Knowing Mine Heart

Confession is the hardest thing for me.  At times I am torn between admitting the wrong and saving face.  The battle that we all encounter is common and well known, but there is a battle that rages within man's soul that is unknown to many.  We all have read the story of David and Bathsheba, a story of lust, manipulation, murder and coverup. David was carried away by his desires and deep inside he justified his actions.  I believe David was completely unaware of his sin until it was pointed out after the fact. 

Deceit is by its very nature a hidden enemy.  Otherwise, it would not be deceit. David understood this. There is a place in the heart that is hidden even from me.  This area of the inner being is where deceit has its talons.  It is difficult to understand how sublime and stealthy sin can be when it girds itself in deception. As David writes he touches on this.

Psalms 32:1 - 5 (NASB) ¹    How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,     Whose sin is covered! ²    How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,     And in whose spirit there is no deceit! ³    When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away     Through my groaning all day long. ⁴    For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;     My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. ⁵    I acknowledged my sin to You,     And my iniquity I did not hide;     I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;     And You forgave the guilt of my sin.  

We understand right and wrong, but the wrong can easily, stealthily be justified.  We are told many times to be on our guard.  Peter's reason for his letters is to stimulate wholesome thinking.  Paul tells us to meditate on things which are pure, to be transformed by renewing our minds.  I can't help but think that our mental focus is part of our ultimate behavior and inner attitude.  Jesus tells us to keep our eyes straight ahead when plowing in a field.  This was not to produce better farmers, but was to illustrate the elementary nature of our everyday walk.

The big question is how can I be sure I am not 'convincing myself' I am doing the right thing?

If the Word is able to discern the 'thoughts and intents of the heart', then wouldn't it be logical our mental and spiritual barometer would be calibrated to His standard?  IF the Word is a 'lamp unto my feet'  and a 'light unto my path', wouldn't it be logical to bring it with us when walking in this darkened world?  Wouldn't it be true that it would not only illuminate our daily path, but also illuminate the hidden places of our hearts and thereby assist us in cleaning out the leaven?

The hidden dirt is made known in the Light of His Word.

I hope this short writing brings some light to you and aids you staying in step with the Spirit.

Raymond Gauthier

A Tribute to a Fellow Brother

There are not enough words, nor those adequate to express the impact Al "Sonny" Hamilton has had on others. He baptized me into the family of God and opened up a world I would have never seen. As a result, I went to Bible college, met Debbie, got married, have three wonderful children, Sarah, Michelle and Brittany. Every event after I came up out of those waters of the Country Club Lake will stretch into every direction like an Oak tree, growing onto infinity. Thank You God for bringing Al into Marceline, MO. 

Al "Sonny" Hamilton

Al Hamilton went to be with the Father at 5 PM April 28, 2014.

He will be sorely missed by all who knew him, worked with him and by his family.  I consider it an honor to have known him and to have been briefly mentored by him, to have been introduced to his family who have become the brothers and sisters I never had.  To God be the Glory forever, Amen.

Reading Timeline

Here is a reading timeline (10-10) based on 10 chapters Old Testament and 10 chapters New Testament. Highlighted books are books which can be read together and are broken down into both (individual days) and grouped days. Numbers in red are both large and chaptered such that reading them by timed method (1 hour) would be best.  

Old Testament Reading Schedule

Book	Chapters	Days		Book	Chapters	Days
Genesis	50	5		Ecclesiastes	12	1
Exodus	40	4		Song of Solomon	8	1
Leviticus	27	3		Isaiah	66	7
Numbers	36	4		Jeremiah	52	5
Deuteronomy	34	4		Lamentations	5	1
Joshua	24	3		Ezekiel	48	5
Judges	21	2		Daniel	12	1
Ruth	4	1		Hosea	14	2
I Samuel	31	3		Joel	3	(1)
II Samuel	24	3		Amos	9	(1) 1
I Kings	22	2		Obadiah	1	(1)
II Kings	25	3		Jonah	4	(1)
I Chronicles	29	3		Micah	7	(1) 1
II Chronicles	36	4		Nahum	3	(1)
Ezra	10	1		Habakkuk	3	(1)
Nehemiah	13	2		Zephaniah	3	(1)
Esther	10	1		Haggai	2	(1) 1
Job	42	4		Zachariah	14	2
Psalms	150	15		Malachi	4	1
Proverbs	31	3

Total number of days needed to read through the Old Testament by reading 10 chapters average would be 100 days  or about 3.5 months. This amounts to reading the Old Testament 3.5 times per year.

New Testament Reading Schedule

Book	Chapters	Days		Book	Chapters	Days
Matthew	28	3		I Timothy	6	(1)
Mark	16	2		II Timothy	4	(1) 1
Luke	24	2		Titus	3	(1)
John	21	2		Philemon	1	(1)
Acts	28	3		Hebrews	13	(1) 2
Romans	16	2		James	5	(1)
I Corinthians	16	2		I Peter	5	(1)
II Corinthians	13	2		II Peter	3	(1) 1
Galatians	6	(1)		I John	5	(1)
Ephesians	6	(1)  1		II John	9	(1)
Philippians	4	(1)		III John	1	(1)
Colossians	4	(1)  1		Jude	1	(1)  3
I Thessalonians	5	(1)		Revelation	23	2
II Thessalonians	3	(1)  1

It is a bit more complicated but one could group them together to read the 10 chapters average. If done this way the New Testament could be read in 30 days or read 12  times per year. Imagine reading through the NT once a month!  Okay ... cut the reading time in half. Reading 5 chapters a day from each the OT and NT would result in completing the OT 1.75 times a year and the NT 6.5 times.

Rewards (What comes naturally.)

One big advantage (reward) is that the Scriptures take on a whole meaning beyond the verse by verse study. Whenever an OT passage is quoted in the New Testament, you immediately get a contextual grip on its significance.

Study will become easier and insightful application will begin to weave itself into discussions, meditation and prayer. You will begin to see God in everything around you. You will begin to see His 'fingerprints' on all of creation and will understand more deeply (what I like to call visceral understanding) passages such as: 

Rom. 1:18 - 23 (NASB) ¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²²Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Apologetics, hermeneutics and the like are coming. I can hardly wait!  I hope you can join me.

One other reward, you will start a natural trend toward evangelism.  This is important, because the evangelism (witnessing) should be natural. There are basically two types of witnesses. Those who are natural and those who sound like telemarketers. A REALationship with Him begins with the Word. Remember, Jesus is the Word and no one comes to the Father except through Him. The Word starts transforming us inwardly through the renewing of our thinking patterns (mind). We start thinking (meditating) on His thoughts.  We start asking questions (praying) and wondering about how things work. Before we know it, our behavior starts changing until one day someone who you are around a lot (co-worker) comes up to you and says, "I noticed you don't get as angry as quick anymore. In fact, I can't recall the last time you flew off the handle. What's going on?" A tear may form in your eye as you say, "Well, something marvelous. Let me tell you about it."  

NOW THAT'S EVANGELISM.