Howdy Folks,
If you type cowboy trail tips into your internet search engine, you’ll get a lot of “hits” with widely varying degrees of relevance. When sorting through them, you’ll find that they seem to fall into three categories. Some, fall into what I call the life application category. For example: “When you’re in the wrong and need to set it right, how far you’ve traveled in the doin’ of it has nothing to do with the rightin’ of it”; or, “See the heavens, smell the air, taste the dust and the alkali, hear the wind and the wild, feel the motion of your horse. On a good day, that’s all you need. On a bad day that’s all you need.” Others, such as “Buildin’ and fixin’ fences wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t have to get off your horse to do em”; or, “Cowboyin’ would be a lot more pleasant if Noah had taken the time to swat a couple of mosquitoes on his ark” can be categorized as whimsical wisdom. Finally, there are those that carry some spiritual baggage. “Just like Jesus, a good horse know what he’s doin’ even when you don’t”; or, "You make it to the short go, not by how well you perform, but by how well you let Christ perform through you.”
Well folks, the other day, I was reading in Proverbs and it struck me that I was reading God’s trail trips for a Christian cowboy. A wealth of understanding and wisdom is cached in this book to guide us along the trail. Here is a few of God’s trail tips for the ride: “Do not strive with a man without cause. If he has done you no harm (3:30)”; “Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well (5:15)”; “Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you (9:8)”; “In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty (14:23)”; and, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps (16:9).”
I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the young preacher Timothy: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16,17).” Without a doubt, from cover to cover, the Bible is chock full of God’s understanding, wisdom and trail tips for the Christian cowboy. Not only is it a good read, but also it will direct your ride along the trail.
On the Trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A BOOK WORTH READING
Howdy Folks,
The Bible is unlike any other book that has ever been written, in that you must first know the author to understand its content. On the other hand, it is like other books in that to be understood it must be read and studied. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The picture here is of a workman who is careful and accurate in his work and stresses the nature of the task, rather than the skill needed to perform it. Because of the Holy Spirit’s tuition, believers who diligently study the Word of God will be able to understand the mind of God and things He has given them. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said (John 14:26).”
Folks, the Bible is the authorative, reliable and definitive handbook for true believers. Get into the habit of reading your Bible, ponder it, meditate on it, and study it. I think of the old time saints who came to the Word and meditated on it. They took their Bible and pondered what it said. They didn’t have the benefit of a concordance, commentaries or cross-references and notes on the pages of the Bible. Why, they didn’t even have the words attributed to Jesus printed in red. Yet, they knew their Bible better than any of us today. John Bunyan had about four years of schooling and only read the Bible. He knew his Scriptures so well that he was able to write the Pilgrim’s Progress while he was in prison. A.W. Tozer a prolific Christina author and pastor had no formal theological training. It is said that his preaching, as well as his writing was an extension of his prayer life and Scripture reading.
Today, however, Bible reading is no longer “in” and, for the most part, appears to have gone out of fashion. We have the problem of the relegation of the Bible to a mere book of history and tradition. In the popular mind, it is no longer a book of authority. As believers, we need to get back to the basics and dust off our Bibles. The Bible read, understood, believed, and obeyed means a life of joy and peace.
I still read my old Bible,
Like me, it’s shown’ wear,
Tho it ain’t new or modern,
The Words of God are there.
On the Trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann
The Bible is unlike any other book that has ever been written, in that you must first know the author to understand its content. On the other hand, it is like other books in that to be understood it must be read and studied. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The picture here is of a workman who is careful and accurate in his work and stresses the nature of the task, rather than the skill needed to perform it. Because of the Holy Spirit’s tuition, believers who diligently study the Word of God will be able to understand the mind of God and things He has given them. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said (John 14:26).”
Folks, the Bible is the authorative, reliable and definitive handbook for true believers. Get into the habit of reading your Bible, ponder it, meditate on it, and study it. I think of the old time saints who came to the Word and meditated on it. They took their Bible and pondered what it said. They didn’t have the benefit of a concordance, commentaries or cross-references and notes on the pages of the Bible. Why, they didn’t even have the words attributed to Jesus printed in red. Yet, they knew their Bible better than any of us today. John Bunyan had about four years of schooling and only read the Bible. He knew his Scriptures so well that he was able to write the Pilgrim’s Progress while he was in prison. A.W. Tozer a prolific Christina author and pastor had no formal theological training. It is said that his preaching, as well as his writing was an extension of his prayer life and Scripture reading.
Today, however, Bible reading is no longer “in” and, for the most part, appears to have gone out of fashion. We have the problem of the relegation of the Bible to a mere book of history and tradition. In the popular mind, it is no longer a book of authority. As believers, we need to get back to the basics and dust off our Bibles. The Bible read, understood, believed, and obeyed means a life of joy and peace.
I still read my old Bible,
Like me, it’s shown’ wear,
Tho it ain’t new or modern,
The Words of God are there.
On the Trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann
Friday, March 11, 2011
A FAITH WORTH SHARING
Howdy folks,
If you are a Christian, sharing your faith is not an option. People without a born-again personal relationship with Jesus Christ are all around us, in our workplace, our neighborhood, our family, our home and, even in our church. These people are spiritually dead and without hope. Yet, there is an overwhelming tendency in the Christian community today to expect that someone else is going to tell them about Jesus – the pastor, a deacon, the Director of Evangelism, a Sunday School teacher or youth worker, anyone but me.
Now, let me ask you the hard question: How many of you have ever been the means by which someone came to know Jesus Christ? The fact is that less than 10% of Christians when asked that question can respond in the positive. Folks, this is serious business. If we really believe that a person without a born-again, personal relationship with Christ is on the way to hell, where is our sense of urgency? We seem to have forgotten our mission: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us (2 Corinthians 5:20a)". When we stand before a holy God, are we going to be humbled into the dust because we so pitifully failed to carry out the Great Commission?
Billy Fay, an internationally known leader in the field of personal evangelism encourages Christians to share their faith without fear through friendship evangelism. He says we need to get away from the “win them” mentality. Folks aren’t saved because we cleverly “manipulated” them to believe. Success according to Billy, is not leading someone to Christ but it is acting out your Christian life, sharing the Gospel, and trusting God for the results.
Are you ready to take up the challenge? We need to practice sharing our faith. Every moment of every day, we must be ready to share our faith with others. “That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus (Philemon 6).” Only with practice will be become more consistent, confident, and competent as a Christian. Then in the words of the old hymn we’ll sing:
I love to tell the story,
‘Tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it,
More wonderfully sweet;.
I love to tell the story,
For some have never heard
The message of salvation
From God’s own holy Word.
On the trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann
If you are a Christian, sharing your faith is not an option. People without a born-again personal relationship with Jesus Christ are all around us, in our workplace, our neighborhood, our family, our home and, even in our church. These people are spiritually dead and without hope. Yet, there is an overwhelming tendency in the Christian community today to expect that someone else is going to tell them about Jesus – the pastor, a deacon, the Director of Evangelism, a Sunday School teacher or youth worker, anyone but me.
Now, let me ask you the hard question: How many of you have ever been the means by which someone came to know Jesus Christ? The fact is that less than 10% of Christians when asked that question can respond in the positive. Folks, this is serious business. If we really believe that a person without a born-again, personal relationship with Christ is on the way to hell, where is our sense of urgency? We seem to have forgotten our mission: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us (2 Corinthians 5:20a)". When we stand before a holy God, are we going to be humbled into the dust because we so pitifully failed to carry out the Great Commission?
Billy Fay, an internationally known leader in the field of personal evangelism encourages Christians to share their faith without fear through friendship evangelism. He says we need to get away from the “win them” mentality. Folks aren’t saved because we cleverly “manipulated” them to believe. Success according to Billy, is not leading someone to Christ but it is acting out your Christian life, sharing the Gospel, and trusting God for the results.
Are you ready to take up the challenge? We need to practice sharing our faith. Every moment of every day, we must be ready to share our faith with others. “That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus (Philemon 6).” Only with practice will be become more consistent, confident, and competent as a Christian. Then in the words of the old hymn we’ll sing:
I love to tell the story,
‘Tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it,
More wonderfully sweet;.
I love to tell the story,
For some have never heard
The message of salvation
From God’s own holy Word.
On the trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)