Archives for March 2020

Good morning,

Where do we put our trust?

The Philistines return the ark of the covenant to Israel. The men of Bethshemesh offered a burnt offering to the Lord. The men of Bethshemesh chose to open the ark and look inside. God killed 50,070. The men of Bethshemesh requested the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim to fetch the ark to themselves. It resides there 20 years.

The ark returns to Bethshemesh

“And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.” (1 Samuel 6:13)

Burnt offering offered

“And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the Lord.¹⁵ And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord.” (1 Samuel 6:14-15)

Even though Levites were present, the burnt offerings were not done as prescribed by Jewish law.

Jews living at this time were living in idolatry and not for the Lord. It would be 20 more years before they would repent and begin to serve God.

The men of Bethshemesh look into the ark of the Lord with disastrous consequences

“And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.²⁰ And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us?” (1 Samuel 6:19-20)

The Levites and men of Bethshemesh knew better to open the ark to look inside. It was forbidden. “And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.” (Numbers 4:15)

The ark is relocated to Kirjathjearim

“And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us?²¹ And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.”

Again the ark, used improperly, was a cause for death and destruction. Israel was not worshipping God. The Levites were not teaching the people the law.

The ark resides in Kirjathjearim 20 years

“And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.”

Sin has its consequences. Failure to read the law, obey it, to serve God, caused a separation between God and Israel.

Tomorrow we will see how Godly repentance changes the consequences.

Are we walking with God or apart from Him? During our down time with COVID-19, this would be a great time to get into God’s word and get right with Him.

Don’t be like Israel!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Where do we put our trust?

First Samuel 5 tells us of the Philistines encounter with the ark of the covenant.

The Philistines defeated Israel and took the ark of the covenant. They assumed that whoever had the ark, had the power the ark provided. They were sorely mistaken.

Dagon, a Philistine god, is destroyed before the ark of God

“When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.³ And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.⁴ And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.” (1 Samuel 5:2-4)

Hand of the Lord against Ashdod

“But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.⁷ And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.” (1 Samuel 5:6-7)

Hand of the Lord against Gath

“They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.⁹ And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts. (1 Samuel 5:8-9)

Ekronites realize the arks destructive power

“Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.¹¹ So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.” (1 Samuel 5:10-11)

The Philistines trusted in idols. God destroyed their idols. God showed them that the ark of the Lord does not have powers for military victories. Rather, possession of the ark meant death, destruction, and disease.

First Samuel 6 records the Philistines return of the ark to Israel.

If we choose to rebel against God, we will suffer God’s judgement.

Unbelievers need salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Christians need to repent and ask God for His forgiveness. Then continue to serve God.

Tomorrow we will witness the return of the ark to Israel.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Where do we put our trust?

First Samuel 4:1-11 tells us that the nation of Israel put their trust in the ark of the covenant.

Verses 1-2, tells us that “…Israel went out against the Philistines to battle…” The Philistines win the battle and Israel loses 4000 men. “…Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.”

Israel placed their trust in themselves. RESULT: loss of 4000 men.

Verses 3-5, tells how Israel requests the ark of the covenant be brought to them from Shiloh. They believed that the ark had the power to give them the victory over the Philistine’s. “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” “And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.”

Verses 6-9, tells us of the Philistine’s response to the ark of the covenant coming into the camp of Israel. They were afraid. They had heard the reports of the mighty power of the ark.

So, the combatants, Israel and the Philistines, square off for battle.

Verses 9-10 tells us the outcome. “…Israel was smitten…” “fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.” “…ark of God was taken…”

Israel placed their trust in the ark of the covenant. RESULT: loss of 30,000 men and loss of the ark of the covenant.

No where is this passage does Israel seek God. The ark could not save them. The God of the ark could.

Todays battle is the COVID-19. Do we place our trust in our politicians, medical community, church’s, first responders, or do we place our trust in God?

We see the result of misplaced trust for Israel. Is that what we want for ourselves?

We must place our trust in the only one who can resolve this conflict and that is God!

Tomorrow we will look at the Philistines encounter with the ark.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 has caused upheaval in our personal, work, financial, recreational, and spiritual lives. All of us are being impacted.

How should we deal with this crisis? Some are hoarding. Some are complaining. Some are seeking answers. While others question the government and healthcare community. Some pray for God’s intervention.

Christians should go back to the basics.

Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to comfort them and then be a comfort to others.

When a person trusts Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and resides within that person. The Holy Spirit was sent to be the Comforter. As the Holy Spirit comforts us during this time, we should comfort others.

Promise of the Comforter (John 14:16-26)

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.¹⁹ Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.²⁰ At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.²² Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?²³ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.²⁴ He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.²⁵ These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

As God gives us His comfort, we must comfort others. How? Call someone. If you have a friend or neighbor who is an elderly shut in, take them a meal, give them a card, or go by and just say “hi”.

Think of the comfort you desire and go do that for someone else. Comfort is just taking care of others. Do a RAK (random act of kindness).

Will we choose to be God’s agents of comfort?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 has caused upheaval in our personal, work, financial, recreational, and spiritual lives. All of us are being impacted.

How should we deal with this crisis? Some are hoarding. Some are complaining. Some are seeking answers. While others question the government and healthcare community. Some pray for God’s intervention.

Christians should go back to the basics.

Christians need to wait patiently.

Right now, most of our patience is threadbare. We are not willing to be patient. We want to see the COVID-19 go away so that we can get back to “normal”.

I am a structured person. My routine centers around waking up early, reading my Bible, going to the gym, then to Starbucks for breakfast, coffee, news updates, come home and work on the project of the day, go to the Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc (WASI) senior center for lunch, pick-up the mail, and home again.

The gym is closed, Starbucks is drive-thru only, the senior center is closed. My routine is in shambles.

I am not alone! Each of us has a routine that is in shambles. So how do we cope? What does the Bible tell us about being patient?

Maybe we should take a page out of David’s playbook, Psalm 13.

David was a patient man. Saul was pursuing him for many years. He was always on the run. He lived in cave, tents, and in the enemy’s land. Yet he waited.

Psalm 13 David prays about this. He asks God to act and yet he really wants God’s will.

“How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?² How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;⁴ Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.⁵ But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.⁶ I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”

David knew who to trust. When David’s patience was running low, he did four things.

First, he trusted in the mercy of the Lord. He rested in God. He had already witnessed the great power of God. He knew of the love and kindness of God.

Second, he rejoiced in the salvation of God. When in battle, it was God that brought him through.

Third, he sang songs of worship and praise to God. He focused his mind on God. The Psalms are the fruit of his labors. Songs extolling the goodness of God in all circumstances.

Fourth, he realized God’s bounty. Whether spiritual or material, God took care of David and his rag tag army. He supplied food, clothing, shelter, and hideouts. He surrounded him with unseen angels of protection. He gave him wisdom and discernment.

When the going got tough, David went to God.

Is that where we go? When the going gets tough for us, do we do what David did or take matters into our own hands? God is much better equipped to deal with our adversities than we are. Why don’t we let Him.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 has caused upheaval in our personal, work, financial, recreational, and spiritual lives. All of us are being impacted.

How should we deal with this crisis? Some are hoarding. Some are complaining. Some are seeking answers. While others question the government and healthcare community. Some pray for God’s intervention.

Christians should go back to the basics.

Christians need to pray.

We need to pray that God’s will, will be done. We need to pray for the COVID-19 crisis, the medical professionals trying to diagnose and treat the virus, people who are being impacted, our friends, families, and for ourselves.

Supplication (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;² For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;

To whom do we pray? (Acts 12:5, John 14:13, Ephesians 6:18))

Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. (Acts 12

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)

When do we pray? (Luke 18:1, Psalm 5:3, 55:17, 86:3, 88:1)

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Luke 18:1)

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17)

Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. (Psalm 86:3)

O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: (Psalm 88:1)

Where do we pray? (Matthew 6:6, Psalm 26:12)

ANYWHERE, EVERYWHERE

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord. (Psalm 26:12)

Believers in Christ are the only ones who have access to the throne room of God. God hears the prayers of His children and is eager to answer them according to His will.

Remember that God sees the big picture. He knows and sees everything. So, God knows what is best.

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 has caused upheaval in our personal, work, financial, recreational, and spiritual lives. All of us are being impacted.

How should we deal with this crisis? Some are hoarding. Some are complaining. Some are seeking answers. While others question the government and healthcare community. Some pray for God’s intervention.

Christians should go back to the basics.

God is in control.

1. God created everything.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

2. God rules over the affairs of men

“Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.¹² Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12)

“The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. ⁷ The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.⁸ He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord‘s, and he hath set the world upon them.⁹ He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.¹⁰ The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:6-10)

Many of us want to be in control. However, we are never completely in control. God may give us opportunities to be in control, but ultimately it is God who is really in control.

When we read what Scripture says about God’s sovereignty, it makes it very clear we are not in control.

3. God knows everything

“O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.³ Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?36 For of him, and through him, and to him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)

God knows everything. There is nothing He does not know. What we think, how we will act, and what we will say, He knows.

4. God is always present

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?⁸ If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;¹⁰ Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” (Isaiah 43:1)

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

COVID-19 did not take God by surprise! He has known about it since before the beginning of time.

The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Do we trust God to be able to take care of us through these troubling times?” This is when our faith in God is put to the test.  

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We are living in unprecedented times. The COVID-19 has caused upheaval in our personal, work, financial, recreational, and spiritual lives. All of us are being impacted.

How should we deal with this crisis? Some are hoarding. Some are complaining. Some are seeking answers. While others question the government and healthcare community. Some pray for God’s intervention.

Christians should go back to the basics.

God is in control.

He is the creator. He is the redeemer. When man and woman chose to rebel against God, He sent His own Son to redeem them. He is all knowing, ever present, and all powerful.

Christians need to pray.

We need to pray that God’s will, will be done. We need to pray for the COVID-19 crisis, the medical professionals trying to diagnose and treat the virus, people who are being impacted, our friends, families, and for ourselves.

Christians need to wait patiently.

Right now, most of our patience is threadbare. We are not willing to be patient. We want to see the COVID-19 go away so that we can get back to “normal”.

Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to comfort them and then be a comfort to others.

When a person trusts Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes and resides within that person. The Holy Spirit was sent to be the Comforter. As the Holy Spirit comforts us during this time, we should comfort others.

This will be our study for this week.

The key verses are Proverbs 3:5-6.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

If we believe this verse, it will quiet all our fears. The reason is that we are putting control of the COVID-19 in the hands of the one who is capable of resolving the issue.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We have looked at contentment, God’s chastisement, and now God’s purpose and counsel.

This devotional begins with a list of Scriptures and then the narrative. This will be a good summation for the previous days studies.

God’s Purpose and Counsel

Acts 2:23. Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

Acts 4:28. to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

Romans 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 9:11. for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls,

Ephesians 1:11. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Ephesians 3:11. according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

2 Timothy 1:9. who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

God’s Purpose and Counsel
(Don Fortner)

We believe, according to the scriptures, that the Lord our God is a God of purpose, absolute and unalterable purpose. Before the world began, Almighty God sovereignly purposed all that ever comes to pass in time. Nothing in this world is left to chance. Everything is moving toward the predetermined end of God’s eternal purpose with absolute, precise accuracy.

Even a casual reader of Holy Scripture has to face this fact: The God of the Bible is a God of purpose. The above passages plainly state that the Triune Jehovah is a God of purpose, and clearly teach several things about the purpose of God:

1. The purpose of God is eternal.

2. The purpose of God includes all things.

3. The purpose of God has for its peculiar design the everlasting benefit of God’s elect. Everything that God has purposed is for the ultimate, spiritual, and eternal benefit of his covenant people.

4. The purpose of God is immutable and sure. The Lord himself says, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10). And in its ultimate end, God’s purpose will accomplish the eternal salvation of his chosen people and the glory of his own great name.

Psalm 33:11. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

Proverbs 19:21. There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’S counsel–that will stand.

Isaiah 14:24. The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.
   ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Octavius Winslow expands our study from yesterday on contentment.

None of us enjoy chastisement or punishment. We sometimes rebel against God’s discipline in our lives.

Today we will see why God’s discipline is so important.

The chastening of love!

(Octavius Winslow)

“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6

Oh, could we always analyze the embittered cup–how astonished would we be to find that in the bitterest draught that ever touched our lips, the principal ingredient was love!Divine love saw the disciplineto be needful.
Divine love selected the chastisementwhich was sent.
Divine love appointed the instrumentby which it should come.
Divine love arranged the circumstancesby which it should take place.
Divine love fixed the timewhen it should transpire.
Divine love determined the durationof the affliction.
Divine love heard the sigh.
Divine love saw the tear.
Divine love marked the anguish.
Divine love never for one moment withdrew its beaming eye from the sufferer.

Alas! How much this precious truth is overlooked by the disciplined and suffering believer!

Think, suffering child of God, of the many consoling, alleviating and soothing circumstances connected with your chastisement. Think of . . .
  the many divine supports,
  the precious promises,
  the tenderness of God,
  the gentleness of Christ,
and all this will demonstrate to you that this is the chastening of love!

Welcome your trials; they are sent by your heavenly Father.

Welcome the stroke of His rod; it is your loving Parent smiting.

Welcome whatever detaches you from earth, and wings your spirit heavenward.

Welcome the furnace that consumes the dross and the tin, and brings out the precious gold and silver–to reflect in your soul, even now, the dawnings of future glory.

Oh! be submissive, meek, and quiet under God’s chastening and afflicting hand!

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.” Revelation 3:19
   ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001