"What This We Stuff"

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Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." Psalms 34:19. At first glance, this wonderful verse of scripture may seem to be a combination of both cursing and blessing, but it is my prayer that before this little article is finished, it will be very clear that every word of it is a very true blessing and that this article in itself will also prove to first of all glorify the Lord who gave it to me and then to serve as a very real and lasting blessing to every reader.

First of all, I do realize that the less than proper grammar of the title of this little article would tend to lead some to think that the writer has a few marbles missing. Well, that indeed may be true, but please don't let that hinder you from reading on, for the One who laid this little article upon my heart truly has all the marbles as it were. And He alone will make it worth your while to endure the improper grammar, the misspelled words, the typographical errors, and all the other imperfections you may encounter in this and any other article I am so blessed to write.

Let us consider the verse of scripture that the Lord has so graciously given me to begin this little article with. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous..." It is through some afflictions that the Lord has laid this article upon my heart. I won't go into detail about them all, but those who know me, know of some if not all of them. But the main thing here is to determine just exactly who God's Holy Spirit was speaking of when He inspired king David to write these words. Please don't anyone reading this article just stop here and run out and tell everbody that Mickey Quinn said that he is righteous. We will find the answer to this as well as every other question in God's Word. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6. That should put a halt to those who would say that Mickey Quinn claimed to be righteous.

We are all pretty much covers everybody. So that's me and it's you, but who then is the scripture talking about? Me, for one, and you, I hope. You may say that this doesn't make sense, just like the title of this article. Sort of like the grace of God isn't it? Again though, we find the answer in God's Word where we read, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:". Romans 3:21-22. So you see, I am the righteous spoken of by the Word of God. But not me of myself, but through the grace of God in His Son Jesus Christ. Paul also said, "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 2:21. Now that's me my friend, and if you have truly trusted Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour, it's you too.

Now, just in case the title of this article is still bothering you, I will try to ease your mind by telling you it's origin. I heard a joke once concerning the Lone Ranger and his faithful? sidekick Tonto. It seems that the Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding across the plain one day. By the way, that question mark after the word "faithful" was not a typographical error, for though I may make a few of those in the course of this article, I put that there for a reason. Anyway, while they were riding, they came to a fork in the trail and they stopped. Just then, Tonto turned to the Lone Ranger and asked, "What we do now Kimosaby?" To which, the Lone Ranger replied, "We'll go this way." As they proceeded further down the trail, they came to yet another divide and stopped again. And again Tonto turned to the Lone Ranger and asked, "What we do now Kimosaby?" Again, came the answer, "We'll go this way." Well, it seems that as they traveled on, they suddenly found themselves stopped at the edge of a cliff and it was about twenty feet to the other side, at which time the Lone Ranger turned to his faithful? sidekick Tonto and asked, "What are we going to do now Tonto?" To which Tonto replied, "What This We Stuff?" Well, it seemed old Tonto wasn't as faithful as suspected, nor did he want any part of jumping across that cliff. The Lone Ranger had found himself on his own.

Not so with the righteous, who we have already determined to be a true child of God, saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. This is also known as a Christian. The Bible says, "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." 1 Peter 4:16. A Christian. So many people use and abuse that title, but it is only truly given to those who have really and truly trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and received Him into their heart and life as Lord of the same.

I heard a woman talking one day, and though she was not talking to me, she was talking where I could easily hear it. Now this woman is one who has claimed to be a Christian. She was telling about her husband being a Mason and that he had brought home a bumper sticker that evidenced him to be a Mason. Her husband had put this bumper sticker on her car and when she questioned him about it, he had just told her to run it on her car. She went on to say that she found that when she would be out somewhere and have car trouble, people would see that Mason sticker on her car and go out of their way to help her. This woman just took on over how that the Masons helped each other and then she went on to drag the name of the Lord Jesus Christ through the dirt and said, "If Christians were like that, there wouldn't be any need for the Masons."

What an awful thing for someone who claims to be a Christian to say. I then told this lady, "All the ones that I know are like that only more so." I am not just trying to take up for Christians, which I would, but I believe that with all my heart. Indeed, there are a lot of people who claim the name of Christ, who could care less if those around them are hurting. But let it be known that not everybody who claims the name of Christ is a Christian.

There is something that happens to a person when he or she becomes a child of God and this person has absolutely no control over it. We find that Supernatural phenomenon found in God's Word where we read, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many." 1 Corinthians 12:12-14.

God's Word goes on to assure us, "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." 1 Corinthians 12:25-27.

Friend, how much more clear could the Word of God be concerning the body of Christ? There is absolutely no such thing as a Lone ranger in the body of Christ and Christ has no wooden legs. The Lone Ranger in the previous story found himself alone in his decision about the cliff, while his faithful? companion Tonto proved to be just a wooden leg who was truly unfaithful. And those Masons in the other story boast of jumping over one another to help another Mason. But not only does the real body of Christ (the Christian) go out of their way to help and even suffer with other members of the same body, but we also go beyond that and love and care for those that we know not to be of His body.

At the beginning of this little article, I mentioned some suffering that I have experienced. Well, while I write this article I continue in some of it. But let me make it very clear, very clear that in none of it have I found any lack in fellow sufferers who have gone to the mat with me and on my behalf. Now I have not said that that everyone that I know who claims to be a Christian has gone out of their way to help me and suffer with me. But everyone that I know who is a real born again Christian has done that and so much more.

Now, whether you are indeed a Christian or not, if you find yourself suffering and like the Lone Ranger, you are for sure hanging around the wrong crowd. My friend, Christians, real Christians, don't need bumper stickers, although I have considered writing an article entitled, "Going To Church In A Honda". You see, my dear wife drives a Honda Accord and we usually go to church in her car. Listen very closely my dear friend to what the Word of God has to say about a real Christian and His real Church, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together and had all things in common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God and having favour with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Acts 2:42-47.

That was the first church and I would like to have gone to that church, but through the deception of the devil and the watering down of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the church is not the same anymore. People talk about this church or that church being full of hypocrites, but indeed the church buildings are full of lost people who think they are Christians and who have no real love for the child of God, much less the poor lost sinner who they know will burn in hell forever unless they hear the Good News that Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone saves.

The Lord gave me an article not long ago which I entitled, "Please Don't Shear The Goats", which I would recommend that you read if you have never read it. Anyway, I heard a story recently that was sort of related to that article. At first I had wished that I had heard the story in time to have incorporated it with that article, but since then I have come to realize that this is the article the Lord meant for it to be in and He knows so much better than I do who needs what and in which article.

In the story this man told that as he was growing up, his Daddy hated cats, but his Mamma loved cats. The man went on to say that his Mamma died and that night as they all sat around in the living room, the cat got into the house somehow. He said that the cat went around to all the children and rubbed up against them. Then, he said the cat went over to his Daddy's chair last and started rubbing up against him. He said that they were all surprised to see his Daddy reach down and take the cat into his arms and stroking it through the night. He went on to say, "Daddy didn't all of a sudden love that cat, but he loved Mamma and Mamma loved that cat."

He loved Mamma. There are many Christians (even real Christians) who make it hard for us to love them and even more so, those who are without Christ. But every Christian, every real Christian, who has received Jesus Christ into their heart and life, loves Jesus. If a man, woman, boy, or girl really and truly loves Jesus, that person cannot and will not shun or push away those who they know that Jesus loves.

"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? And he saith unto Him, Yea Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." John 21:15-17.

Three times, the Lord asked Simon if he loved Him, and each time he replied, Yea, Lord. Three times the Lord instructed Simon to feed His lambs or His sheep. By the end of this questioning, Simon was grieved that the Lord kept asking him if he loved Him. Simon was absolutely right when he told the Lord, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." The Lord indeed knows all things and He indeed knew that Simon loved Him. He kept asking him if he loved Him as a means of telling him that though there would be some who would make it very hard for him to love them, that he should love them because he loved Him and because he knew that Jesus loved them. Daddy stroked that cat because he loved Mamma and because he knew that Mamma loved that cat.

I am so thankful to God for all you dear saints of God who, though I am so hard to love, have been faithfully! there for me in the times of my affliction. And unlike the Lone Ranger's faithful? sidekick Tonto, did not say, "What This We Stuff", but took it upon yourselves to love me anyway. And to suffer with me, and above all else to pray for me. I cannot in my wildest imagination (and all who know me, knows how truly wild it is) think of a farther reaching, more powerful, or longer lasting blessing than to have a real saint of God down on their knees in love for another and most especially, for someone as unworthy as me. My tiny vocabulary will not allow me, this side of glory, to express to you the swelling in my heart as I consider the contribution you have made to my abundance of health.

May our God most richly bless each of your hearts this day and always. This little article is mainly intended for those who may have doubts as to what a real Christian is like, but it is dedicated to you who are most precious to my own heart and my most earnest prayer for you is that it will be as special a blessing to your heart as it has been to mine. Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, I give to you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.