Good morning,

I have spent the last two days at two different cemeteries. We laid to rest a member of my Bible study class and the husband of another.  What they had in common was that they were buried with their wives. Today Abraham’s remaining family members are buried with him.

Isaac dies (Genesis 35:28-29, 49:30-31)

And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. ²⁹ And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place. ³¹ There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

Jacob dies (Genesis 49:29-30)

And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying place.

Three generations of family members are now buried at the cave of Machpelah. This was the norm at the time.

Church’s used to have cemeteries on their property. Generations upon generation of church members were buried in these church cemeteries. Then came the train, car, and airplane and changed everything. These modern modes of transportation caused men and women to leave their homes and never return. Families were separated and when death came, they chose to be buried in their new communities. Church’s built buildings for worship, schooling, recreation, but no longer for cemeteries to remember the dead.  Although there is a gravestone, many are never visited.

Let us not forget our loved ones who are no longer with us. Visit the gravesites of your families. Cherish the memories.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Sarah lived 37 years after the birth of Isaac. Long enough to see him grow up, marry Rebekah, and probably saw the birth of Jacob and Esau. She now dies and is buried at the cave of Machpelah.

Forty-eight years later Abraham dies. He is also buried at the cave of Machpelah. Ishmael, now 89, and Isaac, now 75, buried their father.

Sarah buried at the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:19)

 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

Abraham dies (Genesis 25:7-10)

And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. ⁸ Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. ⁹ And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;¹⁰ The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

Abraham’s and Sarah lived a long time. They had the opportunity to be buried together. What will happen to the rest of the family?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Today when a person dies we contact a funeral home and determine a cemetery to bury the body. Abraham had a several problems. First, there were no funeral homes or cemeteries. Second, he and his family were strangers in the land. Third, they owned no property. They went where God sent them. So what was Abraham to do with the body of Sarah?

First, he requested a place to bury Sarah from the people of the land. Second, he negotiated a price for a piece of land as a place of burial.

Abraham requests a possession to bury Sarah (Verses 3-4)

And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, ⁴ I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

Negotiation for cave at Machpelah (Verses 5-18)

And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant. ¹⁷ And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure ¹⁸ Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. (Genesis 23:16-18)

As we read the life and times of Abraham the Bible states that he was rich and well respected. The one thing he did not have was land. The cave at Machpelah was the only property he owned.

What do we depend on in this life, our possessions, our money, wealth, social standing, or our own personal prestige? Abraham trusted God to lead him and supply for him and his family. Although he had much worldly goods, it did not draw him away from his God.

May we be willing to trust God like that.

Tomorrow the story continues.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

When someone dies it is customary to bury them fairly soon after death. However, in Alaska, that is not possible. Since the ground is frozen during winter, burials must wait till the ground thaws. This week I will be doing one internment ceremony and attending another.

We will be looking at one family in the Bible to see how they dealt with the death of a loved one. Genesis 23 explains what Abraham did when Sarah died. Later in the week we see who else died and where they were buried.

Remember that gravesites and their gravestones are memorials. A  place to remember.

Sarah dies and Abraham mourns (Verses 1-2)

And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah. ² And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

This process is common when loved ones die. We mourn. We remember all they meant to us. Sarah knew Abraham all her life. Their journey took them from their home to wandering through the land of Canaan. She supported, comforted, obeyed, and loved her husband. Abraham mourned.

Tomorrow we see what Abraham does next.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5 and verses 11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives. Paul now counsels the Thessalonians to do seven things that will strengthen their walk with God, the church, and their relationship with others.  Now, having implemented these seven things, Paul gives us results. Verses 23-25 tell us that our God is faithful.

Result (V 23-28)

²³ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. ²⁵ Brethren, pray for us. ²⁶ Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss. ²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. ²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Remember that Believers were under persecution from various entities. So when Paul prays for God to sanctify (set apart) and preserve them, it was very important and meaningful. The encouragement he gave next was extraordinary.  He told them that the God who called them was faithful. God was able to do what He said He would.

Do we believe this? Or will it take the persecution of the first century for us to believe that we serve a faithful God who keeps ALL His promises?

I hope this study has made us think about how precious God is to us. How He has never failed us. That He has held us up many times when we failed Him.  He is faithful to care for all His children.

Think about these things.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5 and verses 11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives. Paul now counsels the Thessalonians to do seven things that will strengthen their walk with God, the church, and their relationship with others.

Counsel to:

¹⁶ Rejoice evermore.

¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

¹⁹ Quench not the Spirit.

²⁰ Despise not prophesyings.

²¹ Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

²² Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Paul knew that if the church at Thessalonica could do these things there would be less church infighting, better interpersonal relationships, and harmony.

Their focus would be upward to God. All of these actions are centered toward God. They would rejoice in their relationship with God. They would be praying to God. Their worship and giving of thanks would be to God. They would be sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They would listen to the Scriptures. They would make sure the things taught to them corresponded to God’s word. They would not do anything that appeared to be wrong.

This is what the 21^st century church needs to do. If we focused more on God than the things of this world, the church would be stronger and more vital part of our communities.

We will sum up this passage tomorrow.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5 and verses 11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to warn, comfort, support, and be patient.

Warn (V 14-15)

¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. ¹⁵ See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Paul exhorts the brethren. Exhort means to strongly encourage or urge someone to do something. He wanted them to warn those within the church, the body of believers that were unruly or disorderly. This is a problem in many churches today. The result is hurt feelings and church splits. It also ruins the testimony of the church and its members.

Paul exhorts them to comfort the feebleminded. Feebleminded means a person unable to make intelligent decisions or judgments. He wanted to make sure that these people were being shown comfort.

Paul exhorts them to support the weak. There are those in the church who may be aged, physically challenged, who need our support.

Paul exhorts them to be patient with all men. Patience is a character trait that is hard for most believers to attain. If things are going our way, no problem. However, when there is a deadline to meet, a person that rubs us the wrong way, or a situation we are uncomfortable about, we find our patience tested. That is when we need to go to God and ask for His help. Patience in interpersonal relationships is a key to well running church. Verse 15 tells us how to do this.

Tomorrow we will look at seven things we can do to create harmony within the church and with our fellow men and women.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5:11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives. Today we are looking at verses 12 and 13.

Know and esteem (V 12-13)

¹² And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; ¹³ And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Paul wants the believers to know their Pastors. Those who daily teach, preach, encourage, admonish, and pray for them. In Paul’s day, as in ours, there are many false teachers among us. Paul wanted to make sure that the believers were not being led astray. This should be every believers concern.  The only way to know your Pastor is to know what he preaches. If he preaches messages contrary to God’s written word, the Bible, FLEE, for he is a false teacher. The standard is God’s word.

The man of God, who does preach God’s word, should be highly esteemed. We as believers should hold up, take care of, pray often for, and support these Godly men. Many church goers never have a kind word for their preacher. We need to thank them for standing for the truth. We should make sure they have a nice home, food on the table, clothes worthy of their calling, and a good atmosphere for their families.

What discourages a Pastor the most is the infighting within the body of believers. Paul tells the Thessalonians to be at peace among themselves. Love is the key. We are to love one another. So many passages in the Bible speak about love.

To conclude Paul counsel is to “…know them that labor among you…”, “…esteem them highly in love…” and “…be at peace among yourselves.”

This is good advice for us today.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Chapter 5 and verses 11-28 was to counsel and comfort the church. Paul’s purpose in writing these verses was to encourage the Thessalonians to live holy lives.

Comfort and edify (V 11)

¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

God wants us to comfort one another. When a brother or sister in Christ is struggling, we need to provide comfort and caring attitude.

Edify means to instruct or build up. Believers should be trying to teach each other. We are to build each other to be stronger in the Lord.

The upcoming verses are going to show us how to do this.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

 I hope you have found this study on Jesus seven I AM statements helpful. Today’s word picture is the vine.

7.  True vine

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” John 15:1 

This metaphor emphasizes that He is the true vine, which contrasts Himself with the false vine or religion of Israel. The Jews were not worshiping Jehovah God, the false legalistic religion of the scribes and Pharisees. Theirs was a religion of works, of self-righteousness that God had no part. Jesus plainly condemned and exposed them as not knowing God. Jesus said, “And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.” (John 5:37) Note that He said they had not known the Father at any time. Further Jesus rebuked them saying, “. . . Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.” (John 8:19) Therefore, using the analogy of a husbandman or vineyard owner, Jesus made the distinction that God the Father is the owner or master of the vineyard and He is the master’s vine. (Bible-truth.org)

CONCLUSION

JESUS:

Sustains us

Guides us

Leads us

Takes care of us

Provides redemption for us

Shows us the way

Jesus is our I AM!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001