A Lesson from Paul's Final Chapter

At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. (2 Tim.4:16)

In writing Timothy, Paul related to him his heart. Especially in 2 Timothy where we recognize that Paul is facing certain death by execution, this is most definitely seen. Its always nice to have someone to talk to in a time like that, especially when others were either too embarrassed to be seen with him, or were giving him the final cold shoulder.  He was absolutely by himself. Nobody stepped forward to say, "This is a good guy. He's alright.”  What is more evident in Paul's letter to Timothy, is that you don't hear Paul saying in return,  "Those jerks — after all I've done for them all these years!” Instead, he says, "May it not be counted against them.”  What can we learn from this final chapter in Paul's life?

In order to say this, just as Jesus did when He was on the cross, Paul had determined in advance he was not going to let himself become bitter. Because bitterness always makes things worse. Bitterness and loneliness go together because they become a cycle. You become lonely. Then you start feeling bad about it and have a pity party. Then you become bitter. Your bitterness makes you even lonelier, which makes you more bitter. Soon, you're a hardhearted, depressed person that nobody can get close to. And Nobody wants to be around a bitter person. Nobody wants to be around a cynic. Nobody wants to be around a person who is perpetually angry, rude, obnoxious or bitter.

When you find yourself feeling in these ways, we must learn to play down the incident and offer it to the Lord who will always listen to our hurts. Don't rehearse it over and over in your mind. If you do, it just gets bigger and bigger and out of control. It does no one, especially yourself any good to become resentful, because bitterness will eat you up. Simply do what God says to do, and let God handle the others who have to deal with what they are doing. God always notices when others don't. 

2 Tim 2:19  Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness." 

Jim

Finances or God -Which Comes First?

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17 NIV)

This is poignant advice, especially since the theme of Isaiah 7-9 gave the same type of advice over 2700 years ago.  Wealth is not wrong, nor is the desire to save for retirement. Investing wisely is a biblical principle and the Proverbs have much to say about it. Yet, we should not allow ourselves to trust this more than God, or to become "a god" to us. In this, worry is a warning light. Every time you worry about your finances, it's a warning that you doubt that God loves you and will take care of you. We always get into trouble when we doubt God's love. Always. Jesus taught in Matt.6:33, “But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you."

Your bank account is not your security, no matter how big it gets and to put our hope in or to trust that it will always be there or always see me through is a false hope and distraction from God. This is what Paul was writing Timothy about in 1 Tim.6:17. The truth is, is that everything we have is God's and it all belongs to Him. We are simply stewards of what God has provided and need to learn wisely how to use what God has provided. But, we should not lose sight that it is God who gave it to us and without Him, we have nothing.

As long as you love anything more than God, that thing is going to be a source of anxiety. There was one thing meant for first place in your life, and it's not your family, your finances, your livelihood or whatever.  Anything you put first in your life and comes before God will create anxiety, because that thing can always be lost.  Put your hope in God, because he will assume responsibility for your needs if you'll trust him.

• Is there anything that you love more than God? 
• Is your answer obvious to everyone else by the way you live your life? What do they see you putting first in your life?
• What do you find yourself becoming anxious over?
• In times of economic recession or financial need, in what or whom do you put your hope?

Prov 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Jim

Carchemish - Ferrell Jenkins Report

It is still exciting at Carchemish. I have been within sight of Carchemish once. The military installations were clearly visible on top of the tell. The tour operator handling my tour in Turkey a previous time advised me not to go to Carchemish (Karkamis) because it is “zero on the border” of Turkey and Syria.

Carchemish with a Turkish military base on top. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins 2007.

We were excited to learn that new excavations had begun at Carchemish. That was before the recent “uncivil war” in Syria. Now, two reports give a little glimpse into the archaeological work there.

The first report from the WorldBulletin reports:

What could be the largest discovered inscribed tablet (stele), dating to the reign of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II between 605-562 BC, has been discovered in the Turkish city of Karkamis on the military zone along the Turkey-Syria border.

Noting that the excavations sites are untroubled despite their proximity to the Syrian civil war, Dr. Nicola Marchetti said the Karkamis archeological museum is scheduled to open next year.

“Excavations are right on a military zone with 55 hectares in Turkey and 35 in Syria,” said Marchetti, the head of the Turkish and Italian excavation teams, at a press conference held in the Assembly Hall of the Metropolitan Municipality.

Excavations this year also unearthed a cuneiform tablet at the palace of Carchemish king Katuwa dating to 800 BC, as well as over 300 sculptures, a Luwian hieroglyphic inscription and a mosaic.

Read the full report here. I assume the work described in this report is somewhere other than the top of the high mound.

A report from ANSAmed used a few more words about the stele dating to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

Marchetti is proudest of a stele, or commemorative slab, carved with the face of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, the conqueror of Karkemish. He destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple of Salomon in 587 BC, and built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were the seventh wonder of the ancient world.

”It’s a beautiful, compact piece of limestone”, Marchetti enthuses of this unique, historic find.

This report may be read here. It continues to tell about some recent al-Qaeda activity near the border in Syria affected by the excavation.

While it’s an almost peaceful cohabitation, it is also true that the dig is within a Turkish military base. This offers the Italians a relative sense of safety – except on September 3, when al-Qaeda attacked the Syrian town of Jarabulus, eventually wresting it from the ”official” anti-Assad Free Syrian Army (FSA) insurgents. ”It was hell on earth. Bullets were flying everywhere”, says Marchetti, who teaches Near Eastern archeology at Bologna University.

”Luckily, archeologists dig holes. We dove in. We kept digging inside the deeper ones. The Turkish military kept telling us, stay down”. Calm was restored once the FSA fighters gave themselves up to the Turks in order to flee al-Qaeda. An armed truce has held since, allowing the Italian team to unearth new treasures.

Now we know why archaeologists dig trenches and holes.

I look forward to seeing that new archaeological museum at Karkamis. Karkamis is a small town of less than 5000 population.

posted from Bloggeroid

Hoarding? or Paying Forward?

“However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that I could finish spreading the Good News for all the nations to hear. I was snatched out of a lion's mouth.” (2 Tim. 4:17)

Too many times in striving to be a Christian, we find ourselves alienated from people in general because of the things that we see in the world that we do not want to be a part of. Lifestyles, habits, attitudes, etc. and things that are wrong are things that we are told to stay away from and not to be influenced by (2 Tm.2:15-21). But if we are not careful, we can find ourselves alienated from the very people we are trying to reach. We have to learn to stop building walls and start building bridges (2 Tm.2:24-26). Our striving to be holy should be seen as an example to others, not as something that makes others think that we are that "weird" person that's all "holier than thou." The loneliest person in the world is the guy who's self-centered and wrapped up in himself. God wired us to give our lives away, to help others, to think of others and not just ourselves. Start being a friend and being friendly. Quit focusing on yourself and emphasize others' needs.

There is a factor of fear in this, because in general people are afraid to be open and to be vulnerable. We're afraid to share how we really feel and risk a relationship because we might be rejected, and we know what that pain feels like. We often set ourselves up in a self-imposed prison of solitary confinement that is absolutely unnecessary.  When Paul was in prison and about to be executed, he said all his friends had left him, but God was with him. That gave him the strength to reach out to others and complete the work God had given him: “The Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear” (2 Tim 4:17).  There are thousands of people in the world who need your love. Re-channel it away from yourself and toward others. If you hold it in, it's going to dry up and wither away. You need to find a place you can use your talents and gifts to help other people.  The modern expression for this is "Pay It forward!"

• Who are the people around you who need your love today? 
• How can you share it with them?
•  Why is it sometimes easier to hold love in than give it away?

Jim

Capture Every Thought

“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” 

2 Cor.10:5                   

The battle for sin always starts in the mind.  James 1:14 "Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him." Whatever you focus on pulls you.  If you focus on godly things, it’s going to pull you that direction. If you focus on the stuff that’s at the movies and in magazines, it’s going to pull you that direction. Whatever you focus on gets your attention. Whatever gets your attention and captivates it is going to get you. This is why encouragement to Godly thinking is such a key thing and why being around Godly people to encourage you to that end is essential (Heb.10:24,25).  Psalm 119:6 states, “Then I shall not be ashamed, when I have respect to all Your commandments."  Why? Because if you’re thinking about God’s truth, God's will, then you’re not thinking about the dumb stuff you could be doing.  

Did you know that in the Bible, not once are you told to resist temptation? We are told to resist the Devil, and that’s a whole different issue. But the key to overcoming temptation is not to push back. It’s to change your focus. Temptation always follows a predictable pattern: attention, arousal, and action. Your mind gets hooked, your mind kicks in, and then you act on it. So you don’t fight a temptation. You turn your mind to something else. “We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” (2 Cor.10:5 ).  The thing is, we’re not very good at capturing every thought and turning it to Christ, because that takes lots of practice. You can’t always control your circumstances, and at times you can’t even control the way you feel. We can control what you think about. That’s always your choice. And if you change the way you think, it changes the way you feel, and ultimately change the way you act. 

What do you spend your time thinking about? Where does your mind wander when you’re not focused on something specific?

How do you train yourself so that it is more natural for you to focus on God’s Word instead of the things of this world?

In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will  meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.  I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Ps.119:14-16

 Jim