great as that position is among us, seems to be a bit of a let down from the King of kings and Lord of lords. I guess we will just have to wait on the Lord's timing for His government. In the meantime, use your vote wisely with much prayer and supplication with thanksgiving in your request for wisdom to God. 

Who do I believe? Jesus, of course. 

Bucky

Good Sleepy Morning

Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, but as they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.  Luke 9:32

If you have ever gone sleepy during a pastoral prayer, or perhaps even one of your own, you have something in common with three favored disciples. As you nod off and perhaps snore a little, awakening yourself, you may awaken to wonderful things and great signs! Peter, James, and John did. This morning I am a candidate to see great and wonderful things as I have the sleepy part going on already. Those great and wonderful things must have something more than a bit of the sleepy though. Jesus is central to the miraculous as His Father our God shines in Him. 

Perhaps it was cool on the mountain as the three disciples awaited the prayer time of their Lord and Teacher. When my house is cool, as it is this morning, I notice that sleepiness is easy to come by. Does that force a great sign or a wonder from our Lord? Of course not. Most times it is not for a great sign that sleepiness comes but a more mundane reason: it is time to wake up and rejoice in the Lord! And maybe that is not so mundane after all. 

Thank You, dear Lord, for the new day to rejoice in You!

Bucky

Are They Crazy?

And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.  Revelation 19:19

We read the story and we wonder what sort of deception has caused these armies to gather against the Lord and... well, are they crazy to come against the Lord? The armies of the earth against the armies of heaven might seem a terrible mismatch already, but the Lord? And we are asking again, "Are they crazy?" Perhaps it is so, but somehow they gather because they think they can win, or their pride is so great that they must follow it down to the bitter end. And with a quick summation John sees the enemy defeated from the greatest to the least, and with that the war is ended by our Lord as His cleanup crew descends to feast. 

World War II was a sprawling war of much suffering and combat. A person could fill a library with books and references about the causes, the actions, and the personalities that populated the largest war the earth has seen to this date. The story of the World War against the Christ lasts three little verses in Revelation 19:19-21. No lengthy campaigns, no marches of suffering, just a quick victory by our Lord that is so overwhelming that all the casualties and captures are on one side. In less space of time than it takes to write about it, the war is finished by our Lord. Amazing. 

May our light shine among the lost ones lest they fall for this craziness and come against our Lord! 

Bucky

An Understanding Heart

“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 1 Kings 3:9

A person comes to me with a problem and I want to be the hero of the circumstance, and so I immediately begin designing a solution for them. How can I hope to do this without first having an understanding heart? Solomon answered the Lord in wisdom, and the king is famous for his response in the Bible. The Spirit of the Lord had to be at work in Solomon already for him to have this sort of answer in his heart. For everyone from the moment Adam and Eve took the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil has thought in his or her heart that we know good from evil. And yet, wisdom is shown in Solomon in that he asks of the Lord to make him able to discern between good and evil. There is wisdom, a request for an understanding heart and humility before the Lord. 

Great was the Spirit of the Lord in Solomon! 

Bucky

Will He?

He will inhabit ruined towns
and houses where no one lives,
houses crumbling to rubble. Job 15:28

From one of Job's friends, Eliphaz, comes this prediction of what will happen to the wicked man. However, along with King David and others in the Bible, we might dispute that as we have seen wicked men prosper in our times. Not that a billionaire is necessarily wicked because he or she is rich, but we have seen many a person find quick riches through wicked living. We have also seen followers of Christ fall beside us in sickness and poverty. So, Mr. Eliphaz, what's up with that? Will he really fall down to the ruined town and live where no one lives? It seems more like the wicked man gets to ruin the town by selling out to the foreign investors and then lives alone because he used the proceeds to buy the 50,000 acre ranch in the mountains. 

Of course we kn0w from the rest of the story in Job that his friends began wrong in their assumption that Job was being punished for his sins - and heinous they must have been for all that Job was suffering! As we have seen, the wicked often prosper in this world and the righteous may meet with misfortune and tribulation like Job did. However, this life is so temporary, and what comes after does not start with any pile of loot built up in this little life. Will he inhabit a lonely place? He may in the time to come if he will not listen to the warnings of the judgment about to fall on the wicked ones. We have yet a little time before the reaping of this world, warn the wicked ones! 

In Christ we live,

Bucky

When I Pray

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26

So, Paul says that I do not know how to pray as I ought to be praying, and God speaks through Jeremiah that He will listen to me when I call upon Him. So, does that mean that God listens to me babble along in prayer not doing very well at it? Well, yes, and praise God for His patience with this oft times babbling little praying one. With the kind permission of the Lord God Almighty, I would like to continue to practice praying to Him while He guides me in His dear Spirit to better prayers. Until the time when we can get my prayers to a higher state, I have the assurance of the Spirit's intercession for me before the Father. Therefore, when I pray I'm going for it and making my requests known to God, rejoicing in the Spirit as editor and presenter of my prayers to the Father our God. 

'nuff said about that! 

Bucky

It's Been Here

For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth."  Romans 9:17 from Exodus 9:16

By now we may be just a bit weary of the smoke over us. We dare not complain though for we have heard of the suffering of those much closer to the flames. We may be just a bit tired of the drought conditions this summer. We dare not complain though because another area of the gulf coast is being inundated with too much water even now. My ancestors had a bit of a tough go... oh boy, don't go there in this offended age! For some we can never suffer enough to merit the hearing of any complaint from us. I'm okay with that, for the word of the Lord is my comfort and joy as the darkness of the world and the lawlessness of man increases upon the Earth. 

As Paul uses a statement from the Exodus in his letter to the Romans, we are pleased to see that God raises up both evil rulers and suffering saints for the same purpose - to declare His name in all the earth and to show His power in us. Let us not confuse the two though: for the pharaoh it was a hardened heart and harder lessons, but for us it is a renewed heart and a loving God. The name of the Lord our God has been here, and we live in the grace of our Savior, Jesus. 

May God's saving power shine through us today!

Bucky

Joy In Speaking?

A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is! Proverbs 15:23

Now there is what I strive for! A work spoken through my typing fingers in due season is a delight and reward for my efforts. Monday morning devotional messages on the other hand seem to be among the more lifeless of my writings. As for the answer of my mouth, what person doesn't like a good snappy comeback at just the right time? Um, no, probably not what Solomon collected that proverb for. The wise king of Israel likely saw in it the perfectly timed word of the Lord that heals and encourages. The sort of word that compares to our usual words as a cool drink of water to a thirsty worker compares to the sudden deluge of ice water that causes a person to gasp in pain. Our words in our human strength and understanding often come out joyless and ill-timed. It is so bad with us that most of us fear public speaking above all other fears. 

So, how is it that God's prophets and preachers had and have such great words at just the right time? Yeah, that one is not such a tough one for us: they are God's prophets and preachers of course! It is the word of the Lord spoken or written through us that is well-timed and full of joy. Those other writings, well, those are my fault, probably the days I think that I know something. The days when the joy of the Lord shines through my writing, are of course the days when the joy of the Lord shines through! My, my, I'm really Capt. Obvious today. 

The mangy mutt next door is shouting out his 'Hallelujah' too. Rejoice in the Lord always!

Bucky

An Inheritance of Original Sin

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.  Romans 5:12

Original sin - that's totally unfair, you say, we didn't even get to commit those sins! Do you want to? Sin fulfills its payroll with a morbid coin. Why should we have to inherit what Adam did? It is like a man walking into his home when a process server approaches him. Are you John Smith owner of this house? Yes, the man replies. You are served. But, it turns out the suit is not even against Mr. Smith himself, but against his father, who had passed away some years before. The amount the plaintiffs demand from the late Mr. Smith is 40 million dollars in hard, cold cash. The son of Mr. Smith hollers out to the Lord that he should not have to pay this sort of inheritance because he did not commit the thing that the plaintiffs allege in the suit. 

There is that other inheritance again, Adam's sin. Why, we holler with indignant unfairness in our voices, we didn't earn that punishment, Adam did! 

Another little fellow with the papers shows up. This fellow finds the nephew of Uncle Mortimer Smith filled with righteous indignation, but quietly contemplating the unfairness of inheritance of original sin. The fellow was nearby and heard that shout from the younger Mr. Smith, but this time he has a court order for the paying out of a large estate. Sure, I'm that Mr. Smith, any of us might say. The little man looks up, "I'll just tear up this check for 50 million dollars then, for you don't believe in inheritance. I'm sure I just heard you tell God how unfair that sort of thing was." Oops.

We rejoice in one form of inheritance, the lots of loot kind, but are generally against the one where we inherit the sins of our fathers all the way back to Adam. Original sin is like our DNA though, we got it whether we like it or not. Like the two stories though, Jesus our Lord has obtained an inheritance that is much better and is glad to share it with the members of His family. All we have to do is what it says in John 3:16 - believe in the Son of God! 

Have a great Friday!

Bucky

No Criminal Record

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

Yesterday, a man came into the office and led me through a search for my state criminal records, and we found the result: no criminal record. He is a bit of a gambler, so I'm wondering that he wasn't perhaps gambling on me, like hoping maybe there was a reward for my arrest? No, in the eyes of the law, I am a law-abiding clerk in a one-horse real estate office in a small town. I expect that most of the citizens of our nation would have a similar record as only a small portion of our population ever get arrested. However, imagine that as we watched the computer screen a record was returned. And what a record it was! All of the worst offenses against the law were listed, and the arrest date was something really odd, such as 10,054 BC (wild guess). Stunned, we might look at one another and ask, "How can this be?" 

As you know from our Bible studies and sermons, we all have that same record. Born: sinner; the record says, and the sentence is death. Now lots of folks want to look at the record from their personal point of view and read something like: basically a decent sort, deserving of a pass into Heaven. Paul tells us straight though. Death rules over us unless something greater should save us from this dreaded thing. The greater thing is God's grace, and it comes to us through the one man: Jesus Christ. 

Whew! The record was calling for my execution there. Thanks and glory to God and His wonderful Son, Jesus! 

Bucky

If Only

For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”  Mark 5:28

We got smoked again yesterday as the distant and not-so-distant fires combined to cover us in a gray haze. Of course, here is us in the middle looking at Sally making landfall with too much rain there, and over yonder there is too much fire, and hmm, if only we could... 

On the one hand that is just another example of fallen humanity living on a cursed Earth. On the other hand, like the woman in our verse for today, we have this great opportunity for prayer in faith to our Lord Jesus. If only, God's people would pray in the faith that gave this woman relief from the illness she had endured for years, we might see the same relief given to those facing too much flame or rain. If only we prayed in faith to the Lord, we might know the bounty of His blessing in a land where we did not get enough rain this year. If only...but God's will might be for me to endure this tribulation for another 20 years. How do you or I know that God's will is such suffering? Let us pray in faith that like the woman in our verse God's will is to heal and restore in His goodness and love!

Praise the Lord for this opportunity,

Bucky

A Consequence Between The Rows

They have spoken words,
Swearing falsely in making a covenant.
Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field. Hosea 10:4

Count on works to save yourself, and in between the rows of crops you see ready to harvest is another crop: judgment. If we try to obtain salvation through good works, we make a false covenant by bringing to the table a rotten carcass filled with the putrefaction of sin. Now this goes against the basically decent human being the world has told us we are by way of its laws. Sure there might be a parking ticket here, an expired registration there, a bit of a mistake in my favor in the tax worksheet back then, but you and me are not like that fellow on death row in the supermax prison, are we? Nah, God's word assures us that we are much worse if it is by our works that we claim to be saved. 

It was on a smoky day in September that fallen imperfection looked toward perfection, failed to see it in the haze of the distant fires of judgment, and declared by lack of evidence that it was good enough for salvation. What? How could anyone be so blind? And yet, refuse to believe in the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, we will fail to see the sin in the race of Adam, and we too risk being good enough in our own blinded sight. Only in the light of Jesus are we saved, and praise unto the Lord that in the smoky haze we live under now many are coming to the light of Jesus. 

Great is the name of our Lord!

Bucky

Who Am I?

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 2 Samuel 7:18

A question occurring to many of us in times before and perhaps even right now: Who am I? Some would respond with their jobs, as I often did for many a year. Others might respond with other positions in life such as husband/wife of that person or son/daughter of this person. In bygone days it might be more common for a select few to respond with an inherited position such as Joe, King of Mulfaspoon, a made-up land far away. Then there are those who have their resume ready for just such a question. We seem to have trouble answering that question directly without resorting to positions held or deeds done. If as Paul claims all of those things are like refuse or filthy rags, then what are we left with to answer? 

King David had a great and humble question before the Lord when he wondered, "Who am I, O Lord God?" Perhaps in place of an answer we think might do, we would rather come before the Lord in prayer and ask Him who we are. If extolling our deeds and places will be like offering a pile of dirty rags to the final judgment, then maybe we need to look to One who loves us and has taken our place in the justice of God. Jesus my Lord must have a better answer to the question, who am I? 

In the love of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior,

Bucky

Fear Fell

The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people.  Esther 9:2

Fear of a conquered people who have seen the evil that men do used against them time and time again? That the other people were afraid of them is secondary, a consequence of something happening from what or where the word of the Lord does not say in this verse. For those who believe in Him though, it seems that this fear could only come from God who stands watch over His people. That the story of Esther says that fear fell on them means to us that it came from above. That a daughter of the Jews was in a place of influence at just this critical time also speaks of God's provision, even though it is not specifically stated in the word.  For those who will see, God's work is shown in a book of the Bible that does not mention His name. 

We too live in a time when it seems to those who do not believe that God is not present in the world. So strong is this evidence to them that many believe the Lord God does not exist at all. However, for those who will believe in the Son of God, the lawlessness of the times is the evidence we look for to know that the close of this age comes near. Those same evidences that cause some to remain firm in their unbelief are the things we see that fulfill the prophecies of the coming Tribulation. The division of the world takes place before our eyes, and we have a brief time to warn a few more before it is too late. 

Grace and peace to you in Christ, in a time when the world falls into lawlessness,

Bucky

A Bright Moonlight

The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter — like the light of seven days — on the day that the LORD bandages his people’s injuries and heals the wounds he inflicted. Isaiah 30:26

Yes, this prophecy is there, and no I cannot imagine the moonlight as bright as sunlight, for when I try a picture of daytime comes to mind. Now add in sunlight seven times brighter than what we know today and all I can say is, "How will anyone survive the heat?" We have our experience in this life and we use it attempting to understand the prophecy of the Lord, and we come up short of imagination. Is this a picture of the new Earth? Plants will certainly grow quickly with that much light to work with. Grass mowing will be a constant occupation. Grass mowing? Really? Is that all I can think of?

Prophecy is an opportunity to trust in the Lord our God. The things our Lord puts forth in His revelations of the future are at times so fantastic that we are left groping about in dim experience trying to explain or understand what He plainly states through His prophets. We must trust and believe in the Lord, and know that we will not be roasted to a crisp in the light of a seven-fold sun. This and many other prophecies show us that things as we know them now are not what God has waiting for us in the days of bliss to come. Great is the Lord our God!

Bucky

Gone And Forgotten

For the living know that they will die;
But the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For the memory of them is forgotten.  Ecclesiastes 9:5

Some go to the graveyard to remember the dead, others visit museums, or view monuments and paintings. But as for me, I like to go to auctions to remember the dead. Estate auctions showcase the life of a person after the relatives have come and taken away what they want, sometimes referred to as, "the good stuff" by those who try to make a living by running estate auctions. In the fairgrounds building, the former possessions of the dearly departed speak volumes about what that person sought in life. Yes, with the good stuff taken by the heirs there are indeed volumes missing from the story. What the story speaks to me though is that I don't know this person. The auction may tell more than the tombstone, but the person is departed and cannot speak to me in person. 

Another story they tell me is of the one our Lord Jesus mentioned, do not store up treasures on earth. Today our Lord might change the moths and rust bit to an estate auction, for that is where a crowd gathers after the departure to purchase, often quite cheaply, the lifetime gatherings of the dead. The stuff didn't go with them. It will not speak for them in the final judgment. Soon even the true junk of the sale will be hauled off by the winners, sometimes to be seen again at another estate auction a short time later. As with those under the tombstones, they too will soon be gone and forgotten. 

It sounds so sad, but only if your one hope is to be memorialized on a doomed planet! Praise God we have  a Savior, and it is my Lord Jesus who remembers me and you. No monument is needed here on this earth, and the vultures are invited to my estate auction should it come to pass. Along with you my beloved follower of Christ, I want to be where my Savior is! 

In Christ the Lord,

Bucky

The First Church of Saint Bashor the Pharisee

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”  Luke 7:39

Many of us were raised in churches where we were taught the terror of the law. Step one inch out of line, we were instructed, and God the Almighty would sweep His mighty stick of smiting down and blast our little hides into next week. It is little wonder that we gravitated, no - fled in terror, to our Lord Jesus, the Christ Child who came in love and forgiveness. Christmas was so much better than the usual Sunday terror that we could hardly help ourselves. A Sunday Christmas was such a disappointment because it was like we were robbed of a joyous day. Come on down to the altar, the pastor said, and we did because the mercy of Jesus was so much better than the judgment of the Father hanging over us. A few weeks later we were confused and disappointed to find the smiting stick still raised over us and to make it worse, the church had added a few more rules in a convenient handbook for us to obey lest we feel the wrath of the Lord. The First Church of Saint Bashor the Pharisee had delivered us from the world. 

If you think that I take issue with the churches of old, then you are quite correct. If I came out of years of church teaching to escape into the freedom of the world and out from under the raised hand of the God of thunder, then something was wrong in the doctrine. For God and His Son should not be separated so in the mind of the young man that he should flee from church. If the young woman flees to Jesus because the judgment of the Father is so terrifying in her mind, then she does right but for the wrong reason. The Father and the Son are not some sort of divine bad cop-good cop, but the Son is the expression of God's love in the body of a man born of woman. God's love sent to us His Son. All of the judgment and wrath we feared has been placed on the Son. And it is the Son who is the way for us to take the prodigal's journey back to the loving Father and be swept up in His embrace. 

Great is the love of the Lord our God. Amen.

Bucky

Confused By Contentment

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

The Lord has granted a house to live in, and in looking about you see that it is assembled with a particular size, say 13mm, bolt and nut fastener combination. You do not own a single bolt turner (wrench), squeezer (pliers), or cruncher (bigger pliers), to tighten up the bolts while holding the nuts that hold the house together, and the entire house is getting a little loose due to the expansive soils of the area in which you reside. [Note to the reader: what they call expansive soils seem to become contractive soils when a drought condition comes, and thus things loosen that were once tightened.]

The pastor chooses that week to thunder down from the pulpit that you are to be content with what you have, using our verse for today, and to be like Paul who had learned to be content in whatever circumstance he found himself. On the one hand, you have a great need for some tools, and on the other you have a need to be content with what you have. So, is it to be bloody fingers all around as you try to tighten those fasteners with what you have? Some Christians might think so as they place their bloodied fingers gently together to pray to God about how content they are in their current circumstance. That just sounds so painful; does the Lord want us to be that way?

Today, I do not have a list of contentment rules for you to follow. Nope, sorry. In the same circumstance, one of the beloved might open her door, carefully since all the bolts are loose, to find a gift of a socket set and a package of combination wrenches. Another of the beloved may look out to see a handyman coming up the walk because the man noticed a need for his services as he drove by one day. You may have money in hand to go get a set of tools. I may have a friend who loves to tighten fasteners. Others may have other methods provided by the Lord. One of the beloved in Christ may even be driven to invent a tool no one had thought of until that moment the Lord provided him or her an idea. 

Christians all over the world are confused by contentment as we look at our needs and wants. Not every want is a temptation and not every unfilled need is a test of endurance. Go to the Lord in prayer and be content with His answer that is specifically tailored to bring you closer to Him. 

We can all be content in Christ the Lord!

Bucky

The Government Speaks

“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country." Matthew 21:33

If the landlord built his vineyard in the United States, he might wake up to a news report that he cannot evict his tenant farmers for non-payment of rent until at least January 1, 2021; the government has spoken. The Centers for Disease Control will publish, that is make it official, on September 4th, a document that a tenant can hand to his or her landlord to prevent any eviction for the last 4 months of this year. Any of us can read the unpublished draft right now on the Federal Register's website*. Of course we would have to fudge the story a bit and make our tenant farmers live in the vineyard (quite possible that huts/homes would be included) as this order covers residences. On the other hand, the landlord might be grateful for this option as the story our Lord Jesus told goes on to tell of beaten, stoned, and murdered servants, and finally the loss of the landlord's own son! 

We can see that the bad guys in our Lord's story were the religious and political leaders of Israel, mostly because the scripture says that they realized it themselves quickly enough. We also see that the Lord God is Himself the landlord of this Earth, and that we are the tenants of His vineyard. This is confirmed in Revelation 14 when the vineyard is harvested and the bad tenants are... well, let us not go into that before breakfast! Praise God there is another harvest first, by one who John wrote, looked like the Son of Man. Let us get ready for the harvest of our Lord Jesus and rejoice in Him!

 

Love in Christ the Lord,

Bucky

*https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/04/2020-19654/temporary-halt-in-residential-evictions-to-prevent-the-further-spread-of-covid-19  -  for those who want to wade through the government's full text so far.