Week Twenty-Eight, 2018

BE ON GUARD

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13

By Senator John Grant, (FL, Retd)

My parents had a chicken farm way out from town. I lived there until I was married and still live on the same property, though now in an urbanized area. As a youngster, I attended a true country school, where many students wore overalls and many didn’t wear shoes. A lot were children of ranch hands and grove tenders.

Although we went to town to church on most Sundays, I often attended activities at a country church, which was a Missouri missionary church started by a family in 1895. When I was there many of the then larger membership were descendants of that family.

The original church was a wood structure that was built a distance away and moved to the new location by rolling it on pine logs. They hitched the church to mules and horses and each Saturday, they pulled as far as they could and on the next day, worshipped where they left off the day before.

In 1925, a new sanctuary was built to accommodate a growing congregation. That’s where I often worshipped. I was impressed with its high brick bell tower.

A recently released history book speaks of the tower. World War II broke out about the time I was born. War was raging in both the European and Asian theatres. Planes were needed and pilots to fly them. Many training fields were built and most were in Florida, due to flat land that sped up construction. Three were built in our county and surprise attacks were always a concern.

The church bell tower was selected as a watchtower to spot for enemy aircraft, because though unlikely, the enemy could always be lurking anywhere at any time. As a small boy, I saw many aircraft fly over our home and always wondered if they were friend or foe.

Life is like that. The enemy is always on the prowl, always looking for a place to strike. We are far more equipped to stand firm against Satan’s attacks when we are aware of them. If you are a Christian you can assume an attack is pending, the Bible makes that clear. The difficulty comes in recognizing it.

To protect ourselves, we must learn to identify an attack of Satan for what it is. When we fail to recognize that, we tend to blame other people. We put all our energy into battling them, instead of standing firm against the real enemy. Meanwhile, Satan leads us farther and farther off track.

It’s that time of the year when we pause to celebrate victory. Independence, liberty and freedom. While that is and should be our focus, we should always be on the lookout for an enemy ready to strike. As Paul told the church at Corinth, Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Who is in your watchtower and who are you waiting to push out of your life? Always celebrate liberty, but always be on guard for the enemy who could strike at any time.

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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Jerrie Barber tells the story of an unusual parking ticket that was given in south-central Los Angeles several years ago. At 9:46 a.m. an officer wrote up the ticket for an illegally parked Cadillac. There was no question that the car was in violation. The driver did not object to the ticket. In fact, the driver didn’t say a word. He couldn’t. He was dead!

Paramedics said the man had been dead ten to twelve hours when the ticket was given. The officer had taken the time to observe the parking violation, write a ticket, then stick his hand through the open window (within inches of the body stiffly sitting upright behind the steering wheel) and placed the $30 citation on the dashboard. He never noticed the man was dead.

“That officer shares a common trait with many Christians,” observed Jerrie. “We walk through life citing others with petty violations while remaining oblivious to the fact that they are spiritually dead. We are offended or repulsed by the behavior of some non-Christians and rebuke them for not acting more Christ-like. The fact is, they don’t have the power for real change. They are ‘dead in trespasses and sins.’ They are ‘illegally parked’ and can’t do a thing about it apart from Christ.

Some things are just more important than other things.

This is true in business. Sports. Government. Our homes. It is true in life’s tasks. My Franklin planner teaches priorities. You list all your tasks for the day and rank them in order of importance. Then begin with the most important.

It is also true in Christianity. While everything is important, there are some fundamentals that must rank with greater importance. James Montgomery Boice expressed it this way.

“It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Christ’s Cross. For whether we are thinking about the necessity of the Cross, the meaning of the Cross, the preaching of the Cross, the offense of the Cross, or the way of the Cross – however we may think about it – in every case what we are saying, and must be saying, is that the Cross is central to Christianity. Indeed, we are saying more. We are saying that without the Cross of Jesus Christ there is no true Christianity at all.” –- Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace, p. 89

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QUOTES YOU CAN USE

On the day Sam Houston was baptized, he offered to pay half the minister’s salary in the church. When someone asked him about it, he said, “My pocketbook was baptized, too.

Our world is on fire, and man without God cannot control the flames. The demons of hell have been let loose. The fires of passion, greed, hate, and lust are sweeping the world. We seem to be plunging madly toward Armageddon. We live in the midst of crisis, danger, fear, and death. We sense that something is about to happen. We know that things cannot go on as they are. Billy Graham

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Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL

“Freedom Is Not Free”

TEXT: 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 (NKJV)

By Almon Bartholomew

Theme: “Freedom Is Not Free”

“The story of Jonathan and his armor bearer is a must read. It is narrated in 1 Samuel chapter14, verses1-15, in the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible.

Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who [a]bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. 3 Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.  THhenJonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” So his armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. 10 But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” 12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will [b]show you something.” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” 13 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armor bearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armor bearer killed them. 14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land. 15 And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling.

“Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim. And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” So the three broken through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it but poured it out to the Lord. And he said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it”. Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.”

In every age, in every crisis, in every bonded community, there are those who have stepped up to the forefront, at the risk of their own lives, to gain and pay the price for freedom. This was true way back in the days when David was king of Israel. In this chapter the names of more than fifty men are defined as David’s “mighty men”. They formed a protective cadre for the king. Their fetes of daring, risk taking and defying the odds are recorded here. In defending their king they were defending a nation. If, indeed their leader fell, Israel would be in chaos and defeat. They were the special “Ops” and “Delta forces” of their time. Their deeds of valor and heroism are well documented in Scripture.

In the passage we read, three of these special “ops” were charged with the safe keeping of King David who was in a fortress outside the city of Bethlehem which at the time was occupied by their enemy, a garrison of Philistines. These three men were close enough to the king to overhear his desire for a cool drink of water taken from a well within the perimeter of the enemy’s encampment. At the risk of their own lives these three broke through the front lines, drew water from Bethlehem’s well, and returned to refresh David with that cool drink. The king was so moved by the devotion and risk taking of these three that he would not drink from the canister. He rather poured it out on the ground as a drink offering to the Lord. He felt unworthy to consume this himself because of the price paid to bring that well water to him.

We would do well today to remember those who have made the supreme sacrifice purchasing the wellspring of freedom from which we may now all drink. The price paid reaches back to Valley Forge where one third of the continental army under George Washington died in the bitter cold of winter. Three thousand brave soldiers died. Fifteen hundred horses perished. George Washington earnestly prayed.

From Concord, to Lexington, to Bunker Hill, to Saratoga, to Ticonderoga, to Trenton, to Monmouth and to Yorktown, VA; the battle raged and the price for our freedom was being paid. At the close of hostilities the liberty bell rang in Philadelphia until the bell cracked. That bell has now found its resting place in Philadelphia convention center and the crack remains in it ‘til this day to remind us that freedom is fragile and must be guarded carefully. Freedom is not free!

Heavy installments have since been paid in the years which followed. We met the challenge of an attack by a vast armada of British navy ships and legions of red coat soldiers in the war of 1812. The Red Coats were on the verge of torching Washington when a fierce tornado storm drove them back. They fled to their ships anchored in the Potomac. When they headed down river to go out to sea, a French armada met them there. The British invasion collapsed in defeat. By the intervention of Almighty God and stalwart men we obtained victory and freedom was preserved.

The very existence of the union and the freedom of all peoples of all colors hung in the balance in the great Civil War. More than 750,000 lives were laid down in that conflict. Freedom emerged bloodied and bruised but went on to live in these United States for 152 more years.

In 1914 the First World War broke out and the freedom of untold millions was at stake. In 1917, what great price to us all, the USA sent armed forces, for the first time, onto European soil, bent on regaining freedom for millions seeking deliverance from the oppression of a brutal enemy. That victory was won by the tens of thousands of American doughboys spilling their blood in the trenches of France. Three of my uncles were there. I knew many of those veterans in my boyhood years. Some were terribly victimized by the enemy who unleashed poison mustard gas on the combined forces fighting to regain freedom for the victims of war. Among them was Leonard Yarter; a man who was neighbor to my wife’s family. His scarred lungs weakened him for the rest of his life.

It was at the end of this conflict that an armistice was signed causing fighting to cease. It occurred at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. For years after we celebrated Armistice Day in America on November 11th. At 11:00 AM everything stopped for a moment of reverent silence giving pause to remember that freedom was not free. Many men and women and sorrowing families paid the price.

Then in the memory of most of us here, the unthinkable happened. A sneak attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor took the lives of nearly 3,000 men and our naval fleet was decimated. Peace was shattered. Freedom was threatened by the evil of the Axis powers. In the words of President Roosevelt it was “a day that would live in infamy”. It must never be forgotten!

High schools were emptied as their 17 and 18 year olds ran to sign up. Millions flooded the enlistment centers. Among them was my oldest brother Raymond, who turned 17 less than a month before, when he joined the Marine Corps. As a freshman in the Glens Falls, NY high school I went with the whole student body to the railroad station to see Company K national Guard board the train leaving for war. Homes were darkened in blackouts. Rationing began for food, appliances, tires and gasoline. Coach Tom Allen, a tough navy veteran of World War One, put our high school boys through very rigorous physical training knowing they would be going into the military.

From factories and farms, from cities and hamlets, the ranks of the military grew. We went from building cars to building machines of war, from passenger ocean liners to troop ships and battleships. Airplanes were made in record numbers. Members of what we now call the “Greatest Generation” swelled and the battle was pressed. American GI’S laid down their lives in the Pacific theatre, the Atlantic crossings, in North Africa and across the battlefield of Western Europe. Freedom must be won! Ten thousand American soldiers died on the Normandy beaches on D-Day June 6,1944, Count 90,000 more during the Battle of The Bulge. They paid the price. Freedom was not free!

I remember seeing more than 100 names from our small town appearing on an honor roll posted on the village green. Then the gold stars began to appear beside the names of many. Those gold stars began also to show on the windows of those homes whose families bore the loss of those who gave their last full measure of devotion.

Now, past World War II, we celebrate Armed forces Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and now Veteran’s Day in place of Armistice Day. Joining these ranks of heroes are those men and women who in the Korean War, the Viet Nam War, the First Gulf War and more recently the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have given their lives to win freedom for oppressed peoples. We must continue to pray for those yet in harm’s way and to support those wounded and scarred veterans returning home.

Not long ago an elderly, frail American gentleman arrived in Paris, France having flown in from America. An impatient French custom official asked for his passport. The gentleman searched his pockets and could not find it. With some apology he said to the customs officer “I must have placed it in my luggage”. The angry officer said “you must always carry your passport with you at all times. Have you ever come to France before”? The gentleman replied, “Yes”. Upon hearing this the irate official said” Then you should have known better and carried your passport on your person”. The gentleman said, “Yes, I came to France once. When I landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day but no French Customs officer could be found anywhere around to show him my passport”. …. You could have heard a pin drop. “Story source unknown to writer)

It should be noted that no marching armies with the most heroic soldiers can purchase our freedom from the greatest enslavement of all, the slavery of sin. Sin is a human condition. It made its appearance in Eden’s garden. It is a present universal malady to this day. What, or who, could deliver and set free all who are affected?

The answer is the Lord Jesus Christ. At great price to Himself He opened freedom’s door for all of us find this spiritual freedom. He said “I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep”. He bore the burden of our sin when he died in our stead on an old rugged cross. God our Father gave us Heaven’s greatest treasure when He sent His Only Begotten Son to become our Lord and Savior. Jesus promised to give us life, and life more abundantly. This gift is given freely to us. While the gift is free to us, it came at great price.

Jesus said “No man has greater love than this that he lay down his life for his friends”. Jesus did this, and more. He not only laid down his life for his friends, He laid down His life for His enemies. From the cross Jesus prayed for those who nailed him there, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. Did the world ever witness such a display of eternal love? The innocent died for the guilty; the just for the unjust!

This freedom was not free. Someone paid the price. As the good gospel chorus says, “He paid a price he did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sin away. Now I sing a brand new song, amazing grace. He paid a debt that I could never pay”.

John 8:36 spells it out clearly, “He whom the Son of God sets free is free indeed”. The good news is we can be free. On this fourth of July, Independence day, we celebrated the birth of beloved United States of America, let us honor our heroes who paid, and are still paying, the price for our freedoms; and let us also honor the Son of God who came to set us free from the worst of all human malignancies. Freedom is not free. But, to us, the gift of life from heaven is freely bestowed!

Allow God’s grace to embrace your heart and life! Let us open our hearts and let him come in. This is the best way we can honor the Lord today. King David asked and answered a vital question in Psalm 116:12-13; “What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord”. Let us, each one of us, today drink from that cup. He will satisfy our soul with the living waters of eternal salvation.

Almon & Joyce Bartholomew

Week Twenty-Seven, 2018

Medal of Honor

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11). As I was walking down a hotel hallway, I noticed four older men sitting around a table laughing and having a good time. Then I noticed that they all had blue ribbons around their necks and I recognized them as Medals of Honor. I walked over to them to thank them for their service to our country, They all were joking and ribbing each other about which was the best branch of the armed forces. I stood in awe as I thought what these men had endured to protect our freedom. The Medal of Honor honors those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Since 1863 it has been awarded 3,517 times, including 19 double recipients. Most awards are posthumous. As of this year there are only 71 living recipients. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. It is generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress.

The Bible talks about honor as well. Many who have gone above and beyond to protect and preserve our faith over the years are worthy of honor, but Jesus gave His life for all the world both then and forever. We are told to honor him in many ways. ▪ Proverbs 3:9 – Honor the LORD from your wealth And from the first of all your produce ▪ 1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ▪ 1 Corinthians 6:20 – For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. As a noun, honor in the Bible means “esteem, value, or great respect.” To honor someone is to value him highly or bestow value upon him. The Bible exhorts us to express honor and esteem toward certain people: our parents, the aged, and those in authority. But we must understand that all authority and honor belong to God alone. Though He can delegate His authority to others, it still belongs to Him. How will you show honor to the Lord your God this very day?

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

THE BIBLE GIVES US: ▪ Examples to follow ▪ Sins to avoid ▪ Promises to claim ▪ Prayers to repeat ▪ Commands to obey ▪ Conditions to meet ▪ Verses to memorize ▪ Challenger to face ▪ Hope for the future.

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Most Christians are like a bad photograph, over exposed and under developed. If you’re a leader, be even more vigilant about protecting your integrity. Jim Dennison Salvation comes in an instant, but sanctification is a journey. Pastor Matt Blair God has not changed; people have changed.

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com. Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

THINK On These Things

Fellowship With God

Philippians 4:8

By Brother Al

Beyond friendship, beyond family, there is fellowship –

and, the most desirable fellowship, the most valuable fellowship, is with God: The Father, His Son Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. (1 John 1:3, 1 Cor. 1:9)

Pursuing fellowship with God.

As Christians we may see salvation and the entry into the family of God as the highest goal for a human life. It is indeed a goal that has eternal fruits. It is to be pursued and coveted. But family is not the end of growth. It is only a step.

Fellowship is more than family.

Some families are totally devoid of fellowship. Again, one may have many friends and acquaintances and yet have fellowship with none of them.

Fellowship is based on communion.

Fellowship is a “common union,” a two way street. It involves not just the business of the day but the business of the person. Fellowship takes place when two individuals enjoy the same things at the same time, together. Fellowship speaks of a unity in joy. The Holy Spirit is the bridge that unites two persons in Christian fellowship.

The communion of fellowship involves communication at the spirit level. It practices intimate sharing and concern. It is focused and intense. By the process of communion, one person comes to know another to the depth that they can often anticipate that person’s response to a new situation. If we are in fellowship with God we will know how to act in a new situation that we have never read about in the Bible. We can only know the answer to, “What would Jesus do?” if we are in fellowship with Him.

Fellowship is more than congeniality. Fellowship is camaraderie. Fellowship is the kind of relationship that allows an armor bearer to say to his warrior, Jonathan,

“Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.” [Samuel 14:6-7]

How could he say such a thing? How could he give such a

”blank check?” Only because he knew Jonathan’s heart and agreed with it. He knew he could trust the actions that would spring forth from that known and acceptable heart. This is fellowship. It is immersion in the heart of another.

God wants this fellowship. With us!

How do we achieve fellowship with God? First, we must be a friend of God. We must be part of the family of God. Then we must do exactly the same things we would do with a human friend to whom we were trying to grow closer.

We must spend time with our Friend.

Communion is the path to fellowship. Together, we must achieve understanding, an intimate knowing experience. The free sharing of our thoughts on the many issues of life is the only avenue. We must “talk it out” with Him. By His Holy Spirit, He will reveal His wisdom and insight. Just as the Holy Spirit joins two persons in Christian fellowship, He also joins an individual to God in fellowship. Joy will manifest as we agree in fellowship.

Joy plays a role in fellowship.

Whatever makes a person happy is a basis for fellowship with another person who has the same strong interest. (A person without joy will find fellowship sparse.)

One delightful example of this fellowship of joy is when we stand in the presence of God and rejoice over some aspect of His creation which we have just seen: a new flower, a glowing sunset, a soaring bird, a rainbow, a gracious loving act by one of His children. All are things in which He too rejoices. God loves His whole creation which He proclaimed to be “very good.” When we rejoice in that creation, along with Him, we indeed have fellowship with Him.

Fellowship with God takes place in the appreciation of His creation AND through His Word. Since both are limitless in the eyes and understanding of man, man’s opportunities for fellowship with God are also limitless.

Wisdom gained at the knee of God permeates our entire life.

Examine His Word.

Examine the bark of a tree.

Examine the markings on a sea bird.

Examine the majesty of the clouds.

Rejoice in fellowship with He who rejoices in us.

Well, how can a mortal man enter into this kind of fellowship with the eternal God? Simple. Do as instructed:

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” [Psalm 100:4]

When we thank Him for His loving grace and matchless provision we begin to draw close to Him. When we rejoice in praise we meld His joy with ours. Then, as surely as it is written in James 4:8,

“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.”

Then we can be in fellowship in His presence: sharing, rejoicing, learning, accommodating our spirit to His Holy Spirit. We can become more and more like Him.

In Psalm 23, v 6, we find the writer rejoicing that

“. . . I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

This is a prospect well worthy of rejoicing. Let us remember that “forever” starts today. Let us enter into His presence as quickly and as fully as we can.

He is willing, available, and responsive. It is such a loss that we often limit Him to a few assigned moments in our days. He would be with us constantly if we would allow it.

Think on this:

Often we merely interrupt the flow of the things of the world to make a few minutes to spend with Him. How much better it would be if we were continually in His presence and only looked away for a moment now and then to tend to the demands of the world.

That would be fellowship indeed!

(06/18

Presented by Brother Al Salay – Blessed Man Ministries Inc.

www.BlessedMan.net [email protected]

“WHO IS THE ROCK EXCEPT OUR GOD?” (Psalm 18:31)
June 24, 2018
By Jeremy B. Stopford

TODAY’S FUNNY: “Get a Priest”
A man is struck by a bus on a busy street in New York City. He lies dying on the sidewalk as a crowd of spectators gathers around.
“A priest! Somebody get me a priest!” the man gasps.
A policeman checks the crowd but finds no priest, no minister, no man of God of any kind.
“A PRIEST, PLEASE!” the dying man says again.
Then out of the crowd steps a little old man of at least eighty years of age.
“Officer,” says the man, “I’m not a priest. I’m not even a Catholic. But for fifty years now I’ve been living behind St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Third Avenue, and every night I’m listening to the Catholic litany. Maybe I can be of some comfort to this man.”
The policeman agrees and brings the old guy over to the dying man. He kneels down, leans over the injured and says in a solemn voice:   “B – 4. I – 19. N – 38. G – 54. O – 72.”

INTRODUCTION I have recently come to the conclusion that I am a blessed man, thanks to y’all. I am able to get up at any hour and spend quality time with the Lord. I don’t have the pressure of getting ready to drive off to work at any great distance from home. I simply have to clean up, get dressed, and walk a few yards to next door. The blessing is that that gives me a wonderful, open window to spend time in several passages each day – in particular, reading through the psalms each month. The other day I was in Psalm 18 when this verse leaped off the page. Then the word “rock”. Then the question, “how many times in scripture?” (149). How many in the NT (20). OT (129). Psalms? (28). Psalm 18? (3). Wow. And that’s how the inspiration comes to spend a few moments here today. Let’s ask the Lord to use this time together this morning to minister in a special and unique way to each of us today. PRAYER

# 1 AN ANTHROPO WHAT?
There is a term in literature which often appears in Scripture, especially when referring to the Lord. We learned it in Bible School over 40 years ago – and I discovered it again this past week that it is often used in secular writings.
The term is “anthropomorphism”. “Anthropo” what? “Anthropomorphism”! The secular dictionary defines it this way: “when human motivation, characteristics, or behavior are given to inanimate objects, animals, or nature phenomena.” “Anthropos” is the Latin root for “man or human”. “Morphism” implies “shape”. Put together, in secular writings, the author is giving human characteristics to something that isn’t human.
But what happens when what one is reading isn’t secular writings but rather is the Bible itself? Then it is used as a term to take an inanimate object to show a characteristic or quality of someone.
OK. One more step. What happens when the “someone” being described is the Lord Himself? What happens then? Then the “anthropomorphism” takes on a shape which is otherworldly!
Let’s have fun with this without getting too technical. You and I have read places in the Bible where this happens, but perhaps did not come to the right conclusion as to what the Holy Spirit was intending when He inspired the Word of God. Ready? Let’s go!
Exodus 17:15 “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner.”
ILLUSTRATION If I were an avid sports fan (Hello! Go Dolphins!) I might even have the flag representing my team hanging from a bedroom window at my home. That would show my allegiance to that team. That would show that there is no other team I support. That would show how exclusive my patriotism is for that particular team. Wait, I do have a team flag hanging from my bedroom window!
Moses’ description was showing what would soon happen in the history of Israel. Each team, well, tribe, was to have its own “banner” or flag. It would represent that tribe. It was an important banner. It would show to the other tribes the orderliness of the movement of the tribes as they went from place to place. But Moses said, “The Lord is my banner!”. I don’t know exactly how the Hebrew works, but that phrase is known as one of the names for God in the Hebrew language: “Jehovah-nissi – “the Lord my banner”.
Psalm 91:4 says in part, referring to God, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge…”. What has feathers and wings? Why KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKENS before they are prepared! I’m not being remotely irreverent here. This is a classic anthropomorphism! Believe it or not, the cults have problems with this. They don’t understand the difference between the phrases “The Lord is” and “The Lord is like”. The ERV (really, the “Easy-to-read Version” which is an excellent understanding of the Hebrew says, “You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you…”. The imagery is clear. The psalmist is using every day objects – in this case, a fowl – to describe eternal values.
With these thoughts in mind, let’s look at Psalm 18.

#2 A ROCK? MY GOD IS A ROCK?
Three times in Psalm 18 David used this image. Look at the context under the heading of the psalm. David is rejoicing that one more time the Lord in His grace delivered David from his jealous and very carnal enemy, King Saul. This song is originally sung in 2 Samuel 22, just a short time before King Saul and his sons are killed in battle.
Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” OK, we’ve studied these anthropomorphisms a little bit now. We’re getting better at this. There are several in this verse, aren’t there? The Lord Himself is giving the depiction as being a rock, a fortress, a deliverer, a shield, a horn, a stronghold. There is almost a progression here, from something seemingly small like one of David’s stones which he threw at Goliath, to a stronghold – a place of security.
And yet the word “rock” actually has the understanding of “bedrock” or “pillar”. It is really NOT a pebble one might skip across the pond. Rather, it is a foundation stone upon which one might build a mansion or castle. Or a life.
There is something called “The Passion Translation” – really! – and this is how it wonderfully relates this verse, “You’re as real to me as bedrock beneath my feet, like a castle on a cliff, my forever firm fortress, my mountain of hiding, my pathway of escape, my tower of rescue where none can reach me. My secret strength and shield around me, you are salvation’s ray of brightness shining on the hillside, always the champion of my cause.”
So the theme of Psalm 18:2 is that in God being my Rock HE IS MY REFUGE AND STRONGHOLD.

We’ve read verse 31. Psalm 18:31 says, “ For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?”
Well, by now we should be getting pretty good at anthropomorphisms. The one here once again is “rock”. That’s a given. But now we notice a different theme than the usage in verse 2. Whereas verse 2 was one of SECURITY, verse 31 is one of EXCLUSIVENESS. There is only ONE Who can properly be called the Rock of my life. There is only One available to be the true Rock of my life. There is no other True Rock. There may be many false rocks. But there is only one True Rock! And that Rock is the Lord Himself!
ILLUSTRATION I’ve shared with you before this unbelievable illustration. When I was in my senior year in Bible School, I had a job flipping burgers at Carrol’s Restaurant – the owner of Burger King. During my meal break I often would sit out in the lobby, and invariably someone – more often than not a customer – would come and sit and join me for supper. Indeed, one night an elderly gentleman sat down to share his supper time with me. It wasn’t too long before he inquired about my life, and eventually the topic of my going to Bible School came up. He said that he believed that the only way to heaven was through the teachings of the church he attended. I then shared with him 1 Timothy 2:5. The beginning of the verse says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind…”. You could tell by his expression that he was sure the next thing I was going to say as the mediator between God and man was the woman he worshiped, the Blessed Virgin Mary. But when I finished the verse with the conclusion, “the man Christ Jesus…”, his jaw dropped. His face changed. His heart was pricked with the reality of the exclusiveness of faith in the One God, the Lord Jesus.
That’s what Psalm 18:31 is sharing. GOD IS THE EXCLUSIVE ROCK.

The finally usage of “rock” in Psalm 18 is Psalm 18:46, which says, “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!”
OK let’s see what we’ve learned! Verse 2 shows God as a rock is my Refuge and Stronghold.
Verse 31 shows that God as a rock is the ONLY true Rock worthy of one’s eternal – and daily – trust.
So what does verse 46 teach us? Using the same – what was that word? – anthropomorphism, “rock”, David is here saying that since God is my Stronghold and Only One worthy of my trust, then HE IS WORTHY OF MY PRAISE! Isn’t that GREAT!

CONCLUSION
I hope we’ve had fun here. But in that fun-ness there is a big lesson to be learned. God does not inspire His servants to use words in a loose, trite, or meaningless way. He inspires His servants to say what He wants them to say, in their own personalities.
David understood battle. He understood trust. And he understood praise. And the best word to describe God in all 3 realms is a simple one: rock. The Lord was David’s rock. And He should be ours too – not just in name only. Not just on a Bible page. But in our hearts and in our daily lives.
Today, some of you here may need a place of refuge. Some of you may need to know that there is One Who claims to be and has been found worthy of being the ONLY true refuge. And He alone is worthy of our praise.
HIS NAME IS JESUS. Is He your rock? Have you allowed Him to be your Rock and Salvation for all eternity?
IF you love Him as your Savior, have you surrendered to Him as your Rock for every battle of your life?
Even David learned that the Lord is the Only Rock worthy of his trust and praise.
HAVE WE LEARNED THAT?

Close in prayer

Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, First Baptist Church, Earlville, New York

Week Twenty-Six, 2018

LAUGH

By John Grant

“There is a time for everything….. a time to weep and a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Observed annually around the world, is National Let’s Laugh Day. We have all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” This is the day to take your medicine. Some studies have shown that laughter may boost your immune system, relieve tension and help you relax. Who does not need any of those things in our busy and hectic world? Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can. We don’t laugh because we’re happy — we’re happy because we laugh. Laughter can be contagious.

The Gospel of John records that “Jesus wept” (11:35), giving us the shortest verse in the Bible. But did Jesus laugh? I think He did.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh.” But if there is such a thing as humor that is good, and if it is rooted in God’s nature, then some humor must be good, even godly.

We need to overcome the obstacle that depicts Christ and Christianity as completely serious. Jesus had 12 disciples. Get 12 guys together, have them hang out for a while, and they will definitely laugh at something — probably a lot of things.

Jesus was all God and also all man. He had a human nature and it is an inherent human thing to laugh. The very fact that we humans have a sense of humor indicates that God does, too, for we are made in His image. A number of years ago, a friend gave me a framed picture of a sketch that showed Jesus laughing. It gives me a reminder of that laughter.

There has long been a notion that Jesus never laughed. Traditionally, paintings of Jesus have tended toward melancholy portrayals of a somber, glum Savior. It is true that Jesus became our Sin-bearer and that He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Jesus was rejected in His hometown (Mark 6:1–6), He wept at a friend’s graveside (John 11:35), and of course, He experienced the cross. However, this does not mean Jesus never had a lighthearted moment or that He never had occasion to laugh.

Jesus encouraged joyful laughter, most famously in the Beatitudes, recorded in Matthew 5 and Luke 6. Jesus said, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” I believe that He who sits on the throne heaven sits laughingly.

Jesus had a serious mission to accomplish in this world, but He was not one to be somber all the time. There is no verse in the Bible that says, “Jesus laughed,” but we know that He empathized with us completely and felt all of our emotions. Laughter is part of life and our emotions, and Jesus truly lived.

Jesus did indeed laugh. And when appropriate, so should we.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

ESTATE PLANNING:

My buddy, George, was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. He knew that he would inherit a fortune once his sickly father died.

Tom wanted two things:

• to learn how to invest his inheritance and,

• to find a wife to share his fortune.

One evening at an investment meeting, he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. “I may look like just an ordinary man,” he said to her, “but in just a few years, my father will die, and I’ll inherit 20 million dollars.”

Impressed, the woman obtained his business card. Two weeks later, she became his stepmother.

Women are so much better at estate planning than men…

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

“Don’t you remember the rule we had when we lived with you? “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” And now we’re getting reports that a bunch of lazy good-for-nothings are taking advantage of you. This must not be tolerated. We command them to get to work immediately—no excuses, no arguments—and earn their own keep. Friends, don’t slack off in doing your duty.” 2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:10-13‬ ‭MSG‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Wear the cloak of materialism loosely. Bill Bright

Going to church is not optional; it’s necessary. God says we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Billy Graham

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

Week Twenty-Five, 2018

SATISFACTION

By John Grant

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

Author John Eldredge tells a great story of a rich industrialist, who was visiting Mexico and found one of the local fishermen just sitting by his boat, playing his guitar and enjoying a cold drink.

Disturbed to find the fisherman so idle he asked, “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” The fisherman replied, “Because I’ve already gone out today and I have caught all that I need for me and my family.” The rich man responded, “Why don’t you raise your sights and catch more fish than just what you and your family need?” The little fisherman replied, “What would I do with all those fish?”

His new friend’s response was quick, “You could earn more money and buy a bigger and better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish.” “Then what?” the fisherman asked “Then you could purchase nylon nets instead of those rope nets of yours, and then you would be able to catch even more fish, and make more money” the industrialist responded. “Then what?” he asked again. “Soon you’d be able to have a fleet of boats and then you would be rich like me.”

“Then what would I do?” the fisherman asked. “Well,” replied the industrialist, “then you would finally be able to sit down, relax, and enjoy life.” “You mean like I am doing right now?” the fisherman replied.Many items are advertised “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” but what is real satisfaction? Unfortunately, it is believed to be conquering, accumulating and self-emulating. Alexander conquered all of the then known world before he was in his mid-thirties. He cried out, “Are there no more worlds to conquer?”

Real joy and satisfaction comes from within, not from without. Only the God of hope can fill us with joy and peace so that we may abound in hope. True contentment must come from a source other than wealth and fame. How about you? Are you frustrated or satisfied? Paul wrote that we are “not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). Only when we trust in the Lord will we find true and lasting satisfaction.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Why the liquor industry wants to get self-driving cars on the road

The word’s first commercial shipment by self-driving truck was a load of Budweiser, delivered by Anheuser-Busch. Automakers and tech firms have long been the ones hustling to get self-driving cars on the street. But they’ve lately been joined by a surprise ally: America’s alcohol industry.

In recent weeks, two industry groups — one representing wine and liquor wholesalers, and another representing large producers — have thrown their weight behind coalitions lobbying to get autonomous vehicles on the road faster.

Inherent in their support, analysts say, is an understanding that self-driving cars could revolutionize the way Americans drink. Brewers and distillers say autonomous vehicles could reduce drunk driving.

–o–

NEW TERM:

When I was in school if a kid was bad, they were expelled, but not so anymore; the new term is “change of placement.”

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Never Forget the Love God Has for Us. Never Forget the Life Christ Gave for You. Ken Whitten

When was the last time you had a genuine encounter with the living God?

How sweet that we serve a living, forgiving, and loving God! Don’t get in His way this Sunday! Dwight Short

Authentic” is a meaningful adjective when speaking of leadership. To be authentic, we as leaders need to know ourselves and acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses. Are you and I transparent authentic influencers?

***

Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

Your feedback is welcome and if you want to be taken off the mailing list a simple e-mail will do it. Feel free to pass this along to others and to contribute your ideas and thoughts. Address all items and comments to [email protected]. © Thoughts on Life Copyright 2018

©2018 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618

“IN STEP WITH GOD”

By Almon Bartholomew

We are taking the text for this devotional from both the Old and the New Testaments.

GENESIS 5:21-24: “And Enoch lived sixty and five years and begat Methuselah.

And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

And all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty and five years.

And Enoch walked with God and was not for the Lord took him.” KJV

HEBREWS 11:5-6: “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

“But without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” KJV

If ever a man walked with God, we would have to say it happened in the life of Enoch. The Scriptures testify that he walked with God, that pleased God, was inwardly dominated by an unshakable faith, and God suddenly translated him to Heaven! The only one close to that in the Old Testament was Elijah who was caught up in a whirlwind and escorted to Heaven riding in a chariot of fire.

The Old Testament story is characterized by direct simplistic statements each revealing Enoch’s victory achieved through faith. The Old Testament account simply states Enoch walked with God. The New Testament account goes underscores that statement and tells of a secret propellant which gave Enoch the strength to go forward. Faith in God is this propellant that makes walking with God possible. This pleases God!

The O.T. chapter in which this occurs covers a span of 1500 years of man’s sojourn on earth. It is the story of a failed humanity—birth and burial, passion and pain, living and dying. It is a solemn reminder of the devil’s lie told in Eden’s Garden. In the hour of temptation the malignant villain of the universe subtly asked Eve,”Has God said, you shall not eat of every tree in the garden”? This introduces the first questioning of God to humanity.

Eve took the bait. You can’t afford to do business with the devil. She was correct when she answered God permitted them to eat from the fruit of the trees in the garden. Then she incorrectly said they could not eat the fruit of the tree of life, or not even touch it or God would punish them with death. God never forbade them to touch the tree. God did say that that in the day that you eat the fruit from that tree you will surely die. Then the Satanic voice countermanded the commandment of God and said “You shall not die!”

Well you know the rest of the story. Eve and Adam both ate the fruit and were evicted from Paradise. They did die! And repeatedly, over and over and over for generations after we read and he died, and he died and he died. God tells the truth and the devil is a liar. As history moved on the death knell rank until, until, something happened in human history that had never been seen before.

Instead of the record keeper reporting the death notice he found himself telling another story. A man lived his life through but did not die. He was subservient to God. He was a remarkable man. He marched to a different beat of the drum. He walked with God, when suddenly: “WHISH” he was gone; taken up into heaven by the God whom he served. And he left a testimony! He walked by Faith. He walked with God. He pleased God and suddenly went into eternity to be with God! It was described as a TRANSLATION!!!

That brief story of Enoch is both incredible and wonderful. A change came into his life. At age 65 he begat Methuselah. After the birth of his son, something happened in the life of Enoch. The details of that life changing experience are not recorded in scripture. The testimony is, however, etched in the annals of eternity. After he begat Methuselah Enoch walked with God for 300 years.

It is evident that some powerful revelation came to him. It may be that he then saw beyond the darkness of the surrounding ages and the light of God dawned on him. Whatever it was it forever changed him and he walked with God.

Think about this with me for a moment. He lived before Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses. Joshua, Caleb, Samuel, David, Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. He had no Bible. He had no book of hymns. He had no New Testament. He knew nothing of a Messiah or an Apostle. Yet, Yet, he walked with God. His was a rare brand of faith and it merited reference in our New Testament! He lived a different and a victorious life without one of these provisions now made fully and easily available to us.

The biographical sketch of David simply reads “David, after he, in his own generation, served the counsel of God, and fell on sleep”. Saul’s brief biography sadly reads “I have played the fool”! Other brief bio sketches fill the pages of sacred writ. But one bio, one short biographical sketch is reserved for one man, Enoch; it reads “He walked with God”.

What does it mean, He walked with God”? It means four things. First it means he is moving in a divinely planned direction. Secondly, it means he is in agreement with God. The scripture declares, “How can two walk together except they be in agreement”? Thirdly it means that a mutual trust exists. Here is a man that trusted God and here is God trusting a man. Ponder that one for a while. Finally, if a man walks with God, he must keep in step with God. As the old hymn says, “How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior, stepping in the light, stepping in the light. How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior, Led in paths of light.”

Again, as we consider all of the things Enoch did not have and he made it; with all of the spiritual provisions and privileges God has afforded us, we should make it. If we do not make it, it will largely be because we ignored these gracious provisions God has made for us. Look in Psalm 119 and read “God’s word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path”. This should help us walk with God. According to Galatians 5:16 teaches us how to walk, “if we walk in the Spirit we shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. Ephesians 5:15 admonishes us to “walk circumspectly” which means to walk within the boundaries.

Try Colossians 1:10 for size; “Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of the Lord”. First John 1:7 has great promise “If we walk in the light as He, (Jesus Christ) is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s So, cleanses us from all sin” There are dozens more verses underscoring this precious walk with God. None is more glorious than Jesus word to the church members in Sardis who persevered in the things of God; To those over comers he said in Revelation 3:4 “They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy.”

Enoch succeeded in his godly walk in his day. What was it like at that time? Enoch was of the seventh generation from Seth, the God fearing son of Adam and Eve. Lamech was the seventh son of Cain, the murderous son of Adam and Eve. It seemed as though Lamech and his sons were ambitious, abusive, and independent and rebels against God. Eventually it degenerated to the evil found in Noah’s day. Even though Godless conditions surrounded him, Enoch pursued God and walked with Him. By faith, and God’s grace this man lived under divine direction. Our day is also drenched in evil.

The same God that brought Enoch through is also able to bring us through. He has equipped us for the battle between good and evil. As we walk in concert with Jesus and keep in step with God, we are going to win. We too shall take that glorious elevator to heaven when we take wings from this world. The deep fact of life is that when we walk with God, at the very end, he receives us into heaven. Enoch “was not, for the Lord took him.”

I love the story of the little girl’s outlook, when she went home from Sunday School, after hearing the story of Enoch. She said: “Mother we heard about a wonderful man today in Sunday School. His name was Enoch. He used to go for long walks with God every day” Oh that’s wonderful but how did the story end”? “Oh mother, one day they walked on, and on and on, and got so far, God said to Enoch, You’re a long way from home. You had better come to my home and stay with me….”

“Jesus, will walk with me, He will talk with me He will walk with me.

In joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow; I know He will walk with me”

Let us pledge ourselves to keep in step with God.

Almon Batholomew, shown with wife Joyce, pastored near Buffalo, New York, and for more than two decades served as the Superintendent of the NY District of the Assemblies of God.