Be Ready In Season and Out of Season

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

2 Timothy 4:1-4 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

One of our favorite scenic spots to stop for lunch, somewhere off-trail along the Rough Trail. Red River Gorge Geological Area, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky.

Even though we do hike as often as possible in the winter, there are certainly less opportunities to get out hiking this time of year, especially with the extremely cold temperatures we have had recently, seven degrees Fahrenheit as I type this! There are rare times that the skies are sunny and the temperatures get into the 70s, like January 12^th, 2012, the day this photo was taken. When these “out of season” beautiful days arise, you need to be ready to go if you want to take advantage of them!

Likewise as followers of Christ we need to “be ready in season and out of season” to share the gospel with those around us, as opportunities can present themselves at any time. Part of the way we stay ready is to be committed in our private devotional life, going to God in prayer and studying his word daily; but, we also need to hear the word preached. Left to our own devices it is easier to be led astray into false teachings. As Christians we need the encouragement and reproof of fellow believers to properly grow in our knowledge and faith. It is also our duty to hold each other accountable, including our leaders, by testing the things that are taught against the written word of God found in the Holy Scriptures.

We certainly live in a time where the teachings of the Christian faith are less and less endured by the world around us. People are more and more inclined to listen to the false teachings of the secular world rather than the truths of the Bible. “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). As redeemed followers of Christ we have “the word of the cross,” “the power of God” on our side, therefore we have no excuse, we should always “be ready in season and out of season.”

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Like a Flower of the Field

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 103:13-18 – As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. ¹⁴ For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. ¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, ¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

Woodland sunflowers backlit by the setting sun. Sugarcreek Metropark, Bellbrook, Ohio.

The wildflowers of late summer fade and die and soon get covered by the snows of winter. Today’s passage from Psalm 103 reminds us that we are “like a flower of the field,” flourishing for a time, but soon returning to the dust. Thankfully those who are in Christ, those who fear the Lord, are assured of “the steadfast love of the LORD [that] is from everlasting to everlasting.”

Life is short and uncertain, but to know and love Jesus has eternal significance. If you know him, then strive daily to draw closer to him through prayer, devotion, and study of his Word. If you are uncertain, or do not know him, I would challenge you to seek him out today.

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Concerning the Times and the Seasons

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 – Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. ² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Icicles on the face of the waterfall on Flat Fork Creek. Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville, Ohio.

Winter hiking requires additional preparations that you may not consider in other seasons, unless you hike in the high mountains where you need to be prepared for extreme weather any time of the year. Carrying a cutting tool, fire starting supplies, a map and compass, a first aid kit, and enough food and water are important all the time, but even more so in cold weather; and clothing, that you may barely give a second thought to in warmer weather, becomes a major concern in the winter. The key to being prepared is to “expect the unexpected,” so you are ready to handle any situation. When you are away from civilization you often cannot just call 911 when an emergency arises, and even if you can it will likely take rescuers much longer to get to you than when you are at home. (REI’s website has a great article with Winter Camping and Backpacking Tips if you want to read more.)

Today’s passage from 1 Thessalonians 5 is all about being prepared in the “times and seasons” while we await the second coming of Christ. And just like a winter hike, these preparations we make in our Christian walk are necessary because there is an element of the unexpected, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” In Matthew 24:44 Jesus, himself, tells his disciples, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” And in Matthew 25:13, he says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Clearly we do not know when the Lord will come again, and because of this we need to be ready at any time. Fortunately in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 Paul gives us advice on some things we can do to prepare, as well as some things not to do, that are written almost in checklist fashion:

¹²We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. ¹⁵See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies, ²¹ but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

If we read this passage daily and heeded Paul’s advice, how much more joyful could we be in our approach to life? How would it change our outlook and our expectations if we actually did what we are told to do in these eleven short verses?

Do you think this sounds impossible? Well, we find good news as Paul concludes the body of his letter to the believers in Thessalonica with these great words of encouragement:

²³ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

These are words that we too should take to heart. They are words that give us hope because it means we are not doing this alone, and they are words that apply equally to us as believers today!

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The Sky Above Proclaims His Handiwork

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 19:1-6 – The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. ⁴ Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, ⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. ⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The setting sun over the shores of Lake Erie proclaims God’s handiwork. Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Psalm 19 is one of those great passages of the Bible that stirs me deeply every time I read it. From the smallest grain of sand on a beach to the most distant star in the heavens God created it all. Through the beauty and power of his amazing creation he makes himself known throughout the earth. The magnificence of his world should leave no doubt in our minds that there is something greater than us, someone greater than us, our God and our Creator.

I weep for those who do not understand the glory of God, for those who actually believe this is all just random chance acting over time. If this is true, if we all are here just because of some great cosmic roll of the dice, then there is no real purpose or greater meaning to life than the here and now. If this is true, then how we live our lives makes no difference at all. If this is true, then there is no reason for us to value the lives of those around us, or really to care at all. After all, it is just survival of the fittest, right?

The Bible presents us with a much different view of human life, Genesis 1:27 tells us that, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We are all image bearers of God, and because of this every human life is of value. Psalm 139:13 reads, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew us before we were born; in fact he created us, and because of this every human life is of value, yes, even those not yet born.

Not only does God’s creation proclaim his glory, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We too, in our deepest being, know him and proclaim his glory, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14). And yet, we live in a fallen world, a world that rejects God and the truth of his word written in the Bible. In order to find our way back to him, in order to know his glory, we have but one path, and that is Christ, our Lord, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

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