THE FLEETING NATURE OF OCTOBER

The Harvest is winding up. The soybeans, of which there is now an abundance in the storehouses of the Midwestern USA, and the cornfields are wrapping up an almost six-week excursion into flying corn tassels, dust, and stalks as massive, computerized Combine Harvesters cut through millions of rows of corn, all across the USA. While the ever-present green of $500,000 plus John Deere combines stand out, many others that we see at the International Farm Progress Show, which was in Decatur, IL. cover a spectrum from Case to CLAAS, etc.

While it seemed like endless summer for the longest while, causing most of the leaves to stay green on trees, Fall colors are finally peeking through....and just in time to fall to the ground quickly.

It is a great illustration of the fleeting nature of life itself, which the Bible tells us, is is simply a vapor, to us (James 4:14).

October 2025 is soon to be in the rearview mirror as November, with all its memories and its season of Thanksgiving, comes upon us.

On October 31, the Western world goes overboard in celebration of Halloween. In my family, our kids were raised at church, observing October 31 as our Church Fall Party. They are now adults, two in their 30s, and look back on the wisdom of those days when they had more fun, more variety, more hot food, bonfires, and campfire songs, that the kids who were back home by 7:30 pm with a plastic pumpkin full of corn syrup and sugar-filled candies and jaw breakers,

October 31 will also be remembered for the events of 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. While the Protestant Reformation had begun way before that fateful day 508 years ago, it was this specific act, which officially launched the movement, that resulted in each of us being able to hold our own Bibles in our hands and know the true Road to Salvation.

Luther's Theses led to the Biblical Road to each human being being able to comprehend that eternal life and reconciliation with God the Father are only possible by His Grace, through Faith, repentance, and accepting/surrendering one's life to Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior. While the world may see various streams of Christianity and 100's of denominations, the basic facts about the Road to Heaven have never changed in 2000 years, since Jesus rose from the dead.

As October rolls to an end this week, the significance of this month can not be mentioned often enough. We are who we care because of October 31, 1517. 

So as the Combines retreat for another year, as the corn dust settles and the crunch of red, yellow, and brown leaves resound underfoot, as smells of hot cider and fireplaces up and down the street predominate, may we never forget that we are blessed beyond measure. We serve a God Who created and continues to create. We are endowed by our Creator with the ability to love, live, and experience His Goodness moment by moment. Finally, we owe it all to the One who made this all possible - by giving His Life on a Cross, a long, long time ago. Thank You, Jesus. Amen. 

"THINK" SERIES: PART 5 - "STINKING VS BIBLICAL THINKING"

"Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5)

What is it about "Stinking Thinking" that brings so many well-adjusted folks, especially Christians these days, to a not-so-good place? 

By the way, what is "Stinking Thinking" anyway? From all reports, the late great speaker, motivator, encourager, and man of God, Zig Ziglar was responsible for coining the phrase. The Cambridge Dictionary describes it as "a bad way of thinking, that makes you believe you will fail, that bad things will happen to you, or that you are not a very good person". That is the official definition. But in real life, it can be any thought derailing right thinking, period.

There is a story told about the Great Reformer Martin Luther. He said one night, the devil showed up at the foot of his bed with a long scroll of every sin ever committed by Luther. 

As he read those off, in Luther's all-too-real vision, the serpent of old, needled Luther and said "Do you remember this sin? ...." Then Luther would respond: "Yes, I do", and so it went. After this, it went on for a long time. Luther recounted that he felt like he was about the slip into hell when the Lord Jesus showed up. The Savior told Luther to tell the devil to go all the way to the end of the scroll and read what was at the bottom of it.

Luther told him exactly those words. The devil kept reading off sins. Finally, Martin Luther said, "Devil, in the Name of Jesus, I demand that you read what is written at the bottom of your scroll". At the mention of THAT Name, the devil did as was told. At the bottom of that long list of Luther's sins was written in red "All the Sins of Martin Luther have been forgiven by the Blood of the Lamb".

The enemy, from whose clutches Jesus saved us, if we know Him as Lord and Savior and are truly born again, knows our thoughts and sins because he put most of them in there. Every thought of greed and lust for money, riches, illicit sexual pleasure, and covetousness, came from him. Every thought that leads to an ungodly action, even for the strongest believer in Jesus, came from him.

He has a habit of throwing past forgiven sins, in our faces and it is pushed in our faces by thoughts that ambush us, in the most awkward or inappropriate of moments - from quiet time in the morning, or in the middle of a meeting at work, or having lunch with a pastor or anything. If we are not careful, this can defeat people who profess to be Christians, but who are not walking in any kind of victory, or deep Faith, or who have lives guided and directed by the Spirit.

Stinking Thinking invites the weak to make blanket statements, away from Scripture, that "God does not love me....or my spouse...or my boss hates me....or I can't stand that nosey neighbor".....and the next thing we know, we are operating on feelings and emotions far outside the bounds of Biblical Thinking.

Some of this Stinking Thinking may even have to do with self-esteem. If someone from your past - an old schoolmate who knew you as a party machine from senior year in high school or college, but now he or she sees that you more than likely, "party like it's 1699 (i.e. none at all), and you let some long-buried emotion resurface, to cause you to doubt your own identity in Christ, then it's time to move to Plan B.

Plan B is the return to Plan Bible and Biblical Thinking. We will look into this more in upcoming posts, but suffice it to say, Martin Luther, at the behest and prompting of King Jesus, has demonstrated the quickest way to grab those resurgent defeatist old BC (before Christ) "replays" and send them to the dungeon of forgotten sins, which Yahweh has stated is, "as far as the east is from the west".

John 1:12 underscores our Authority to respond as Luther did to the devil. It is the quickest way to defeat EVERY form of stinking thinking; horrible thoughts and anything from the pit of hell. The Bible says in this verse "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name".

We take every thought captive, reminding the devil, in the most authoritative statement, that we are Children of God and all our sins - not just those from last week, but those from our past, have been forgiven by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who defeated the accuser, on that fateful day on Calvary.

Father, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, we thank You that You sent Your Holy and Powerful Son, in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us, that we may be reconciled with You and have Eternal Life in Heaven. Thank You, for giving us the ability to not only take every evil and wicked thought captive but also, for then giving us the capacity and direction to bring these into alignment with Your Holy Word, in Jesus' Strong Name, amen.

Image Courtesy FREEBIBLE IMAGES (Thank you)

WHAT DOES ONE'S "CALLING MEAN"?

There is a general misunderstand of what our "vocation" or "calling" is in life. In the old days, pre- Reformation, a vocation was only a religious calling where someone would take a vow of some sort, go join and monastery and live a secluded life until his/her days were up.

The Reformation changed all of that and Martin Luther among others expounded on what the Christian life is and the many attributes of one's calling in life.

Text-(Matthew 25:14-30)

Parable of the Talents

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents. 17 In the same way the one who had received the two talents earned two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his Master’s money.

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have earned five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have earned two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter the joy of your master.’

24 “Now the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 And I was afraid, so I went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you still have what is yours.’

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You worthless, lazy slave! Did you know that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed? 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore: take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 And throw the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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