BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST

 

Saturday, September 12, 2026

 

BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST

 

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. — “so as no longer to affect our relations to Him.”

 

          The forbearance of the eternal God is wonderfully condensed in this one verse, but it is surrounded by …

 

His tender mercy

 

Psa 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Psa 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

 

And the care of a father’s love.

 

Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

 

Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Luke 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

Luke 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Luke 23:42  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

 

Father, I am grateful that between the East and the West I found JESUS. AMEN

 

 

Friday, September 11, 2026

 

REMEMBERING 9-11-01

2 Sam 22:1-4

22 And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 2 And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

 

          I remember it like it was yesterday. September 11, 2001, was just another Tuesday. I was attending a fellowship meeting of pastors. A busman’s holiday. Preachers preaching to preachers. We were gathered in the church kitchen and dining hall when many of the preachers began receiving phone calls. Their faces were ashen with worry. Some left without saying a word. Others told of an unbelievable horror. One poor fellow was trying to preach as if nothing had happened, but his audience was distracted. The world had changed!

 

          I finally received a call from my secretary who was watching the unspeakable on television in our missionary apartment. I remember exactly what she said. “Oh, preacher it is awful!”  Awful did not begin to describe it. Hijackers had boarded commercial planes and had flown them into the Twin Towers in New York City – a symbol of our financial strength. Another hit the Pentagon – the symbol of our military might. Yet another seemed to be headed toward the capital – seat of our government. The heroism of a few on board prevented that. It crashed in a field in Pennsylvania -- across the road from a church which was pastored by a friend of mine.

 

          I sped home although I was only 23 miles away. I could have been stopped by police at any time because at no time did I heed the speed limit signs! My wife was a substitute teacher, and I wanted to reunite with her and be safe. I found my secretary inconsolable and joined her to watch the news.

 

          Our Wednesday night Bible Study was crowded with worshippers who had long ago abandoned the Prayer Meeting. Now the altar was flooded with those who were once complacent. Alas, we have returned to that former state but – for a moment – we were reminded that “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved (Psalm 62:2).”

 

Sweet Jesus, be diligent and vigilant for us today. You only are our rock and our strong defense. AMEN

 

 

Thursday, September 10, 2026

 

LET WISDOM REACH THE TONGUE

1 Peter 3:8-10

8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

 

          Decisions require unity in the membership and Peter addresses this first. His “be of one mind” comment does not mean that we do not have ideas and opinions that differ from our neighbor. It means that we are wise enough to consider and defer to the idea of another. Warren Wiersbe said: “Unity does not mean uniformity; it means cooperation in the midst of diversity.”

 

          The Apostle Peter is quoting Psalm 34:12-16 as he addresses his readers. He gives advice on living peacefully with one another. Not the least on his list is advice regarding the use of words. This is a discipline with which Peter had difficulty in the early days of his apostleship and probably struggled with it still. He knew the pain and disappointment his own tongue could produce.

 

          In too many very important conversations, we often find that we do not have enough resources to access both brain and tongue. Alas, we unplug the wrong one. We press ahead with verbiage without value.

 

Ps 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. AMEN