The Heaton File

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. (Genesis 37:28)

Joseph’s Twenty-Two Year Journey Of Faith

The coat of many colors is one of the great stories in scripture. Every child’s imagination thrills to the story of the lad with an ornate coat of color. Showing his preference to the son of his old age, Jacob set the scene for an event more horrible than he could have ever imagined by giving Joseph this tunic. The hatred of the brothers reached a boiling point when the young lad revealed certain dreams suggesting his position of authority over the brothers. One day when Joseph was searching for his brothers they decided to kill him but was saved by Reuben who planned on returning Joseph back to his father. It was while Reuben was away the brothers of Joseph decided to sell their brother to the Ishmaelites who were traveling to Egypt hundreds of miles away.

Joseph was seventeen years old when he was pulled from the pit and sold as a slave. It would be twenty-two years before he would see his family again. During this time he would endure the torturous journey as a slave of the Midianite traders.  The Psalmist described how they hurt his feet with fetters, and he was laid in irons. How can one define the humiliation of being sold as a piece of meat in an Egyptian slave market? The pleasured son of a wealthy father is now scrubbing floors as a slave in the home of an officer of Pharaoh.

You know the story. Joseph keeps his faith in God and the Lord watches over him. Things get better until the young man is running the affairs of the house of Potiphar until things go horribly wrong with the woman of the house. Falsely accused by an evil seductress the young man is thrown into an Egyptian prison as a rebellious slave who tried to seduce the wife of the captain of the guard. You can only imagine what kind of treatment he received in the beginning of his prison stay. He was probably beaten and treated rough. But Joseph kept his faith.

Years go by and again Joseph is blessed by God. He finally is the overseer of the prison but still a prisoner himself. Two noble guests arrive as prisoners – the baker and butler of the Pharaoh. The faith of Joseph extends kindness to both men. He learns of some dreams the men had and informs them that one will die but the other will live. Pleading with the butler to remember him to the Pharaoh he is left destitute in prison for two more years. Finally, Pharaoh has some dreams that no one can explain. The butler remembers Joseph and brings him to the ruler. After explaining the dreams to the Egyptian leader Joseph is placed over all Egypt save the throne of Pharaoh.

Seven years of prosperity fill the storehouses of Egypt before the seven years of famine strike the world. It is during this time the brothers of Joseph come to Egypt to buy grain. In time Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and is reunited with his father. Twenty-two years. The plan of God did not happen overnight. It was a grueling experience for a young man of seventeen but Joseph kept his faith. One can only imagine the grief felt by Jacob those years and they joy when he found his son alive.

This is a great story because it shows the need for perseverance. In a world of fast everything and wanting everything now we find in the life of Joseph a picture of calm trust in the will of God. Noah waited for the rain to come. Abraham waited twenty-five years for a promised son. David had to wait for his kingship to be established. Deliverance did not always come immediately to the people of God. Joseph had to wait more than two decades before he would clearly see the will of God.

Trust in the Lord. Wait for Him. Let Him have His perfect work in you – even if it takes twenty-two years.

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

The Good Old Days

It is interesting how that history looks so much brighter when today becomes a distant memory shrouded with naive remembrance of how good the day was. There is a fondness to look back with great delight at days gone by when in fact there were as many challenges then as now. Yesterday is but a today turned into a tomorrow. The wise man reminds us what we see in the former days is not as good as we think. So why do we do that?

Yesterday has an appeal. Living the reality of the day is fresh in our memory. We see the difficulties face to face and they are harsh. As time passes the pain subsides and we soften our view of things. Pleasant memories are stored in our minds. Talk turns to the fun memories and the laughter. They were good days. They were happy days. But they were not any different than the history we make today.

People are not more sinful today than fifty years ago. The power of Satan has clutched the hearts of man since being expelled from the garden. It may come in a different form and color but sin is still sin and fighting the battle of righteousness is still the same. The gospel is still as powerful today as it was fifty years ago. Sin can only be conquered by the gospel. That is why the former days are not better.

The mistake of looking back with fondness for yesterday is forgetting that life takes place in the present. We are victims of our past whether good or bad. Imprisoned in the present day we decide how the future will be judged. The former days should not be our best days – today should be our best day. Growing demands leaving the former days behind us.

The week is almost gone. Enjoy the memories of the former days. Talk and laugh at the good times of yesterday. But let us all live in the spirit of Jesus today so that we will have so much more to look back on with fondness. When the Lord returns we will not be so much concerned about the former days as the days that are coming. I can’t wait to be part of eternity – not yesterday!

Many say, “This is a corrupt age.” This mode of speaking is not just; it is not the age that is corrupt, but the men of the age. (Oriental Proverb quoted by Adam Clarke)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, when he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the workers of iniquity have fallen; they have been cast down and are not able to rise. (To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the Servant of the Lord – Psalm 36)

The Rebellious, The Righteous, The Reassurance

The Rebellious. I find in the psalms that not much has changed with man. David writes about the rascals that lived in his time. He could have written the psalm in our generation describing how men live. People are no more wicked today than they have been in years past. It may be a horse of a different color but it remains unchanged. Mankind just wants to do what it wants to do. Society today no longer has a respect nor fear of God. He is a myth. Like those in the days of Noah they will myth the boat. The wickedness of man is seated in his own pride of passion. Evil is what he longs for.

The Righteous. On the other hand there are the people of God who still believe in the reality of their Maker. We learn about His mercy, faithfulness, righteousness and judgments finding a God full of love. Living in a mixed up world is tough but we still trust in the Lord. Did you see how David described that? “Under the shadow or Your wings.” Comfort. Protection. Peace.

The Reassurance. Living in a perverted world needs a little reassurance. We will never be forsaken by the Lord. As an eternal fountain our God will always satisfy our needs. Trusting in Him will give us the strength to bear trials and sorrows of this life. He will never let us down.

Today is midweek. Plan to be with saints this evening to be encouraged and built up. The wicked abound in the world but the righteous flourish in the presence of the Lord. We need each other. Be a hero to someone today!

The Christian has a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world sees not, like some well in a retired and shady place … What he is when left to himself and to his God, that is his true life. (John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. 5, 1843)

Jesus’ Hands

By Paul R. Blake

“And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matt. 8:2-3).

Hands say a lot about a person. A man who farms or works in construction has rough hands worn from years of hard labor. Surgeons have strong delicate hands allowing them to perform intricate surgeries. Pianists amaze us with the dexterity of long slender fingers producing masterful pieces of music.

What did the hands of our Lord look like? He was raised a carpenter’s son, so his hands would be strong and rough textured. He spent a great deal of time outdoors, so they would be dry and browned by the sun. He was not fastidious about his appearance, so his nails would not be manicured. Not what you expected?

Beauty is what beauty does, not what beauty looks like. Lepers were outcasts; non-lepers refused to come near them, let alone touch them, even though leprosy is not communicable in the typical sense. The worst part of the disease was the isolation and rejection by everyone including family. God created man to long for companionship with others. Touch is one of the first sensations we experience in life; it brings comfort and security. Leprosy takes all of that away, because no one will touch you. When Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper, He gave that poor beggar more than a healing for his body; He showed him the true meaning of godly compassion. His hands touched lepers!

His hands touched 12 pair of dirty feet when He washed the disciples’ feet at the Passover. His hands touched street urchin children when He blessed them; who knows where they had been playing! His hands reached out to save Peter in his weak, sinful doubt as he was sinking into the sea. Hands that were rough, strong, dry, sun baked, dirty from handling lepers, feet, and children playing in the street… it’s not about what they look like in medieval paintings or our misguided imaginations; it’s about what they did. The hands of Jesus preached compassion, humility, kindness, and forgiveness. “By the wood of the cross the work of the word of God was made manifest to all; His hands are stretched out to gather all men together” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, c. 175).

We are all of the above: leprous with sin, unclean as dirty feet, unkempt street children, doubting disciples; we all need the hands of Jesus to offer love and forgiveness to us. “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5).

Should I be found faithful and enter heaven, I want to be able to be able to walk up to Jesus, reach out to clasp His hands, and feel His hands grip mine in return. I want to hold the hands that touched a leper, that washed Judas’ feet, that tried to carry the rough wood of His cross, hands that left heaven and worked 33 years on earth to save me from the sins I committed with my own hands. I will know then that I am at home. It’s not about what His hands will look like, but what His hands did that brought me there.

Look at your hands and consider, not what they look like, but rather: What have they done? What are they doing? What will you do with them in the name of the Lord?

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (1 John 5:11)

For The Record

In a court of law one of the most important parts of trial is the testimony or evidence presented. Yesterday we talked about the joy of the coming of Christ and this is because there is a testimony that is the promised by the Father. Unlike the proceedings of law today there is only one testimony and one witness. Standing alone it declares the nature of God. The joy of Jesus’ return is based upon ONE event, ONE promise, ONE salvation and ONE way. Eternal life is in Jesus Christ – case closed.

No other scheme of salvation can be effectual; God has provided none other, and in such a case a man’s invention must be vain. (Adam Clarke)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

When He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:10)

What A Day That Will Be

Are you ready for a great week this week? Think about this: the Lord could come back this week! We all struggle to keep in mind that life is not about the here and now and the now and here is but a fleeting vapor. There will come a day in the lives of some generation the coming of Christ. It is real, it is promised and it will happen – sometime known only to the Father. Most people will be in fearful horror when that light hits the third rock from the sun. Instantaneously the world as we know it will all the stars and planets will explode in one huge conflagration with eternity beginning in terror. But then there are the children of God who will feel very differently at that moment.

Picture this in your mind today – you are busy working at your job or relaxing at home. Without warning you hear the loudest trumpet you have ever heard, a voice shakes the universe and your body immediately feels like it has never felt before. In that brief second of reality you know the day of the Lord has come. There is no fear. You are not scared or terrified. Without a conscience second you see the face of Jesus Christ for the first time. Your first words are, “Wow, You are so beautiful.” A smile breaks across your face and your heart is filled with so much love it almost burst. Quiet peace flows through you as you ascend to the Lord Jesus Christ and His mighty angels. From all corners of the destroyed world you see fellow saints rising with you. “Wow,” you say again. Sorrow has vanished and the temple of mortal flesh now embraces a tabernacle of eternal joy. “Praise God” pours forth from your lips.

Okay, I know poetic license and all that but what a day that will be. We thought God coming to earth was pretty awesome. Trying to wrap around the idea of the Son of God dying for me was humbling. Experiencing the joy of being a child of the Father was sensational. But this resurrection thing is beyond words. The coming of Jesus is going to be the most amazing and wonderful thing I have ever known in my life. And those word ring so empty for what it will really be.

You have plans for this week? Pray the Lord come. Think about it, talk about it and live like He is coming today – before you finished reading this post …

I’m listening for a shout. (Vance Havner)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matthew 28:9-10)

Those He Loved

Today is the Lord’s day. The First day of the week. The reason this day is important is because there was a day two thousand years ago that changed the world. It changed history and charted the course of the future. Jesus died and was buried. But then the first day came. The tomb was empty. Resurrection. There are a lot of people Jesus could have appeared and showed Himself. Why not Herod or Pilate and the Jews that screamed out to kill Him? The Lord could have walked in the palace of Caesar and explained Who really rules in the affairs of men. Of all the people Jesus could have appeared – He chose to show Himself to people that loved Him. They needed to see Him because they were going to take His message to the whole world.

Today is the Lord’s day. Jesus wants to meet with people that love Him. After resurrection He chose whom to appear. He met disciples in a closed room, a garden and a road to Emmaus. Today it is our choice to meet the Lord. He sits on His throne witnessing the throngs of saints who gather today to sing to Him, pray to Him, learn about Him and remember what He did. He looks down upon the ocean of humanity and all through the world people that love Him gather together. In our worship on this first day of the week we meet with Jesus and show Him how much we love Him.

Today is the Lord’s day because this is a day when He came from the grave and bestowed on each one of us the joy of redemption. What is really exciting is to think about the day when He returns to gather together those who love Him. We get to see Him face to face. As you sing today think about His love. When prayers are lifted consider the love He gave. Then when the preaching begins fill your heart with reverence to know of His presence in your life. And then there is the memorial. The Lord’s Supper is not just an act of worship; it is an expression of devotion. It shows how much Jesus loved us. He died for me. Let this feast move your heart. Remember.

He is coming back one day and like that first day of the week He is coming back to find those that love Him. Do you love Him? Are you ready for Him to come back and take us home? Lord come quickly. Please.

Christ’s resurrection, being the decisive event in all history, nothing that can ever happen will equal it in importance. (Jean Danielou, The Lord of History, 1958)

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Proverbs 10:14; 25:11).

Golden Apples

I love apples. My preferences are the sweet and crunchy apples where the juice runs down both corners of the mouth (I get messy when eating apples). I enjoy golden apples but not gold apples. The problem with gold apples is you can’t eat them. They are for decoration. Of course I have never seen a gold apple. Plastic is the best I can do and they are for collecting dust. Solomon writes about apples of gold. If anyone had a few apples of gold it would have been the son of David. Using an image as vivid as an apple made of gold expresses great value. Adding to the picture of apples of gold in a setting of silver shows extravagance and elegance. Seeing a table filled with silver trays of golden apples is overwhelming. Great wealth.

Riches can be measured in many ways and what the richest man in history understood beyond all the opulence surrounding him was the value of words. He would write later the importance of a time to be silent and a time to speak. Wisdom is the greatest wealth. Contained within its vaults of gold and silver lie the coinage of knowing when to speak and when to remain silent. So often it is not our words that get us into trouble as much as the timing of our words. We talk before thinking. Strife and confusion comes when we talk too much, too soon and too quick.

Looking in the mirror will help cure the word problem we all have. Take careful note of how the Lord designed the head. There are two eyes that show us the pattern of His wisdom. On each side of the head are two listening devices implanted there for a vital role in communication. Placed just beneath two gleaming eyes is an arrow we call the nose pointing to the trouble maker – the mouth. The nose serves a dual purpose. First it gives us the pleasure of smelling so many wonderful things. But it also reminds us the odor of a mouth gone awry. And here is the real lesson: we have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak and yet we so often fail to do so. James 3 tells us why.

Today is Friday. Look back this week and see how many apples of gold you left lying around for others to enjoy. Acknowledge the rotten apples of this week. Make a promise to be a better fruit inspector today and the coming week. Listen, listen, listen = wisdom.

Think much, speak little, and always think before you speak. This will promote your own peace and that of your neighbor. (Adam Clarke)

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (Colossians 3:12)

Elect

Jackson Elementary School. Plant City, Florida. Playground. The scene of a great conflict. Time for PE (physical education). Teams are chosen for kick-ball. A captain was announced. They would choose players. Names were called. Obviously the more talented people went first. The thrill of being called first was a matter of playground pride. To be called last was like warm ice cream. I ate a lot of warm ice cream.

Heaven. The throne of God. My Creator knows my name – yes my name. He knows your name. Before the world was formed the Lord had a plan to save mankind. This would involve sending His only begotten Son to die for miserable man. Jesus came and offered His life for me and for you and for all mankind. He left a plan – a magnificent plan that would include one of the most marvelous feelings man has ever known. Through the blood of Jesus Christ we can be called the ELECT OF GOD. Chosen by Him and set aside as HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE.

God knows our name. He knows all about us and promised to take care of us. We are HIS CHILDREN. He is our Father. I am ELECT. Just think how great this day is going to be when we think about how much the Lord loves us and can take care of us. As the ELECT He provides us with peace, security, hope, faith, guidance, love – there is not enough room in the universe to explain what it means to be called the ELECT of God.

This week is over half-finished and we move towards a day of worship with other saints. Don’t give up on this week because yesterday we were His ELECT, today we are His ELECT and tomorrow will be His ELECT. When the Lord’s Day comes we get to see a lot of ELECT to praise God for letting us be His ELECT. I am special. You are special. He chose us in Him and I am thankful that I am first in His heart. Let us live as the ELECT of God today showing how much we love Him and He is first in our hearts. ELECT. Wow.

The elect are whosever will, and the non-elect whosoever won’t. (Henry Ward Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:6)

From Beginning To End

The book of the Psalms is a treasure trove of how people of God glorify the majestic name of our Creator, Savior, Guardian, Punisher, Confidante, and Judge. One hundred and fifty psalms fill the pages with vivid descriptions of the nature of Jehovah and His love for sinful man. These psalms are only a mere fragment of the thousands of psalms written by men like Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph and the sons of Korah (to name a few). Attached to many of the psalms are musical instructions to favor the reading to a melody of praise to the Lord. It was the early hymnal of the saints.

Psalm 1 begins with a plea for man to walk in the right counsel. Trying to follow earthly counsel will only bring unhappiness and this theme is found throughout the psalms. One hundred and fifty psalms later the book ends with the only conclusion possible – everything under the heavens needs to praise the Lord.

This book is much like the journey of life. We are born as the creation seeking its Creator. Decisions of right and wrong must be made and through knowledge of God we begin to make those decisions that will lead us by the still waters. Tracing our lives through the psalms we find almost immediately a need for a Savior who is declared as “My Son” (Psalm 2). The Lord will help and guide man to salvation by following in the paths of righteousness. True worship is exalted throughout the Psalms as men turn from the idols of this world. Vengeance and punishment is also found as those who rebel against the will of God will find His severity meted out to them. Nations who forget God will be destroyed. Psalms is a journey of life. It begins with man but it ends with the Lord. That is what life is all about. No matter what we do in life all men will face the Lord in the end.

Psalm 150 is the conclusion of the whole matter. Fearing God and keeping His commandments is the whole of man illustrated by one hundred fifty declarations of the need of man to praise the Lord with every part of his being. God’s word is true – read the Psalms. God’s salvation is promised – read the Psalms. Redemption can only be found in a relationship with the Savior – read the Psalms. How to be a good husband and wife; father, mother, son, daughter, friend, employee, citizen – servant of God; it’s all in there. Read the book of Psalms and see how many practical daily life living lessons you will find there. If you do what Psalm 1 declares you will have no choice when you get to Psalm 150!