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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New Web Page: Kentucky’s Red River Gorge

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

I have added a new page to toddthehiker.wordpress.com featuring many new photos of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge along with trail descriptions, maps to trailheads, and a list of resources including recommended books and maps. This is not intended to be a complete guide to the area, just a sample to whet your appetite.

New Page: Kentucky’s Red River Gorge

Autumn colors along Auxier Ridge Looking Out to Courthouse Rock, Red River Gorge, Slade, Kentucky.

My Grace Is Sufficient

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 – So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

A remote bluff with a scenic view a quarter of a mile off of Rough Trail. Red River Gorge, Slade, Kentucky.

I always carry a well-stocked first aid kit along with quite a bit of survival gear when we hike. Some would probably accuse me of being a little overstocked. I suppose I could trim down what I carry a bit, but leading groups of people on hikes, sometimes in fairly remote places, I would rather err on the side of caution and be ready to handle any emergency that might arise.

There are a number of well known “pastors” out there today who preach a terrible distortion of the Christian message, known as the prosperity gospel. Promises of health, wealth, and happiness abound in their teachings. Following Christ does not mean we will be successful in everything that we do, not even in our ministry efforts, nor does it mean we will be richly rewarded in the form or earthly treasures. Neither does being a follower of Christ mean that we will be free from sickness or injury.

Paul does not tell us specifically what his “thorn…in the flesh” is in today’s passage. We do not know whether this weakness of Paul’s was an illness, injury, or some mental or spiritual challenge he was facing. Regardless of the particular affliction, Paul was obviously bringing it to the Lord in prayer, but apparently to no avail. God’s answer to Paul was simply, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

How many of us can actually say that we would be “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities?” I can only pray that someday I might be blessed with this kind of faith. I can only pray that someday “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” May we all be blessed to realize, whatever afflictions and weaknesses we experience in life, that God’s grace, won through the blood of Christ, is the only thing we really need.

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Nazareth to Bethlehem

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

4^th Sunday in Advent

Luke 2:1-5 – In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Stopping for lunch and giving our feet some rest at a scenic spot off of Rough Trail. Red River Gorge, Slade, Kentucky.

I have never had the opportunity to travel to Israel, but thanks to the technology of Google Maps I was quickly able to determine that the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem, via modern day roads, is about 100 miles. Although the Bible provides no details of Joseph and Mary’s journey, their likely means of travel given their social status, was either by foot or possibly, in the best of conditions, riding on a donkey. Either way, it was a long and difficult trip.

More than 700 years before the birth of Christ the prophet Micah foretold the place of the Messiah’s birth, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2) The reason Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem in the first place was because of the decree from Caesar Augustus, someone who did not even acknowledge the God of the Israelites. If not for his decree there would have been no reason for a poor carpenter from Nazareth and his pregnant betrothed to make the difficult trip to Bethlehem. When you stop to consider the events that took place to ensure the fulfillment of this prophesy you realize just how incredible they are, and perhaps you can begin to understand the sovereignty of God.

Now translate that understanding into the circumstances of your own life and you may begin to think differently about the things that take place on any given day. When you put your trust in Christ you are turning your life over to the sovereign God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the one who had planned, in great detail, the birth of a Savior for his people, “whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts