The Sword of the LORD

In the fourth chapter of Jeremiah, God says, "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." The idea of plowing the ground before planting it is very natural; but when we consider the process, it can seem like a very violent act to the earth that we are preparing. We tear open the surface with the plowshare or pulverize the ground with a rototiller, churning and softening the dirt in order to create a rich seedbed in which the new plants will thrive and produce crops. Fallow ground is that which has not been planted for a time, but has been left to grow over with weeds. Being unplanted, it is therefore unfruitful and unproductive. It becomes a tangle of useless vines and thorns. We, as individuals, often have areas of our lives that we have left "fallow." These are areas that are unfruitful and unproductive for the Lord. We all know that the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5 is, "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fai

When we think of the heroes of the Bible, we often think of them as supermen and superwomen who were supernaturally endowed with wisdom and strength to perform the tasks that God asked them to do. The truth is, however, that these folks were no different from you and me. They were subject to the same temptations, the same weaknesses, and the same doubts and fears that we have. Although Moses was raised in Pharoah's house, and enjoyed all of the privileges of court, it was not until he was rejected by both the Egyptians and his own people, and felt himself a complete failure, that God was able to use him. David was just a sheep herder and the youngest of his family. He was considered so insignificant that his father didn't even call him to come to the feast that was held for the prophet Samuel. Tax collectors, uneducated fishermen, harlots - these were the ones whom God called and blessed. We read in the 3rd and 4th chapters of Acts how Peter and John, on their way into th

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." (Amos 8:11, 12) In a day when there are more churches in most cities than there are gas stations and pizza places, and the Word of God has gone out over the air waves of radio and television to every corner of the world, it is difficult to imagine that the prophet Amos could have been describing this present time when he spoke of a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. The key to understanding this prophecy, however, is in the wording. God was speaking of a time when there would be, not an absence of the Word itself, but of hearing the Word. We are told in Romans 10, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Bu

During World War II, when the Nazis entered invaded Belarussia in 1941, they began a systematic extermination of the Jewish inhabitants. They filled vast mass graves with the bodies of those whom they brutally murdered. Using local collaborators, the Germans were able to discover and slaughter whole families. Four brothers by the name of Bielski, whose parents were slain during this persecution, were driven into the immense forests of that area to try and survive. Before long, they found themselves caring for a large number of others who had also fled to the forest for safety. A recent motion picture, Defiance , depicts the story of their plight. In one scene from the movie, the older brother, who had become thee leader and a sort of Moses to the band of Jews, was trying to rescue the group after the Germans had discovered their location. As they struggled to make their way through the forest, they came to a large marsh that seemed impassable. With many women and children among

Scripture reading: St. Mark 5:22-43 It’s easy for us to trust in the Lord when things are going well for us and our lives are rolling along on a smooth super highway; but what about when we leave the beaten trail and find ourselves lost on some back dirt road, and the car breaks down altogether. That is when our faith is really tested, but that is also when we can experience the most spiritual growth. In the dark valleys of life, we find Jesus is the Lily of the Valley. There was a man by the name of Jairus who lived at the time of Jesus and was a ruler in his local synagogue. Jairus had a 12 year old daughter whom he loved very much. This daughter had become extremely ill, and the illness had progressed to the point where it was life threatening. As her father fretted by her bedside, he heard that Jesus was passing through his community. Being at his wits’ end, he went to Jesus and fell down at His feet, pleading with the Lord to come and lay hands on his daughter so that she migh

Peter and John had had a very good day. As they were going to the temple to pray, they had encountered a man who was lame for 40 years sitting at the gate. The man asked for a handout; but they gave him the gift of healing and salvation and he went about leaping and dancing. Seeing what had happened, a great crowd gathered; and Peter, seizing the opportunity, preached to them about Jesus Christ. Five thousand men believed and were converted to the faith. It was a very good day! Some of the religious leaders were grieved, however, that they taught the people about Jesus and took them and cast them in prison. The next day, they were brought before the rulers to answer for their actions. When given the chance to speak, God anointed Peter again with words of salvation. Scripture records, “...when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” I wo

The 16th chapter of Acts in the Bible tells the story of Paul and Silas’ trip into Macedonia to spread the Word of God. Paul had seen a vision of God that directed him to go to Macedonia and help the lost souls that were there. Once there, they had some initial success in converting souls to Christianity; but soon, through a series of events, the pair were seized by the town magistrates, beaten, and cast into prison. The prisons of those days were usually dark, dank, and rat and insect infested. Because of the instructions that the jailor had received concerning Paul and Silas, however, they were also cast into the deepest prison, and secured in stocks. This was a strange turn of events for the Lord’s chosen who had been divinely directed to this place. They would have had every reason to question whether they were really in the Lord’s will or not. They could have become discouraged, despondent, or even angry. Instead, they began to pray and seek God’s guidance and assurance; and t

The enemies of Israel had once more beaten them down very low when God began to call Gideon to be His agent of change. Gideon’s faith was tentative at best and required some encouragement, but he was willing to do as he was asked to do. He was willing to represent God’s will to the people of Israel who had fallen away from serving God. When he blew the trumpet to call the people to arms, 32,000 men came up to fight! This was not a bad army with which to face the Midianites. God thought otherwise. He told Gideon he had too many men to deliver Israel – He didn’t want them thinking that they had saved themselves. So, Gideon culled out 22,000 of the number by suggesting that anyone who was fearful and afraid could return to their home. This left only 10,000. God considered that this was still too many men and suggested a way of separating out the men that He wanted to remain. After testing them by the river’s edge, there were only 300 warriors left to face the host of the Midianites, whi