I’ve heard it said, “The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn't make a decision.” 

You’ve seen it happen.  With the car quickly approaching, the little squirrel decides to cross the road.  Halfway across, the squirrel experiences a sudden change of mind and reverses direction.  After just a few haltering steps, the squirrel changes its mind again and reverses course.  This back-and-forth goes on until the car settles the issue, and the little squirrel learns the hard way that indecision is a killer. 

The Bible warns us about the danger of indecision.  The prophet Elijah confronted the people of Israel who were paralyzed with indecision, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” (1 Kings 18:21 NIV).  So entrenched was their indecision that even after hearing that stirring rebuke the people said nothing.  No response.  They were not willing to commit either way.  

The Hebrew word translated “hobbling” in 1 Kings 18:21 is interesting.  The word is used in the sense of limping; walking with a weak and uncertain gait.  For a while the Jews would walk toward Jehovah, but not strongly.  They would then reverse course (like the squirrel) and walk toward Baal, but not earnestly.  The back-and-forth dance was making God sick!  “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16 NKJV).

Approaching the Christian life with an attitude of indecision will have the same result as a positive decision against Christ.  Faltering dedication doesn’t work.  Half-hearted repentance never saved anyone.  Neither does the Book of Life record the names of the part-time committed.  With Jesus it is all or nothing.

Understanding the importance of a decisive commitment, the Proverb writer gave this word of instruction, “Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil” (Proverbs 4:26-27).  The safe path is that of a lifelong, unwavering decision for Christ.  It’s the quality of commitment expressed in the song, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”  

Walk strongly and steadfastly with the Lord.  Anything less is just another flat squirrel on the road of life.

Pastor Todd Weston

Among Paul’s final words was this request to Timothy, “Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments” (2 Timothy 4:13).  

It goes without saying that Paul was an amazing man.  Living out his last days in the infamous Mamertine Prison in Rome, Paul penned what would be his final epistle.  No prisoner stayed in the Mamertine Prison for long.  This was death row, and executions were conducted hastily and without due process.  

That being said, Paul did not have long to live.  Many prisoners, at this point, would have slumped into a state of despair resigning themselves to the inevitable.  Not Paul.  He was a diligent student to the end.

The books were a collection of sacred and secular works.  Paul was well read.  Like Moses who was “educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22), Paul’s ministry was enhanced greatly by his studious habits.  Even the Roman Governor Festus, after listening to Paul’s defense, commented on his “much learning” (Acts 26:24).  When you become a reader it shows.

The parchments were especially dear to Paul.  These were his study notes.  Imagine having a copy of Paul’s notes.  What a wealth of information.  In my library are numerous notebooks containing over thirty years of messages and studies I have done on every book of the Bible, in addition to topical studies.  In the event of a fire, I would rescue those notebooks first.

So here was Paul wrapped in the cloak delivered by Timothy because his prison, which was nothing more than a pit carved out of rock, was damp and cold.  By the light of a candle, for no outside light penetrated that dark prison cell, we can see Paul the aged reading his books and making notes in the parchments.  Along with seasons of prayer, this is how the great apostle spent his last days.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a lifetime learner.  Apathy and mediocrity have no place in the life of a believer.  The mind is God’s gift to us.  Developing it is our gift to Him.  So let’s get to work and study to show ourselves approved by God.  Now, go pick up a book and get started!

Pastor Todd Weston

PS - If you are serious about being a lifetime learner, then I would like to invite you to sign up for the next Berean class which begins Monday, June 6th.  The next course is Old Testament Survey.  The class meets on Monday evenings and will run June - November with break periods along the way.  You can sign up by calling Lynda Van Bibber at 239-495-0400.  You may also email her at admin@riveroflife.ag.

Over breakfast last week, a friend reminded me of something for which Jesus prayed.  The fact that Jesus prayed for this particular thing just hours before His crucifixion tells us it really matters.  The prayer is recorded in John 17 and is broken down into three sections --

• In vv1-5 Jesus prayed for God to be glorified
• In vv6-19 Jesus prayed for the Church to be sanctified
• In vv20-26 Jesus prayed for the World to be evangelized

​The specific request I am referring to appears in that third section (vv20-26).  It is Jesus’ prayer for the Church’s unity, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).

How important is the unity of believers to Jesus?  It’s important enough that He prayed for it fives times in one prayer (vv11b, 21a, 21b, 22, 23).  He prayed for the unity of the Church because the evangelization of the world depends on it, “that the world may believe…”

When we have a heartfelt request, we want the Lord to hear and answer our prayers.  In John 17, Jesus expressed His heartfelt request.  He made it known by putting it in recorded Scripture, and He longs for it to be answered.

Do you realize that we can be part of the answer to Jesus’ prayer for unity in the Church?  We are the ones who chose whether or not we will “dwell together in unity” with other believers (Psalm 133:1).  We are the ones who decide whether or not we will endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).  We are the ones who chose to say and do things that either edify the Body of Christ (Romans 14:19), or bring division among believers (Proverbs 6:19).

This IS a staggering thought, and it’s true.  When we engage in things that enhance unity in the Body of Christ, we are doing our part to answer the Lord’s prayer.  On the other hand, when we engage in things that tear down unity in the Church, we are actually working against the very thing Jesus prayed for.  When we bring discord into the Body for whatever reason, we are deserving of the rebuke Jesus gave to Peter, “You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23).

Ouch!  That’s heavy duty stuff.  It sure is.  Unity in the Church is heavy duty stuff, too.  We dare not interfere with it.  We dare not plant little seeds that are bound to produce a crop of bitterness and strife in the Church.  For as the Hebrew writer said, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).  Interpretation:  Don’t mess with His Church.

Jesus prayed for the Church.  We should, too.  When you pray for the Church, pray for unity.  A Church full of disunity, discord, and strife will never make a positive impact; a united Church will.  The world will come to believe when they see the love and unity that exists in the Church (John 17:21).

Come to think of it, the entire prayer of John 17 revolves around this central thought of the unity of the Church.  A unified Church is a sanctified Church.  And when the Church is sanctified and functioning as the Lord intends, the world will be evangelized and God will be glorified.

Pastor Todd Weston

​I have an old book in my library titled, Strange Texts But Grand Truths.  Let’s face it, there are some unusual verses in the Bible.  I mean, what do you do with 1 Chronicles 26:18, “At Parbar westward, four at the causeway, and two at Parbar”?  Anyone care to elaborate on that verse?

Amazingly, the book I referred to does not include Hosea 7:9 which states, “Gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it.”  Imagine turning gray and not knowing it.  That was the condition of Ephraim — not the son of Jacob, but the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Ephraim was going gray and wasn’t even aware of it.

The Northern Kingdom of Israel was in a state of spiritual free-fall.  Having turned away from the royal house of David and the God of Israel, they severed all connections with their faith and were drifting dangerously on a sea of idolatry and immorality.

So the Lord made this observation, “Ephraim has mixed himself among the peoples” (Hosea 7:8a).  The people who lived around the Northern Kingdom of Israel were sinful idolaters.  Ephraim was called to a life of holiness and the worship Jehovah.  But rather than changing the culture, they yielded to it.  Rather than confronting it, they compromised with it.  Knowing that God doesn’t go in for mixtures, they went ahead and mixed themselves with the ungodly.

The Lord went on to say in v8, “Ephraim is a cake unturned.”  Imagine ordering pancakes for breakfast only to find them burned on one side, and uncooked on the other.  That was Ephraim.  They blew hot and cold for God.  Their commitment was half-baked.  One day they lived like the people of God.  The next day they lived like the rest of the world.

Hosea 7:9a continues, “Aliens have devoured his strength, but he does not know it.”  Read the story of Samson and Delilah in Judges 16 and you will learn how the ways of the world can slowly but surely erode spiritual strength.  The scary thing is that you can be oblivious to what is happening until it’s too late.    

Here comes the strange text, “Yes, gray hairs are here and there on him, yet he does not know it” (Hosea 7:9b).  Sorry to all who are gray or are turning gray (myself included), but gray hairs are a physical sign of decay.  The body is aging, and at a certain point our hair turns gray.  Notice that the gray hairs are here & there.  The process is so slow it’s almost imperceptible.  Little by little we lose out with God until nothing remains.

I know, it is a terribly sad story.  But it can have a happy ending if we will obey the call of Hosea 14:1, “O Israel, return to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.”  The call is to wake up from our backsliding ways while there is time.  God says, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:4).  And rather then slipping into spiritual oblivion, we will come out of it saying, “What have I to do anymore with idols?” (Hosea 14:8). 

I remember an old commercial from a hair-color company with the song, “I’m gonna wash that gray right out of my hair.”  If spiritual gray hairs are appearing here and there, wash them away at an altar of repentance and renewed dedication to Jesus Christ.

Here’s to never going gray!

Pastor Todd Weston

This morning as I went through some files, I came across an article written by my friend Jack Strom.  Knowing the importance of the subject change, I am reprinting the article with Jack’s permission.  Enjoy!

“Many of you are not natives of this area.  You have come here from other states; even from other countries.  Some of you, no doubt, have gone back to your old homes for a visit.  I’m sure the old house is not like the picture you have carried in your memory through the years.  The neighbors will have changed.  The house itself will have changed.  And you, the one who helped make that house a home, have changed, too.

We pass from youth to middle age, and from middle age to old age.  Is it any wonder that many of us are weary of change?  Some changes are exceedingly upsetting.  They shake us out of our comfortable ruts.  They compel us to think.  They compel us to move forward or get out of the line.

What should be our attitude toward change?  It is, after all, something with which we all have to reckon.  For some, change is not so much a means to an end as an end in itself.  They would like to destroy the whole past at the close of each day and start from scratch each morning.

Then there is another group that instead of regarding change as the best of experiences, look upon change as something to be avoided at all costs.  Their ideal home, their ideal church, their ideal world, is one that never changes.  Their hero is not Abraham venturing into the unknown; rather, it is Rip Van Winkle sleeping his unchanging way through an unchanging world.

The favorite sone of this group is, “The Old Time Religion.”  Of course, this song may be sung in a way to have deep meaning.  If it is our desire that God be as real to us today as He was to the saints of past generations, then it is a great song to sing.  But too often it is a mere mouthing of words.  It is bowing before shrines whose fires have long gone out.

We need to learn to accept change as part of God’s plan.  Not only should we learn to accept change, but we should learn to use change for good.

How can we make change our friend?  We can only do so if we put our trust in the God Who never changes!  While we live in a changing world, we must never forget there are certain things that never change.

The points of a compass never change.  North is still north, and south is still south.  The multiplication table has not changed.  Two times two still equals four.

Principles never change.  Rules may change, but not principles.  Here is one that has remained unchanged throughout the passing of time, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).  Remember, this principle is true of the good and the bad.  

This means that Galatians 6:7 can be a wonderful promise.  Decide to live by faith, hope, and love, and you will begin to reap a wonderful harvest.  Best of all, the Lord never changes!  “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Since we have an unchanging Lord, we can face change unafraid.  We can also face change in faith that we can make it our friend.  And with the Lord’s help, we can make change to work out for good.  To those who love God and are the called according to His purpose, all things really do work together for good!”