A New Year and Renewed Perspective

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father,who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and theFather are one.” -John 10:27-30. ESV.

The context of this Scripture is an occasion when Jesus was in the Temple at Jerusalem,walking in the colonnade of Solomon (John 10:22). Some Jewish leaders said to Him, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24). Jesus reminded them that He had told them, and they did not believe, because they were “not of his flock.” Then,using the familiar shepherd/sheep relationship, Jesus proceeded to tell all who heard (and us, through John’s gospel) that those who are believers in Him (his sheep), know and follow him, and have eternal life, and will never, ever perish, and are forever in the Father’s hand, because Jesus and the Father are one.

What joy to face every day and a new year knowing that a believer belongs to Jesus,the Good Shepherd, and that no one or no occasion can pluck the believer (the sheep of the Good Shepherd) from the Father’s hands.

A year brings forth many unexpected happenings, life-changing, hard to bear at times, yet if we have the faith Christ talked about in John 10:27-30, we know,assuredly, that all is well and all will be well.

The year 2017 brought a deep, deep sorrow into my life. On November 16, 2017, my only son, the Rev. Elton Keith Jones, died with a massive heart attack. He had been diagnosed with heart difficulties more than three years previous, and was under cardiologists’ care. Like both his father and his mother, he had propensity for heart difficulties and was seeking to live life in accordance to physicians’ instructions and precautions of one who has an “ailing” heart. But on that Thursday morning, death came suddenly. The strength that has borne me through this deep, deep sorrow has been the firm assurance from Scripture that he was safely in the fold of God and all is now well with him, given the eternal life promised by Jesus Christ, God’s Son. These words, and others, assured me of Keith’s eternal home, with all illnesses gone and with him safely in heaven where all is joy, peace and rest.

When sorrows come, God is with the believer. When faith needs to be strengthened—and practiced—God is there, the Rock, the Encourager, the Good Shepherd, in attendance and loving.

With this assurance, I face 2018, knowing that there is not a sorrow God does not bear, not a trouble He cannot lift. I pray that those reading this can come to such a renewed perspective and faiththat God Himself binds up our wounds and leads us to follow Him, whatever the circumstance we face. As at Lazarus’tomb, when Jesus physically raised him from the dead, he said: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:41). Future resurrection and glory also await all those who hold steadfastly to the belief that Jesus is God’s Son, the Savior of the world, the Resurrection and the Life. Amen. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 01.07.2018.

God’s Promise to Moses Is a Promise to Us, Too

“And He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give your rest.’ “ – Exodus 33:14

Moses returned to the plain where the thousands of Israelites (recently escaped from bondage in Egypt) were awaiting his return from Mt. Sinai where God had given to Moses the law (the 10 Commandments) and the Covenant. Moses came down from the mountain and found the people, under his brother Aaron’s leadership, a priest before the Lord, as was Moses, had allowed and even assisted the people in gathering gold they had procured before leaving Egyptian bondage. Aaron had cast a golden calf. They had bowed down and worshiped the golden image, to the great consternation of Moses. His heart was broken.

Could God forgive the erring people? They had broken the first and second commandments: “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” And “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.” In their desire to “see” God, they had made a false god to worship.

At the beginning of Chapter 33, God again commanded Moses to lead the people to the land He intended to give them for their inheritance. Even though they had grievously gone against God’s command in making and worshiping the golden calf, still God remembered the covenant he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, “ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your offspring I will give it. I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33: 1-3, ESV).

On Moses’ plea, God forgave the people and promised Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14). Chapters 34 through 40 of Exodus tell how the commandments were written by the hand of God again on tablets of stone Moses took with him to Mt. Sinai the second time. The covenant was renewed. Then the Tent of Meeting was built in in a much more elaborate fashion, and the Tabernacle became the center of and place for Hebrew worship until such time as they were settled in Jerusalem and Solomon, a future king, could erect the magnificent temple to honor God and in which they would worship. To indicate God’s presence with the nation, we read: “For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys” (Exodus 40:38). God was faithful to his promise to Moses, earthly leader of the people of Israel: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14, ESV).

Thank God, that even today, hundreds of years after the Exodus from Egypt, the wilderness wanderings, and the conquest of the Promised Land, God is still faithful to His chosen people. Under the covenant of the Lord Jesus Christ, all who come to Him in faith are the Children of God, we have the continuing promise that God made to Moses so long ago. Thanks be to God, I am a child of the King of King and Lord of Lords. Amen. -Ethelene Dyer Jones. 10.22.2017

The First Commandment

“You shall have no other Gods before me.” -Exodus 20:3 (ESV)

Exodus 20 begins what was later named the Book of the Covenant (see Exodus 24:7). The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20:3-17. In their shortened form, perhaps you as well as I memorized them when younger. Not only are they vital for Jewish believers, to whom they were given by God through Moses in either the 1400’s BC or the 1300’s BC, but they have become the foundation of laws for many countries in our world.

On “the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Eypt on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.” (Exodus 19:1). Mount Sinai is believed to be the mountain where Moses saw the burning bush (Exodus 3) and received his call from God to go to Egypt and lead in freeing the Israelites from the bondage of slavery. Now, after ten plagues on the people of Egypt, the Israelites have escaped, they crossing the Red Sea, seeing their enemies destroyed, and finally Moses and his large entourage arrived in the desert area with Mt Sinai stretching upward. Moses was summoned to go to the mountain where God spoke to him, giving him the code of laws which we call the Ten Commandments.

“And the Lord spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Exodus 20:1-2). God identified himself to Moses. No doubt, Moses had no trouble knowing who was speaking to him because he had heard God’s voice before. Was it audible? Did Moses actually hear the voice of God coming out of the cloud that indicated God’s presence? Or was God’s voice vocal, clear, understandable, unmistakable? With Moses’ attention, God identified Himself positively: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Certainly, with that experience and the escape fresh on Moses’ mind, he was ready to listen again to God’s counsel. This statement from God became a preface to the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law which God would give to Moses to be written down, not only for keeping before the people but to be studied, treasured, followed.

“You shall have no other Gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3). The first commandment declares unequivocally that Yahweh expects and demands total and exclusive covenant loyalty. There are no other Gods to worship save those conceived in the minds of those who would make an image or otherwise put up some entity to worship and follow. Monotheism, the worship of one God, is the only practice to be exercised by Moses and the Children of Israel, and yes, people everywhere are to take this first commandment from God as the exclusive way to worship. “Before me,” might mean, not just “ahead of God,” or “superior to God,” but worshiped “alongside me,” or “in addition to me.” In the creation account, God had made His identity as the one and only God known. In Egypt, with the plagues, Almighty God had displayed His power and superiority to the so-called gods of Egypt. Now, Moses and the Israelites were to demonstrate the power, love and supremacy, in keeping with God’s promise years before to Abraham that He would make him “Father of many nations,” and that Abraham’s seed would be as the sands of the seashore. And tied with that promise, the command to take the knowledge of the Lord to all peoples. And an important lesson for all peoples to learn: “You shall have no other Gods before me” (the first commandment). An important task for the Israelite people was to make the one true God known. God speaks this command with authority and expects obedience from those who love, worship, serve and follow Him. “The Lord is God; there is no other besides Him” (Deut 4:34, 39. TLB).

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for giving us the Ten Commandments that are a guide for how we should live, vertically in relationship to you (Commandments 1-4) and horizontally in relationship with our fellow man in the society in which we live (Commandments 5-10). And we begin on the right road with You by recognizing You, Sovereign Lord, Creator, Savior of all who believe and accept Your Truth, Love, and sacrifice for sin. Help us so to live that we may reflect Your love and sovereignty in our lives. Amen. -Ethelene Dyer Jones. 10.08.2017

Hold On!

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? -Psalm 27:1 (KJV)

Sometimes life is a struggle

With twists and turns so blind.

How can I hope to hold on,

Assurances to find?

Each day a step toward victory

In this way we walk and run;

Each morning’s dawn a promise

With the rays of brilliant sun.

A Hand reaches out to touch me,

God’s Hand with mighty strength;

He knows already my life and death,

Their depth, their height, their length.

“Fear not,” He whispers warmly

Whatever turn I take;

He knows my mind and holds my hand

In struggles that I make.

Even pain will not oppress me,

Nor the darkness override;

His Hand is ever upon me

To sustain me and to guide.

Behold! What a gift life is,

Although beset at times with doubt;

God is my Guide and Anchor,

He’s prepared my entire route!

Thanks be to God for promises,

For His presence and His power,

My ever-present Guide and Stay

Throughout each earthly hour.

 

-Ethelene Dyer Jones 09.17.2017.

The poem was composed December 7, 2011, when my husband, the Rev. Grover D. Jones, was near death after having had debilitating Alzheimer’s for 18 years. I knew God would see me through the remainder of his days, as He had since his diagnosis 17 years previously. The doctors/nurses who attended him stated that they had not known a case of Alzheimer’s when the patient lived as long as he did with the disease.. He died peacefully and quietly on January 26, 2011 at 1:26 a. m. in Georgia War Veterans’ Home, Milledgeville. I looked after him 14 of the 18 years at home, and visited him almost every day the 4 years he was in Veterans’ Home, except for the days/weeks when I myself was in the hospital, as for five bypasses heart surgery (August 30, 2007) and another major surgery for another ailment in 2009. God taught me, indeed, to “Hold On!” to His power and His Hand. I claimed for my verse during Grover’s long illness and during the many hospitalizations I myself have had for serious ailments since 1999, this verse from Psalm 118:17. I have also shared the verse many times with others who deal with serious health and other challenges. That verse reads: “I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” Each time I have come back from a near-death experience, I have rejoiced that God answered my prayer as I prayed Psalm 118:17. “ God’s not finished with me yet!” Amen!

Enjoying Spiritual Blessings in Christ Jesus

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” -Ephesians 1:1-10.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul wrote a long greeting, a sincere prayer for them in their faith and work, and praise that God had chosen them “from before the foundation of the world” to be “holy, blameless before Him in love.” The Lord had predestined all believers “for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.” What a marvelous heritage!

Today, the church of which I am a member, First Baptist Church, Milledgeville, observes “Heritage Day.” We consider the long history of a church holding forth the Word of Life on the same location, tracing our history at Liberty Street since 1811 (206 years). And, before it was named Milledgeville Baptist Church and relocated at Liberty Street, there was Mt. Zion Baptist Church (founded in 1806), whose members became the nucleus of the membership of the church founded in 1811. Whether our present church counts our years of existence as 206 (from 1811) or 211 (from 1806), we celebrate a long history of faithfully holding forth the Word of Life in this town. We rejoice in the history of faithfulness of saints who served before us. We read of their work and service in our church history and records that have been saved for us to enjoy. But we realize as we look back on history, that the Lord has commissioned us to serve in our age, to share our blessings of hope, joy and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a calling.

A Heritage Day celebration is for looking back at God’s faithfulness to the church for more than two centuries. It is a time to recognize that “through the richness of the Lord’s grace” as Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, “we have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of our trespasses according to the richness of His grace which He lavished upon us.” And furthermore, in our day, as with those who were faithful in the past, we too must remain faithful, and share the good news of redemption so that people will still accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and continue to hold forth the Word of Life for this generation and the next. The call to the faithful is the same, yesterday and today and forever. Yes. The Lord certainly “lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us His will according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, in heaven and things on earth.” And this we remember, on Heritage Day, and rejoice. We enjoy our blessings, and accept our responsibility to pass the faith on to others. How wonderful our heritage; how awesome our responsibility! Lord, let us be found faithful! -Ethelene Dyer Jones 09.10.2017

A Deep-set Longing for Fellowship with God

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?...By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life…Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”-Psalm 42:1-2, 8, 11 (ESV)

Psalm 42 is one of eleven psalms attributed to the sons of Korah as the authors. The eleven so signed are 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87-88. These “sons of Korah” were Levites, leaders in music and worship before the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness and also after the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. It is believed the “son of Korah” who wrote Psalm 42 (and possibly 43) was separated from his fellow worshipers for some reason, and is crying out in this psalm, telling how he longs to be back with those who enjoy worshiping God together. His enemies taunt him, but he continues to long for the fellowship of a brotherhood of worshipers “as a deer pants for the flowing streams” and as a thirsty man longs for water. Scholars believe that Psalm 42 and 43 were once a continuous Psalm, as the same refrain is repeated in Psalm 42:5 and 11, and in Psalm 43:5. Moreover, in Psalm 43, the writer (whether the same ‘son of Korah’ as of Psalm 42) holds out positive hope that he will soon be restored to his position of lyre-player and leader of worship with his believing brethren. He states positively in Psalm 43:3-4: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.” Then he concludes in Psalm 43:5, as the writer (the same one?) does in Psalm 42:8 and 11: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

We learn some valuable spiritual lessons from Psalm 42 and 43. In spite of suffering and hardships, even taunts from the enemy concerning the believer’s dependence on God and questioning who God is, the Psalmist remains steadfast in his belief in God. Discouragement, for many reasons, comes to all of us at times. Life is sometimes unkind and we must learn to “bear with the punches.” Just as a person cannot live very long without water to allay thirst, so the believer cannot go long without refreshment of belief that God is present, even in the dark times, and will be the guide and stay of his/her life. To come back from the hard, dark places, the Psalmist first recognizees his condition and moves from being away from God to experiencing restoration with Him (Ps. 42:1). He reaffirms that, whether day or night, God has not moved. The One who loves the believer is ever keeping watch. The believer just needs to realize there is no need ‘to be cast down.” Hope in God is shaft of light that leads out of the pits of doubt and darkness, of turmoil and suffering to the living God. The triumphant cry is “Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:5, 11 and Psalm 43:5).

The Holy Spirit woos a person in the first place to put his trust in the Lord God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8 -9, ESV). Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit, who walks beside us, teaches us, keeps us in God’s mercy and goodness: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.” -John 14:15-18 (ESV). Praise be to God! - Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.27.2017

Joys Come as a Result of Honoring Forebears

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”: -Exodus 20:12 (ESV)

The fifth of God’s ten commandments given to Moses for the Israelite people, and for us, who also study, love and seek to follow God’s commandments, teaches us that we should honor parents. Honor means to treat with respect due to their position and role. It means, while we are young, obeying them. And when we grow into adults, to continue to honor and respect them and to love and care for them. This commandment is the only one of the ten with a specific promise: “that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” This means not “just a long life,” (although that is inherent in the promise), but it can mean, too, a life that is filled with God’s presence and favor.

I am a member of Old Unicoi Trail Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Twenty years ago, on August 17, 1997, I became a charter and a founding member of that newly-organizing chapter (formed on that day) to serve the areas of Towns, Union and Fannin County in the mountains of North Georgia. I transferred my membership from the Tomocheechee Chapter, NSDAR, Clarkesville, where I had become a new member of National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in 1992. I had traced my ancestry back to John Ingraham of South Carolina, one of three of my ancestors (the other known ancestors serving in the Revolution were John Henry Stonecypher, Jr., Stephen Souther, and Bluford Elisha Dyer, Sr.). Daughters of American Revolution chapters throughout America seek to honor ancestors, and are patriotic and service organizations, not only honoring those who have preceded us but serving the needs of people in a compassionate and caring way in the present. The twentieth anniversary celebration of Old Unicoi Trail Chapter, NSDAR, recalled highlights of two decades of service to our area and highlighted some accomplishments the chapter and its members had made, always with the aim of service to others..

At the celebration meeting of the Old Unicoi Trail’s twentieth anniversary, two were presented awards: the “American Women in History” recognition by National Society, Daughters of American Revolution. Mrs. Shirley Carver Miller, wife of former Governor of Georgia and U. S. Senator, Mr. Zell Miller, was honored at the meeting for her outstanding work with adult education throughout Georgia, and the adult-learning centers that assist interested adults to earn their high school diplomas through the GED (Georgia Educational Development program). And I, Ethelene Dyer Jones, also received the “American Women in History” award for my work in preserving history through my historical preservation work and writing (five books based on local and area history and newspaper columns over a long period of 27 years, with a large percentage being on area history topics).

As I received the distinguished award, I felt unworthy of the honor, but at the same time glad and thankful that I had honored the memory of my ancestors who had fought for America’s freedom, and others since that Revolutionary War period who had stood firmly as patriots and builders of a free nation where we can exercise our freedoms to work and develop an even stronger nation. As I received the award, I was grateful to my own parents for how they had reared me, and my thanks reached back to John Ingraham and other ancestors who had been willing to fight for the freedoms we still enjoy today. “Honor your father and your mother,” a commandment with a promise, indeed.

Prayer: Thank you, God. Your word is true and righteous altogether, being fulfilled to succeeding generations of those who love and follow Your precepts. Amen. -  Ethelene Dyer Jones 08.20.2017