Author: Robin Tincher

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest (John 4:35). King James Version

Yesterday was Easter. We had a wonderful time at church, but sickness ruined our evening family plans. By the end of the lonely day, I was feeling quite sorrowful. I was weighed down with the cares of this life, and as shameful as it is, I was feeling like “I don’t live, I just exist”.

A dear friend of mine sent me a message requesting prayer. The minute that I started reading the message I could feel God all over me. As I prayed for her the Lord restored me! When she thanked me for praying, I just wanted to return that thank you to her for the “call to prayer”. The body of Christ is knit together in love, and we need each other.

I woke up this morning with a new perspective on life and a grateful heart. I sat in my bed having my coffee and spending time with the Lord (that’s our meeting place). As I talked to the Lord about these things I started laughing in the Spirit, then I was laughing and crying at the same time (Romans 8:26-27). I said out loud, “The joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). I asked him for his Word and opened my Bible to Romans 8.

As I concluded reading the chapter and writing in my journal, I was inspired to post this blog entry. God knows exactly what we need! While the enemy would like to convince me that I “only exist”, God showed me that I am here “For such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). The fields are white and ready to harvest. While the enemy was screaming loneliness in my ears, God was whispering INTIMACY, Amen.

It is when we see through our spiritual eyes that we can Live in the Peace of God (Romans 8:6), for we have not received the spirit of fear (Romans 8:15). In All things we are More than Conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:37). All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

As I thought about my life journey, I can see that God was preparing me “For such as time as this.” When I started college at fifty-years old the only thing that I knew about a computer was how to turn one on. I earned an associate’s degree in accounting, but life took an unexpected turn, and I have never used it. I have always enjoyed writing, and all of the mandatory written reports helped to improve my writing skills. What a privilege, joy and honor to be able to share my love for the Word of God, but the Greatest gift of all is to share Jesus.

The fields are white, and the harvest is ready.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also (Genesis 1:16).             King James Version

Notice in the photo above the “Earth to Scale”. It is a lot for my human mind to understand that God is so big that he holds the world in his hands, and he knows the number of hairs on every head (Matthew 10:30). When I take into consideration the sun and stars, I am like King David “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it”(Psalm 139). If I could, then my prayers would most certainly be bigger!

This Easter I want to take in the fact that Jesus humbled himself and came into the world that he created (John 1:10) (Ephesians 3:9). His love is as unsearchable as his creative power! “It is high, I cannot attain unto it.” He was laid in a lowly manger (Luke 2:7) and raised as a carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55). He taught by example as he washed the disciple’s feet (John 13). He conquered death, hell, and the grave, yet he was gentle and humble in heart. Oh, what a Savior!

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek (gentle) and lowly (humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls (Strong’s 4239, 5011).

Ephesians 2:9-11

9 Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.

I am not a carnal man on a spiritual journey. I am a spiritual man on a carnal journey. This world is not my home. In Ephesians 5:19-20 my Bible describes “The inner life of the Spirit filled believer,” and it is All because of Jesus! He breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Ghost (John 20:22). I Love That! Breath on me, Jesus, please Breath on me, Amen.

Ephesians 5:19-20

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those scriptures remind me of the song that is in my heart today. It’s called Gratitude (Brandon Lake). “Come on my soul, don’t you get shy on me. Lift up your song, cause you got a Lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord.”

Revelation 5:5

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, and the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

He is Risen!

My Easter prayer:

Lord, please soften my rough edges. You have created all things, and you call the stars by name (Isaiah 40:26). There Is None Like You, yet you are Gentle and Humble in Heart. Please, help me to grasp that reality! Let my life be pleasing in your sight. I love you, Lord! In Jesus name I pray, Amen (So Be It).

Works Cited

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible World Bible Publishers [1992]

2 Kings 19:20 
Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.  (King James Version)

As I read these scriptures I could relate to the message that Hezekiah (King of Judah) sent to the prophet Isaiah, “This is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to birth and there is not strength to bring forth”.

There is not a doubt in my mind that everyone feels this same way sometimes. We get in desperate places in our lives where all that we can hear is the enemy spewing out threatening’s, and filthy lies. In our own selves we do not have the strength to deliver.

The Assyrian’s had taken all of the fenced cities of Judah, so king Hezekiah tried to appease Sennacherib (king of Syria) with silver and gold from house of the Lord, and from his own treasury. The lesson here is that “We can’t strike a deal with the enemy”.

I can see it in my mind, A great host of the Assyrian army surrounding the city of Jerusalem. The Jews wanted Rabshakeh (Assyrian chief officer) to speak to them in the Syrian language so the men on the wall (warriors) would not understand, but the enemy doesn’t work that way. Fear is his weapon. He stands outside of the walls our lives trying to make us think that he has the power to make us drink our own piss and eat our own dung (2 Kings 18:26-27).

The Power of Prayer came alive to me as Hezekiah sought the Lord and sent a message to Isaiah the prophet asking for prayer that God would intervein on their behalf (2Kings 19:1-5). I love God’s answer, “Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor; and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land” (2Kings 19:6-7).

The enemy doesn’t give up easily. Hezekiah was standing on the Word of the Lord, so the next threat came in the form of a written letter. Here again, I see the Power of Prayer. Hezekiah took the letter to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord (2 Kings 19:10-14). How Awesome a Privilege to be able to go into our prayer closets and just lay everything out in front of our Lord!

This is not just a story from some random book. It is the written Word of God. It is food for the soul, and strength for the inner man. Make no mistake, this is spiritual warfare (this journey). When James said, “Faith without works is dead” he was saying that we still have to Walk in Covenant with God (lifestyle) (James 2:17) (2Kings 18:11-12). When God’s people pray, he listens (James 5:16). He is the Only one who has the Power to Deliver, and His Word Always Stands (2Kings 19:7) (Kings 19:36-37). The same God who killed 185,000 Assyrians in the middle of the night because he heard king Hezekiah’s prayer is still on the throne, and We Win! Amen

REVELATION 2:17
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. 
King James Version

Approximately eighteen years ago, I was standing beside of my refrigerator when I heard God’s voice. He said, “He doesn’t love you, but I do”.

That is the first and the last time that I Literally heard God speak directly to me! That was the Turning Point of my Life. I had been living in a backslidden condition, and one day out of nowhere God spoke to me. I have much in common with the woman at the well and like her, “He must needs go through Indiana” for me (John 4). Oh, how I Love Jesus! One who is forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7:47).

A few years later I was driving a bus route and talking to the Lord. I was thinking about him calling James and John the “Son’s of Thunder”. Was this because of their zeal or because they asked if Jesus wanted them to call down fire from heaven on a village of Samaritans (Luke 9:54)? I asked out loud, “Lord, what would you call me, Hard Head”? The name Orpah just popped into my head. I wondered if this was God, or was it just me? I didn’t have any passengers at the time, so I pulled over and looked up the meaning of Orpha. Sure enough, it was mane fem. of back of the neck (stiff) neck (Strong’s 6203,6204). I had to laugh; you can’t tell me that God doesn’t have a sense of humor, even if it was the truth.

I like Ellicott’s reference to the “white stone” as tessera hospitalis (a pebble of friendship). It was a token of hospitality from the one who gave it. The stone is precious, not white in color, but it is shining, glistering white (Ellicott, 2004 – 2026). Jesus has called us friends (John 15:15). I imagine that everyone attending the wedding supper of the Lamb will have received a white stone with his new name written in it (Revelation 19:7-9).

I don’t claim to have absolute understanding of the Word of God. It is, however, my passion. When I read Revelation 2:17 I see it on a personal level. I have had such a real experience in walking with the Lord that I dream as a child. Is the “white stone” going to be part of my heavenly apparel? As God called Jacob Israel, will my new name hold the story of the me that only Jesus knows? I look forward to that day, but for now I am so thankful to be called The Woman at the Refrigerator, “For he must needs pass through Indiana” for me. It is a constant reminder that it never was about me. He Is Faithful! Amen

Works Cited

Ellicott, Charles John. “Commentary on [Revelation] [2].” Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, Bible Hub app, BibleSupport.com, [2004 -2026]

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible World Bible Publishers [1992]

2 SAMUEL 6:14-15
And David danced before the Lord with all his might: and David was girded with the linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
(King James Version)

I have heard it preached that King David danced so hard before the Lord that he danced his clothes off in the street. As I read this passage this morning, I realized that was not the case. It was so much more! I believe that he stripped himself of his kingly robes as an act of humility. The garments that King David was wearing that day were not part of his regular wardrobe. They were actually priestly attire, not undergarments (1Chronicles 14:27). He had laid down his purple and gold because his heart was set on worshipping the Lord.

When I read “he danced with all of his might” I said to the Lord, “I want to do that”! “I want to do that!” If King David worshipped like that being under the law, why shouldn’t we even more so who are Born of the Spirit?

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

David was “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). He prayed “Let the lifting up of my hands be as the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2). In reality the lifting of our hands is an act of humility and worship. God see’s us even in our prayer closets. How can we believe for miracles when we don’t even have the faith that it takes to lift our hands?

I love the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-16.

14for this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole(every) family in heaven and earth is named. 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.

Zechariah 4:6

Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel saying, Not by might , nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts.

God prefers obedience over sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). To me that says that God prefers Relationship, not religion. It was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away our sins or perfect our hearts, so he did away with the Old Covenant (Hebrews 10).

John 1:11-12

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (New Covenant)

In all of these passages I have read nothing about the power of religion. It’s Always been about Relationship over Religion with our Lord. We can read the word of God by the letter, but without the Spirit of God living inside of us we are spiritually blind (2 Corinthians 3:6), weak, and powerless. Until we are willing to lay self aside, and seek the Lord with all of our hearts, we will miss out on the dance!

Mark 6:56
And withersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole. (King James Version)

I read Mark 6 and I was so deeply moved that I had to write about it! The chapter starts off with Jesus doing no mighty works in his own country because of their unbelief. He sent out the twelve disciples two by two; and gave them power over unclean spirits.

Mark 6:12-13

12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

When they gathered themselves back to where Jesus was, he told them to come apart unto a desert place and rest a while. I Love that! We all need a peaceful place to rest sometimes.

When I got to Mark 6:32 my heart could not be still! The people saw Jesus departing, and they ran afoot out of the cities, and out went them, and came together unto him. When Jesus came out of the ship and saw them, he was moved with compassion. Oh, my Goodness! When we Run to Him, He is Moved with Compassion! He will feed us. It was then that he fed the five thousand with five loafs and two fish.

Jesus Sent the twelve ahead by ship. Then he sent the people away and went into a mountain to pray. When the evening had come the ship was in the middle of the sea. He saw them rowing and toiling in the wind. It was in the fourth watch of the night (around three o’clock in the morning) when they saw Jesus walking on the water. Sometimes he sends us into the storm.

Verses 6:51-52 spoke to my heart as never before! When Jesus entered the ship the wind ceased, and they were amazed. Their hearts were hardened from toiling in the wind, so much as they had completely forgotten about the five loaves and the two fish. Why would they be amazed that Jesus could walk on the water and control the wind? These were the twelve disciples, but they were still just human. This is our nature. I know that my heart has been hardened when I have been toiling in the storms of this life. In my despair I have lost sight of all of the great things that the Lord already done, but he sees me.

From Mark 6:54 to the end of the chapter I got so happy that I was shouting and shedding tears of joy! They knew who he was as soon as he came out of the ship. Throughout the whole region People started carrying their sick to wherever he was. I could just envision this in my mind!

Mark 6:56

And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

There is so much to process right there! What if we were to run after Jesus (6:33)? I can see it now, people running from place to place, yelling in the streets that “Jesus is Coming”! Jesus didn’t anoint them with oil. He was the oil!

My closing thought is that they laid the sick in the streets, but they still had to reach out for themselves. Jesus is still passing by. He is still the oil, and we still have to reach out for ourselves.

Lord, give me a heart that runs after you, and encourage me to lay my loved ones at your feet in prayer. Help me to remember that you still walk on the water, In Jesus Sweet Name I Pray, Amen

2 Chronicles 20:26
And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Barachah, unto this day.
(KJV)

I love King Jehoshaphat’s prayer, “we have no might against this big company that is coming against us, and we don’t know what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (2 Chronicles 2:12).

The Lord said not to be afraid or dismayed, because the battle is not yours, but God’s. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord with you (2 Chronicles 20:14-17).

2 Chronicles 20:18-19 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. 19 And the Levites of the children of the kohathites, and the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

In this present age we are scorned and ridiculed for worshipping the Lord freely, while getting radical at sporting events is totally acceptable behavior. That’s what the enemy wants, because he knows that praise brings the victory.

2 Chron. 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

After the battle it took them three days to gather the spoil (2 Chron 20:25). And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the Lord: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

This reminded me of when Jesus healed the ten lepers. Only one came back to worship him, he then said, “where are the nine” (Luke 17:11-19). God does such Great things! I will stand to praise him. I will praise him with a shout, and with lifting of my hands. I will worship at his feet with my face to the ground.

Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

When God brought his people out of Egypt, he said that they were not coming out empty handed (Exodus 3:21). Seventy souls went into Egypt (Exodus 1:1-5), and four hundred and thirty years later, more than six-hundred thousand came out with a great spoil (Exodus 12). You just can’t stop the hand of God! The more they afflicted God’s people, the more that they multiplied (Ex. 1:12).

HE IS THE I AM (Ex.3:13)

The earth is the Lords (Exodus 9:29). He removes kings and sets up kings (Daniel 2:21). As for the Pharoah, he was raised up to shew God’s power (Exodus 9:16) (Romans 9:17-18).

As for God’s people, they were instructed to eat the Passover meal with their Loins girded, their shoes on, and their staff in their hand (Exodus 12:11). They were to be ready for the journey.

God has supplied the final sacrifice. Jesus is the spotless Lamb, and not one of his bones were broken (Exodus 12:46), (John 19:36). As no uncircumcised person was allowed to eat the Passover meal (Exodus 12:48), the uncircumcised in heart cannot sit at the Lord’s table in the Kingdom of God (Romans 2:28-29).

The salvation of the Lord is with us. I pray that we have our loins gird about with truth, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel, and our staff in our hand when he calls us home to worship him forever more, Amen

PSALM 18:2
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower (lofty, inaccessible place) (Strong's, H4809). (KJV)

I have been wanting to write about the “Peace of God” for some time now. I don’t always live in that reality, but God is teaching me. I am thankful that he has placed a passion for his Word and the desire to write inside of my heart. His Word is my Literal Lifeline. I pray that when I stand before him my gifts will be well accounted for.

I woke up this morning with this in my heart, “Pursue Peace, and Rest on Purpose”. I can see now more than ever before the importance of living like this. It is vital for our Health, Happiness, and our ability to live in our God given Purpose.

The Peace of God has nothing to do with what is going on around us. It is about what is going on within us. It’s about walking in his will. I have realized that in the pursuit of Peace there is a necessity of change. While there are areas in my life where I am seeking guidance (making changes), I am Practicing Resting on Purpose. I can honestly say that in these hardest storms of my life I am thinking more clearly and experiencing more peace than ever before.

Last month I was reading Ezekial 22. I was excited about God’s reference to the lies of false prophets as “walls built with untampered mortar”. I started thinking about the lies that the enemy has spoken to me, and how I have inward walls that have been built on those lies. It was a good understanding, because I know the God who tears walls down (Ezekial 13:14). Amen

Today as I read Ezekial 13:19-20 I see these walls with a different understanding. God said to these false prophets who were polluting his people for greedy gain, “I am against your pillows” (cushions) (Strong’s, H3704). “Your kerchiefs (veils) (Strong’s, H4555) also will I tear”. My understanding of this is their “pillows” are a representation of words of comfort that held no truth, and that he would tear their “veils,” exposing them and opening the spiritually blinded eyes of his people.

I can relate so much of that to this present age. Many people are being taken for greedy gain, because they have itchy ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4). They just want that “feel good gospel”. The problem with that is, there is no peace in false doctrine. David said, “Even in old age, there is strength, labor, and sorrow”(Psalm 90:10).

God called the children of Israel (a nation, great in number) to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised land. It was harvest time, and the Jordan River was out of its banks (Joshua 3:15). Life is like that sometimes. When the waters of this life feel like a flood, he requires us to move forward in his Promises, and to Live in His Peace, “God Is Our Dwelling Place” (Psalm 90:1).

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”(John 14:27).

Works Cited

Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. World Bible Publishers, 1992.

Psalm 68:4
"Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH (the Lord most vehement), and rejoice before him"(Strong's H3050). (KJV)

A person would wonder what the photo above could have to do with the subject of this post (The Lord Most Vehement). It is because one day as I stood in my kitchen looking at my mostly empty living room, I made my request known to God. I said, “Lord I know that you know my needs before I ask, but your word says that I have not because I ask not, so I am asking. I am so thankful for this home that you have provided for me. Although my rocker and recliner are just fine, I would really love to have a tan couch with mauve flowers and green leaves on it. Something that would be the perfect size. I can just see how it would look so beautiful sitting right there.” In less than a week my granddaughter contacted me to see if I wanted the one pictured above. She saw it on-line and thought that I would like it. This was Absolutely God! I didn’t even mention it to her. Her husband used his day off and barrowed a trailer to move it with. They loaned me the money for it, and delivered it to me.

It’s not the material things in this world that make us rich. It’s the journey. I can look back on the Many great things that the Lord has done for me, and it gives me the faith to go on. Sometimes we all get into a bad place. We are just people, but he is Always Faithful. I could actually write a book on how Faithful that he has been to me, but like a child, sometimes I still forget. I am so thankful that he remembers that I am just dust. He pities me, as a Father pities his child (Psalm 103:13-14), and he Always Blesses me in the things that matter the most.

The Word of our Lord really is Alive! It’s Quick (living and operative), Powerful, and Sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). As I read about Asa (king of Judah), his great acts, and how his heart was perfect before the Lord all of his days, I overlooked his frailty. Then I got to verse twenty-three where I read that all of his acts and all that he did, and the cities that he built were written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah (Scofield, 1917). (1Kings 15:9-24)

I read about Zerah the Ethiopian who came out against Judah with his army of a million. Asa only had five hundred and eighty thousand men of valor to fight, So He Prayed. The Lord smote the Ethiopians until they fled. Asa and his army pursued after them unto the city of Gerar, where they conquered it and all of the cities around it. The spoil was very great (2Chronicles 14:9-15).

In the sixteenth year of king Asa’s reign Baasha, king of Israel came up against Judah. King Asa then sent gifts to Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, and asked him to fight for him. God was not pleased:

2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herin thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

2Chronicles 16: 12-13

12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.

13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.

I could look at Asa and wonder how he could be so faithless, but I am just as human as he was. I do this same thing. Sometimes I worry and fret instead of remembering all that the Lord has done and simply taking things to him in prayer. See what happens when we just talk to the Lord? Not only did he give me Specifically what I asked for, but it was even better than I imagined, and it came with a loveseat and a coffee table!

This is our God! The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:15)! He is a Mountain Mover (Psalm 68:8)! He is God Vehement (Psalm 68:4)! He hears, He sees, and He moves on our behalf, and there’s not a force in hell that can stop Him (Isaiah 43:13). He is the first and the last. He is Alive for evermore. He has the keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:17-18). There are no gods beside Him, I know not any (Isaiah 44:8). Amen

I Am That I Am is His name for ever, and His memorial (commemoration) to all generations (Strong’s H2143). (Exodus 3: 14-15)

References

Strong, James. Strong’s exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. World Bible Publishers,1989

The Scofield Reference Bible, KJV. (1917)

1 Corinthians 9:24
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (King James Version)

About three months ago I wrote about The Acts 1-7. I finally finished the rest of the Book a few days ago. There is no way to touch on so many great things in one post, so this entry is the sum of what is Burning in My Heart. I see myself coming closer to the finish line. Just like a foot race, it’s my goal to pick up speed. Paul ran an awesome race.

Paul (formerly Saul) was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians (Philippians 3:1-5), yet he was a chosen vessel unto God. He suffered many things for preaching Jesus (Acts 9:15-16). He was beaten by the Jews five times, receiving thirty-nine stripes each time, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, and had many perilous journeys in which he suffered pain, hunger, weariness, and cold, besides all of that, he had the care of all of the churches (2 Corinthians11: 24-28). As I read about these events it pricked my heart because he was a man that had undoubtedly left the comforts of This Life considering them dung that he would win Christ (Philippians 3:8), yet I am so easily distracted by the cares of this world.

I wondered why Paul was so insistent on going to Jerusalem when he was warned of the Holy Ghost of what he would suffer there (Acts 21:10-14). It seems that his motive was to Bless the poor saints at Jerusalem with the gifts collected from the Gentile churches (Romans 15:25-28) (Acts 24:17). It is mentioned that Paul wanted to be at Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost, which is the second of three great annual festivals. It is called (1) the feast of weeks (Exodus 34:22), because it was celebrated seven complete weeks, or fifty days after the Passover. (2) the feast of the Harvest, because it concluded the harvest of latter grains (barley) (Exodus 23:16), (3) the day of the first fruits (Numbers28:26), because the first loaves from the new grain (wheat) were offered on the alter (Leviticus 23:17), (Unger and Harrison. “Pentecost” The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary”. 414.). God chose this day to send the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and man became His Tabernacle (Acts 2:1-2). He has empowered us not only to live a Godly life, but to work in His field.

Jesus said, “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few: Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38).

This is our calling. This is our race. This world needs Jesus! If you have a gift, it’s time to use it. If God put something inside of you, use it for his glory. If the world didn’t give it to you, then the world can’t take it away. If you have a prayer of faith, pray it. If you have a song, sing it. If you have a victory shout, shout it. If you have a dance, dance. Just let God be God! Give Him Glory, Amen.

2 Timothy 4:1-8

4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season (no definite fixed hours); reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (Charles Ellicott Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers)

4:7 Fight a good fight. Finish your course. Keep the faith.

References

Unger, Merrill F., and R.K.Harrison, editors. The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Moody Publishers, 2006

Ellicott, Charles. Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers. Bible Hub, Accessed November 24, 2025. Bible Hub.”.