Tag: Country Preacher

Fence Post Devotionals “The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”

Living Water

“When the last and biggest day of the feast came around, Jesus spoke out to the crowd so they could all hear Him, yes-sir-ee! He hollered out, ‘If any one of y’all is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! Any fellow or gal that believes in Me like the Good Book says will come to have rivers of living water gushin’ forth from deep inside”— John 7:37-38 (“The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”).

One of the best-loved country and western songs of all times is “Cool Water.” Written by Bob Nolen, it was first recorded on March 27, 1941 by the Sons of the Pioneers. Others who recorded the song were such artists as Hank Williams, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Frankie Laine, Marty Robbins and Burl Ives.

“Cool Water” is about a prospector and his mule named Dan. Parched from thirst, they are crossing a barren desert, and are tormented by mirages of water dancing across the burning sands. Following are some of the lyrics . . .

“All day I face the barren waste, without the taste of water, cool water. Old Dan and I with throats burned dry, And souls that cry for water, cool, clear, water.”

Chorus:

“Keep a-movin’ Dan don’t ya listen to him Dan, He’s a devil of a man and he spreads the burning sand with water. Dan, can you see that big green tree, where the water’s running free, And it’s waiting there for you and me?”

It almost makes you thirsty just to read the lyrics. And, of course for the prospector and his mule, it was real thirst that they were dealing with.

Perhaps you have been thirsty. Maybe there has been a situation in your life that you, like the prospector, experienced a life-threatening need for water; you knew what it was to be truly thirsty.

At times when I have been thirsty, and it may be true for you as well, that the only thing that really and truly slacked my thirst was water. Nothing else, no other beverage really satisfied my thirst like a good long drink of “cool water.”

Well, that’s all about physical thirst. But, there is another kind of thirst. There is also a spiritual thirst that can be just as real and tangible a need as physical thirst.

That’s what Jesus is talking about in our text. He is in Jerusalem and it is the last day of the Feast of the Booths that celebrates God’s provision of water for the Children of Israel during their 40-years of wilderness wanderings. On that 7th and last day, the Jewish priests carried clay pots filled to the brim with water up the temple steps.

And Jesus cries out to the crowd, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” He wasn’t talking about physical water and He wasn’t talking about a physical thirst. He was talking about the soul of man. He was speaking about salvation. He was talking about a deeper and greater thirst, and that is to know God in a saving relationship. You see, He is the only One who can satisfy the deep needs, the deep cravings and thirst of all mankind.

It is the same that Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well . . .

“Jesus . . . said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

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Rider on a White Horse

“Jesus said to His pardners, ‘Let’s saddle up and ride back to where Lazarus’s family is”—John 11:7 (“The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”).

Did Jesus ride a horse? No! Not really. I periodically had Jesus and His disciples riding horses in the writing of “The Gospel of John Cowboy Style” just as a fanciful way to keep the translation cowboy Style.

Scripture does, however, record at least one time when Jesus rode on a donkey. It was the occasion of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem when He rode on the foal of a donkey. But as any cowboy knows and will tell you that riding a donkey’s colt is a far cry from riding a horse.

But, that’s not all of the story. The Bible says there will come a time when Jesus will ride on the back of a horse; and not just any horse, but a very Continue reading “Blog”

Fence Post Devotional “The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”

Painting by Jeff Segler

An Appointment to Keep

“Jesus figured it was gettin’ ‘bout time to move on to Galilee. So He cleared on out of Judea for the time bein’. He was of a mind to follow the trail through Samaria, so they lit out” John 4:3-4 (“The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”).

When Jesus and His disciples left Judea to travel to Galilee, John made this interesting note of His traveling plans: “He was of a mind to follow the trail through Samaria.” The KJV has it, “He must needs go through Samaria.”

There were other routes to Galilee other than through Samaria, But Jesus determined, “He must needs go through Samaria.” Some orthodox Jews determined not to go through Samaria. But Jesus, Himself being a Jew had no such reservations. He said, “I must needs go through Samaria.”

But why go through Samaria? Well, the simple answer is, Jesus had an appointment to keep; an appointment that was made in eternity past, even before the foundations of the world were laid. She didn’t know it, but Jesus did. He must go through Samaria,  meet with a woman at an ancient well and offer her the gift of a lifetime, “Living Water” so she would never thirst again.

Did you know that Jesus has made an appointment with you? And like with the woman of Samaria, He offers you the most wonderful gift of all, “A well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:10).

And here is the amazing thing. He makes the appointment. He must needs find you. The woman of Samaria was at a well. I was in my backyard. It really doesn’t matter where you are. With overwhelming love He searches for you and finds you. And like with the “Woman of Samaria,” He offers to you the gift of eternal life.

Yam Sing, when presenting himself for membership in a Bible believing Church was asked by the Pastor, “How did you find Jesus?” Answered in his broken English, “I no find Jesus at all, He find Me.”

Comparing the Church to an Old-Fashioned Branding

When I think of a local functioning church, I imagine an old-fashioned branding. At a branding, everyone has a job to do. There are no by-standers; no observers–everyone has an assigned task to do:

  •      Someone tends the gate
  •      Another rounds-up the calves
  •      One does the roping
  •      A person attends the fire
  •      There is one who heats the irons
  •      Someone holds the calf (That was usually my job)
  •      While another does the branding

And if some folks remined after jobs were assigned, well they didn’t just stand around. They got involved too, doing everything they could to assist, Continue reading “Comparing the Church to an Old-Fashioned Branding”

Did God Write the Bible?

 

Is the Bible a human book or is it a Divinely inspired book?  Admittedly, the Bible was written by human authors, 40 of them over a time period of 1500 years. But according to Scripture, these human authors were all led and inspired by God as to the subject matter that they wrote. Scripture is explicit about this . . .

  • II Peter 1: 20-21 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
  • II Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Continue reading “Did God Write the Bible?”