In the book of Joshua, when the Jews crossed over the Jordan River, they piled up 12 stones so that for generations to come when children would ask their fathers, "What mean these stones?" all would be instructed and know that God had brought Israel over on dry ground; and that He is mighty and should be feared (josh. 4:15-24). Those 12 stones were Memorial Stones.
That intrigues me. It reminds me that perhaps one of the worst fates is not to be killed, but to be forgotten.
In Hamlet, the final command of the King's ghost is, "Remember me." In Sartre's No Exit, characters in Hell are punished by scenes of their former friends and enemies carrying on with their lives with no thought at all of the departed. C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce, describes a dead artist raging that his work is no longer bought in the galleries on Earth.
And so it is vital that we remember the ultimate price that many others have paid for our freedoms. As President Abraham Lincoln said of the fallen heroes of Gettysburg, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here!"
And yet our memory of someone's life can do nothing to affect a person's eternity. In the Day Of Judgment many would doubtless trade all the tributes of the world they have left behind for one sign of recognition in the world to which they go. "I never knew you" is a chilling epitaph when carved over the door to Forever in the Lake of Fire (Matt. 7:21-23; Rev. 20:11-15).
For this reason, the best Memorial prayer of Freedom ever prayed was that by the dying thief on the cross who cried out to Jesus, "Lord, remember me." There were no parades on Earth, but, before the afternoon was out, Jesus would recognize him before the Father and invite him into Paradise (Luke 23:39-43). What liberty! What freedom! What a memeorial! I wonder when that Judment day comes for you, will you be known to the Master? If you do not now say to Christ, "Give me liberty", then one day you will have eternal death.
By Calvary's Red Glow,
Pastor David Blevins
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Monday, March 26, 2012
Strong To The Finish
Robert S. Smith doesn't like to finish what he starts. He figures that is very, very good for his business.
You see, Mr. Smith is the owner of a company that sells unfinished church furniture: altars, communion tables, those sort of things (No seats, though; Mr. Smith doesn't do pews). Why unfinished furniture? Because the items will typically cost about 50% less that way. That works out very well for most churches, which do not have a lot of money to start with, but do have many skilled people willing to seal, stain, varnish, and paint. There is also much more involved here than money. It seems somehow that many people really enjoy having a hand in preparing God's house for worship (See Exodus 35:30-36:2).
Now, I have never met Mr. Robert S. Smith, but he reminds me a lot of God; they are both in the business of filling His churches with unfinished products.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God's "workmanship." Each one of us Christians are an item created by the Master Carpenter to assist His church in serving Him (Pslam 100:2). But Paul teaches that we are somewhat like unfinished furniture, "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In other words, God roughs us out, giving us the privilege of taking part in the final smoothing and shaping of our lives as we lovingly obey His Word and humbly submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So, if some of your fellow church furnishings have some rough edges and leave an occasional splinter in your Sunday spirituality, don't condemn the church or even foolishly decide that God isn't taking very good care of His business. God is showing us our true business, to be a great advertisement to the lost for God's goodness and love and to be a finishing craftsman in His kingdom. while you are at it, don't forget that you and I could use a little varnish ourselves!
Strong To The Finish,
Pastor David Blevins
You see, Mr. Smith is the owner of a company that sells unfinished church furniture: altars, communion tables, those sort of things (No seats, though; Mr. Smith doesn't do pews). Why unfinished furniture? Because the items will typically cost about 50% less that way. That works out very well for most churches, which do not have a lot of money to start with, but do have many skilled people willing to seal, stain, varnish, and paint. There is also much more involved here than money. It seems somehow that many people really enjoy having a hand in preparing God's house for worship (See Exodus 35:30-36:2).
Now, I have never met Mr. Robert S. Smith, but he reminds me a lot of God; they are both in the business of filling His churches with unfinished products.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God's "workmanship." Each one of us Christians are an item created by the Master Carpenter to assist His church in serving Him (Pslam 100:2). But Paul teaches that we are somewhat like unfinished furniture, "created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In other words, God roughs us out, giving us the privilege of taking part in the final smoothing and shaping of our lives as we lovingly obey His Word and humbly submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So, if some of your fellow church furnishings have some rough edges and leave an occasional splinter in your Sunday spirituality, don't condemn the church or even foolishly decide that God isn't taking very good care of His business. God is showing us our true business, to be a great advertisement to the lost for God's goodness and love and to be a finishing craftsman in His kingdom. while you are at it, don't forget that you and I could use a little varnish ourselves!
Strong To The Finish,
Pastor David Blevins
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
Who was St. Patrick of Ireland?
Patrick (his real name was Succat) was born in Dumbarton, Scotland and moved to Wales (on the west coast of England). He was not a very good student in school and was severely ridiculed because of his lack of scholastic ability. When Patrick was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates and taken into slavery. Patrick was forced to take care of a herd of sheep and goats by himself. This often caused him to stay out all night alone in the mountains. This solitude turned out to be a great blessing in disguise as Patrick had plenty of time to do some very serious thinking about his life and eternal soul's destiny. As the Lord dealt with Patrick, he repented and was gloriously saved!
Two very lonely years passed and during his prayer time as he guarded sheep in the desolate mountains, Patrick felt impressed by the Lord to escape his captors. Patrick did escape, found a ship going to France and was able to make his way back home to Wales.
A number of years passed and while attending a Bible institute, Patrick felt God calling him to be a missionary to Ireland at 40 years of age! In 432 A.D. Patrick returned to Ireland as a Baptist Missionary! He was supported on a monthly basis by Baptist churches in Wales.
Patrick started over 300 Independent Baptist churches in Ireland and baptized over 100,000 adults during his 30+ years of gospel ministry there. There is no legitimate record that Patrick ever prayed the Rosary, prayed to saints or prayed to the Virgin Mary. Patrick, the Baptist preacher, so evangelized Ireland that after his death, Ireland sent out missionaries all over England and Europe.
In 664 A.D. the Roman Catholic Church instigated a debate in Whitney, England. The king decided to become a Roman Catholic and brought the English churches under the rule of Catholicism. So, to get all those Irish Baptist churches to join the Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Whitney made a saint out of Patrick (although he was long dead and did not have any say in the matter!).
Well, it sure is good to know that Patrick really isn't a cause for the unsaved, worldly crowd to don their green apparel, visit the local pubs and drink green beer with their corned beef and cabbage! Patrick of Ireland is certainly worth talking about and spiritually appreciating what he did for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ!
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,
Pastor David Blevins
Patrick (his real name was Succat) was born in Dumbarton, Scotland and moved to Wales (on the west coast of England). He was not a very good student in school and was severely ridiculed because of his lack of scholastic ability. When Patrick was 16 years old, he was captured by Irish pirates and taken into slavery. Patrick was forced to take care of a herd of sheep and goats by himself. This often caused him to stay out all night alone in the mountains. This solitude turned out to be a great blessing in disguise as Patrick had plenty of time to do some very serious thinking about his life and eternal soul's destiny. As the Lord dealt with Patrick, he repented and was gloriously saved!
Two very lonely years passed and during his prayer time as he guarded sheep in the desolate mountains, Patrick felt impressed by the Lord to escape his captors. Patrick did escape, found a ship going to France and was able to make his way back home to Wales.
A number of years passed and while attending a Bible institute, Patrick felt God calling him to be a missionary to Ireland at 40 years of age! In 432 A.D. Patrick returned to Ireland as a Baptist Missionary! He was supported on a monthly basis by Baptist churches in Wales.
Patrick started over 300 Independent Baptist churches in Ireland and baptized over 100,000 adults during his 30+ years of gospel ministry there. There is no legitimate record that Patrick ever prayed the Rosary, prayed to saints or prayed to the Virgin Mary. Patrick, the Baptist preacher, so evangelized Ireland that after his death, Ireland sent out missionaries all over England and Europe.
In 664 A.D. the Roman Catholic Church instigated a debate in Whitney, England. The king decided to become a Roman Catholic and brought the English churches under the rule of Catholicism. So, to get all those Irish Baptist churches to join the Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Whitney made a saint out of Patrick (although he was long dead and did not have any say in the matter!).
Well, it sure is good to know that Patrick really isn't a cause for the unsaved, worldly crowd to don their green apparel, visit the local pubs and drink green beer with their corned beef and cabbage! Patrick of Ireland is certainly worth talking about and spiritually appreciating what he did for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ!
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,
Pastor David Blevins
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Mary Had A Little Lamb
March, a month that, according to the old wives' tale, "comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Well, it doesn't take a meteorologist to see that those old wives knew their stuff, at least when it came to weather reports and some old home remedies for illness. While the beginning of the month kind of roared about us with some chilly temperatures and gusty wind, hopefully the final days of the month will bring a pleasant change. Perhaps the roaring lion will yield to the suckling lamb.
The Lord Jesus Christ reverses this process. He came into this world as a Lamb; He will return as a Lion (Revelation 5:5). The Old Testament teaches this dichotomy. Isaiah saw a suffering servant who would not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street (Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 53). Malachi, on the other hand, beheld a Righteous Judge, blazing like a refiner's fire (Malachi 3:2).
Skeptics see these diverse pictures as a contradiction: the spiritually discerning man views them as a completion. Jesus Christ came into this world the first time as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). If we refuse him entry into our heart in this guise, the Bible promises that He will return as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Who judges iniquity without respect to persons.
The choice is yours; which Christ do you choose to meet? Jesus Christ, He came in like a Lamb, He will return like a Lion.
Mary Had A Little Lamb,
Pastor David Blevins
The Lord Jesus Christ reverses this process. He came into this world as a Lamb; He will return as a Lion (Revelation 5:5). The Old Testament teaches this dichotomy. Isaiah saw a suffering servant who would not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street (Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 53). Malachi, on the other hand, beheld a Righteous Judge, blazing like a refiner's fire (Malachi 3:2).
Skeptics see these diverse pictures as a contradiction: the spiritually discerning man views them as a completion. Jesus Christ came into this world the first time as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). If we refuse him entry into our heart in this guise, the Bible promises that He will return as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Who judges iniquity without respect to persons.
The choice is yours; which Christ do you choose to meet? Jesus Christ, He came in like a Lamb, He will return like a Lion.
Mary Had A Little Lamb,
Pastor David Blevins
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Whistle While You Work
"...gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth it not" (Hosea 7:9).
I guess gray hair has always been the quintessential warning that youth is fleeting. I know that I will never forget the day a number of years ago when my wife, after staring intently at my temples, announced, "Look, there are several gray hairs!" That really threw me, and I worried about those gray hairs for awhile, that is until they started falling out! These days, after seeing what I look like on camera by watching the Thursday evening telecast of our church service, I am like the man who said, "I don't mind my hairs turning gray, I just don't want them to turn loose!"
The prophet Hosea wrote well before the days of Grecian Formula, Just For Men, or even Miss Clairol. Today, statistics reveal that two out of every four women in America spend billions dollars on hair dye to cover up the aging process. While I certainly have nothing against dyes, wigs, wrinkle creams, etc., that we Americans use to disguise the inevitable, let's be honest; the whole purpose of these items is to make us have a younger appearance before others.
In Hosea, however, we have the picture of a man who is fooling himself. In my mind's eye, I see a man with the cocky swagger of youth who fails to realize that age is taking its toll. "Gray hairs are here and there..." means that his time is beginning to run out. He is closer to death and judgment than he thinks. He is numb to the realization that his opportunities are slipping away.
Friend, if you are not saved, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your opportunities to come to Him for salvation and the complete forgiveness of all your sins are quickly slipping away! That is exactly why the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2 "...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Dear lost sinner friend, come to Jesus today and trust Him as your Savior today!
Christian friend, if you are not serving Jesus Christ, your opportunities for service and rewards are quickly slipping away as well! That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 9:4, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: for the night cometh, when no man can work." Psalm 100:2 tells us, "Serve the LORD with gladness..."
It is a wonderful joy and privilege to know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and to work for Him, wouldn't you agree? My question today is...if Jesus could love us so much that He could die for us, why can't we love Him so much that we will live whole-heartedly for Him?
Whistle While You Work,
Pastor David Blevins
I guess gray hair has always been the quintessential warning that youth is fleeting. I know that I will never forget the day a number of years ago when my wife, after staring intently at my temples, announced, "Look, there are several gray hairs!" That really threw me, and I worried about those gray hairs for awhile, that is until they started falling out! These days, after seeing what I look like on camera by watching the Thursday evening telecast of our church service, I am like the man who said, "I don't mind my hairs turning gray, I just don't want them to turn loose!"
The prophet Hosea wrote well before the days of Grecian Formula, Just For Men, or even Miss Clairol. Today, statistics reveal that two out of every four women in America spend billions dollars on hair dye to cover up the aging process. While I certainly have nothing against dyes, wigs, wrinkle creams, etc., that we Americans use to disguise the inevitable, let's be honest; the whole purpose of these items is to make us have a younger appearance before others.
In Hosea, however, we have the picture of a man who is fooling himself. In my mind's eye, I see a man with the cocky swagger of youth who fails to realize that age is taking its toll. "Gray hairs are here and there..." means that his time is beginning to run out. He is closer to death and judgment than he thinks. He is numb to the realization that his opportunities are slipping away.
Friend, if you are not saved, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your opportunities to come to Him for salvation and the complete forgiveness of all your sins are quickly slipping away! That is exactly why the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:2 "...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Dear lost sinner friend, come to Jesus today and trust Him as your Savior today!
Christian friend, if you are not serving Jesus Christ, your opportunities for service and rewards are quickly slipping away as well! That is why the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 9:4, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: for the night cometh, when no man can work." Psalm 100:2 tells us, "Serve the LORD with gladness..."
It is a wonderful joy and privilege to know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and to work for Him, wouldn't you agree? My question today is...if Jesus could love us so much that He could die for us, why can't we love Him so much that we will live whole-heartedly for Him?
Whistle While You Work,
Pastor David Blevins
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Ant It The Truth
I read a very interesting article today about caterpillars. It is absolutely amazing how much research you can accomplish while waiting a torturous amount of time to see a doctor! Anyway, it seems that a caterpillar's natural enemy is the wasp (which in summers past we have had flying around our house like an Air Force squadron) and the little woolly worms have no natural means of defence. So what do they do? They sing the blues to their friends, the ants.
Really!
Scientists have long noticed that caterpillars tend to attract gangs of ants who will, if their amigo is attacked, defend him! At first these scientists figured that the caterpillars must be feeding their bodyguards, but that didn't seem quite right. As soon as an ant got his portion of chow, he would head back for the anthill, while the other ants followed their caterpillar around like a faithful puppy dog. then someone finally hit upon the real key: sweet talk. The caterpillars, those silver-tongued devils, produce some kind of sound that attracts the ants. That is a nice piece of information to have if you are a caterpillar; or a Christian! Please consider a couple of life lessons from this...
First: if you have to buy friends with food (or anything else for that matter), you will only have friends as long as they are eating (or having some other desire met). Personal relationships that are built upon good communication always outlast those that rely on gifts.
Second: sweetness of speech builds a protective bond between people. The book of James warns all of us about the destructive powers of the tongue (James 1:26; James 3:1-10), and the caterpillar parable shows us its positive qualities.
So, as you crawl through life this week, speak as kindly as possible to everyone (Proverbs 12:25; 25:11; Colossians 4:6). In the never-ending battle to be promoted to a butterfly first-class, you will find that building deep bonds of Christian friendship is a key factor (Proverbs 18:24).
Ant It The Truth,
Pastor David Blevins
Really!
Scientists have long noticed that caterpillars tend to attract gangs of ants who will, if their amigo is attacked, defend him! At first these scientists figured that the caterpillars must be feeding their bodyguards, but that didn't seem quite right. As soon as an ant got his portion of chow, he would head back for the anthill, while the other ants followed their caterpillar around like a faithful puppy dog. then someone finally hit upon the real key: sweet talk. The caterpillars, those silver-tongued devils, produce some kind of sound that attracts the ants. That is a nice piece of information to have if you are a caterpillar; or a Christian! Please consider a couple of life lessons from this...
First: if you have to buy friends with food (or anything else for that matter), you will only have friends as long as they are eating (or having some other desire met). Personal relationships that are built upon good communication always outlast those that rely on gifts.
Second: sweetness of speech builds a protective bond between people. The book of James warns all of us about the destructive powers of the tongue (James 1:26; James 3:1-10), and the caterpillar parable shows us its positive qualities.
So, as you crawl through life this week, speak as kindly as possible to everyone (Proverbs 12:25; 25:11; Colossians 4:6). In the never-ending battle to be promoted to a butterfly first-class, you will find that building deep bonds of Christian friendship is a key factor (Proverbs 18:24).
Ant It The Truth,
Pastor David Blevins
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Reach Out And Touch...Someone
I have lost my notepad-the notepad on which I write down all the things that I must do on a given day! (Question: How do you remember to buy a new notepad when you can't write down on the front of your old notepad, "Buy a new notepad?" The irony is staggering!) It did get me to thinking, though, about the various records that we, and others, keep of our lives.
My little book/notepad was good for my life only and, thus, practically useless to anyone else. But please carefully consider the following....
Verizon recently belched forth their new phone books for New York City. There were literally millions of copies (over 5,000 tons of paper worth) and if you laid them all end to end, you could walk from here to Knoxville, Tennessee, on a pavement of phone books, provided that you had some strange desire to do so. If you stacked them all one on top of the other...well, that would be an indication that you had way too much time on your hands. And for all of this, the books are incomplete since 30% of New Yorkers paid a fee for an unlisted number and hundreds of thousands more only use their cell phone, having done away with the old dinosauer landline.
That is just New York City. When the Kuwaitis bailed out just ahead of the Iraqi invasion almost 20 years ago, they took along a floppy disc containing a complete register of the nation's citizenry.
Those are just lists of names. When William of Normandy conqured England, he compiled a two-volume set listing not only each citizen's name, but his possessions as well. This was, of course, for tax purposes and was appropriately dubbed "The Dooms Day Book."
Revelation 20:12-15 tells us that God keeps a set of books of His own. One volume, like the Kuwaiti microchip, lists every single citizen of Heaven. The other-a multi-volume set, records the name of every single person who has ever lived, along with an account of the debt of sin that is owed to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Unlike the phone book, no one can remain unlisted. One way or another, God has your number!
So, how about it? Are you in the Dooms Day Book or are you in the registry of the citizens of Heaven? The choice is yours and it totally depends upon what you do with God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you trust Him as your personal Savior today?
Reach Out And Touch...Someone,
Pastor David Blevins
My little book/notepad was good for my life only and, thus, practically useless to anyone else. But please carefully consider the following....
Verizon recently belched forth their new phone books for New York City. There were literally millions of copies (over 5,000 tons of paper worth) and if you laid them all end to end, you could walk from here to Knoxville, Tennessee, on a pavement of phone books, provided that you had some strange desire to do so. If you stacked them all one on top of the other...well, that would be an indication that you had way too much time on your hands. And for all of this, the books are incomplete since 30% of New Yorkers paid a fee for an unlisted number and hundreds of thousands more only use their cell phone, having done away with the old dinosauer landline.
That is just New York City. When the Kuwaitis bailed out just ahead of the Iraqi invasion almost 20 years ago, they took along a floppy disc containing a complete register of the nation's citizenry.
Those are just lists of names. When William of Normandy conqured England, he compiled a two-volume set listing not only each citizen's name, but his possessions as well. This was, of course, for tax purposes and was appropriately dubbed "The Dooms Day Book."
Revelation 20:12-15 tells us that God keeps a set of books of His own. One volume, like the Kuwaiti microchip, lists every single citizen of Heaven. The other-a multi-volume set, records the name of every single person who has ever lived, along with an account of the debt of sin that is owed to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Unlike the phone book, no one can remain unlisted. One way or another, God has your number!
So, how about it? Are you in the Dooms Day Book or are you in the registry of the citizens of Heaven? The choice is yours and it totally depends upon what you do with God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Will you trust Him as your personal Savior today?
Reach Out And Touch...Someone,
Pastor David Blevins
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