Good morning,

I hope this encourages and challenges all of us.

Life is wasted by driblets

(Charles Spurgeon)

“A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest–and poverty will come on you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man!” Proverbs 24:33, 34 

The worst of sluggards only ask for a little slumber; they would be indignant if they were accused of thorough idleness. A little folding of the hands to rest is all they crave, and they have a crowd of reasons to show that this indulgence is a very proper one. Yet by these littles–the day ebbs out, and the time for labor is all gone, and the field is grown over with thorns!

It is by little procrastinations–that men squander their opportunities. They have no intention to delay for years–a few months will bring the more convenient season. Tomorrow they will attend to serious things; but the present hour is so occupied and altogether so unsuitable, that they beg to be excused.

Like sands through an hour-glass, time passes. Life is wasted by driblets, and seasons of opportunity are lost by little slumbers. Oh, to be wise, to catch the flying hour–to use the moments on the wing! May the Lord teach us this sacred wisdom!

“So teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!” Psalm 90:12

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Last Friday night we celebrated our Passover Seder. We had 28 guests. One guest was from my Bible study class. She was new and did not know any of the other guests. One of the men present engaged her in conversation, but soon found himself listening to the great stories she told about her time living in Alaska. Then at dinner, a young teenager, struck up a conversation with my friend and really made her welcome.

The Bible tells us to “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

It encouraged me to see my friends, young and old, demonstrating the love of Christ. Jesus was always talking to people, making new friends, encouraging old ones, and always teaching.

Although the stated purpose of the evening was the celebration of the Passover, I believe much more was accomplished. “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)

We all need to think about how we can love, encourage, and teach others. Hebrews 10:24-25 states, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: ²⁵ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Have a wonderful day.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

What happens next, changed lives forever. It was normal practice for the Romans to crucify criminals. It was normal for them to die, be buried, placed in a tomb, or the ground. Jesus died, was buried, BUT defied death. He arose on the third day. Matthew 28:1-10 tells us the story.

He is Risen

“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 sepulcher. 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. 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. 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 worshipped 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.”

The resurrection of Jesus was a supernatural event. It had never happened before and will never happen again. The angel tells the women to “Fear not.” That is what Jesus tells us. The angel says “Go” and they went in obedience. Their obedience was rewarded by seeing the resurrected Jesus. What great joy and excitement.

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

“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: 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.”

“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.”

Bottom line, no resurrection, no salvation. All the different parts of the story had to take place. The virgin birth, preaching and teaching, the miracles, Jesus death, shedding His blood for our sins, his burial, and then the triumphal resurrection, His being seen by His disciples and many others, and His visible ascension back to His Father in heaven. And He did it all for you and me. We did not deserve it. We were not worthy. We could not pay for it. He did it because He loved us. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Would you like to know more about what God has done for you and how you can become a believer in Christ? Please contact me.

TRUST THE RESURRECTED CHRIST TODAY.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Simply put, he died to pay the sin debt for mankind. Romans 3:10 states, “¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”. Romans 3:23 states, “²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”.  Romans 6:23 states, “²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We needed someone who could pay our sin debt. Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb of God, was the only one who could do it.

CONSIDER Hebrews 9:11-15

“¹¹ But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;¹² Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.¹³ For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:¹⁴ How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?¹⁵ And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

JESUS GOES TO THE CROSS Matthew 27:26-35a

²⁶ Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.²⁸ And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.²⁹ And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!³⁰ And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.³¹ And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.³² And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.³³ And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,³⁴ They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.³⁵ And they crucified him,”

After they crucified him, he was taken off the cross by Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus, prepared for burial, and then laid him in the tomb.

If this was the end of the story, we could not be saved. There was more than just the death of Jesus. We serve a …….

Tomorrow the triumphal conclusion.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

People are born every day.  There is nothing remarkable about this. Jesus birth was very remarkable. It was miraculous. Consider the following.

VIRGIN BIRTH Matthew 1:20-23

 ^“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²² Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

We see Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, that he would save his people from their sins, that Mary was a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth, and his name would be called Emmanuel, God with us.

BETHLEHEM BIRTH Luke 2:4-7

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) ⁵ To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. ⁶ And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Micah 5:2 prophesies the birth of Jesus is Bethlehem. The Son of God, second person of the trinity, the coming Messiah, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, was born in Bethlehem, in a birthing cave for lambs, and laid in a manger.

MINISTRY OF JESUS Luke 19:10

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus performed miracles, healing the sick, making the blind to see, healing leprosy, and raising the dead. But ultimately he came to lead sinners to their Savior, Jesus himself.

Tomorrow we will look at the death of Jesus on the cruel cross at Calvary.  Why did he have to suffer for you and me?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Blood. Why was this such an integral part of Old Testament worship? Man’s sin required a way to reestablish fellowship with God. God required a blood sacrifice. The Passover is a good illustration.

Israel is under bondage to the Egyptians. They cry out to the Lord. God hears their cry and sends Moses to deliver them. Pharaoh would not allow the Hebrews to leave. God sent 10 plagues upon Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. The first plague was turning the river water into blood. The last plague was the death of the first born which could be avoided by the blood.

Disobedience to God’s word is sin. Pharaoh and anyone following him sinned against God. So in Exodus 12, God tells Moses what the Hebrews need to do to avoid this plague. If they obey, they live. If they disobey, they die.

Exodus 12:3-14

Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: ⁴ And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. ⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: ⁶ And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. ⁷ And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. ⁸ And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹ Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. ¹⁰ And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. ¹¹ And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. ¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. ¹³ And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

They obeyed, lived, were promptly allowed to leave. However, from time to time, the nation of Israel disobeyed God. God instituted animal sacrifices to cover the sin, but not take them away. Hebrews 10 explains this.

Hebrews 10:3-14

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. ⁴ For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. ⁵ Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: ⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. ⁷ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. ⁸ Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; ⁹ Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. ¹⁰ By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ¹¹ And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: ¹² But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; ¹³ From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Obey God. But when we don’t, we need to repent, go to God and ask His forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 states, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Tomorrow, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Tom Stearns, WASI, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This week we celebrate two extremely important holidays, Passover and the Resurrection.

To understand why these holidays are important to us as believers in Jesus, we must determine why we need a Savior (Monday), why the blood was important and the Passover holiday (Tuesday), birth and ministry of Jesus (Wednesday), the cross (Thursday), and the Resurrection (Friday).

Why do we need a Savior?

In Genesis 1, God created everything perfect.  He stated in Genesis 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

During the sixth day God created Adam and Eve. He put them in a garden called Eden. He gave them one command found in Genesis 2:16-17, which states, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

So far all is well. In chapter three, a new character is introduced to the narrative, the serpent. The serpent has various names in Scripture. He is called Lucifer, Satan, the devil, etc. He is well described in Ezekiel 28:13-19, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. ¹⁴ Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁵ Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. ¹⁶ By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁷ Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. ¹⁸ Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. ¹⁹ All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.”

So then, the serpent strikes up a conversation with Eve. Genesis 3:1-7 states, “Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? ² And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³ But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ⁴ And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: ⁵ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. ⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. ⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Man has disobeyed God. THIS IS THE FIRST SIN.

What happens next? Genesis 3:21, states, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” The blood sacrifice of an innocent animal was required.

Tomorrow we will look at the blood sacrifice at the Passover and its significance.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

I hope this will be an encouragement and challenge to you.

Surely, we cannot know this Christ too well!

(J.C. Ryle, 1879)

It would be well if Christians studied the four Gospels more than they do. No doubt, all Scripture is profitable. It is not wise to exalt one part of the Bible at the expense of another. But I think it would be good for some who are very familiar with the Epistles–if they knew a little more about the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Now, why do I say this? I say it because I want Christians to know more about Christ. It is good to be acquainted with all the doctrines and principles of Christianity. It is better to be acquainted with Christ Himself. It is well to be familiar with faith and grace and justification and sanctification. They are all matters “pertaining to the King.” But it is far better to be familiar with Jesus Himself, to see the King’s own face, and to behold His beauty! This is one secret of eminent holiness! He who would be conformed to Christ’s image, and become a Christ-like man–must be constantly studying Christ Himself!

Now the Gospels were written to make us acquainted with Christ. The Holy Spirit has told us the story of His life and death, His sayings and His doings–four times over. Four different inspired hands have drawn the picture of the Savior.
His ways,
His manners,
His feelings,
His wisdom,
His grace,
His patience,
His love,
His power–
are all graciously unfolded to us by four different witnesses.

Ought not the sheep to be familiar with the Shepherd?

Ought not the patient to be familiar with the Physician?

Ought not the bride to be familiar with the Bridegroom?

Ought not the sinner to be familiar with the Savior?

Beyond doubt it ought to be so. The Gospels were written to make men familiar with Christ, and therefore I wish men to study the Gospels.

On whom must we build our souls, if we would be accepted by God? We must build on the Rock, Christ.

From whom must we draw that grace of the Spirit which we daily need in order to be fruitful? We must draw from the Vine, Christ.

To whom must we look for sympathy when earthly friends fail us or die? We must look to our elder Brother, Christ.

By whom must our prayers be presented, if they are to be heard on high? They must be presented by our Advocate, Christ.

With whom do we hope to spend the eternity of glory? With the King of kings, Christ.

Surely, we cannot know this Christ too well! Surely there is not a word, nor a deed, nor a day, nor a step, nor a thought in the record of His life, which ought not to be precious to us. We should labor to be familiar with every line that is written about Jesus!

Have a great weekend.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

When we were unsaved, we identified with the world and did the things of this world. When we received Christ we exchanged that sinful, worldly life, for one that identifies with Jesus. We identify with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as seen in Roman’s 6:1-5. Our lives have been crucified with our Lord Jesus. Paul makes two statements that help us understand this principle.

¹⁹ For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. ²⁰ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:19-21)

⁶ Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. ⁷ For he that is dead is freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: ⁹ Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. ¹⁰ For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.        (Romans 6:6-10)

The crucified life allows us to live in Christ. Our sinful body having been crucified is dead. If we believe this, then sin that was part of the old life has no dominion or control over us. Does that mean we do not sin? NO. It means our desire should be to please God by obeying the precepts of His Word, the Bible. It gives us power to overcome our sinful desires. When we fail, and we will, we are able to go to God, repent and ask for forgiveness.

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Thank God today for what He has done for you.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

Wisdom comes from God. The book of James speaks to this subject.

In Chapter 1, verse 5, James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Chapter 3, verses 13 through 18, tells us about the wise man.

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ¹⁶ For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

God is looking for men and women of wisdom. People who have wisdom from God are used to teach, train, encourage, and empathize with others who are struggling on their walk with God. They are impact players.

Ask God for His wisdom. Then use what He gives you to help others.

Have a blessed day.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001