The Heaton File

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. (Psalm 14:1)

I’m Certain Life Ends At Death

The preponderance of a fool’s wisdom heightens how ignorant his position will be. Many things are certain in life, but many are filled with uncertainty. There is a body of facts that can be quickly established without doubt compared to known factors. Each day begins with the rising of the sun, and the day ends when the sun disappears over the western horizon. This is a certainty that is repeated every day with fail. Jumping out of an airplane without a parachute will end in death because the law of gravity does not change. A person can be certain of that. When a man suggests he knows something with certainty, he admits he has ample proof to verify his claim.

In a recent post about religion, an individual made the bold statement, “I am not religious. I’m actually certain life ends at death.” The first part of his remark is a fact, and the second part of his conclusion is foolish. It takes little evidence for a man to show that he is not religious. Unbelievers exhibit the characteristics of a hedonistic view of life, namely that man is no more than an animal, guided by animal instincts, to do things like an animal. He does not believe in God because that would require accountability to the word of God. All unbelievers must admit the universe is a vast tapestry of incredible design that demands a designer. The biggest fools are those who say the orderly universe of immense design was created from nothing.

The remarkable statement that a man can be “actually certain life ends at death” shows how ignorant fools argue their positions for the impossible. A ten-pound sack of potatoes is determined by weighing the sack with an accurate scale to reach a precise conclusion. For a man to say he is certain life ends at death is to testify he has died, entered whatever world there is beyond death, and returned to say there is no life after death. This is an impossibility if life ends at death. That means no one can traverse the expanse of the realm of the dead to determine if life is there or not. If life does not exist after death – who can tell the story? Where do empirical facts come that give a man the certainty life ends at death?

A fool does not believe in life after death because he lives like an animal. An animal lives and dies, which is all there is to the animal’s existence. Only man has an eternal nature because God created man in His image and likeness. Animals were not made in the image of God (non-eternal), and when they die, there is nothing. Believers in God know they are eternal creatures that will never cease to exist. Death is real, and while life ends in death from a mortal view, every person who dies continues to exist in an eternal nature. The truth is that belief in life after death comes from faith in the word of God, which becomes the factual belief that life is more than the here and now.

Contrary to popular culture, it is impossible for someone to die and return to tell the story. Resurrection ended two thousand years ago. When a man dies, he cannot return to the realm of the living to tell the story. An unbeliever will look at life as the final event, and when a man dies, he will cease to exist. The sad part of the story is how surprised they will be when they awaken in eternity and realize – there is life after death. A greater tragedy is to rise in eternity to realize there is a God who told him there was life after death, and now he will experience death after life – for an eternity. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God!” That’s a fact because when a man thinks life ends in death, he is a fool. The believer knows and believes through faith in the promises of God that there is incredible life after death. Praise God. Lord Jesus, come quickly.

So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals and made Baal-Berith their god. Thus the children of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. (Judges 8:33-35)

How Soon They Forget

The period of the Judges ruling over Israel spanned more than three hundred years. After the death of Josuha, a generation arose who did not know the Lord nor the work He had done for Israel. The people did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, Ashtoreths, and other gods from among the gods, provoking the anger of the Lord. So began a long series of rebellions, oppression, repentance, and salvation. The Lord raised up judges to deliver the people from the calamity God brought against them. When the judge was dead, they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, plunging the nation into idolatry. The Lord would punish, the people would cry out, and the Lord would deliver.

Gideon was the fifth judge of the people. The faith of Gideon struggled with accepting the word of the Lord, but he would judge the people for forty years. His faith to fight against the Midianite army of more than one hundred twenty thousand with three hundred soldiers shows the power of God to deliver His people. Israel was at peace for forty years under the leadership of Gideon. The tragic nature of the people is that while Gideon was alive, they served the Lord. As soon as Gideon died, the children of Israel turned back to idolatry. The next oppressor came from among the people when Abimelech started a civil war. Seven more judges will rule over the people as God brought the Philistines and Ammonites to punish his people. Israel never seemed to learn the lesson of God’s wrath against ungodliness.

The leadership of the people kept the nation in check. When the judge died, the people had no king, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Gideon ruled for forty years, but the people immediately returned to wickedness when he died. They forgot the oppression of the previous nations that came against them. God sent these nations to punish the people, but they failed to acknowledge the divine discipline of the Lord and learn from it. It was easy for them to fall back into idolatry.

Chastening has no value if there are no lessons learned. The Lord’s wrath against Israel was to teach the nation the consequences of sin. They repeatedly returned to idolatry as soon as the judge was dead. How soon they forgot the goodness and severity of God. When they were oppressed, God delivered them. They soon forgot His grace. When they enjoyed forty years of peace and prosperity, they forgot God. The judges could only rule for a short time, and the people’s faithfulness was not solely dependent on the judge. It was an individual decision and a lack of faith in the people’s hearts. Chastening is something that must be learned from. No chastening is joyful, and the oppression of the enemies of Israel was real and very hard. God wanted to train the hearts of the people to trust in Him. They did not. Forgetting God came easy.

Reading the story of Judges reflects the nature of the human heart. Many find themselves outside the blessings of God and do not learn the lessons of repentance and remorse. God sends a message of deliverance, but to no avail. Only those who experience the chastening of the Lord and are trained by it will be blessed. How soon the people forgot the forty years of Gideon’s leadership is not so remarkable. The world is full of forgetful people.

What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, the molded image, a teacher of lies, that the maker of its mold should trust in it, to make mute idols? Woe to him who says to wood, “Awake!” To silent stone, “Arise! It shall teach!” Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet in it there is no breath at all. But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. (Habakkuk 2:18-20)

The Lord Is In His Holy Temple

Reverence and worship belong only to the Lord. The abomination of idols is found when men carve images from stone and wood overlaid with gold and silver to give reverence and worship to. Nothing is more absurd for a man to take a tree from the forest to carve a totem of his choosing to call his god with his own hand. The idol is mute. There is no breath in the carved image. An idol cannot teach and instruct. Yet man will create his god and fall down before it to give it the reverence due to the Lord. He worships the idol, which cannot benefit the worshipper. There is no value or profit for the teacher of lies. The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.

Idolatry has always been the plague destroying the hearts of men. An idol can be an image of stone or wood shaped like a man or an animal. Mythology is the storytelling of idols created by men to satisfy their carnal nature. Created by men to serve them, idols represent the expression of the lustful hearts of human wisdom to fill the needs of what they demand. The idol cannot speak because man cannot put life into stone or wood. The idol has no mind as it is a material, inanimate object without life. An idol depends on its maker to care for it, and the worshipper becomes the protector of the god he worships as his protector. Idol worship is folly. The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.

Idol worship has never gone away. In modern times, many civilizations create and worship idols. Hindu, Buddha, and Jainism religions are built on veneration of idols. Indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest worshipped totems. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches venerate images, statutes, and icons like idols. Venerating the mother of Jesus is a form of idolatry. Habakkuk shows the folly of creating images to worship because men make them for men to worship as their gods. When Israel was camped at Mt. Sinai, and the people became restless, Aaron formed a golden calf, declaring the image as the god who delivered them from Egypt. This was an affront to the holiness of the Lord God. Allowing a man-made image as the object or worship brought the wrath of God. The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.

An idol is when something or someone becomes more important to us than God. It does not have to be made of stone and wood in the image of a man or beast. Many read passages about idolatry and think how silly it is to revere such things. They fail to realize that idols do not always come in the imagery of a stone figure. Anything that takes man’s heart away from devotion and worship to the Lord is an idol. A man’s job can be so important he neglects his family, his obligations to the work of the church, and his mind to the things of the world. He believes wealth, position, prestige, and popularity will save him. The family altar is the bank account. When he dies, he will spend his entire life working for everything he will never take with him. He served the wrong god. The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.

Habakkuk was written to remind the hearts of men that the only thing that must receive reverence and fear is the worship of the Lord. God demands honor to be given to him. His temple is the only place of worship. The Lord demands and expects first place and will never accept anything less. As the Lord dwells in His holy temple, He declares to the world to be silent and consider who He is. His majesty will be proclaimed all over the world because the world testifies to His greatness. To create an idol or to waste a life seeking things that will be of no use in death is an abomination to the character of God. An idol cannot speak because it has no life. God has spoken because He gives life. The idol cannot receive worship; only God can receive worship. It is time to consider who God is, where He dwells, and for the earth to fall silent in the presence of the Lord God Almighty.

Do not be furious, O Lord, nor remember iniquity forever; indeed, please look—we all are Your people! (Isaiah 64:9)

A Merciful God

When a man fails to understand the mercy of God, he cannot understand the greatness of a loving Father. Adam and Eve had one command to follow, and they rejected the word of God. God’s wrath could have destroyed them, but He chose to save them. The world turned away from God and killed His only begotten Son. God’s wrath could have destroyed the world for killing Jesus, but the Father chose to open the door of redemption to those who would accept His grace.

Isaiah, the prophet, lived when the people of God had totally turned away from God. The Assyrians had long destroyed the northern ten tribes. Only the remnant of Benjamin and Judah remained, and they faced the onslaught of the Babylonians who would take the people of God into a seventy-year captivity. The grace of God allowed a remnant to return. By His grace, He preserved the Seed through the faithful of Israel, who had returned from Babylon. During the final days of Judah, Isaiah instilled in the people’s hearts the mercy of God that allowed the remnant to survive. He begged God not to let His wrath consume the people. God’s people were guilty of sin, deserving the wrath of God. Isaiah pleaded with the Lord to remember His people. God did.

God has every right to be furious with humanity. Sin is the dominant character of the spirit of man. When a man transgresses the law of God, he sins and faces the wrath of a vengeful God. There is nothing humanity can do deserving of the mercy of God. Two thousand years ago, the wisdom of man murdered the only begotten Son of God. Jesus was innocent. He had never sinned. His death was the darkest stain on the human story. Mercy came on the first day of the week when the Father took His Son from Hades and rose Him to be Lord and Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life to all who seek Him because of the mercy of God.

Like Isaiah described many centuries ago, all men stand in judgment of the wrath of God. The world is filled with unrighteousness. Iniquity is the character of the human heart. But God’s mercy flows from the fountain of grace to take away the fury of the Lord and cause Him not to remember the sins of the repentant. He is willing to remember the sins of a man no more. God’s mercy will take away sin as far as the east is from the west. Why is God willing to do this? Because He remembers who His people are. Paul reminded Timothy the Lord knows those who are his.

The mercy of God is beyond the bounds of human understanding. God is a merciful God because He is full of love and grace. He does not ignore sin, allowing men to think they are not accountable for His judgment. The mercy of God does not remove the consequences of eternal punishment for those who reject His word. What the Father offers His children is His grace and mercy not to be furious and that He will not remember the iniquity of the heart. As the Father looks upon His child, He sees His people. May we look to our Father and see His mercy.

But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Have Thine Own Way, Lord

Adelaide A. Pollard (1902) desired to go to Africa for mission work for the Lord. She never achieved her goal even though it was heavy on her heart to help in some small way in the service of God. As she reflected on her lost opportunities, she realized a special part of the work of the Lord. God is a potter who forms clay to His will and His desire. She accepted her life and that she would not be able to fulfill her dream, realizing that it was not to be in the plan of God. In that acceptance, she focused on the passage, reminding her that God designs the clay in the fashion He desires.

Adelaide entreated the Lord to search her heart to know the desire that was there. She wanted to present herself to God as a humble spirit obedient to His will. It wasn’t easy to accept her dream could not be realized, and she begged for the power to learn the lesson of acceptance. In her final statement of faith, she acknowledged the yielding of her spirit to the design and purpose of God. No matter what life would bring, she sought to live for Christ and Him alone. All she desired was for the Lord to have His way in her life. That is all that mattered to her.

Life can be a challenge, and challenges come that can be overwhelming. For the heart unprepared for the trials of life, it can be a difficult and almost impossible journey. Learning to allow God to work His will in life is a very difficult task to embrace. There is a tendency to want to direct the affairs of God to fit the needs of the individual rather than asking the Lord to have His way and leaving it at that. A man comes to the Father with a particular request and then tells God how and when to carry out the request. God will not hear those prayers.

Singing the hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” is a quiet reminder that in all things, God remains the potter and men the clay. The clay has no power over the potter. There is nothing the clay can do against the potter. God is the potter because He is the Creator. Man is the clay because he is the creation. Those roles never change. When a person becomes a child of God, they give their life to serve Jesus Christ and Him alone. In the same sense that God is the potter, Christ is the potter over the life of the Christian. Everything about the Christian life is about molding the character to the image of Christ.

To be in Christ is to be a slave of Christ, bending to His will, submitting to His word, and obeying His commands. A slave has no choice but to obey. As the clay in the potter’s hand, the design of the clay comes from the potter’s hand whatever He wills. Seeking the Lord to have His own way is finding the peace that passes understanding and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Life is measured – with its ups and downs – by the potter’s will. Developing this type of trust in the Lord helps to heal the hurt, find joy in the moments of life, and look more and more for the eternal glory to be revealed in death. Have thine own way, Lord. We are the work of Your hand.

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, “These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (Revelation 2:1-7)

A Letter To Ephesus

Paul spent more time with the church at Ephesus than any other. The brethren were dear to the heart of Paul. On his way to Jerusalem, which would lead to his arrest and trial before Caesar, Paul called the elders of Ephesus to meet with him at Miletus. The farewell was sad as they stood on the seashore, kneeling down, praying, and weeping freely. Paul would never see the brethren again. A few years after his last meeting while imprisoned in Rome, the apostle wrote to the Ephesian saints and faithful in Christ. His letter declared the New Testament church promised by Jesus Christ.

A little more than twenty years after the death of Paul, the church at Ephesus was on the mind of God as He unfolded His revelation to the apostle John. The aged apostle had been banished to the island of Patmos when the Lord brought His revelation. John saw Jesus standing among the lampstands, each representing a church in the region of Western Asia Minor. The first letter addressed the church of Ephesus with many positive things to say but challenges that needed to be met. God’s letter to Ephesus (like the other six letters) is a testimony to how each church throughout the world can define itself. The church of Ephesus can be a pattern to build the church of the Lord today.

The Ephesian church was a church where everyone was active. Jesus commends Ephesus for their work and labor, showing the brethren were unafraid of industry. The vineyard of the Lord requires workers willing to get their hands dirty. There is much work to do in the fields white to harvest. A growing and thriving church is filled with workers. Jesus commends the church for their industry. Faced with trials of persecution, the church patiently carried out its evangelism and teaching. Teaching, admonishing, and seeking out lost souls is hard work. The church of Ephesus was not a lazy church.

Jesus knew what they had done. That brought comfort to the brethren, who knew the Lord saw their efforts. When troubles arose in the church, the saints would not tolerate unrighteousness. Some claimed to be apostles, but because of the diligent teaching of truth, the men were found to be false. The church at Ephesus was active in establishing truth to follow the admonition of Paul many years prior. Paul had warned the Ephesians elders to watch out for wolves among the flock of God who would come in and teach false doctrine. The Ephesian church was a vigilant church.

The church of Ephesus was in a city overcome with idolatry and wickedness. It would be easy to allow the world’s influences to infiltrate the church to change its teachings and doctrines. Jesus commends them for persevering and, through patience, not becoming weary in holding forth the light of truth. It can be overwhelming to watch for error and immorality constantly. The Ephesians successfully kept the church pure by testing the spirit of those who came among them. They had a lot of things to do and were very busy with the work of the kingdom. But there was one thing that Jesus pointed out that hindered their growth.

Paul had written to the church about their strong faith in Jesus and love for God’s people. Their roots would grow into the love of God as Paul exhorted the brethren to love one another. Now, Jesus warns the Ephesian church of their lack of love. They were busy with many things, but their love for God was empty. Their ‘first love’ was filled with vitality, vigor, and joy. Now, many years past their beginnings, they had become stale in their relationships with one another and with God. They were going through the motions.

Jesus reminds them of their first fruits and to repent for their lack of love. He encourages them to fill their hearts with love again and be busy with the work of the Lord. They hated the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and so did the Lord. He wanted them to rekindle that first love to help them grow more and more in the grace of God. They were doing well, but they could do better.

Ephesus is a church that we should model in practice and examine what the Lord would say to us if He were to write a letter. Which one of the seven churches would best describe where we worship? The seven letters clearly show that not one church is perfectly filled with perfect people. Some churches had serious problems, while others needed to work harder. Take a test of the seven letters. Which church are you modeling after?

Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen. (Esther 10:2-3)

A Godly Man Found In The Annals Of A Great Nation

The story of Esther is a remarkable book of the providential hand of God working in the nations of men. Esther was a Hebrew maiden elevated to be the Queen of the empire of Persia and Media, spanning one hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. Her rise to prominence was through the hand of God for a time such as was needed to save the Jews from complete annihilation. A man named Mordecai was Esther’s relative who instilled in her the courage to be a queen and a servant of the Most High God.  

Mordecai saves the king’s life, and Esther saves her people from annihilation. The enemy of the story, Haman, is hung on a 75-foot gallows intended for Mordecai. Through the intercession of Queen Esther, the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and great destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them. To celebrate the deliverance of the Jews, the feast of Purim has been kept for generations. Esther and Mordecai were in a place of history to save the people of God.

As the story of Esther closes, a note is made that all the acts of King Ahasuerus of his power, and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai were written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia. These were not divine books but historical documents preserved in the state archives. Contained somewhere within the books of Media and Persia is the story of how a man of God rose to power through the grace of the Lord and instilled the stamp of the Lord God on the hearts of the Medes and Persians. A man of God is left in the annals of the history of man.

There are more stories of the people of God rising to positions of authority and power through the providence of God. Joseph was over all Egypt in everything but the matters of the throne of Pharaoh. The king of Egypt acknowledged the wisdom of Joseph and said that no one was as discerning as him, inasmuch as God had shown him. Somewhere in the buried treasures of Egypt, the name Joseph may be found inscribed upon a stone or parchment. There is a house with tantalizing clues about the owner, whose origin could have been Joseph.

Daniel rose to power under two dynasties. First, the Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar, where Daniel was made ruler over the whole province of Babylon and was the chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. When Darius the Mede conquered Babylon, Daniel was one of the three governors ruling over the kingdom. Daniel prospered in the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian. There can be little doubt the state records of the Medes and Persians contain references to Daniel. Whether these documents will be found is left to the mind of God.

What makes Mordecai, Joseph, and Daniel important to study is how men of God rise to places of authority. While their names are recorded in the divine record, they are also retained in historical state documents. There is no way of knowing what great finds will be unearthed in the future and whether anything with these names inscribed will be found. These men lived in such a manner that secular records of state importance contain their names. Mordecai is written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia. He let his light shine in the world he lived in.

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:4-8)

Commendations To A Messed Up Church

To say the church at Corinth was a messed up church is an understatement. There were many problems faced by the Corinthian disciples, and Paul was going to attempt to help them correct their deficiencies. The church was a divided group of followers seeking to follow after a favorite teacher. This caused a great deal of contention among the brethren. Some claimed to be followers of Paul, some Apollos, and others Peter. There were brethren who claimed discipleship to Christ. The division among the saints was clear, and it was a problem.

The disciples of the Corinthian church acted like babies, weak Christians. Paul rebuked them for acting in such a carnal way. All the fussing and arguing and contentions among them was like a room full of small children arguing and fussing with one another. Worldly wisdom had divided the group, causing them to lose focus on the fundamental mission of God’s work. Worse still, the carnality and division filling the church allowed a situation to develop within the church that was completely unbearable. A man had his father’s wife.

Paul warned them of the dangers of allowing the leaven of unrighteousness to dwell in the church. He commanded the guilty party to be dealt with swiftly to preserve the church’s sanctification. The problems grew worse. They had brethren suing one another in civil court. Questions of marriage challenged the teachings of God. The mature saints were abusing the weaker consciousness of the brethren. Idolatry plagued the church. Women began to abandon the custom of the head covering.

The Lord’s Supper had become a shambles. Brethren argued over the spiritual gifts, creating an atmosphere of confusion in the worship service. The problem became so difficult that Paul was concerned that those who visited the church in Corinth would think the brethren were crazy. Incredibly, some of the disciples at Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. To say the least, the order and authority of the church were in peril. There was a lot on the plate for Paul to unpack. What is remarkable is how he began his inspired letter to a church with serious problems.

Paul’s introduction seems in stark contrast to the contents, but it shows a pattern of speaking the truth in love. He knew what he was going to write about before pen touched paper. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he could have begun boldly and forcefully with angry words of condemnation for their egregious lack of spirituality. He begins with thanksgiving for who they were and what they stood for. They were called the church of God at Corinth. Paul calls them the sanctified in Christ Jesus. He refers to them as saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ. Grace and peace are offered to them immediately as a greeting of love.

Paul remained in Corinth on his second missionary journey for eighteen months. He knew the saints quite well, and Paul was very much endeared to them by the tone of his letters to Corinth. The problems at Corinth disappointed the apostle, and he grieved that Satan had caused many problems in the church of God. Paul was not dismayed by the overwhelming challenge of correcting the problems at Corinth. He began by showing his love for them and fervent expectation they could change. The gospel was a message of change, and he pleaded for them to accept the gospel of Christ he had preached to them and correct their problems. And they did.

The appeal of Paul at the beginning of the letter is why the second letter was so successful. One of the severe problems at Corinth was the man who had his father’s wife. The church acted in the fashion commanded by Paul, and the man repented to the glory of God. Paul shows the character of speaking the truth in love when dealing with the problems at Corinth. It must also be noted that the character of the Corinthians was humble enough to bear the harsh words of Paul’s first letter of change. The church at Corinth was filled with saints who wanted to do the will of the Father. God is faithful, by whom all men are called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. (Romans 16:7)

Long Devoted And Faithful Christians

As Paul ends his letter to Rome, he highlights thirty-five named brethren (among others unnamed) of special note to himself and the work of the Lord. Some names are well-known disciples like Aquila, Priscilla, and Gaius. Others are referenced only in the text with some information; with many, nothing is known but their names. Two people stand out on the list for which Paul has special words. Andronicus and Junia were fellow Jews and, at some time during the ministry of Jesus, shared a jail cell with the apostle. It is unknown when this event took place. Andronicus and Junia are only mentioned in the Roman letter.

The two countrymen of Paul were of note among the other apostles, showing a special relationship that was shared with Peter and the eleven. How this relationship bonded is left out of the divine record. Andronicus and Junia were very involved in the work of the early church and had been active for many years. Some think Paul became a Christian around 37 AD and wrote the letter to Rome in the mid-50s. Paul mentions them as part of the Roman church with special thanksgiving for their long, devoted, and faithful service to Christ.

Christians share a refreshing bond when saints who have served the Lord for many years are recognized for their tireless work. Andronicus and Junia would have been some of the early disciples of the church who enjoyed the blessings of a period of incredible church growth followed by persecution. Ironically, the persecution of Saul sent many of the disciples who were persecuted everywhere preaching the word. Is it possible Andronicus and Junia fled the persecution of Saul only to find him in the kingdom of God and share chains with him one day? The answers are intriguing.

Paul commended Andronicus and Junia for their long, devoted service to Christ. One of the joys of traveling as a preacher is visiting places from long ago where saints continue to work hardily for the Lord. The faithful saints who continue year after year to hold the banner of truth in a dark world are so encouraging. Paul wanted the Roman saints to know the blessing of Andronicus and Junia and to give thanks for them. There is a curiosity to know so much more about their lives and how they endured hardships with Paul. Suffice it to say, the Holy Spirit gave the eternal record the mention of their names with the glory they gave God in their lives. Saints who have served the Lord for many years deserve a thank you. They have continued each day and each week through years of trials and toils, remaining faithful to the cause and work of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your service.

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3)

Prayer Takes Patience

The timing of the Lord is always according to His eternal purpose and design. What makes it hard for the human heart is learning patience. There is a tendency to want things now, even when the expectation is from God. David knew that the Lord is not accountable to the time limits of human wisdom. When there is trouble, and the spirit of man cries out to God, the prayer of the impatient demands the Lord answer prayer as the petitioner desires in a timely manner. Often, a prayer demands action rather than accepting the will of the Father to answer in His time. That is why prayer requests are seldom realized.

Prayer is pleading the promises of God with a view in mind that God answers prayers according to His will. The problem arises when the heart is impatient and unwilling to accept God on His terms. David wants the prayerful heart to realize that when a man waits patiently on the Lord, God will listen. A trial of faith overshadowed David, and he cried to the Lord for help. He was in a horrible pit that was consuming him. There was no one to rescue him but the Lord. When he cried out, the Lord did not answer immediately. David trusted in the Lord to respond. When the answer came, it inspired David to proclaim the good news of righteousness in the great assembly.

Patience is the quality of waiting for the Lord to work His will in His way and in His time. A prayer life will be tested to accept how God answers. Prayers can be answered immediately but are more often at a time when the Lord chooses to reveal Himself. David knew the greatest lesson of prayer was to wait patiently for the Lord. Then, and only then, can he realize the true blessings received from the eternal hand of the Lord.

David’s patience was filled with the expectation of an answer. God always answers prayer. He never fails to answer a prayer from His child. David waited with an expectant heart that his petition would come at the pleasure of the Lord. David knew God would respond regardless of how long the answer would take. What he found in waiting for the Lord is a greater blessing than he imagined. Not only did the Lord bring him out of the pit and the miry clay, but God set the feet of David upon a rock and established his steps. The blessings of the Lord always outshine the request of the petitioner.

When a man develops a patient heart, he will see more of the blessings of God in his life. There is no reason to try and hurry God. Waiting on the Lord is the greatest challenge of prayer, but waiting on the Lord will bring the greatest blessings. Let the Lord work in His way for His purpose. That is how a child of God trusts in the wisdom of the heavenly Father. Like a child who depends upon their Father for everything, the Christian seeks the blessings of God with a patient heart. Pray – but be patient!