Archives for April 2026

Good morning,

This week we will be exploring the Scriptures. The need to search, meditate, walk worthy,  repentance, and God’s intercessory prayer for us.

Sodom will be better off!

John MacDuff, “The Doomed City“ 1887

Matthew 11:24, “I assure you, Sodom will be better off on the judgment day than you!”

Alas! It is to be feared that many mere professors are content with having “a name to live,” who are spiritually dead. There are thousands who come to our churches, who hear the preacher, who assent to the message, but go back from listening to the tremendous themes of Death, Judgment and Eternity–only to plunge as deep as ever into engrossing worldliness and sin!

The preacher may be heard; his words may fall like lulling music on the ear–but the gates of the soul are firmly locked and barred against admission. The preacher may thunder his rebukes, but some heart-sin and life-sin will, in spite of them, be retained and caressed.

Are there none now reading these words, whom the Savior would begin to upbraid, because they have not repented? When His scrutinizing eye looks down upon listening audiences throughout our land, all apparently solemn, sincere, outwardly devout–does He not discern, lurking underneath this fair external guise, the signs and symptoms of loathsomeness and decay; like the pure virgin snow covering the charred and blackened ruin?

Sermons will not save us!

Church going will not save us!

Orthodoxy in creed and party will not save us!

Repent! Repent! is the sharp, shrill call of the Gospel trumpet! There must be . . .
a change of heart;
a change of life;
a crucifixion of sin;
and a cleaving unto the Lord who died for us, with full purpose of heart!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

This week we will be exploring the Scriptures. The need to search, meditate, walk worthy,  repentance, and God’s intercessory prayer for us.

That you may live a life worthy of the Lord, and may please Him in every way

Richard Baxter

Colossians 1:10, “That you may live a life worthy of the Lord, and may please Him in every way.”

“Value time as an inestimable treasure and be just as careful that you lose not one day, than you would be to lose a fortune.”

“Many a man who is now in Hell would give a thousand worlds, if he had them; for one of those hours which you idly cast away.”

“He who spends his life in idleness or vanity, does worse than if he threw it into the sea; for he makes it fuel for his own condemnation.”

“If our time is short, and our work is great–then should we not be the more diligent? Will you loiter and trifle away your life, when your everlasting welfare lies at stake?”

“Live as men who are always looking death in the face. Spend every day as if it were your last. Use your time as those who must shortly give an account to God.”

“To squander time is to despise the gift of God, and forget eternal realities. Each day lost on sin or vanity, is a step nearer to judgment.”

“The man who neglects to redeem time, is in danger of losing both time and eternity.”

“Those who trifle away their days, are treading on hollow ice; they do not know the moment when it will break under them.”

“The Almighty gave us seventy or eighty years, that we might spend them for His glory–shall we dare to spend them in sin?”

“Your time is God’s, and not your own; therefore spend it as if He were your employer, and you must answer to Him.”

“O precious time! More precious than gold or rubies! Let not a day of it be trifled away.”

“When you stand before God, how sweet will every hour appear which was spent for Him!”

Time is a stewardship which God entrusts to us, to be used wisely and faithfully, and for which we must give an account on the day of judgment.

We should ever strive to use our time, as Jesus did when He was on earth.

[The excerpts above are all taken from Baxter’s “Christian Directory,” and from his outstanding book, “The Saints Everlasting Rest.”] 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

This week we will be exploring the Scriptures. The need to search, meditate, walk worthy,  repentance, and God’s intercessory prayer for us.

Meditate, practice, pray!

Thomas Brooks, “The Unsearchable Riches of Christ”

Joshua 1:8, “This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to obey everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.”

You must meditate and dwell upon what you read; otherwise your labors will be lost. The more any man contemplates the Scriptures, the more deep and firm impression is made upon his heart by those truths. Heavenly meditation brings out the sweetness in divine truths. Not those who get most, but those who keep most, are the richest. Just so, not those who hear most, or read most; but those who meditate most, are the most edified and enriched.

You must also practice and live out what you read. To read much and practice nothing, is to hunt much and catch nothing. Ah! what cause have most to sigh, that they have heard so much, and read so much; and yet done so little!

You must also pray over what you read. Many read much, and pray little; and therefore get little by all they read. Galen writes of a fish called Uranoscopos, that has but one eye, which continually looks up to the heavens. Just so, when a Christian has one eye upon his Bible–the other eye should be looking up to Heaven for a blessing upon what he reads!

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

This week we will be exploring the Scriptures. The need to search, meditate, walk worthy,  repentance, and God’s intercessory prayer for us.

Search the Scriptures!

George Everard, “A Talk about the Family Bible“ 1878

The word Bible signifies Book; and when we call it the Bible, we mean that it is the Book of books–the best Book, the wisest Book, the Book that will do us the most good of any in the world!

If all the other books in the world were destroyed, however great and irreparable the loss–if men still had the Bible, they would be far better off than if it were destroyed, and all other books remained.

It is the Book that alone can tell . . .
how sin can be forgiven,
how temptation can be overcome,
how trouble and sorrow can be met,
how tears can be wiped away, and
how death can be the gate of everlasting life.

It is indeed the best companion . . .
for days of trial,
for the day of sickness, and
for the hour when we must part from all below!

Oh what a treasure is a well-read Bible! It is . . .
a mine of gold,
a hive full of honey,
a field covered with a rich harvest.
It is a tree of life, of which every twig bears precious fruit.
It is an ocean full of pearls.
It is a river full of the purest water of life.
It is a sun whose beams warm and cheer the heart.
It is a bright star that can guide the pilgrim through the darkest night.
It is a granary stored with the finest of wheat.
It is a medicine–chest, from which we may find a remedy for every malady of the soul.
It is a Mount Pisgah, from which we can view the promised land of Canaan.
All this and much more, is the Bible to those who love to search it and explore the depths of heavenly wisdom which it contains.

Dear friend, whatever you forget–never, never forget to read something out of this precious Book day by day.

The Scriptures warn against . . .
the fear of man,
the allurements of worldly pleasures,
the snare of pride,
and the temptation of doubt and unbelief.

Search the Scriptures! Whatever you have done hitherto, begin now to search them daily as for hidden treasures!
Go deep into this precious mine.
Ponder what you read.
Compare the commands and precepts with your own daily life.
Bring its promises to bear on your heart and trials.

When we read the Scriptures, we should pay good heed to it. There are depths and heights in many of the simplest verses, that we can never reach. Therefore we ought to turn them over again and again in our minds. We must mark, learn, and inwardly digest them. A few verses or even a single verse well thought over; and still better, well prayed over–will bring more profit and help than many chapters listlessly or carelessly read!

“When Your Words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” Jeremiah 15:16

. . .

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Charles Spurgeon gives us a pattern of  fellowship that we can have a closer and more intimate relationship with God.

The best pattern of fellowship with God

Charles Spurgeon

Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

A missionary some years ago, returning from Southern Africa, gave a description of the work which had been accomplished there through the preaching of the gospel. Among other things, he pictured a little incident of which he had been an eye-witness.

He said that one morning he saw a converted African chieftain sitting under a palm tree with his Bible open before him. Every now and then he cast his eyes on his book and read a passage, and then he paused and looked up a little while, and his lips were seen to be in motion. Thus he continued alternately to look down on the Scriptures, and then to turn his eyes upward towards Heaven.

The missionary passed by without disturbing the chieftain; but a little while afterwards he mentioned to him what he had seen, and asked him why it was that sometimes he read, and sometimes he looked up?

The chieftain replied, “I look down to the Book, and God speaks to me; and then I look up in prayer, and I speak to the Lord–and in this way we keep up a holy talk with each other.”

I would set this picture before you, as being the best pattern of fellowship with God–the heart hearkening to the voice of God, and then replying in prayer and praise.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need!” Hebrews 4:16

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Good morning,

Charles Spurgeon challenges us to praise God in everything. We should take stock of our lives and be thankful for what God has given us. We should not take God for granted, nor be unthankful. 

To be out of the lunatic asylum, to be out of prison, to be out of Hell

Charles Spurgeon
Psalm 103:1-4, “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion!”

Most of us should blush under a sense of ingratitude to our bountiful Maker, Sustainer and Savior!

Did you ever thank God for your creation, your reason, your continued life? I have known what it is to thank God with all my heart for being able to move my limbs and turn in bed.

Perhaps you have always enjoyed good health; do you thank Him for that?
To be out of the hospital,
to be out of the lunatic asylum,
to be out of prison,
to be out of Hell;
do we ever thank God for these things? As for the unspeakable gift of Jesus and His dying love for such sinners as we are; who among us has ever worthily thanked Him on this account?

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15

“Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” Hebrews 12:28

“A grateful heart is one of the chief characteristics of a true believer.”

“Ungratefulness is one of the most shameful sins, and yet it is one of the most common.”

“The Lord loves a thankful heart; it is the music that delights His ear.”

“We often write our blessings in sand, and engrave our complaints in marble.”

“Gratitude sweetens every blessing and makes it more precious.”

“The deeper our sense of sin, the louder our song of gratitude for redeeming grace.”
“Let us be as grateful for the smallest blessings as for the greatest.”

“The cross is the fountain of endless gratitude.”
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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

The resurrection changes everything. This week we look at Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and post resurrection happenings.

The Resurrection Changes Everything (1 Corinthians 15:3-6, 13-18)

Death, burial, resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

Witnesses of the risen Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:6)

 ⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

The significance of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:13-18)

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: ¹⁴ And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ¹⁵ Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. ¹⁶ For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: ¹⁷ And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. ¹⁸ Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Jesus said He would rise again after 3 days. He did. We must always believe the word of God.  It seems that the women were surprised. Then with fear and great joy they went to tell the other disciples. Then Jesus confirms to them He has risen. Furthermore, that they would see Him in Galilee.

Why do we doubt? We have the Bible with eyewitness accounts of all that happened to Jesus from His miraculous birth, His horrifying death, His resurrection, His visual resurrected appearance, and His ascension to heaven.

The disciples’ lives were completely changed after the resurrection. Timid and weak turned into bold and strong. They turned their world upside down for Jesus.

Are we impacted by the resurrection of Jesus? 

Disciples Worship Jesus (Matthew 28:16-17)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.¹⁷ And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted.

Jesus tells the Disciples to Go and Teach ALL Nations (Matthew 28:18-20)

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Believers in Christ should worship Him. Praise, honor, exaltation, and reverence should characterize our worship.

Then as an outpouring of our worship, we should be willing and excited to tell others about our Lord Jesus Christ. Someone told us, we should tell others. Jesus’ command is that we tell others and then instruct them.

Afraid? Scared? Apprehensive? Jesus said He would be with us. That is mighty good protection!

Will we be willing to tell others about our Savior, the risen Lord Jesus?

ACTION POINTS:

• Serve Christ as did Joseph and Nicodemus
• Seek Jesus as did Mary Magdalene
• Worship and fear Jesus as did the women and disciples
• Witness for Jesus as He commanded
• Teach others God’s word as he commanded
• Without the Resurrection your faith is in vain
• REMEMBER: Jesus is always with you

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

The resurrection changes everything. This week we look at Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and post resurrection happenings.

The Resurrection Changes Everything (1 Corinthians 15:3-6, 13-18)

Death, burial, resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ⁵ And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

Witnesses of the risen Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:6)

 ⁶ After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

The significance of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:13-18)

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: ¹⁴ And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. ¹⁵ Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. ¹⁶ For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: ¹⁷ And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. ¹⁸ Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Jesus said He would rise again after 3 days. He did. We must always believe the word of God.  It seems that the women were surprised. Then with fear and great joy they went to tell the other disciples. Then Jesus confirms to them He has risen. Furthermore, that they would see Him in Galilee.

Why do we doubt? We have the Bible with eyewitness accounts of all that happened to Jesus from His miraculous birth, His horrifying death, His resurrection, His visual resurrected appearance, and His ascension to heaven.

The disciples’ lives were completely changed after the resurrection. Timid and weak turned into bold and strong. They turned their world upside down for Jesus.

Are we impacted by the resurrection of Jesus? 

Disciples Worship Jesus (Matthew 28:16-17)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.¹⁷ And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

The resurrection changes everything. This week we look at Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and post resurrection happenings.

Resurrection

John 19:30, 38-42, Matthew 28:1-10, 16-17, 18-20

He is Risen (Matthew 28:1-10)

Empty Tomb (Matthew 28:1-6)

“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.² And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.³ His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:⁴ And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.⁵ And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.⁶ He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Tell the disciples: He is risen (Matthew 28:7-8)

⁷ And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.⁸ And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Jesus appears to the women (Matthew 28:9-10)

⁹ And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him.¹⁰ Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”

Matthew 28:1–10 describes how two of Jesus’ women followers learn of Jesus’ resurrection. Before they arrive at the tomb on Sunday morning, an angel from heaven descends and rolls back the large stone. This is accompanied by an earthquake. The Roman soldiers faint. The angel tells the women Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus meets the women, and they worship Him. He sends them to tell His brothers He has been resurrected from the dead and that they should go to Galilee. They will see Him there. (https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/28/Matthew-28-1.html)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

The resurrection changes everything. This week we look at Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Resurrection

John 19:30, 38-42, Matthew 28:1-10, 16-17, 18-20

Jesus is Buried (John 19:38-42)

“³⁸ And after this Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.³⁹ And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight.⁴⁰ Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid. ⁴² There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulcher was nigh at hand.”

Jesus is dead. The Roman soldiers knew it, Pilate knew it, and Joseph of Arimathea knew it. Prophecy again was fulfilled. Isaiah 53:9 states, “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man. Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb.

There had to be a death and burial to have a resurrection. However, if there had only been a death and burial, Jesus would be no different from any other religious leader. 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com