Mule Skinners

Devotional by Evangelist Tim Green

Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

George Whitefield said, "I love the voice that thunders forth the Word. The whole Christian world is asleep, and only a loud voice can awaken it."

When I was a young Christian, the rough, loud, leather-lunged preachers that came by our church were affectionately called "mule skinners." They called sin SIN and preached Hell HOT! You didn't need a dictionary to know what they meant; they were plainspoken. They were not mean; they just meant what they said, and you knew what they meant.

They preached that the road to Calvary went by Sinai. They knew that conviction by the law meant conversion by the grace of the Gospel. They preached loud and long, emotionally and effectively, soundly and soberly. They were mule skinners!

They were not affected by psychology and philosophy, but by the Spirit of God and the prophets. They were not always homiletically correct, but they were holy and had convictions. They were mule skinners!

Beneath all their rough exterior and gruff accoutrements, you knew they loved Jesus--and you. They were kind, courteous, compassionate men who bathed their sermons in prayer and trusted God for converts. They sought and often found genuine revival and converts who bore fruit. They were mule skinners!

May God resurrect and increase their kind!

A thought to ponder: The Christian's walk ought to be so aggressive that the Devil will look forward to the rapture.

My First Knitted Shawl

For years I have had a fancy to shawls. They are simply unpopular nowadays; for this reason, my attention has always been drawn to movies or pictures of graceful ladies of the Colonial days wearing warm, handmade shawls which were commonplace of their time. Ever since I learned to knit a little over a year ago, a shawl project has been in the back of my mind. Three weeks ago, once I received a bunch of yarn I'd ordered online, I printed out a lovely pattern and got my needles flying.

I struggled a bit as I began, learning some new terms and techniques, but once I got the pattern down I made good progress. That is, until I ran out of room on my needles! Oh horror! I had a feeling, when I started, that such a predicament would betide. My fat, stubby needles just didn't seem right, especially since the finishing number of stitches would be one hundred seventy-one. It took some finagling. My goal was to temporarily hold stitches on a longer needle, but getting them on there was roundabout because of problems with direction. To do this, I had four needles of three different sizes in service. It was interesting. =D

Anyhow, after three weeks of mixed enjoyment and confusion, I was overcome with gladness to at last have the warm, beautiful shawl for which I had long desired. It's very light and uncumbersome, falling naturally about my shoulders. I even wear it with my winter gear when I go outside, just pulling it on top of my head and wrapping it around my face. It keeps me toasty even in the chilling, gusty wind. I love it!!!

PATTERN DETAILS

Title: Easy Triangle Shawl (and here is the same pattern with a different photo)

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun
Color: Shaker

An Evasive Answer

Devotional by Evangelist Tim Green

John 13:7b ...What I do thou knowest not now: but thou shalt know hereafter.

Jesus arose from the table, laid aside His outer garments, grabbed a towel and a basin of water, and commenced to wipe His closest companion's feet. The Lord knelt in front of Peter and was confronted by, "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?"


Our verse is a strange answer to the inquisitive query of Simon Peter. I think the disciple's question was asked in a confrontational manner (cf. v. 8), and Christ was not being ambiguous, just cautious in His reply. Perhaps He was saying, "Peter, you just aren't ready for the complete answer" or "You can't handle it at this point in your life." Really, it was none of Peter's business what the Lord did with the feet that God had supplied Him with. I guess some of us have talked to the Lord like this most impetuous preacher did, just not to His face (or at least our lives have exhibited our attitude).

Thank God we don't know what tomorrow holds--but we are certainly confident in the One Who is already in tomorrow! I don't suppose any of us would really want to be privy to every minor detail of the tomorrow's that adorn the footstep of life. The positive things would be so anticipated that they would lose their luster, and the negative aspects would be so feared that they would render us helpless. It is more than enough to be aware of the fact that He cares and He always wants only what is best for us from His perspective. He does all things well!

To Please the Father

Here's a simple little story I made up just today for an English assignment, a character sketch. Jemima (Job 42:12-15) is one of my favorite names for girls. =)

With sunlight softly filtering through vernal trees upon the golden braid bouncing on her back, Jemima skipped happily down the well-worn path beside her house. Mother had sent her on an errand with instructions to return home without dallying. Jemima was a sweetly obedient daughter who wanted to please her parents, so she hastened as well as she could. On her way, however, she intently eyed the grassy sides of the pathway for particularly special flowers. She stopped briefly now and then to carefully pluck the choicest ones from their growing place in the earth, ensuring that every stem was of equal length so a flawless bouquet would be created, and placed them gently in the wide pocket of her white pinafore. As Jemima continued on her way home, humming a tune she learned in Sunday school, she mentally pictured her perfect bouquet of flowers gracing her bedroom, resting in her very own vase on the shelf beside bed. Grandmother had given her the delicate porcelain vase last week for her eighth birthday. She was delighted that Grandmother believed her to be responsible enough to own something so beautifully fragile. Eight perfect flowers for my pretty vase, Jemima beamingly thought.

Jemima wiped her dusty shoes on the doormat before entering the front door of her home. She sniffed the air, certain she had caught a whiff of apple pie, Father’s favorite. While gingerly pulling each flower out of her pinafore’s pocket, she made a beeline for the kitchen where she found Mother pulling a steaming pie out of the hot oven. Mother stood upright and, seeing her daughter had returned, gave Jemima a smile while setting the pie down and removing her oven mitts.

“Thank you for obeying me, Jemima, and taking care of the errand so quickly," Mother said to Jemima while giving her a hug. "Today has been so busy. You’re such a big help to me!" Jemima returned the hug, clutching the bouquet in one hand. Remembering the vase, Jemima hurried off to her bedroom to care for the anticipated intention.

Jemima carefully pulled the vase off the shelf and took it to the kitchen so she could fill it with water. She saw the warm, beautiful apple pie Mother had placed in the center of the table where Father would readily notice it when he returned home. She could already see the grin that would cover his face upon beholding the delicious sight. Placing the fragrant flowers in her vase, Jemima thought, How much happier Daddy would be to see the flowers beside the pie--but they would look so pretty in my room, too. Jemima quickly decided, To make Daddy happy makes me happy. With joy upon her freckled face, Jemima gently placed her vase brimming with eight perfect flowers next to the pie.

~ ~ ~

Psalm 37:3-5 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

So often we get wrapped up in the lovely comfort of our dreams for the future, gathered along the path of service. We are convinced that nothing could bring us more pleasure than their fulfillment. We select the most perfect hopes and clutch them in our feeble hands for safekeeping, not letting them go until our goal is finally brought to pass. Yet, until we make the choice to give those beautiful hopes to our Heavenly Father, fullness of joy is always out of reach and unattainable. Until we sacrifice what we cling to, we'll never truly be happy. When given the Father in love, placed alongside His wonderful plan, we will find those desires more beautiful still. Just then He will bless us with His unmeasured goodness because He is good. We must willingly surrender our dearest desires not in selfish motivation, to benefit by His goodness, but to please Him--to make our dear Father glad by the faith which we place in Him completely, (Heb. 11:6). To make my Father happy makes me happy. No earthly measure of happiness can hold the equal of knowing we've brought joy to His loving heart! Naught compares to the gladness of seeing the smile on His face, rejoicing that He is glorified in our lives.

Proverbs 10:28a The hope of the righteous shall be gladness:

Proverbs 8:20-21 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

Information concerning painting:

Our Hope Is Gladness: "Girl in a Flower Garden" by Evert Pieters [original]

The Devil's Toolbelt

Devotional by Evangelist Tim Green; from Baptist Bread

I John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

When I was much younger, I put myself through college working in the lumber business. I also did a little construction work (emphasis on "little"). However, I did have a toolbelt. Those leather toolbelts could hold a whole collection of tools, from a hammer to a nail set, and tape measure to pliers.

Satan also has a toolbelt, but it holds only three tools: "...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,..." The devil has used the same three tools down through the ages of time and has been able to dismantle every one of us save One! His tools are not constructive in the course of one's life, but destructive. You would think after awhile that some of us would discern his same old ways and avoid them. However, that seems not to be the case. The devil began his destruction work in the Garden of Eden and he has been determinedly successful for a long time. Nonetheless, I am glad to report that one, Who at one time was a carpenter, came on the scene and, even though He was tempted in all points, just like us, He never sinned (Heb. 4:15). This same Jesus has imparted to us His divine nature (II Pet. 1:4), and by doing so, gives us the opportunity to enjoy His reconstruction work in our lives, for once He begins His work in a life, He will accomplish and complete the task (Phil. 1:6). The best thing for you to do is let Him alter your life in the way He sees fit. That's a whole lot better than letting the enemy continue laboring on your jobsite.