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The Wonder of the Word

The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Psalm 19:8b (continued)
 
In this world of darkness, confusion and conflict, your Word shines bright and clear, showing us the path, exposing Satan’s traps, guiding us in decisions, enlightening us about the future. You, who stand outside of time, know all this and share it with us in your Word.
 
“The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.”
 
To know your Word is not enough. As we obey it out of love, reverence and respect for you, you lead us in doing things that will last forever. You are eternal and what you do is eternal; you bequeath us with the possibility of making decisions that have consequences forever, have significance for eternity. The resulting fear, reverence and awe of you lead us to make decisions according to Truth.
 
“The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.”
 
When all else is uncertain, your Word is sure, trustable and without fault. All you command is right and righteous. We desperately need the wisdom of your Word and the leadership of your Spirit so we can walk in the right way.
 
“They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
 
The things of this world are attractive—the power-giving, comfort-offering, security-promising success and prosperity—but they quickly pass away. In contrast, your Word is forever. In it we can find the true and lasting security, significance, power and comfort every heart desires, for you are the source of all good, everlasting good.
 
Prayer: “Valuing your Word above all, may your name may be lifted on high today before all those we meet. Glorify yourself in our lives today as we live according to your Word! Amen.”
 
May be an image of flower and nature

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The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Psalm 19:8b
 
Praise you, Lord, that my failures do not influence your attitude or love for me. You are the great and gracious One who does not change, who cannot change, who is steady, faithful and good. It is a great comfort to know, in the midst of my ups and downs, how consistently, wonderfully loving and reliable you are.
 
As it says in Psalm 19:7-11, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.”
 
It is through your Word that you have brought life to my soul, giving transformation, strength, courage and joy.
 
“The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”
 
When I have no idea what to do or say, your Word gives guidance. It is full of wisdom, overflowing with insight and packed with knowledge. By your Word and the work of the Spirit, we can, to a great degree, understand life, suffering, purpose, our end, and most importantly, you.
 
“The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.”
 
In a world of great uncertainty, shifting values and confusing change, you guide us in knowing what is right, and that gives us joy. Life without boundaries makes us uncertain and sad. Life with the means to determine what is right and wrong gives us security, light and joy. You are the source of all that and this flows to us through your Word. We praise you for that!

May be an image of flower and nature

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More Cowboy Wisdom
 
Leaving the captain, Cody gathered up the reins of his horse and headed for the stable where he talked with the hostler, unsaddled, rubbed down his horse and pitched some hay and grain into a manger for it. Then he walked across to the saloon, carrying his rifle with him. A man never knows what might come up.
 
He stepped inside and looked around. There were several men at the bar, a couple of card games going on and four men sitting at a table, sharing a bottle.
 
He eased over to a corner chair where no one could get behind him, and from where he could see the whole room while listening to several conversations.
 
After a while Dodge’s two men came in and joined the four at the table. They were talking loudly enough for Cody to hear most of the conversation.
 
“So, we checked with the land office and his deed is valid.
There’s nothing we can do legally to get him out.”
 
“Since when have you acted legally? This is the wild west, not Philadelphia!”
 
“Right, here it’s still ‘might that makes right.’ It’s only one man and his family against Dodge’s thirty gunmen. Who do you think is going to win?”
 
“Dodge thinks it’s critical to get rid of him because others are going to come along and settle more and more of the range. If he gets rid of this man, he thinks he can keep any others from coming.”
 
“He’s probably right. I wouldn’t back down if I were him. Those sod busters need to be run out and if they won’t go, we’ll burn them out and shoot them!”
 
Cody was not at all surprised at what these men thought and proposed. Only they were wrong. “Might” used to make right, but now the law was coming in. The territory had become a state and laws were being made.
 
Cody now knew exactly what he must do. But it must be from the right motives, wanting to see everyone win. It must be from a peace-loving perspective, and peace-loving in this case meant preventing harm to anyone. And it must take into consideration that the real enemy is Satan, not Dodge.
 
Even if John were faced with thirty gunmen, a number of them would die along with him in the standoff. That must be prevented, and Cody knew how they might do that.
 
In addition, he and John had to be sweetly reasonable, that is, gentle, in trying to get Dodge established on his range by law, not by force. That could start things moving in the right direction.
 
He had heard enough in the saloon, so he quietly got up and walked across the street to the eating place, a log building where there were long tables and rough benches. A few men were scattered about, eating.
 
He sat down at the end of a table, away from the door where he could see every person in the room and no one was behind him. The proprietor brought him a cup of coffee, then a plate with beef, bread and some greens.
 
As he was eating, the door opened and the girl he’d seen came in, dressed in a buckskin skirt and a calico blouse. She sat by herself and was given food.
 
As he watched her out of the corner of his eye, he noted how gracefully she ate. She glanced over at him once, and again he noted how fine and refined a girl she appeared to be. What was she doing here in the company of Dodge’s rough cow hands?
After eating, as he got up, he tipped his hat to her and went out across the street to the stable where he bedded down in the hay, right next to his horse. Again, he trusted his horse to alert him to any imminent danger. Who knows what may come in the night?

Picture: Cody’s horse

May be an image of horse and outdoors

Your are….

“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalm 18:1,2
 
Thank you, O God, for the opportunity to praise you in and for whatever comes, to trust you to carry me through. I can do this because you are:
• The Lord God,
• Triune Ruler,
• Eternal King,
• Unchanging Sovereign,
• Undefeated Commander,
• Wise Judge,
• All-Powerful Leader,
• Mighty Shepherd,
• Merciful Savior,
• All-knowing Guide,
• Unshakable Rock,
• Safe and High Tower,
• Our Ever-present Salvation.
 
To you, O Great One, belongs praise and honor, glory and strength.
To you belongs awe, amazement, reverence and surrender.
To you belongs fear, denial of self and taking up of our cross daily.
We can submit to you because:
• You know what is right,
• You know what is best,
• You know beyond the moment,
• You know all that will be.
Therefore:
• You are the One to be trusted,
• You are the One to be honored,
• You are the One to be obeyed.
As I look at today, it is wonderful to know that you are going to work all things out for good, leading me through the maze of events, the succeeding challenges and adventures and the battle against the evil one. In all I can rest in you, in your goodness, in your love and in your power.
 
“Fill me with your Holy Spirit. I bow before you as my Captain and Navigator, surrendering to your wisdom, knowledge and goodness. Help me to hear and obey, to seek your direction and follow it immediately. Glory be to you, Lord God, for you are worthy, deserving of all obedience! Amen.”
May be an image of 2 people, including Stephen M. Wibberley and indoor

Freedom Flows On

More thoughts on Psalm 119:32 “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”
 
You, Lord God, are setting me free from pride, showing me how small, how feeble, how powerless, how sinful I am in myself. You are revealing the depth of the depravity of my natural man and the height of the holiness you have given your children.
 
You are also showing me your inexorable power and inviting me to join you in your work.
 
You are setting me free from working too hard and are leading me into working smart, away from doing my own thing and into joining you through prayer and seeing you bring all to pass.
 
Prayer is your idea, and it is part of bringing freedom. It is your invitation for us to join you in your great plans. It is a powerful means of being transformed by you.
 
It is tapping into your strength, your wisdom, your goodness, your desires and having them flow in, through and out of us to those around us.
 
In providing this broad and beautiful freedom, you are moving me mightily towards living like Asaph, the author of Psalm 73, who, after repenting of his selfishness and self-pity, wrote these words.
 
“Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25,26).
 
Eternal praise be to you, O Lord, for you have truly, powerfully, continually, eternally set my heart free!
 
Prayer: “Help me, Lord, to run freely in the consistent course of your commandments, in the lighted way of your Truth, in the joyful paths of your presence, that I may give you glory today. Amen”
May be an image of nature and grass

More Autobio

John, our team leader was an artist in drawing, carving and in life. He looked at things differently than others around him and many times this was an advantage.
Although he was involved in the little local fellowship, he longed for a greater outreach and a bigger harvest. Before we arrived, he had come up with the idea of having a foundation that could give an official structure to offer social help as a means of making contacts to share the gospel.
John had linked up with an organization in the States with similar goals. This group agreed to help support the foundation, so John had begun the paper work of setting it up. His main need was to find four local believers who were willing to stick their necks out and join a foreigner in this venture. In the end he did find the four, but only one of them proved reliable.
When the paperwork was completed, we rented an office and hired Charles’ nephew, Henry, to be the watchman, helper and go-fer. In the beginning, Henry lived with us and became a member of the family. He was diligent, helpful and orderly.
However, he had a lingering cough that seemed to get worse. When John took him to a doctor, it turned out that Henry had open TB, an actual hole in his lung. Since he had been coughing on the boys for weeks, we were advised to get tested and, if necessary, inoculated. We went to the TB center in the city and got our tests done.
When we came back for the results, Barbara’s was fine, the result of her having been ino
 
culated as a child, but the rest of us needed to be inoculated. We were ushered into a room with three chairs and a desk. On the desk were a big glass syringe and a candle. The nurse came in, lit the candle, filled the syringe and passed the needle through the flame. She inoculated me, passed the needle through the flame again, used it on Josh and after another cursory “sterilization,” inoculated Nat–who knows how many others had been inoculated with that same needle!
This was our introduction to the fact that many did not yet really believe in germs, (that has certainly changed over the last 40 years, with the medical care there in private hospitals being on par with the US) including many in the medical profession. They said they believed in them, but in practice did not act as if germs existed. Nat’s inoculation point got infected and took six months to heal. But thankfully, none of us got TB.
Contrary to the doctor’s recommendation that we just put Henry out on the street and forget about him, John arranged to get him into a state sanatorium for treatment. Henry recovered and is still alive today, married and a father.
Summer came and with it an increase in the fighting. Every night we heard several bombs explode, often followed by the firing of machine guns. Then the dogs would bark. We had trouble getting enough sleep.
There was still nothing in the newspapers to tell us what was happening, but there were often soldiers in full battle dress with loaded rifles on street corners. The situation was clearly becoming more and more dangerous.
One time when I went to Tom’s house for a language lesson, there was a bullet hole through his front door, through the kitchen door and out the door beyond that.
 
“It was from a firefight soldiers had with terrorists,” he said. “We lay on the floor and the bullets went over our heads, so we were safe.”
Another time when I came to visit, Tom was so shaken that we couldn’t do our lesson. He had been at a teahouse that morning when someone drove by and opened fire on the place with a machine gun. A number of people had been killed.
This was not an isolated incident; another acquaintance of ours told how his little grocery store was machine-gunned while he ducked behind the counter for protection.
 
An American soldier in our city was killed when he tried to start his booby-trapped car. I started looking under my car for bombs each time I got in. Things were going from bad to worse.
It never occurred to us, however, that we should leave. We had been called and would not leave until He called us away, as He did some 30 years later.
Picture: Henry and his wife with their first child.
May be an image of 2 people, child and people standing

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More on being freeee!
 
Now being in Jesus, I can run free in the path of goodness, my feet unbound, my legs strengthened by your Spirit, my eyes opened by the light of your Word, my soul ready to soar.
 
You are setting me free from the anxiety and fear expressed in my hot anger when things around me are out of my control, when I get lost on a trip, when people fail to follow through, when I feel like a fool.
 
You are setting me free with the knowledge that in you I am secure, that you are my Shepherd, you are my King, that you are taking me to and through whatever you know is best. In you I am significant and can rest in this, no matter how I may act, feel or fail.
 
You are setting me free from the fear of man, cutting the emotional ties to what others think or value or want. You have established a new connection from your heart to mine.
 
You have given me the knowledge of your presence and a desire to obey you rather than my twisted self-centered doubts and the desires of those around me.
 
You are setting me free from impatience, helping me to grasp that your plans are unfolding at the right pace; your time table cannot be thwarted; things will come to pass at the optimum time.
 
You are setting me free from being tied to what I can see. You have opened my eyes to the eternal, to the supernatural, to the working of your hand in all around me. God sightings come often, which allow me to see your love which is beyond knowledge.
 
Lord help me to use this freedom today to honor you, exalt you and join you in the plans you have for me and the people around me.

Picture: free in the dsys of our youth

May be an image of one or more people, people standing, outdoors and tree

Freedom flows on

More thoughts on “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
 
You, Lord God, are setting me free from the fear of man, cutting the emotional ties to what others think or value or want. You have established a new connection from your heart to mine.
 
You have given me the knowledge of your presence and a desire to obey you rather than my twisted self-centered doubts and the desires of those around me.
 
You are setting me free from impatience, helping me to grasp that your plans are unfolding at the right pace; your time table cannot be thwarted; things will come to pass at the optimum time.
 
You are setting me free from being tied to what I can see. You have opened my eyes to the eternal, to the supernatural, to the working of your hand in all around me. God sightings come often.
 
You are setting me free from pride, showing me how small, how feeble, how powerless, how sinful I am in myself. You are revealing the depth of the depravity of my natural man and the height of the holiness you have given your children.
 
I pray, Lord, that you will help me to walk in this freedom all through the day, exalting in the wonderful gift you have given us in Jesus.

Picture: Enjoying our freedom together

May be an image of 2 people, including Stephen M. Wibberley

Psalm 119:32

 
“I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
 
Praise be to you, my Lord and my God, for you have
freed my heart,
set me free
free from the rule of Satan,
free from the power of self,
free from the chains of sin.
 
As your child I can actually make choices now because you have brought me out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
 
“The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (Pro. 4:19).
 
You have set me free from a life of fumbling and stumbling in the dark, bringing me out into a life of light.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the light of life and have caused the light of salvation to shine deeply into my heart.
 
You have invited me to walk on the path of the righteous, illuminated by your Word, bringing me ever more into the full light of your day.
 
Now in your grace I can choose the shining way of Truth revealed by your Word and your Spirit.
 
You are setting my heart free
from fear,
from bondage to selfishness,
from lust,
from anger,
frustration
and negative thinking.
 
You have set my feet free from the shackles of Satan that led me to shuffle down the path of sin, to swerve into what is destructive, to select violent, knee-jerk, negative reactions.
Now I can run free in the path of goodness, my feet unbound, my legs strengthened by your Spirit, my eyes opened by the light of your Word, my soul ready to soar. Help me to soar today with you!
May be an image of tree and nature

More cowboy wisdom

At the fort Cody pulled up in front of the army office, tied his horse and dusted himself off before going up the steps.
 
The soldier on guard duty stopped him, “Your business?” he asked.
 
“I want to talk with the Captain about some trouble brewing over to the east. I need his advice and maybe help,” Cody replied. He knew that is was good to be in a position of weakness, of need when dealing with those who think themselves strong.
 
“Sergeant,” the soldier called, “this man wants to see the
Captain, can he?”
 
The sergeant came to the door, a short stocky man, looked Irish, meaning he was a no-nonsense, tough man, not to be trifled with.
 
Cody studied him with care, “Certainly need to use Heavenly Wisdom here,” he said to himself.
 
“Your name and business,” said the sergeant.
 
“I’m Cody Smith and I’m here to talk about some trouble a settler to the east has run into. I need advice and maybe some help.”
 
“Wait here,” the sergeant said and disappeared inside. Soon he returned and said, “Follow me.” He led the way to an office in the back of the building. As he stepped in, Cody noted that the windows over looked the plain so the Captain could watch what was going on. And also, that the windows had heavy shutters with rifle holes in them. They were ready if trouble came.
 
“Hello Captain,” Cody offered.
 
“Sit down Mr. Smith. What can I do for you?”
 
Cody explained about John’s homestead and the threat from Dodge. “John has a legitimate claim on three hundred acres of land, which includes a spring. Dodge has twenty-five hundred square miles to graze his cattle on and a dozen watering places. He doesn’t need these three hundred acres.
 
“However, I know he’s thinking about others who will come, maybe enough to populate his entire grazing area. He wants to nip this in the bud, even if it means burning out a family and maybe killing a man, his wife and son.”
 
The Captain leaned back in his chair. “So, this John has his paperwork from the land office here?”
 
“Yes, he showed it to me, and we could check with the office over there if there’s any question about it.”
 
“Actually, I’d like to see the documents myself so I can know I am on solid footing,” said the Captain. “Let’s go over there right now and check it out.”
 
As they stepped out of the door and turned toward the land office, Dodge’s two cowhands and the woman came out of the land office door. Cody noted that she was a not actually a woman, but a girl of about eighteen; he also noted that she was quite attractive, maybe very attractive. Then he brought his attention back to the cowboys.
 
“Hmmm,” Cody said to himself, turning his attention to the men, “so that’s why they came here.”
 
Cody and the Captain entered the low building, hot under the sun. The clerk was working at a desk in the back but looked up when they entered.
 
He came to the counter and said, “Well, it’s a busy afternoon here today. What can I do for you?”
 
The Captain leaned on the counter, “We’d like to see the land claim of John Dickson.”
 
“That’s interesting,” said the clerk, “the last two fellows also wanted to see the same thing.”
 
Cody leaned toward the Captain, “They were Dodge’s men,” he said quietly. The Captain nodded.
 
“So, show us the papers,” he said. The clerk already had the file on his desk and brought it right over.
 
“Here’s the map of the area with the boundary and landmarks. It says right here ‘three hundred acres claimed by John Dickson.’ That’s followed by a description of it, and how it includes a spring. It’s his all right. Those other gents were not happy to see this.”
 
“Thank you for the information,” said the Captain as he turned and led the way out the door.
 
As they walked back to the army headquarters, Cory said,
“You know, Captain, I like to live by Heavenly Wisdom.”
 
“What’s that?” the Captain asked.
 
“It’s what’s described in the book of James in the Bible, in the New Testament.”
 
“What is it?
 
“Well, it gives a list of seven qualities. I’ll give you the first three. ‘Wisdom is first of all pure, peace loving and sweetly reasonable.’ Now purity starts in our motives, so I want to tell you what my motives are in getting involved here.”
 
The Captain nodded.
 
“First, this family is in danger and needs protection. Second, I would like to see things worked out for the best for both parties. Dodge is used to being the one in charge, the law out there; he does not want to change, but change is coming upon him. I would like to see his life continue as much as possible as a cattleman, and I would like to see John able to stay on his place unharmed.
 
“Both sides could win if they apply the second and third qualities of Heavenly Wisdom, that is, speak peaceably with each other and are reasonable. One possible solution is for Dodge to come in and take out a claim on a large portion of his present range; then he would have the legal right to protect it from other settlers who come. At the same time, John must be allowed to stay without threats or trouble. I think that this is possible.”
 
“So, what do you want from me?” asked the Captain.
 
“Since Dodge thinks he’s the law, a bit of a show illustrating the law of the state would be good. If you could ride with me out there with a contingent of soldiers and pay a visit to Dodge, talk to him about this, it would be good.
 
“This situation could lead to the fourth quality of Heavenly Wisdom: being approachable and submissive. We can be approachable because, as the Bible tells us, people like Dodge aren’t our real enemy.
 
Our real enemy is Satan and his forces. So we need to fight him rather than people. This understanding helps us listen to those around us and accept sound advice given, then we will be a lot better off than just going with his own thoughts. If we have good motives, are peace loving and sweetly reasonable, it can open the way for Dodge to be approachable.
“If Dodge refuses to listen, he will be fulfilling the description of the verses before the list of Heavenly Wisdom, that is, of earthly wisdom. It says, ‘But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts,’–these are wrong motives that lead to trouble–‘do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.’–that’s strong language, but true—’For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.’ Like killing people to get your way. That’s what we want to avoid.
 
“So, what I’d like to do is to have a show of force, clarify the law and encourage Dodge to come to a good settlement.”
 
“Why don’t you just do this yourself?” the Captain asked.
“What chance would two men, a woman and a boy have against up to thirty gunmen? I can’t give the show of force that would bring Dodge to the table.”
 
“I see,” said the Captain. “Let me think on this until tomorrow morning. You can find a place to stay in that primitive hotel, or there is the stable. Take your pick.”
Cody gathered up the reins of his horse and headed for the stable.
 
internet picture: scene from the fort.
 
No photo description available.