Lead On, O King Eternal

  Wake up Church, through these ever-darkening days trusting in our King eternal through the greater hysterical days that are ahead...

1. Lead on, O King eternal:

the day of march has come;

henceforth in fields of battle

thy tents shall be our home:

through days of preparation

thy grace has made us strong,

and now, O King eternal,

we lift our battle song.

2. Lead on, O King eternal,

till sin's fierce war shall cease,

and holiness shall whisper

the sweet Amen of peace;

for not with swords' loud clashing

nor roll of stirring drum,

but deeds of love and mercy,

thy reign of peace shall come.

3. Lead on, O King eternal:

we follow, not with fears,

for gladness breaks like morning

where'er thy face appears:

thy cross is lifted o'er us;

we journey in its light;

the crown awaits the conquest;

lead on, O God of might.

The Decade That Was

Another year has come and gone; what a year it was. But for me, not just another year, but another decade it was (plus 2 1/2 years) from mid-2007 to 2020.

Following are major events (in my life) of that past decade:

2007:

            Mid-September I had to move from a previous residence, on 5310 Two Notch Road, Forest Acres area of Columbia, South Carolina, due to the property being sold and the mobile home in which I was then living could not be moved. I then lived in what was Crossroads apartments on Zimalcrest Drive, Columbia, South Carolina. (There, made aware of it by a Narnia fan, down a path outside my front door was “a lamppost in the middle of the wood.”)

            My previous car, which was given to me, “gave up the ghost.” I had a chance then to learn of the city bus system.

2008:

            I became unemployed on 07/11/2008.

            Eventually, I was given another car. (The person who gave it to me was going overseas in Christian mission work, so I paid something for the car for her support.)

2011:

Custodial employment with Columbia International University (C.I.U.) mid-May 2011 thru August 2014—not desiring custodial work, but needing a job I thought I would give it a try, at least then I had a job for a time.

I had another custodial job for a time at Baptist Parkridge hospital in Columbia. I enjoyed working for a hospital, but again not so much custodial work

May 2014 thru June 2018:

            Lived in C.I.U.’s Pine View apartments

2016 Presidential election:

            God brought President Trump into the White House for “such a time as this,” I’m sure of it, surprising us all particularly winning over those Democrats and the fake news media

2016 thru 2020:

            Impeachment proceedings of President Trump took center stage, but to no avail, however, it was simply a conspiracy act and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

July 2018 thru March 2019:

            Lived eight months in Ohio. (Perhaps a benefit: I realized greater the two worlds.)

2020:

            Covid pandemic

            General election. An overwhelmingly red wave, although the Democrats trying to steal it.

 

And so what is the impact of it all on my life:

I think how I would like to tear out of my life story that past decade. But of course, I can not. History is God’s story, and as is all of humanity, we’re characters in His story; guided along by the Good Shephard or going our way as a prodigal—doing our own thing, living the “I did my way,” the “Que sera, sera” misguided philosophy.

As it seems,  how difficult it is for me to live these days as I had done before 2007. Before then, doing things simply for fun and pleasure was a favorite thing to do—a favorite pastime. Now, it’s all not so much fun anymore. (Watching TV doesn’t even hold much of my interest, nor sports, nor movies. Neither giving much attention to the fast becoming unreliable news reporting.)

I have come to realize to a greater extent the end times. My going about these days, my mind now being more set on the immortal eternal reality, noticing the temporal works of humankind—those “towers of Babel” (Genesis 11:1-9 cf. 1 John 2:16)—I realize as the apostle Peter has written that it’s all going to burn (see 2 Peter 3:1-7; 1 John 2:16-17).

Hence, I can’t live these days as if everything in the world is a-okay, hunkey-dorey, or “it’s all just fine.” Not so, these times had not been “the best of times,” and continues not to be so.

Even though people say, “Relax, enjoy life, we’ll all get over it,” uh, I can’t see that.  As mentioned, I can’t live now for the pleasures of this temporal time. I’ve realized the end of this time is coming—it’s nearer than ever before. I’m eager and looking forward to the upper taker, whenever that will be as the Lord so wills (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10). Strange as it may sound, I’ve been sensing that throughout that decade that was. Maybe the result of the 2020 election is evidence of that sensing.

For me, the coming of my unemployment and then forward from the year 2016 has been moreso than ever the "defining moment" of my life. I have come to realize the greater pleasure for my mortal existence is Jesus—my joy, provider, purpose, and meaning for life (Matthew 6:25-34). My rock, fortress, and deliverer (Psalm 18:2)

 

Conclusion: as in my previous writings, so here too, the prayer of my heart these days seems to be, as the apostle John expressed it recorded at Revelation 22:20, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Until then, my continued prayer and fight for my native mortal homeland continues to be: Restore us, heavenly Father, to our founding upon biblical principles and conservative values, that we for a time may be a light-bearer and salt-spreader to the world of Your grace, peace, and love, as You would have us to be until that day of Your return, Lord Jesus (Adonai Yeshua). Awaken Your Church, heavenly Father, throughout America that we would have a greater impact on the governing affairs of our land—“from sea to shining sea”—as so did our founding fathers, that we would know our being as “one nation under God.”  In Your precious name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Sojourners in a Foreign Land

Time travel with me once again, this time back to those biblical days of Abram (later known as Abraham). From the Old Testament, we read of Terah residing in Ur of the Chaldeans. 

The day came when Terah left Ur with his son Abram, daughter-in-law Sarai and grandson Lot. Together they set out for Canaan, but they settled in Haran (about 600 miles north of Ur). See Genesis 11:31.

After Terah died God commanded Abram to leave Haran and "... go ... where I will show you." God also gave Abram a promise, "... all peoples on earth will be blessed through you," (Genesis 12:1-3). 

Abram left as "the LORD had told him," not knowing where he was going, simply taking God at His word. He arrived in Canaan and became a "stranger (sojourner) in a foreign country," (Genesis 12:4-5). 

God was with Abram as he traveled throughout Canaan. One day as Abram was scanning Canaan's vast horizon, God revealed to him: "To your offspring, I will give this land," (Genesis 12:7). 

Abram built an altar at Shechem and worshiped the LORD there, he then moved on towards Bethel. Between Bethel and Ai, he built another altar and then moved on further towards the Negev (desert in southern Canaan). See Genesis 12:8-9.

And at this point, we, too, move on further through time, centuries beyond the days of Abram, and step into New Testament times to the days of Jesus. There on the shores of Lake Galilee (in modern-day Israel; Old Testament days, Canaan), we see Jesus challenging some fishermen, "Launch out into the deep water." 

"But Master," they responded wearily, "We labored all last night and caught nothing." Nevertheless, trusting Jesus' words they did as He told them, and were astonished at their great catch.

Smiling broadly at their trusting stance, Jesus challenged them again, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching people" 

Accepting the challenge, they left their nets and their boats and followed Jesus. As Jesus taught his disciples then, so He teaches us today how to pass on the blessing of Abraham to all peoples, confidently trusting in God's command to "Go," …  (See Luke 5:1-11; Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; John 1:40-42.) 

We now soar further through time. We arrive at the year A.D. 1858. We find ourselves viewing John G. Paton and his newly wedded wife, Mary Ann, leaving their native Scotland behind, being "launched out" to the South Pacific. During his 10 years of city mission work in Glasgow, Scotland, God so pained John Paton's heart with the thought of the New Hebrides islanders entering a Christless eternity.

In the New Hebrides on the island of Tanna, the Patons labored zealously for the cause of Christ. But it wasn't without struggles and hardships, including the death of Mary Ann just one year after they were married, and, at John's count, at least 50 times of imminent threat to his life.

Only after decades of hard labor and during a second term in the New Hebrides (today Vanuatuon is the island of Aniwa), did God show His handiwork through Paton's labor: two orphanages were built, a thriving church established, and schools set up; one was a girl's school where Paton's second wife, Margaret, taught. John G. Paton genuinely loved the people to whom God had sent him, serving wholeheartedly in his God-given task. He realized no other cause more worthy of his lifelong pursuit.

God continues to call other "John Patons" today, to give up their smaller ambitions for the greater -- to become fishers of people. He looks for those who are willing to become sojourners in a foreign land. Consider 1 Peter 2:10-12.


Coming next month A Tarnished Crown, A Bloody Cross, an Empty Grave

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