WORD From The Woods
James 2:1-8
     “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”
James 5:1-5
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”
     In these passages, James addresses the issues of partiality and greed based on wealth and position. I think this is a real problem that we face today, especially in the logging business. I think that most churches do a pretty good job of welcoming people from all walks of life, regardless of their income or level of success. I think it's easy to leave this heart of impartiality at "church" though. James' readers were apparently very caught up in a person's wealth and outward appearance, and I think we have a temptation to do the very same thing in our daily lives. The industry we work in involves a tremendous amount of overhead. The cost of new equipment is getting higher all the time. A new log truck with new gear and all the chrome and extras is over $300k, and a new yarder is well over a million! The fact is, it takes a LOT of money to be in this business and keep our equipment updated. Everything we do is driven by money. We see another logger with an older pickup, a beat up old log truck, or we see an old faded out shovel on a lowboy and we judge their success. It seems like everything is based on wealth, getting bigger, and becoming more successful. A lot of the "successful" mega church preachers on TV and radio even teach that our relationship with the Lord is about health and wealth.  Every aspect of our culture is focused on wealth and success. James calls us to a different way of thinking, to a totally different heart! There is nothing wrong with being wealthy or successful. If we follow biblical principles and are good stewards of the financial resources God gives us, then many times we will be financially successful. I believe that, if we're going to be in business of any kind as Christians, we should strive to do well and run a successful business because we represent Christ in everything we do. We should strive to well because we have a heart for Christ, not because we have a heart for money. James calls us to have a heart like God's in the way we look at people in every area of our lives.  It really comes down to the basic question of whether we do what we do for our own selfish desires or if we do it for the Lord. Is it all about serving ourselves or is it about serving the Creator of the universe? If we seriously asked this question before we made every decision, it would radically change the way we live our lives.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods

Genesis 1:26-28
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”


     This week, we’ll finish up our short study on the “Dominion Mandate” from Genesis 1. If you haven’t read the last few devotionals, go back and check them out to get an overall view of what it’s all about. The dominion mandate is, simply put, to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and take dominion over all the earth for the glory of God. We’ve looked at that a bit backward from the way it’s written in Genesis because I wanted to start with a look at who God is and why we can have this dominion in the first place. Then we looked at subduing the earth through the victorious advance of the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ in discipling the nations. Today I want to look at the “be fruitful” part. What does it mean to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth?” I think we need to have a good biblical understanding of this to even be able to subdue the earth by the advancement of the gospel. Obviously, we can’t do it alone, we need to multiply. I think the context of human reproduction through childbirth is obvious here, we’ll talk more about that in a minute. But multiplication is not just about having babies, and those who are single or not able to have children can still be a vital part of being fruitful and multiplying. When we evangelize the lost and hurting world and disciple them to do the same, we are being fruitful and multiplying. You can have 20 kids, but if they aren’t raised to be disciples of Christ, then you haven’t done anything to the Glory of God and the advancement of the Kingdom. There are many opportunities for us to pour into others in ways that advance the cause of Christ and contribute to the building up of the Kingdom.  One of the big things you can do especially if you’re older and wiser in the faith is come alongside a young family and help them learn to raise their kiddos in the instruction and discipline of the Lord. Or maybe take a wayward, fatherless young person under your wing. For those who own a company, this might be a great opportunity to hire a guy and demonstrate Christ through being a Godly leader. So much more could be said on all of this, just look around and you’ll see plenty of places to put this into practice. So let’s talk about making babies! This is really central to the dominion mandate. Be fruitful and multiply is the first part of it, and it’s the first commission Adam was given other than naming the animals. We can’t multiply without reproducing, that’s pretty obvious, right? A little math here, if two people come together and only have two kids, then they haven’t multiplied, have they? They’ve only replaced themselves, and with death rates factored in, society will decrease with an average birth rate of just two per household. So, for Christians to be fruitful and multiply, we need to have at least three kids, six is better!  Don’t mess around, let’s get to multiplying, plus making babies is a lot of fun!   Psalms 127:5 says “Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”  A quiver is 12 so there you go! You will have to be that family with a full-size van though…. But at least you’ll have a crummy full of people so you can maybe start a yarder side and actually have a riggin crew! All joking aside, making babies is God’s plan to fill the earth with people who glorify Him. So many people in our culture today look down on large families, even within the church. Raising a family has become self-focused and not at all about advancing the Kingdom. A boy for me and a girl for you, and send them off to daycare and school ASAP so mom and dad can find fulfillment in their careers. Everyone leading separate lives and living for the glory of self. We desperately need to recapture a Biblical view of the family, where mom and dad come together and become one flesh before God to be helpmates to each other in this life, both with distinct but complementary roles and abilities and giftings. The central focus of the family should be to raise up a Godly family. Men this responsibility falls first and foremost on you. Men need to step up and take seriously the responsibility to lead their household to fear and honor the living God. If you are in the child-raising years, one of the most important things you need to understand is found in Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
This is all about discipling your children, Ephesians 6:4 says “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” I believe that we can stand on the promises of scripture and that if we are faithful to raise our kids in the discipline and instruction of the Lord when they are old, they will not depart from it. On the flip side, if you turn your children over to a corrupt government-run,  institutionalized system, they will learn to be good compliant little statists, and when they’re old, they won’t depart from that! If this last year and a half hasn’t proved this to you, pull your head out of whatever dark stinky hole it’s been in and look around you! As Vodie Bachum says, “don’t send your children to be trained by Caesar and be surprised when they come home as Romans.” There is a lot we could talk about regarding school that we don’t have time to get into today. I’m a huge proponent of homeschooling or a good solid Christian school. But if you take anything away from today, let it be this. YOU are the parent, YOU have a responsibility before God to raise YOUR kids. Don’t just turn them over to the state and let them raise your kids for you. I’d like to say so much more on all of this, but this is getting a bit long as it is and I have to get to work. Please feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss any of this stuff more, maybe you disagree with me and think I’m crazy, but that’s ok too, I’d love to talk to you more about it. Anyway, let’s go shake things up and change the world through the Gospel of the Kingdom of Christ!


God bless, and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Genesis 1:26-28
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
     If you haven’t noticed, we keep returning to the same passage in Genesis. That’s because I really want everyone to get their minds around the concept of taking dominion in the world or what’s been called the “Dominion Mandate” It’s what God was saying when He commanded Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion.” Last week we looked at why we’re able to have dominion. Because, Christ is ruling and reigning as the King of kings and Lord of lords, in authority over all things in heaven and on earth. (See Ephesians 1) I’m not going to quote the whole chapter here, just go read it! Please read it, and shout it out in the most victorious way you can muster! Anyway, today I want to look at what it means to subdue the earth. Webster's Dictionary defines it this way: 1. “to conquer or bring into subjection” 2. “To bring under control, especially by an exertion of the will” That is exactly what’s in view when God said to subdue the earth! And to tie it to a New Testament context, it’s exactly what’s in view in the great commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 when Jesus commanded his disciples to go disciple the nations and teach them to obey all that He had commanded. That great commission was to go conquer the world with the gospel, and bring it into subjection under the will of Christ by teaching them to obey Him! The great commission wasn’t to just go sing Jesus loves me and be nice to everyone so they want to join our nice club. And, notice that Jesus said to disciple the nations, not just make individual disciples. He was talking about calling entire nations to obey Him! Jesus actually commanded His disciples, which should include us, to go out into the world and call all people everywhere to follow him and obey all that He commanded. If that’s not a commission to a conquering, victorious advance of Christ’s kingdom, I don’t know what is! That’s why all throughout the gospels, Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom. Because it was all about His Kingdom! And we can embark on this great and glorious mission because we know that our King, Jesus Christ, sits on His heavenly throne at the right hand of the Father and that all authority has been given to Him in every realm, in heaven, and on earth, and that all things are being brought into subjection under His feet! So, with all of this in mind, we should be able to share the gospel with an outlook of victory and confidence that the advance of the Kingdom can and will conquer and subdue the darkness that is at work in the world. It’s really all about the Gospel. It’s not a battle that we fight with weapons of war. It’s a battle we fight by going out into a lost and hurting world, enslaved to sin, and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! He was crucified for our sin, raised again on the third day and now sits enthroned on His glorious throne in heaven above all things. And remember, it’s not just about telling people about Jesus. When God saves them out of darkness and redeems them through what Christ has done, we are commanded to disciple them and teach them to obey Him! That’s where this mission has failed. That’s where the church has failed. We have stopped preaching repentance, or turning from sin and darkness to obey and serve the King! We’ve stopped discipling people. As more and more people turn to Christ and learn to obey Him, the more the world becomes subdued according to His will. That mindset of gospel conquest and Kingdom advance was the common Christian worldview in generations past, but it’s been mostly abandoned by today’s self-focused, weak, and ineffective version of Christianity. We desperately need to get back to a victorious Christian life and start being faithful to Christ’s great commission to go out and change the world with the power of the gospel of His kingdom! Look around folks, it’s messed up out there. So let’s get to work!


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-   ​

WORD From The Woods
Genesis 1:26-28
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
    Last week, I started talking about the “dominion mandate” found in this passage in Genesis. If you didn’t see the Word From The Woods from last week, please go check it out to set the stage for this one. In that devotional, we looked specifically at the word “dominion” and the reality that we are called to take dominion in this world under the authority of Christ. This week I want to take a little closer look at what the authority of Christ really looks like. Jesus came in His earthly ministry, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and that it was at hand and had already come upon his contemporaries.
Luke 11:20 “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
There is so much we could talk about throughout the gospels regarding the nature and reality of the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. But, for the sake of time, I’m going to recommend that you take a deeper look at the gospel accounts of the earthly ministry of King Jesus on your own. What I want to point out is that Jesus clearly proclaimed that he had come as the promised Messiah, to fulfill all that had been written by the prophets concerning the coming savior and King. That He, Jesus Christ of Nazareth was and still is today, the King of Kings! And, we see from numerous passages, that he is ruling and reigning from his throne in heaven at the right hand of God the Father, completely and fully today and has been throughout the last 2,000 years!
Acts 2:32-26 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
So, when we look at the dominion mandate in Genesis, and the idea of taking dominion in the world under the authority of Christ, it’s not just something that we await someday in the future. Christ is King today, he is Lord today! I mentioned before that the Christian culture today has really lost focus on Christ’s authority and come to hold a really low view of Him and His kingdom. In effect, we’ve adopted a really low view of the great commission and how it advances in the world altogether. Christians have essentially abandoned a Christ-centered, Christian worldview. We often hear the great commission quoted as just Matthew 28:19, starting with “Go, therefore.” Well, therefore what? What’s the therefore there for? Just look at the previous verse….
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We can therefore go because all authority has been given to him by the Father when Christ ascended to heaven after His resurrection. Where he was seated on His throne at the right hand of the father, and established his Kingdom. This is a really quick look at Christ’s authority and kingdom. It’s something that you should really dive into on your own. And, if you want to reach out to me, I’d be glad to talk about it more in-depth. This is just to help get us thinking about His authority in a more Biblical and robust way than many of us have been taught by modern, popular Christian culture. The takeaway for today is this, since Christ is King and has all authority in heaven and here on earth, we can go into all the world, proclaiming His gospel, discipling the nations, and teaching them to obey all that He commanded. That’s what taking dominion looks like! More on this next week.


God bless and have a great week! -Terry-

WORD From The Woods
Genesis 1:26-28
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”


     This passage, from the first page of the Bible, in the book of Genesis is probably very familiar to most of us. It’s Moses’ account of the grand finale of creation when God created mankind. Mankind was the final phase of God’s creation, you could say that we are the crowning jewel of creation. Mankind is the only thing in all the universe that God created after His own image. Just stop right there and ponder on that for a minute, THAT IS AWESOME! (Yes, all caps means I’m shouting.) Now, there is a lot that we could talk about from this short passage, like the fact that God created us male and female (boys have a penis, girls have a vagina.) I apologize if my bluntness makes anyone uncomfortable, but there are many people today who seem to be confused about this, so I just thought I’d clear that up…. Anyway, what I really want to focus on in this passage, is what’s known as the “dominion mandate.” The dominion mandate is the idea that God gave mankind dominion over all the other created things on the earth and gave us the command to go out into the world, subdue it, and multiply. This is a concept that has largely been lost to the last few generations in Christian culture. I believe it’s foundational to a robust and victorious Christian worldview. I want to clarify a couple of basic presuppositions that we should stand on as Christians before we get into more detail. First, Genesis 1:1, ”In the beginning God,” this might seem simple but it’s the first and most important thing we must believe. God is above all and before all things. If He has the power to speak the universe into existence, then He has the power and authority to give us the dominion mandate in the first place. He is God, we are not, it’s all and always for His glory. If you’re reading this early in the morning when I sent it out go outside, look to the stars, and behold the glory of the Holy God of all creation, then fall on your face in humble worship! Second, verse 27, “God created man in His own image.” This tells us that we are set apart from the rest of creation. The world teaches us that we’re just less hairy apes, just another animal. That’s a bunch of BS, and we must understand the distinction to properly understand the dominion mandate. When God created us in His own image, that doesn’t mean we have the power to create a universe. What it means is that we have personhood. Unlike the animals, we have an eternally existent spirit created by God and united to our physical body. It’s this spirit that gives us our unique intellect, sensibility, and will, that is distinctly different from the animal world, this is what makes us a person and it’s a special blessing from God that was not given to any of the animals. R.C. Sproul once said in one of his most memorable quotes “What’s wrong with you people?, the problem with the Christian church is, we don’t know who God is and we don’t know who we are.”  We have to have a proper understanding of who God is and who we are to understand the dominion mandate. So, with that in mind let’s look at what this “dominion mandate” really is. It is clearly spelled out in verse 28 “And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This means exactly what it says. “Be fruitful and multiply” means have lots of babies, we’ll talk more about that in the coming weeks. “Subdue it” means to take charge and literally subdue it, we’ll talk more about that later as well. The part I want to focus on today is the word dominion. The word dominion comes from the word domain. God clearly laid out what domain he was referring to, the whole earth and every living thing in it. He mandated that we should take dominion over the whole earth. Remember who God is and who we are, He created us in his image to take dominion over the earth that He created and placed us on. He literally placed us in charge of the world, but under His authority and accountability, and all for His glory. This is a positional thing that we need to firmly grasp, and it’s tied to the gospel in a powerful way. Remember the great commission in Matthew 28? Because all authority was given to Christ, “therefore go into all the world, disciple the nations, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded” Do you see it? It’s the same dominion mandate that God gave Adam back on the very first page. As I said, we’ll talk about this more in the coming weeks. Way too much to cover in just one Setting. I hope this wets your appetite a bit. Be sure to keep up with the next few because they’ll all tie together. So, ponder and pray on this until next week.


God Bless and have a great week! -Terry-

​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-