Do you keep up with world news?  If so, does it seem to you that something worse-than-usual is taking place?  It’s getting meaner out there:  more violent … more wicked … more, perhaps, like the days of Noah.  The entire world seems to be rushing pell-mell into chaos.  It’s as if something evil – and intelligent – has been turned loose upon the world.

• Unbridled sexual perversions are turning the world into a global Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Terrorism – often in the name of a false god – continues to gain momentum, leaving its swath of murder on every continent.
• Identity thieves and computer hackers threaten everything from an individual’s checking account to international security.
• Wars:  In July of 2014, there were ten “wars” (1,000⁺ battle-related deaths / year) and eight “serious armed conflicts” in progress throughout the world.

Certainly, not all of this instability is moral in nature.

• Financial markets are driven today by real-time news and digital transactions.  A downward swing in the economy of a single region can panic all the other markets around the world within a matter of minutes.
• Earthquakes:  Over the last 60 months (June, 2010 – June, 2015), there have been 124 earthquakes throughout the world measuring a magnitude of 6.0 or higher on the Richter Scale (89 of these registering 7.0 or higher).
• Global warming:  Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate predict that the average global temperatures could increase between 1.4⁰ – 5.8⁰ Celsius by 2100.

This turmoil of the nations is not only global, it is also out of control.  No human agency or government seems capable of restoring order from the chaos.  The issues are just too large … too complex … too intense to be solved by the cleverness of man.  If it were not for the restraining hand of our sovereign God, events would spiral completely out of control on every front.

But there is something about this encroaching darkness we should not overlook. With each news report, God’s many promises to the true and living Church grow brighter and brighter.  As the world continues its reckless race toward destruction, let those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb lock their attention on these assurances of God:

His promise of an eternal life

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

His promise of an eternal residence in the Father’s palace

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places.  If it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  (John 14:2)

His promise of the Savior’s return for us

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.  (John 14:3)

His promise of a body changed from clay to glory

We will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (1^st Corinthians 15:51-53)

His promise of a new earth

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  (Revelation 21:1)

This blueprint for our future is not some wishful, pie-in-the-sky dream.  It is a bedrock fact based upon the integrity of God’s Word and confirmed by the resurrection of His Son. Every one of these promises awaits the re-born follower of Jesus Christ.  Do you believe that?  We should.  Our God is faithful.  He keeps His Word.

So, while everyone else is wringing their hands in despair as they watch their world come apart at the seams, let those of us who cling to the living God walk through our days with confidence in Christ … and with courage in Christ … and with a sense of stability in Christ. Let those who reject the Cross of Jesus pace the floor at night.  But those who have fled to the saving grace of God … let us all get a good night’s sleep.

After all, the dazzling promises of a faithful God make for a soft pillow.

Your lovingkindness, O Yahweh, extends to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.  (Psalm 36:5)

[Click over to the course, The God of Our Lives:  chapter 2, “Yahweh:  Our God is Faithful”].

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Click here to read the 1^st chapter of The God of Our Lives:  OUR GOD IS OUR CREATOR

To the readers within the believing community:  I would greatly appreciate your prayers, that the Master-Teacher would be the Author of these writings.

On October 3^rd, 1960 CBS television network aired the first episode of a series that has since been ranked by TV Guide magazine as the 9^th-best show in American television history.  The Andy Griffith Show is about a small rural town, populated by a host of lovable citizens, whose comical mishaps are kept in check by the watchful eye of a home-spun, but wise, sheriff.

If you have ever watched this show, you are aware of the special relationship Sheriff Andy Taylor has with his young son Opie.  This father has invested a lot of time in his son’s life to the point that Opie trusts his “Pa” almost without question.

In one episode there is a scene that demonstrates this trust.  Opie is in Sheriff Taylor’s jailhouse office.  He has just finished lunch and is about to return to school.  But before he leaves, he looks up at his father and says, “Catch me Pa?”  And Andy says, “Well, OK; but just once.”  So Opie climbs up on his father’s desk, Andy backs away from the desk about three feet, holds out his arms, and Opie jumps.

It is such a simple scene that, if we are not paying attention, we will miss a wonderful illustration of faith:

• First of all, when Opie positions himself on the edge of the desk, he does not look down at the floor and hesitate.  No, as soon as he climbs onto the desk, he immediately jumps.

• Nor does he ask his father, “You are going to catch me, right Pa?”  Opie knew that his father would keep his promise to catch him.

We have not seen the many times this young boy had jumped into the arms of his father standing three feet away; but we can assume that this “jump and catch” routine has been repeated often.  (Andy has to set a limit on the number of times he will play this game just to get his son back to school on time.)  And every time Opie jumped, Andy caught him.  This father had proved his faithfulness to his son over and over and over.

The Bible reveals another Father’s faithfulness, One Who remains true to His Word over and over and over.  He is a Person Who keeps His promises.

The question is, Do we trust our Father to keep His Word?  We should.  If He says He is going to do something, He will do it.  Our God is faithful to His children … but not because His children are faithful to Him.

Why would God remain so faithful to us when we are so often unfaithful to Him?  It is to protect His reputation.  He has something to prove … to the nations.

[Click over to the course, The God of Our Lives:  chapter 2, “Yahweh:  Our God Is Faithful”].

Click here to view our website:  STEWARD OF TRUTH PUBLICATIONS

Click here to view this course:  THE GOD OF OUR LIVES

Click here to read the 1^ST chapter of The God of Our Lives:  OUR GOD IS OUR CREATOR

To the readers within the believing community:  I would greatly appreciate your prayers, that the Master-Teacher would be the Author of these writings.

When I was growing up, my family would always pray before a meal.  I cannot remember a time when we did not thank God for the food before us.  Even when I was quite young, I was given a “turn to pray.”  And this is what I would say:

“God is great.  God is good.  Let us thank Him for our food.  Amen.”

Do you believe that?  Do you believe that God is great … and good?

I don’t believe I have ever run across a person who said he believed in God … but thought that He was weak.  “God” and “great” just seem to go together.  These two words seem inseparable, whether in times of joy or (especially) in times of pain.  Indeed, one of the best places to observe a person’s belief in the power of God is in an Intensive Care waiting room.  There, even those who are not all that religious will often turn to God because they believe He is able to help them when no one else can.  For those who believe in Him, the greatness of God is a given.

The goodness of God, however, is a different matter.  “God” and “good” do not always go together, at least in the heart of the one who is suffering.  I have known more than a few people who were bitter toward the God they said was great.  And most of the time, the reason they resented Him is because they believed He had let them down in some way:

• He had “cheated” them from having something He should have given them … but didn’t.

• Or He had “robbed” them of something they used to have … and should still have … but no longer have … because He took it away from them.

The Bible knows nothing of a God that “cheats” and “robs.”  But the God of the Bible does withhold.  And He does remove.  The Father does allow the pain of loss and helplessness and brokenness to enter the lives of the children He dearly loves.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the LORD.  (Job 1:21)

Why would He do that?  There is an answer to this question.  When God decides to crumble the self-reliant spirit of a self-assured person, His purpose in doing so is for this crippled life to become more dependent upon Him.  IF faith is the response of this weakened one, the gaping hole in his life can now be filled, not with the power of frail men but with the power of almighty God.

It becomes a life that can glorify more fully the God of his redemption.

It becomes a life that can represent the Savior more accurately to a spiritually-bankrupt world that is hopelessly groping in darkness and sentenced to an eternal death.

It becomes a life that – throughout all eternity – will share more fully in the radiant glory of the Son of God …

… all of which are infinitely more important than his own health, prosperity and well-being,

… and all of which are infinitely more important than the health, prosperity and well-being of those he loves,

… but none of which would have been possible apart from this painful – but priceless – gift of brokenness.

So, do you believe in the goodness of God in the good times … and the bad?  To truly appreciate the value of suffering, we must have the same perspective God has.  We are not weakened because God failed in His responsibility to keep us happy.  We are weakened because He loves us enough to share His glory with us … an eternal glory that demands that we first be emptied of ourselves so that, through faith, we might be filled with the power of a great God.

Dear friends, when we can truthfully say in the midst of pain,

God is great and God is good,

then – and only then – will we be able to say,

Let us thank Him for our weaknesses.

For when we are weak, then we are strong … in Christ Jesus.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2^nd Corinthians 12:9-10)

Click here to read the 1^ST chapter of The God of Our Lives:  YAHWEH (OUR GOD IS OUR CREATOR)

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(To the readers in the believing community:  I would greatly appreciate your prayers, that the Master-Teacher would be the Author of these writings.)

Have you ever been on a committee whose task was to find a new pastor for your church?  I would like to invite you to join us on our pulpit search committee for about five minutes.  We are looking over the resumes of two candidates and watching the videos of their preaching.

According to the resume of the first man, we read that he won a medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.  He served in the United States Army as a Green Beret from 1973 – 1976.  He later attended seminary where he earned his doctorate in Old Testament languages in 1984.  He is married with two grown children and three grandchildren.  He has written three books on church growth.  And he would be coming to us from a church with 1,200 members where he served as senior pastor.

As we watch this first candidate’s video, his grammar and articulation are perfect.  His delivery is flawless.

According to the resume of the second man, we read that he was born with a birth defect and, as a result, has lived his life confined to a wheelchair.  He attended Bible College where he received a bachelor’s degree in Bible in 1984.  Since then, he has served as an assistant pastor in four churches, mostly smaller churches in the mid-west.  He had been married; but his wife died suddenly when they were both in their early 30s.  They had no children.

As we watch this second man’s video, we notice that he has a slight stutter.  His Biblical understanding is very good.  But there is something else in this second man’s preaching that was absent from the first man’s preaching … and that is what catches our attention.

The first man obviously believed what he was saying; we could tell from the tone of his voice.  But there was more than mere emotion behind the second man’s preaching.  Although he was not an energetic speaker, there was something that permeated his words, something that drew us in to listen with absorbing interest.

The first man had credentials … and zeal.  But the second man had something more than credentials, something more than zeal.  Saturating his words was power, a power generated by the Spirit of God.

How could a crippled man … with only a little Bible training … with limited exposure to large crowds … and who spoke with a stutter … how could this man possibly radiate more power than an Olympic medalist, a Green Beret, a Doctor of Theology, and a published author?

Perhaps the power behind his words has something to do with not having healthy legs, with not having the continued companionship of a beloved wife he greatly misses, with not having experience before large crowds, with not having clear speech.  Perhaps weakness itself has prepared the second man to be and do what we as a church are about to ask our future pastor to be and do.  Extended pain has cultivated within the heart of this broken man a deep and abiding dependence on almighty God.  Crushing sorrows have prepared him well for the responsibilities of a caring shepherd.

We, as members of the pulpit search committee, choose the second man.  Why?  Because we decided that the pastor we call is going to need a lot more than the credentials of man to be what we need for him to be, and do what we need for him to do.  We decided that

The power of God is more important than the polish of man

We are about to watch this truth unfold through the life of Moses, an extraordinary life with three very distinct phases:

the exalted life of Moses between the ages of early childhood and 40 years,

the broken life of Moses between the ages of 40 and 80,

and the fruitful life of Moses between the ages of 80 and 120.

From this life we can learn a very important truth:  that before one can bear spiritual fruit, he must first be pruned by the hand of God.

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(To the readers in the believing community:  I would greatly appreciate your prayers, that the Master-Teacher would be the Author of these writings.)

To the readers of The Shepherd’s Staff:

I would like to thank each of you for your kind (and patient) interest in our ministry’s newest venture:  online publishing.

Years ago I was given a wonderful opportunity to receive a Biblical / theological education at a very fine seminary.  And to this day, I continue to personally benefit from that training.  But attached to that great privilege is a great responsibility:  a calling to prepare both unbelievers and believers for eternity.  Most surely, this Great Commission is focused upon the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, as revealed in the written Word of God.  It is a stewardship I do not take lightly.

You and I live in a very unique time.  The Church of the 21^st century is able to offer and explain the Scriptures to the world with unimaginable speed.  One way to do so is by means of a “blog.”  To be honest, blogging is a brand new trick for this old dog.  In fact, I had to look up the word.  When one writes a blog, he is using the internet to write a journal.  He is using the “world-wide web” (www.) to “log.”  Hence, a blog is a “world-wide web-log.”  It is an electronic journal … able to encircle the globe … in a matter of seconds.  The 1^st century authors of the New Testament letters would have been astounded at its potential.

This blog site, The Shepherd’s Staff, has a specific purpose:

“To nurture Christ’s Church with the Truth of God’s Word”

It is an honor for me to be a part of this quest for His Truth with you.

Starting next week, I intend to post one blog every two weeks.  The first series of blogs will be taken from our course, The God of Our Lives, a study of the character and works of God.  (This course is published in its entirety on our “Main Site,” www.stewardoftruth.com.)  If you would like to be notified of these (usually brief) articles, please send your email address to martinpuryear.author@gmail.com.  Your email address will never be sold, rented or shared with anyone else.

And now I need to remind us all of a sobering reality, one that has placed our home on high alert.    To write about God to a world-wide audience is to place one’s neck on a thousand chopping blocks.  The fact is, the Bible is an affront to the world’s value system.  And when God’s Truth confronts the world’s lies, it is striking at the jugular of spiritual darkness.  As this blog site remains true to the Scriptures (which is our prayer), it will not go unnoticed by those who love that darkness.  Nor will it be tolerated by them.  Even when offered in love and with grace, the Light of God will be rejected – often vehemently – by those who hate the God of Light.

Father, I (Jesus) have given (My disciples) Your Word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.  (John 17:14-15)

That warning will play itself out in this ministry.  Anyone who teaches the Word of God should expect opposition.  It is a resistance that can – and often will – grow hostile.  (Consider the Crucifixion.)  Nevertheless, by God’s help, these blogs will be backed by the authority of God’s Word … motivated by God’s love … generated by God’s power … in accordance with God’s wisdom.  I trust that it will be a fruitful work, all to the honor of His reputation.

Carol and I would appreciate very much that you pray for us:  that we would remain faithful to our Lord in times of both peace and adversity.

We also ask that you would please pray for these writings:  that the Master-Teacher would guide the choice of each word.  His answers to your prayers will ensure that the materials are accurate … and simple … and clear … and rich … and powerful … and relevant.

Pray for us that the Word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified … and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.  We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what (He) commands.  May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.  (2nd Thessalonians 3:1-5)

Standing – by God’s grace – in the strength of Christ Jesus,

Martin

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