Two Trees

Posted on 2022/03/06 by JimR, Chaplain

I was awakened this morning as usual by my two dogs wanting egress to their natural need to nature, so I took them out, but when trying to return myself to sleep a proding by God to get up was upon me.

So. When that proding comes it is best to rise and go to the couch and get my laptop in of all places my lap of course. Upon opening it I question God as to where I should start. I mentally fumble through one of my online Bible reference sites after another, yet nothing jumps out at me till a question come to mind. I felt it to be one of my “God questions”.

Just what is the difference between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge? The Tree of Life is simply Tree of Life, but the Tree of Knowledge has a tag on it to include “of Good and Evil”.

“And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” – Genesis 2:9

So God says every tree is pleasant to the sight and good for food, but then God specifies two trees distinctly by nature. Trees seem to play an important role in God’s way of describing how man should approach life.

He told Adam and Eve that they could eat of all the trees including the Tree of Life. But why not the Tree of Knowledge?

This tree contained an asset that man need not know of. That was the ability to know the difference between good and evil. Why did God not want man to know of this asset?

That is a question I will likely be dwelling in for a bit. Come with me as we search this vital area which God had warned Adam and Eve about. I feel this second tree was detrimental and has led us to the state of man such as it is. It led to our separation from our rightful relationship with God.

If you will, what might your view of this be?

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I’m Excited!

Posted on 2022/02/26 by JimR, Chaplain

I’ve been writing blog posts for close to fifteen years. I’ve had a handful of blogs. One was “Musings of an Old Man”. It contained mostly my autobiography which was about 125 pages when I stopped and I was only to my late 20’s. It was mostly about being a young man growing up from my first memories till I got totally solid in my walk with God and I stopped. The reason was my first marriage fell apart about then and I totally lost interest. It was a dark time when I was diagnosed with severe depression and I was having panic attacks.

Then came my recovery. The name of the next blog was “The Recovery Room”. It was poems and writings of my dismay over my situation and how I evolved out of it. This was about the same time I met Libby. She was that puzzle piece in my life that I’d been missing. With her by my side, she became my rock. She picked me up when I was down. She gave me strength when I had none. I love her with a love like no other second only to that of my Lord. I treasure her in my recovery and we are mates for life.

Then came this blog. I haven’t been back to my first days on this one. The title of the blog comes from where I grew up. It was a community named Small. For years I thought the name came from the lack of a better idea until one day I learned it was named after a man, whose last name was Small. Anyway I’d alway heard of the phrase “Living large”, so I use a play on words and came up with “Living Small”. Now you know the rest of the story.

I treasure the times I’ve felt to write. It’s history of my progression in writing. Oh, I know I still have grammatical and spelling issues, but in all I’m sure you, the reader, gets my gist.

So here I sit tonight to share with you why I’m excited. The first of this week I was contacted by a publisher that wanted to talk to me. I’ve had several want my attention, but I felt something about this particular man. So I set up an appointment to talk to him. About Tuesday I found time to converse with him about my manuscript for a book I’ve written called “Suicide – Satan’s Killing Field”. It’s not a big book. It’s perhaps fifty pages at best, but I had to think back about my mentor’s book writings. His first books were in this page range and they changed my life. Then he went on to a major Christian publisher that published something like eighteen of his writings that were full sized writings in paperback and hardback. By the time he died he had written some sixty five to seventy books from the size I stated to around 120 pages.

Well to say the least this man requested my manuscript for review to see if it fit their Christian publishing company. Then came yesterday. I got an email with a letter of acceptance with comments about my manuscript with a proposed contract to publish it. I am stoked. I’ve read the contract and it appears legitimate. The terms are realistic and doable. I emailed the man back and we are to set up another conversation to customize the contract to my liking and once I put my investment into it we will be off and running.

I’m going to have my book published by Trinity Broadcasting Network’s subsidary, Trinity Publishing. They

will do everything for me for what I consider a very nominal cost and my royalities will be 100% till my investment is recouped and then a 70/30 split for us. They have over 20 million viewers on their network and if I get just 10% of the viewers involved, the words God gave me to tell people about suicide and it’s ugly head will be spread and perhaps save some lives from this needless act.

Yes, there is money, but God spoke to Libby and me about 7-10 months ago that we would be taken care with blessing of finance in our old age. Like, I’m 71 now, so I’m listening, okay? Besides my intent is to be well off enough financially to further involve myself in the active Chaplaincy ministry I recently became director over as a volunteer. I was not guaranteed any salary, but in this I felt a salary isn’t necessary and I should do it as an act of faith fulfilled for God.

So there it is. In due diligence, I’m doing a background check on the man I’m talking to so that I can say my investment with TBN’s publishing arm is truly going to serve what God has for me well enough to take care of my need to pursue my function as the Director for Emerge Chaplains Response Team under Emerge Ministries.

I’m not concerned about fame of selling books or making money. All I want is to pursue the calling of God on my life and if this is the path, so shall it be. My book will be published if not with TBN, it will be somewhere. For now I’ve asked God for His direction and the door is still open. So the principle I learned as a young Christian still applies. As long as the door is open, walk through it. If it closes another will open. God’s will be done. I’m on my way.

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Dark Days Ahead

Posted on 2022/02/22 by JimR, Chaplain

I hardly like to write about what I see, because I don’t consider myself a prophet. However, I do consider myself a student of history and the nature of man.

What is going on in the world presently has nothing to do with being a Democrat or Republican. It has nothing to do with being American, Chinese, Russian or any other race of people. It has to do with right standing or not with God.

Those of you that read my writings know either a little or some degree about me, but I would figure very few know me personally.

Since I was a child I had a keen awareness of God. At the age of thirteen God spoke to me that He wanted me in the ministry as an Evangelist. It took me years, even decades, to fully understand what that meant. Now as a Chaplain I came to the full realization of that calling. A Chaplain in simple terms is an Evangelist. I’d dare say an Evangelist is not even called to preach as is traditionally known by most. The one thing I learned in my classes for Chaplaincy is that it is considered the “ministry of presence”. Just being there when needed is sometimes all that is required. Then when necessary to speak a Word or preach. I’m good with that.

But then comes my knowledge of studying the Bible and history. I find that there is, as the Bible says, nothing new under the sun.

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. – Ecc 1:9

There are no new sins to be committed. Only the same human misgivings and shortcomings that create futility. I have come to realize that no matter how much evil man can contrive it all comes to naught. So what good does it do when at the end of life the evil men die and then comes their judgment. How empty their souls will be.

Right now today as China, Russia and North Korea and any other despicable government commits to do evil they will all reach a day when all that they have done is of so little value that the absence of purpose will have evaded the souls of those that seek to commit such greedy, power hungry deeds.

My only true hope is in God. God ordained all things to happen in order that He may have a people of His own. The refinement of His people is by fire. Such as it is with the world, I find it with the fire in which God’s people will be refined are those very people that commit evil that affects us and grieves our souls.

Jesus hung upon a cross for all of us. Even those of the lowest form of human nature. My cry tonight is to hope for redemption of all mankind. It is written that at some point in time all will bow the knee to God.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. – Romans 14:11

Even in Jesus’ day we see that even the demons of hell recognized Him as Lord.

What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time? – Matthew 8:29

So I say as I call an end to this day, we must keep our faith intact, our conversation with God constant and our relationship with our Father solid. There are dark days ahead as the smoke from the fire of God covers the sk during the purging of the earth of evil.

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First Person Speaking

Posted on 2022/02/21 by JimR, Chaplain

Last week my wife and I sat down to listen to my mentor, Dr. Kelley Varner speak in the Christian Leadership Institute class concerned the life of Elijah. It can be found on the page that still exists at:

Media

Dr Varner passed over in June of 2009, yet his teachings are still just as powerful. If you don’t know of him view his page for media and books. Take note I don’t advertise for his still existing ministry. I simply am saying you would benefit from the Word of God in it.

Now for the reason of this writing. Of the hour and thirty minutes of teaching my wife and I listened to one thing sprang out at me. Dr Varner said something to the fact that we should take note of. We should be learning to speak in the first person to situations that come upon us or anything we speak to in the moment of need

There is scripture to back what I’m saying, but for the time of this writing I will relegate the scriptures to another writing.

Jesus would get up early every morning to confide with the Father. His time with Him was to strengthen the relationship and to get understanding of the next step in His ministry on this Earth. If He had not, one wonders could there have been a misstep towards the ultimate goal of His sacrifice on the cross in the end. I have lots of questions of my own. You can probably come up with some of your own.

The point of the matter is that when Jesus left the morning conversations with the Father, He spoke in the Father’s stead during the days ministry as He traveled about. You never hear Jesus invoke the name or ask God to do certain thing. He did not heal or raise people from the dead or speak words of life from the third person stance. He spoke them in the first person. He had been given the authority to speak as God for God His Father from one sole reason. Relationship.

Relationship with our Father is very much the most important aspect of our lives to perform the ministry for which we are called. We cannot act on His behalf without it. We have to know that our relationship is with right-standing. With that being so we can speak with authority. We need not ask God to do it.

To some this is foreign doctrinal thinking. I’ve seen service after service where we speak to situations by asking God to do this or that. Why? Why do we ask God to do it? We should have come into a service “prayed up” as it were with our relationship with God intact to the point that we act in His stead by speaking directly to the issue at hand, seeing results coming from the channel of our spirit that will be open to God’s passage of the answer directly to the situation.

We will not be the actual reason the situation is corrected. We simply have an open channel in our spirit by our relationship with God to allow Him to find passage from the eternal realm to the finite realm in which we stand. No one can take credit for the act except God. Our only act is to have relationship with God through which He may find that passage open to fix whatever is wrong.

No more begging God to fix a problem while we lay hands on people. It is imperative that we develope a solid relationship with God wherewith we can speak to a situation allowing God entrance from the infinite to the finite.

Once I have time to research the scriptures I will add them to this writing I will write a post to confirm what is written here.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Christian Mission, church, Common Sense, Follow God, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Hope, Love, Maturity, More of God, Possibilities | Tagged | Leave a comment

Death’s Door

Posted on 2022/02/07 by JimR, Chaplain

My cousin related to me of a friend that died this past week. Another of her friends had posted a note on her Facebook page concerning death.

Most people don’t concern themselves with death until a certain age. That age is dependant on one’s

https://graveyardgossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Deaths-Door-8-768x477.jpg

relative thoughts on what “old age” is. For my dad death was an early event in life. He told me when I was in my 30’s most all Rowe males died before or by the age of 60. I’ve said this many times before that my response was I was not buying into that mentality. So here I sit at 71 years old and still in good health and presently working a job, although retired from twenty-eight years of Civil Service. Not only that I’m presently the Director of Emerge Chaplain’s Response Team for disaster relief. I consider myself still too young to be dying any time soon.

Still, when I reached a certain age I was confronted with the fact or my mortality. Yes. I will die. But I have certainly heard from God and it concerns His will that I remain for yet a while till I have finished what I was placed on this earth for.

In earlier years death came to my bedside on more that one occasion and I had to rebuke it. I knew then I was to perform a calling upon me by God so I was not going anywhere. God showed me how to break the curse upon my family my present age is my evidence that I have broken it.

So I wrote the above to preface the response I had for my cousin on Facebook. That is what follows below. It was my experience with the death of my middle brother. I’m the oldest of five sons and the three middle brothers are gone now and only the youngest and I remain.

Teresa, I understand. I sat next to Mike after Debbie came to tell me he had passed. I was not there at the very moment but was there within a minute or so. I sat quietly with my hand on his left forearm in the room where a hush had come.

So many things went through my mind. No more talks, no more quick glances when we saw something no one was supposed to see, but we did. He and I got a laugh or two when that would happen and believe me it did. No more riding around just looking at nature and talking to neighbors or friends. No more talking about cars or going to the races across the street from where he lived at the Virginia Motor Speedway.

But the biggest “no more” was the pain he suffered from at the end. Mike died from lung cancer.

Peace overwhelmed me that he no longer was in pain. Mike told me several times in those last years that a near death experience had taken away his fear of dying, so I knew he went peacefully knowing where he was going.

Dad always said he didn’t want to die without knowing his sons were saved. Mike at the time of dad’s death was the hold-out, but I did see that for dad. Your friend was apparently close, and I know your brother, mom and dad were aware you were there with them when they passed over.

It was good to be there.

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Sam Webb, Evangelist

Posted on 2022/01/31 by JimR, Chaplain

I met a man during the weekend at Pennyrile Campground/Lodge just outside of Dawson Springs, KY. His name is Sam Webb.

He was a dishoveled man whose hair looked a frightful mess. His clothing was mostly bed clothing with a sweater. He was sitting on the balcony of the motel style building in his wheelchair. He’d lost a leg from some issue he had that I know not of. I say that he had to be cold, because the outside temperature at that time was in the upper 20’s.

He was pointed out to us by a couple who are members of the Lion’s Club that had brought him a hospital bed and mobilized wheelchair. The married couple tended to think he was a bit mentally off. They kind of tilted their heads as to say without him seeing that said he was fearful of “the monster”. But I beg to differ. They did say he would likely talk to us, so we called over to him and he waved so we walked over to him.

I asked could we talk in a warm place and he said yes, but not in his room. He had a room mate who was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake him. There was an atrium nearby that was heated so we went there. Every one that worked at the Lodge like him and they took extra measure to ensure he was taken care of.

As we sat to talk he did ramble a bit, but he was coherent. In the conversation we understood his situation as it unfolded. He was in the beginning stage of Alzheimer’s. He’d had several heart attacks and strokes. He had to fight in his speech and with his memory.

Then came the revelation that he had been an evangelist earlier in life until he become disabled. In fact he related to us he had met Evangelist R.W. Schambach with whom he had spoke. He said he was told by Evangelist Schambach that he was called to the ministry, which he took to heart and soon after began preaching. As we swapped stories I spoke guardedly with him till at some point I found out his belief system was rooted in Pentecostalism. Then I spoke openly of how I prayed in tongues during a hurricane when I heard a tornado coming. That was when he opened up to tell us of his ordeal during the tornado he had encountered in December.

He said they got word to seek shelter in place to ride out the winds since there was no where to go. It was coming too quickly to escape. So he and his room mate tried to get into the bathroom, but he could not get through the door. The winds were reaching a peak where he felt the house giving way and at some point he thought he was going to die. His wheelchair lifted off the floor as though the next stop would be in the hereafter. His conclusion of having survived has left him with an inextricable comfort in not fearing death anymore.

Yet even so he is afraid to sleep for fear of what he calls “the monster” will come back during sleep and take him away violently. Death is not his issue. It’s the “how” part that he’s not wanting. That being another tornado.

When the wind subsided he said it got very quiet and for a time and then came the voices calling for help to come get them. There was a baby crying up over them for they lived on a lower level in an apartment building. People were crying, calling for loved ones doing whatever one could do after such a catastrophe. He said it was horrible.

His story was not one that was any different than others we talked to. Some spoke of living in a mobile home where the walls seemed to breath in and out during the height of the winds. One woman found her husband five houses down the street. I don’t think he survived. There was something like 17-20 lives lost during the onslaught.

I could speak of more, but we must know this final thing before I stop. God is in control of all things. Even in disaster. Despite the loss of life. Despite the loss of material things those that remain that we talked to are resilient and fighting their mental overload from losing everything and some having lost family.

You have to remember this happened on the 10th of December. A Christmas for this town was ripped from their intended schedule. There was no Christmas for them. They lost it all. Yet those that remain are finding that there is something to look forward to after such a devastating turn of events.

Yes, there is still fear of the unknown, but there is also faith for a better tomorrow. I pray for this town as they move forward. Won’t you?

Posted in Dreams, Family, God's Calling, Hope | Leave a comment

My Trip to Dawson Springs, KY

Posted on 2022/01/30 by JimR, Chaplain

Friday morning I left for Dawson Springs, KY. This little town took a direct hit from a tornado that was a mile wide and traveled 200 miles. It literally destroyed much of the town. Some 450 homes are gone. This is a typical small town where most everyone knows everyone for the most part. Most are poor, some middle-class, few else. It has a bit of a feel of the town I grew up in.

It has a small town hall, fire department and police department all housed in the same small building. The church we partner with is in an old 5 and 10 Ben Franklin store front. There’s a Methodist church around the corner and a few other small churches about the area. But Redemption City is true to its name. It is redeeming the town for God. The pastor is very hard at work with volunteers to rebuild.

I made my second trip out there this weekend to fact find so we can assess their needs. Below is my commentary on my FB page. I am the Director of Emerge Chaplains Response Team. God has comissioned me to go to these places and assess and deliver the needs back home so we can start putting together those needs and get them to the area.

I’m going to post some of the pictures we took while there on this page for you to see why we went.

I made it back home this afternoon safely. My car had a good coating of salt so I had to stop at the car wash in Beulaville for a complete washing including the undercarriage. It was 11 degrees coming through the mountain passes with slick roads from a light coating of ice. Still, I drove home from western KY to home in eleven hours. When you have a wife like Libby waiting for me back her I ain’t wastin’ any time getting home.

But the end result is this. There are still displaced people living in various camp grounds around the area and FEMA is bringing in camper trailers. The pastor we partner with there will get as much as we can to help. His request would be LOWE’S gift cards. No matter what amount he can use them to buy building supplies. We are sending him a dining trailer for his group of volunteer builders to have a place to sit down to eat.

People there are fearful that this could mean the end of their little town of 2500 people as many of them may not come back to live there because of the memories that haunt their minds of that night around 10:35 pm. I can be graphic of the things my volunteer Chaplain and myself were told by different ones we talked to. One said he could not sleep because he’s afraid another tornado will come while he’s sleeping. He calls it a monster. Another said they watched the walls of their house breath in and out from the pressure before it blew apart on them.

I’m broken hearted with stories. And you know why? Because they have no home to lay their head, but I get to come home to my wife and home still here. You see what I saw and you will know God has blessed you.

Posted in Christian, Christian Mission, Common Sense, Death, Follow God, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Home, Memories, Mission Work, More of God, Patience | Leave a comment

What A Strange Day

Posted on 2022/01/23 by JimR, Chaplain

I find myself with no tasks on my agenda for today except to read a book, watch TV, nap, or as I always do, enjoy my wife’s company.

The Cheap Detective is on presently with Peter Falk. It’s a movie parody of Humphrey Bogart movies. It has an all star cast. It came in third it’s opening week behind Grease and Jaws 2. Funny movie.

Then there’s the book I’m reading. ENLISTED, Navigating Your Prophetic Assignment, by Charlie Howell, III. It’s a very good book. It has to do with recognizing the calling of a Prophet. Not just someone who operates occasionally in the gift of prophesy. It’s an area of teaching I have known for years of being mentored under Dr. Kelley Varner. The difference is nothing in what is said between the two. Only I got practical demonstration under Dr. Varner.

The gift of prophesy being used in a service by someone is to lift up and edify (same thing either way). To operate in the office of a Prophet, however, is to give direction and correction. The office of a Prophet is to give aim to people in the direction they should go or tell them things about themselves that no one else knows.

I was given a word by God to give to someone once and I knew what, when and where about someone and I gave it only to be corrected in front of the congregation. It was to be in the office of a Prophet that this word was to be given. Dr. Varner was gentle with me in doing so, but I have seen him declare the validity of a word given to be not so by another individual around the same time frame. I learned by practical application from these episodes. I sometimes still wonder was I really to be groomed for the office and not the gift. I still see things about people. What’s to say I’m not, although I claim no fame to the office. I do know from more than two or three my younger son is called to the office of a Prophet. I still encourage him to follow that path.

I’ve been given visions even at an early age. God took me up in a vision when I was a young teen while in Church one Sunday. He showed me the people in the church pews. He said to me something that saddened me. He said not all these people sitting there were His. Only a few where truly His. He said to not worry myself. Every church in the world has a mix of those that are not His and those that are. Then I was reminded of the wheat and the tares growing together till the harvest when they would be separated. I was to be the grain to be harvested into keeping. Even now at my old age I still know this to be so. It’s my sureity of my faith. I was saved, I have been being saved and I will be saved in the end.

I’ve encountered men of God more times than I can count, but I’ve also encountered the enemy of our souls first hand more than once. I don’t understand why, but I’m never afraid of the enemy, except to say that I know he’s defeated. I’m like David of old who when confronted by Goliath ran toward him with five smooth stones of which one was loaded. That one met its mark and killed the enemy. The enemy lost his heard that day. Respect for the five-fold ministry has always been in me and David knew even one of those as smooth stones had the ability to end the enemies forward march.

I guess my unusual day does have meaning. I’m old and still have much to say. It’s what keeps me going. I love God. I’m His. He is mine. Wheither I’m here or standing in His presence all is well. I’m eternal because of the sacrifice He made through His Son Jesus. My sin has been removed for all time and I recognized my name was written in the Book of Life over 2000 years ago. I accepted that gift. Today is your day if you have not opened your gift. Today is your day to know for sure you are one of those that He knows personally. Don’t be someone that occupies a pew. Be one that occupies themselves in God.

Posted in Abundant life, Biblical teaching, Christian, Common Sense, Death, Follow God, God's Calling, God's direction, God's Guidance, Maturity, More of God, Ponderings, Possibilities, Salvation, Sobering Thoughts, Spiritual, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Investment, Spiritual Investments | Tagged | Leave a comment

How Does God Hear?

Posted on 2022/01/21 by JimR, Chaplain

This is just a short note for the evening. First off, don’t think I’m ranting. I’m not. I used to listen to rock music way back when I was in my 20’s via a set of headphones. A lot of times it would be at night when all was quite. I got warned the volume was too loud and it would ruin my hearing. Well, it was loud enough for most anyone in the room to make out what I was listening to.

Then I played drums, too. For twenty-five years I played drums in our church worship team. I was in the corner of the room where the sound seem to converge. I had a Peavy column speaker with four ten inch woofers and a horn tweeter laid on its side at a 45 degree angle towards my left ear. After some Sundays I could not hear well till about Tuesday. We played loud and hard. I broke or threw sticks sometimes so that should give you some idea. We had a horn section to my left and a B-3 Hammond cranking up on two Leslie speakers on either side of me as well. Throw in the bassist and a couple of other instruments and you can understand where I’m at in that corner.

Well, fast forward to today. I have moderate hearing loss in my mid-range, both ears and severe loss in the high end range in my left ear. I also have tinnitus that I’ve grown to put out of my thinking most of the time. I now have hearing aides. So. I am well aware of what loud music will do to a person over time.

Now to my point. Our church has a driving music force for a worship team now with a loud sound. The person running the board has to turn down the sound, but we have a floating control board a guy walks around with that turns the sound back up. When I wear my hearing aids I can change the programs in them on four levels by clapping my hand to my ear. It’s the percusive action to my ear that changes the program from the clapping. To say how loud the music is in the service when I walk in and stand for a minute or two there is enough percussion in the air to change my hearing aids program just from the sound being so loud. So I can’t wear my hearing aids in the service. I’ve seen people leave because it was too loud.

MX-R - PDP Pacific Drums and Percussion MX-R - Audiofanzine

There is something all musician’s understand I think. It’s called dynamics. It’s the building of sound to certain levels according to the mood of the music. That is not understood by young inexperienced musicians. I can’t blame them. I was the same way. Why do you think I have to wear hearing aids? So it’s not a rant or condemnation. It’s a simple statement of fact. I still love loud music, but I also understand the nature of God.

So, how does God hear? I’m not going to belabor this, so I will simply say. God is not deaf, nor does He have any level of hearing problem. He can hear in the loud music or in the soft music. People are directed in worship by the level of the music. When we celebrate, then loud music is appropriate. However, when there’s an altar call or worship sets in the dynamics of music should follow to the softer side to settle people’s minds to listen and hear the Spirit speak. We need to be more decerning in God’s desires for the moment.

God can hear in the loud and the soft, but just how does God hear? He hears the heart. Volume has nothing to do with how or what He hears. He hears your heart. What does your heart say?

Luke 6:45 – A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Once again it’s not how loud, or soft for that matter, that you speak. It’s what your heart speaks. God hears that before it ever gets out of your mouth. Or through the skill of a musician’s hand or voice in music.

Posted in Biblical teaching, Christian Music, God's Guidance, Maturity, Music, Old Age, Ponderings, Spiritual Growth | Leave a comment

Say It With Unction

Posted on 2022/01/13 by JimR, Chaplain

I’ve said it as a rule. I don’t like to write unless there is some sort of inward motivation to write something. So, here I sit for a moment with nothing in particular to say, yet deep down I find there is something particular to say. Kind of an oxymoronic moment so to speak.

When you have Christ living inside you He can be quiet sometimes. I figure that’s the reason I feel I have nothing to say. But we must remember something for these types of times.

I Timothy 1:6 –  Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

I’m more after the “stir up” the gift part here. The Greek word translated “stir up” denotes the kindling of a fire, as by bellows.

Anyone who has ever tended a campfire knows that stirring up the glowing embers of a dying fire can cause those embers to flame up again and burn more brightly. Timothy was to see to it that his spiritual gift did not grow cold through disuse; he was to “stir it up” and keep the fire going.

I see in this type of stirring the creation of a heated fire that can bring metal to a melting point so it can be further shaped by someone like a blacksmith forming a horseshoe.

In our lives when we feel least like we have something to say we need to stop all else and begin to stir ourselves. I know there is something deep down inside of me that is glowing, yet in need of the bellows to be applied to cause a flame to come up from the embers of a simmering fire. Yes, even embers bring heat, but when the wind of the Spirit is blown upon the gift inside of us the embers allow the rising up of a flame.

Jesus died for us. I had no particular reason to say that, but it fans a flame inside of me to remind me freshly that my eternal being is entirely based on that one foundational truth. He died for you and me. It comes to life when you say it.

If there is no particular unction that you feel, just stop a moment and let the wind of His spirit stir you up and you will feel that something to say. God, I love you. You’re my everything. My all.

There. . . I have now gotten unction to say something. Don’t you feel it?

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