​WORD From The Woods 


Psalm 3
“O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God. Selah
But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
your blessing be on your people! Selah” 


     The older I get, the more I love the Psalms. The deep wisdom and truth found in them, are like comfort food for the soul in the midst of the broken and chaotic world we live in. King David wrote this Psalm when he was in hiding from his own son Absalom, who was seeking to kill David. Most of us will never face a situation quite as distressing as David’s, but there is so much we can learn from David’s response to these trials as he poured out his heart to God. As followers of Christ, we have many foes in the world around us. Even if we aren’t facing direct persecution, there are many people, movements and institutions that rise up against Christ and his people. Just look around at all the voices and influences that say there is no God, no such thing as Salvation in Christ. They mock the Lord and deny His existence, and many times they ridicule us for professing faith in Him. David’s words here in Psalm 3 are all we need at times like that. The Lord is our shield, He is our glory! We don’t need glory from men, even when we are ridiculed for our faith, Christ is still King! And, as believers in Him, we have redemption and all the glory we will ever need is in Him!  We can stand confidently in the salvation of the Lord and lift up our head, regardless of anything going on in the world around us, unashamed in the light of His Glory. Just ponder on that for a minute….. We can cry out to the Lord, and He will answer us. In the midst of trials and tribulation, we can lay down at night and sleep in peace and comfort, knowing with all confidence, that the Lord will sustain us tomorrow. No matter who and how many may set themselves against us, Christ is King, and if we trust in Him for salvation, we are safe in Him (see Psalm 2).  Salvation belongs to the Lord, His blessings are on His people, while He strikes down the wicked enemies. We might not always feel like the Lord is victorious in the midst of the battle, but we can rest in the truth of scripture, lift our head and press forward, confident in our glorious King!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Psalm 19
     “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 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, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 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 law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
     This Psalm is one that many of us probably think about a lot when we see the incredible sunrises that we as loggers are privileged to witness each day since we’re usually up on a mountain somewhere long before the sun comes up.  We get a front row seat to the creative, wondrous, glory of God from the tops of the mountains, as we see the valleys blanketed in fog being touched by glorious colors of a new day that the Lord has made being unveiled before us.  I’ve seen thousands of these incredible sunrises, and yet, they still cause me to stop in awe of the splendor before me, as the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims His handiwork! I feel so bad for people who don’t get to see it as often as we loggers do! This Psalm is very familiar to a lot of us regarding this glory. But, many of us may not have given the rest of this passage a lot of thought before. Just as the rising sun comes out to meet the new day like a groom coming to his bride, so the law of the Lord comes to meet us. And, as a well trained athlete runs a course, so the sun runs the course of the day, finishing its cycle without fail, in the same way, the testimony of God is right and sure. As the sun brings glory and light and warmth to the morning after a dark and cold night, the commandments of the Lord bring light and warmth to a dark, cold world. I love verse 9 where it says that “the fear of the Lord is clean,” and His “rules are true and righteous altogether.” As the sun lights and guides us through the day, the law of God warns and guides us through the days of our lives! King David wrote so many beautiful psalms like this about the goodness of God’s law and His precepts. We don’t talk much about God’s law or rules in our modern Christian era. We tend to focus more on love and liberty, which are only possible because of the goodness and truth revealed through His law. Just read Psalm 1! It is God’s law, written onto the tablets of our own hearts that points us to our rock and our redeemer, our savior Jesus Christ! So much more could be said about this passage, but I hope as you go about your week and see the glory of God on display each morning, you will think about the glory of God displayed through the scriptures and fulfilled in the finished work of redemption on the cross by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Romans 14
    “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”


    This is a pretty long passage for a devotional, but I really think we need to take all of Chapter 14 together in order to really understand what’s being communicated. There isn’t a lot I can add to it, it’s pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll share a few thoughts. We usually only hear one side of this passage, the part about causing a brother to stumble.
    (There’s a sermon by R.C. Sproul called “The tyranny of the weaker brother,” that’s well worth listening to on this subject. Here’s a link to it.  https://youtu.be/_hX-ifma5-k)
     Paul begins this passage by talking about casting judgment on another Christian for exercising his freedom in Christ in what he eats or drinks. We don’t usually talk about eating too much. Americans could honestly use some harsh judgment on their eating habits. We have become a nation of lazy gluttons. Some fasting and prayer would do us all some good, both spiritually and physically! In the culture we live in, especially as loggers, we do deal with the issue of drinking alcohol a lot. I think the reason Paul, begins with a warning against casting judgment on eating and drinking is that judgment is a big spiritual problem for many Christians, especially for those that God had delivered from drunkenness and gluttony. When someone has had a problem with alcohol or any other sin, it’s easy to judge another who can exercise freedom in a particular area without falling into sin with it. Drinking is probably the most common example of this. While it is wrong to get drunk, and drunkenness leads to all sorts of other sins, it’s just as wrong and sinful to stand in judgment of another Christian who can enjoy a couple cold beers without being a drunk. But, the second part of this passage addresses the reality that we need to be careful with the freedom we have. Just because we can have a few beers, doesn’t mean we should throw it in the face of another believer that might have a big problem with drunkenness. Just like anything in the Christian life, we have to be good stewards of the freedoms we have and be wise about how and if we exercise them. Remember, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. So, the question we need to ask is, “can we glorify God in what we eat and drink?” I really enjoy craft beer, and collect whiskey from all around the world. I don’t do it to get drunk, I enjoy the art, the process, and the stories behind the different kinds of beer and whiskey. These are good things to enjoy responsibly and can add joy to life and be shared with others. Our enjoyment of this life and fellowship with others can and does glorify God because He made the world and everything in it! But, it comes with a big responsibility to represent Christ well. The last verse brings up an important point as well, if you have a doubt about whether or not doing a certain thing would be a sin and you do it anyway, it was a sin because you did it in doubt and not by faith. We are called as Christians, to do everything to the glory of Christ. In the grace of Christ, there is great liberty, but also great responsibility as stewards of that liberty! We have the word of God and the Holy Spirit living within, so we have all that we need to discern these things!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods


2 Timothy 4:9-22
“Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”
    This is the last passage in 2 Timothy.  I’ve pointed out before in our study through this letter from Paul to Timothy that this was written near the end of Paul’s life, so it’s really interesting to hear what was most important to him as he anticipated his death. What jumps out to me in the closing of this letter, is Paul’s love for the people who he’s been engaged in ministry with. He mentions numerous people from the different churches that he’s planted or been involved with over the years. You can really sense Paul’s care for these people and the value he has for fellowship with them. This really highlights the importance of being involved in a solid local church, where we can develop the same kinds of relationships with other people within the Christian community. God didn’t intend for us to walk this life alone. When we talk about being part of the body of Christ, we point to the reality that we are each just one of many members that make up the Church. We’re united together into one body when we share in the redemption found only in the shed blood of Christ. When we eat the Lord’s supper we proclaim His sacrificial death until He returns, and we’re united together as a covenant community when we partake of the bread and wine together. That’s why we often refer to the supper as “communion.”  Community is essential for us as Christians and we will not be able to thrive spiritually on our own. One of the reasons people tend to neglect being part of a local church is because of past pain caused by conflict with others within the church. The reality is that conflict will happen when sinful people are in relationship together, but those conflicts can become great opportunities for spiritual growth through the process of reconciliation. Many times, the deepest friendships develop out of resolved conflict. Paul mentioned Mark, and how important he was in ministry. Back in Acts chapter 15, we read about Paul and Mark having such conflict that they had to go their separate ways. We don’t know exactly how or when they were reconciled, but it’s important to see that they were restored to fellowship and apparently become good friends again. If you’re not in a solid local Church feel free to reach out to us if you don’t know of a solid church in your area, we’d be happy to try and connect you with one!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods

2 Timothy 4:1-8
    “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: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 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, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”
    I mentioned earlier in our study of this letter from Paul to Timothy, that this was written near the end of Paul’s life. You can tell from the way he wrote that he had a sense of urgency. John Calvin said that this letter might as well have been written not with ink, but with Paul’s own blood. As he said in verse 6, he was already being poured out as a drink offering and the time of his departure had come. So at the end of this letter written near the end of his life, Paul wrote to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy, some of the most important and foundational truths of the Christian faith. In verse 4, Paul charged Timothy in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, invoking Christ’s authority as Judge of the living and the dead. That authority is proven by His resurrection and ascension to His throne at the right hand of the Father. We can’t miss the gravity of what Paul said in this charge to Timothy! Everything Paul said in this letter is based on the reality of Christ’s authority as the King of the universe. If Christ is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all, and none of the words in Scripture have any authority or eternal value. This is why we must believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10) Otherwise, our faith is futile and our ministry is in vain (1 Cor. 15). Of course we know, and have believed that Christ has indeed been raised, and He has ascended to the right hand of the Father where He is seated on His throne! In light of this reality, we can press on boldly and follow Paul’s charge to preach the word, always be ready to do the work of ministry that God has called us to in truth and confidence. Brethren cling to the hope of this glorious and eternal gospel truth!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
2 Timothy 3
​    “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
     In the previous chapter, Paul instructed Timothy to be a good and faithful soldier of Jesus Christ. He continues on in chapter 3 to warn Timothy about of the difficulties he was sure to face as a faithful servant of Christ. Paul gave a long list of things that characterize deceivers and false teachers. And he assures Timothy that as a faithful Christian, he would face persecution by these kinds of evil people. But Timothy could rest in the reality that he could endure and even be victorious because of the power of Christ in him! These evil deceivers would be revealed in due time. They would not get very far because their folly would be made plain to all in light of the steadfast love and goodness of Christ revealed through the life of faithful saints like Timothy. All these things were true in the day and age that Paul and Timothy lived almost 2,000 years ago. And really, not much has changed. The same kinds of evil deceivers are still doing the same kinds of things today. Our technology might have changed, but the evil schemes of the enemy are still at play in the same old ways. The glorious reality for us is that the same Savior and King is still seated on His heavenly throne, ruling with all authority at the right hand of the Father. His steadfast love and goodness are still working and flowing out into the world through His redeemed people! At the end of this passage, Paul reminds Timothy that the greatest resource he had to arm himself to stand against evil was the sacred Scriptures. Scripture is in fact the very word of God, breathed out by the Creator through the pens of His holy prophets, and able to equip us for all things pertaining to life and godliness! I wonder if Timothy had any idea as he read this letter from Paul, that it was actually part of those sacred scriptures, being breathed out by God in real time?  And now, thousands of years later, we are still arming ourselves and profiting from these same sacred writings. Friends, don’t take for granted the written word of God that He has preserved for us throughout the ages. Listen to Paul’s instructions to Timothy and arm yourself with the very words of God, that you may be competent, and equipped for every good work.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
2 Timothy 2:14-26
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
    This is a really rich passage that we could spend a lot of time in! I hope you’ll take the time to really dig into it on your own. For this devotional, I just want to take a brief overview. Verse 15, is probably familiar to most of us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  It’s a verse that gets quoted a lot, but I don’t think we often stop to really comprehend the reality that Paul was communicating to Timothy. There are two sides to this concept of “presenting ourselves as approved workman.” As Christians, we should work hard to pursue Godliness and resist evil, and there is a lot in this passage to teach us how to do that. But, we also need to remember that as sinners we can’t actually do anything to make ourselves good enough to please God. It’s only through the redeeming blood of Christ that we can be presented to God as people who are holy and righteous, with no need to be ashamed!  Verse 19 makes this clear, God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” The foundation that Paul is talking about is the firm foundation of our salvation built by the redeeming work of Christ! So, the reality is that our own work will never be enough, it’s the finished work that Christ already did for us on the cross and transferred to our account when we place our faith and trust in Him as Savior and Lord, that makes us approved workmen. And when we rest in that glorious reality, we are truly motivated to flee the kinds of youthful passions and sins that Paul motions at the end of this passage, by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Praise God for the redemption and sanctification that we have in our Savior Christ Jesus! To Him alone is all the glory and honor that we can then stand in Him as approved workmen who are not ashamed!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Psalm 46
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”
     I thought I’d pause from our study in 2 Timothy this week, and look to the Psalms in light of the attempted assassination of former President Trump this weekend. Regardless of how any of us feel about Trump, Biden, or politics in general, this is a serious and historic moment in history. As Christians, it should make us hit our knees in prayer! The fact that the political world had become so corrupt and divisive to get to this point should drive us to God like never before. Besides that, we’re in an extremely bad time economically in our industry, with multiple mill closures, contractors being laid off daily, and log trucks parked everywhere. There is so much to discourage us and cause us to fear. In times like this, we must turn to the life-giving promises contained within the pages of God’s written word. Psalm 46 is one of the best passages I can think of for all of us right now! In the very real and present time of trouble we all feel at this time, we must remember that God alone is our refuge and strength. Though the things of this world are shaking, the nations rage and kingdoms totter, we need not fear because the Lord is with us! The goodness of God flows out and through the hearts of His people, and we can rejoice with gladness in the midst of troubled times because our hope is in God and the redemption we have in Christ, not in the things of this world. Be encouraged Christians! Rest in Christ, set your heart upon the word of God, and be constant in prayer!
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
2 Timothy 2:1-13
    “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful--
for he cannot deny himself.”
    
    Last week, we read about how Paul reminded Timothy of the importance of the gospel, how it must be central to Timothy’s life and ministry, and that he had entrusted Timothy with this mission. In this passage, Paul charges Timothy to entrust that same gospel ministry to other faithful men. This is the heart of the Christian life, the transfer of the gospel from one faithful Christian to another, and from generation to generation. It’s important to notice that Paul said to entrust the gospel mission to “faithful” men. We should be ready to share the hope of the gospel with anyone and everyone, but it’s important that we recognize other Christians who are remarkably faithful in Christ. These are the people that we should build deep relationships with and stand shoulder to shoulder in life and ministry. Paul goes on to put this in a military context when he tells Timothy to be a good soldier of Christ. The most important part of this that Paul points out, is to trust in the one who enlisted us and aim to please Him, who is Christ. But the next most important thing is that we can trust our fellow soldiers. That’s why it’s so crucial that we build a life in and around a body of faithful Christians that we can trust with our life, the kind of people that we would go to the ends of the earth with as fellow soldiers of Christ. We can stand with other faithful Christians in this way because of our common aim in Christ. When people get too caught up in worldly “civilian” pursuits as Paul put it our aim becomes selfish and we end up hurting the greater gospel mission. So much more could be said on this subject, but the point is to keep our aim fixed on Christ and seek unity with others who are doing the same. And dwell on the trustworthy saying that Paul used at the end of this passage!


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods

2 Timothy 1:8-18
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.”
    This week, we’ll pick up where we left off in this powerful letter from the Apostle Paul to his disciple, the younger Pastor Timothy. Paul gives Timothy a charge, and he puts in a military context as a good soldier in Christ Jesus, we’ll look more into being a good soldier next week in Chapter 2. Paul tells Timothy to guard the good deposit that was entrusted to him.  This good deposit is the good news of the gospel itself! He reminds Timothy, not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord or be afraid of the persecution they would face for boldly proclaiming this Gospel truth. We don’t need to be ashamed or afraid because this good deposit that was entrusted to Paul and Timothy, and to each one of us as Christians today, has been given to us not because of our own good works, but because of God’s own good purpose of grace which He gave us in Christ before the world was even created. Think about that reality for a moment! When we consider the fact that God had a plan to save us, and entrust us with the gospel of Jesus Christ before time even began, it’s a lot harder to be afraid of the temporary fear that might hold us back from sharing this good news with the world around us. No matter what we face, even death, Christ stands in victory! We are assured of this because He abolished the power of death when He arose from the grave, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel! If the Apostle Paul saw it necessary to remind Timothy of this glorious reality, how much more do we need to be reminded of it ourselves? Praise God that He gave us these inspired letters to bless the Church and learn from 2,000 years later! Friends, be encouraged by this truth as you go about your life this week. And if you haven’t placed your trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, and believe that God raised Him from the dead, please do so today and be redeemed by the shed blood of the Savior!
(Romans 10:8-13 “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”)


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-