Hunting and Ethics

First posted in 2006 under another blog title.

Hunting and Ethics

I was in for a hunting experience that I had desired for years. I was going to hunt elk with my dad. When I was a boy, dad and I would go on occasional hunts, usually for pheasant. I remember making the trip from Colorado Springs to eastern Colorado to hunt. Early morning, get out of bed, too tired to eat, drive a long way in the car, feel “travel woozy”, get to the hunting area and hope that by some chance with no dog you would be able to bag a bird or two. In those days, I never carried a shotgun, just a BB gun. It was fun to go with the men and watch them shoot. Especially fun was the day Mr. Pierce got all excited when a rooster pheasant flushed from under his feet. He pointed and shot - both barrels of that double-barreled 12 gauge went off at once- and the pheasant felt no pain. With half of its feathers left and weighing several ounces more with all of the shot it carried, that pheasant fell like a ton of bricks. Picking the shot out of the meat took the joy out of eating it.

On my thirteenth birthday, we went deer hunting with the Seanor family. I remember it well since it was the first time that I got to shoot a rifle. Of course it was a 30.06. As a young teen made up mostly of bone and skin, I was not prepared to receive the recoil effect of that 30-caliber bullet. My shoulder was sore the entire day and I could not even enjoy the thrill of the hunt. We bagged no deer or I would be writing about that rather than the sore shoulder.

This hunt was to be different. I was no longer a lanky 13-year-old teen along for the thrill of the hunt. I was 43 and dad was 70. Dad had two partners on the trip, Sam and Earl, both over 70 years of age (and both of whom were with us on the previous mentioned pheasant trip). I had with me my son Tim who was 16 at the time. I had lived in Oregon for 20 years before moving back to my boyhood home of Colorado Springs. During my years in Oregon, I had learned to hunt. I learned to hunt blacktail deer, elk, pheasant, quail, grouse, duck and goose. I had been successful in each of these game categories, although I did not consider myself expert in the field of hunting. I knew that of all the hunting, I enjoyed deer and elk the best. I was looking forward to my first Colorado hunt.

As is so often the case, the hunting grass is always greener on the other side of the fence . . . or state line. I had heard of Colorado big game hunting. I had heard of the success my dad and his buddies enjoyed in the place we were going. I had hoped that one year I would get to go along on this much-fabled excursion. I was ready to go!In Colorado, one can hunt for several species at the same time. In our party of 5 we had 3 tags for deer, one doe and two bucks, and five tags for elk, two cows and three bulls. It was a situation where we were looking forward to filling many tags and having great success. Before the hunt, we went over the rule: Everyone shoots and fills his own tag and not the tag of another. Besides being the law, it is a good hunting ethic.Elk hunting is a team sport. Everyone in the party is needed to find the elk and to pack it out when it is down. Because of this, many hunters apply the party rule to the killing of elk.

The scene goes like this: if one man sees a bull and two cows together and knows that there are tags in the party for all of those animals, he will try to shoot as many as he can even though his tag will be only for one animal. Then the whole party can go down and field dress the animals and pack them back to camp. Even though one person has done the shooting, everyone gets to benefit in the processing and possession of game. This process seems logical, but the state of Colorado, and most other states, enacted a law that prohibits this type of hunting activity. An ethical dilemma exists. Should the hunting party go by the knowledge of the law or by the inspection of the law? We knew that where we were back in the wilderness, no law enforcement officer was expected because of the remote location. We agreed to the rule, but I suspected an upcoming test in the hunt.

We arrived the day before the season opened. The first task was to set up the tent – the 16-foot army tent. Heavy canvass. Oil sealed canvass. Stinky canvass. Tent up, cots set, wood stove placed, tent organized and we were ready. We were hunting near Gunnison. We were camped within a mile of the Fossil Ridge Wilderness at an elevation of 10,000 feet. Over the previous 5 to 10 years, my dad and his buddies had become acquainted with this area for hunting and had done very well there. The elk they hunted were migratory. When the snows fell, the elk would cross a mountain range from South Park and come down to the Gunnison area for the winter. The terrain was like nothing I had ever hunted before. There were stands of quakies, aspen trees, thick as hair on a hog’s back. The trees were not very big in circumference, but numerous in bunches. Looking through a stand of these trees was difficult if not impossible, and walking through them was an experience. It is impossible to walk quietly through a stand of trees when the ground is covered with brittle and crackling leaves. Interspersed with the quakies were patches of “black timber”. These stands of pines and firs looked black. Hunting in these patches was better than in the quakies because there were lanes of vision that enabled the hunter to see if anything was moving.

Above these stands of timber were areas barren of trees. Timberline in that area is about 12,500 feet, and there was plenty of mountain above that. We were dependent on snow to drive the elk into our hunting area. We were hunting the third season in early November, so our chances of the snow were good. After camp was set up, we decided to take a walk into the wilderness so that I could get familiar with the lay of the land. The afternoon was wearing on and yet the day was bright and crisp. We had old snow on the ground in the trees, but the meadows were snow free. We knew that elk in the area would be “locals” that lived in these woods the year round. As we walked, I kept seeing deer tracks in the snow, but no elk tracks. This was curious to me because the experts told me that deer were rare in the wilderness area.

To find the deer, our party usually went south toward the sagebrush about a mile away. I could buy a buck tag if I wanted, but not to expect to fill it since bucks were scarce in this region. In our search, I noticed strips of black timber surrounded by great groves of quakies. Upon investigation, I found small streams flowing through these timber strips and lots of cover around. From my hunting experiences in Oregon, I knew that this had to be a great place for deer. However, I did not know if blacktail deer acted the same as Colorado mulies. I decided to walk through several of these timber strips. When I did, I found deer tracks along the edges and along the uphill portion of the timber. I remember thinking, “I’m here in the morning at first light for deer.”

The next morning we were up early and getting ready for the day. We started with a 4 star breakfast for sure. Scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, coffee or hot chocolate, bread and jam filled us up and got us in the right mood for the hunt. I had a short time in reading the Bible and prayer before going out, a habit I have formed over the years and really enjoy as I go into the woods. We developed a strategy for the day and for rendezvous. If one person got an animal, we would have fried liver and onions for dinner. I was going to be the one that provided dinner for that evening, I hoped. Our walk into the wilderness began before the first light of day. The sky was just starting to brighten in the east and the stars and planets of the night were shining brightly. The air was crisp – with a temperature of about 15 degrees. The weather was especially mild and we expected temperatures in the high 30’s by the afternoon. It was going to be a great day!

My dad and his buddies had a game plan all worked out. They would hunt together as they always had – separating and walking alone although in the same area. They talked carefully about the “benches”, the draws and hills around there as if they had lived there for years. They knew where they were, they knew the trails and ridges and creeks and they were at home. After one has hunted the same area for several years, he gets familiar and acquainted like an old friend. He is drawn to the old places like with a magnet. The hills and valleys become a welcome place. Each year they provide an enthusiastic greeting. After a year of not seeing each other, it is good to spend time together again. There is a settled feeling that only outdoorsmen are able to experience and express. I knew their feeling, the draw. I had seen them the year before when they returned from hunting vowing never to go back again because it was too long and too hard and too difficult. And then the hunting regulations come out and the pain is forgotten and the altitude and the weakness of the knees and heart is put aside and the memory of the experience and the call of the hills comes back and the plans are laid for the next hunt.

One thing that I want the reader to understand: the hunt is very little about killing wild game. It is comradeship with one’s hunting buddies, a oneness with God’s creation, an experience of walking with God in the outdoors, of having an intimate fellowship and experience with Him, of being led by God’s hand and of enjoying a part of life that many others do not understand.It involves clearing out the cobwebs from the mind after a year of business and city activity. Most hunters of big game are not highly successful. If success were the draw, hunting would probably fade away. The draw is a greater call and a greater impulse of life. There is value to being in the woods. Only in a hunting situation are one’s senses called on to look, to see, to hear and to feel to the intensity of the hunt. There is a heightened awareness that comes from intently looking for wild game and seeking to understand the tactics and habits of the quarry. There is a lot of study of animal biology that goes into hunting. There is the mastery of the terrain. The ability to be equipped and to survive in an area where man was not intended to live is a challenge. Taking a piece of paper with topographical lines and a compass and plotting a course and returning produces a confidence that is exhilarating. After a few years, that compass is built in to one’s senses and becomes a part of the equipment rather than a pocket piece. There is a heightened spirituality as one is in a place absent from the regular noise of life and able to listen and hear the voice of God in a new and intense way. The hunt is about the process, not about the end or the kill.

My son Tim and I split off from the rest of the group and headed to the black timber strips of the night before. We chose a point of entry and began to walk up hill within sight of each other. Our walk was slow and deliberate – lots of standing and looking between steps – “still hunting” they call it. The breeze was a crosswind that went from right to left. With that breeze, we were able to keep our eyes ahead and to the right for game that might be in the woods. We were in the quakies walking parallel to the timber strips. The snow in the trees made walking noisy. Each step was a crunch in the frozen blanket. After about 10 slow steps, I would stop and look. Each move and step was calculated. Turning my head slowly so as not to have much movement, I analyzed each lane of visibility between trees. Tim was doing the same thing up on the side of the ridge. He had been hunting with me for years, tagging along since he was 9. He had learned some great lessons in the woods and is a lover of the outdoors as I am. About 30 minutes after daylight, I saw movement on a trail up ahead.

I got into shooting position and froze. I watched as two does walked along, unconscious of our presence. They were moving quickly, probably spooked by other hunters. I was confident that we were in a good place. I kept watch over that area for some time and finally began to move again. It was not long before I crossed several trails in the snow. I realized that deer had been using this slope quite a lot in the last few days. I felt we were in a hotspot for deer. About 30 minutes later, I heard a noise off to the right. I looked and saw a deer coming toward me, barely visible through the quakies. As I looked for the head, I saw that it was a buck. My heart began to pound and I was trying to control my emotions. I waited as he walked toward me, hoping for a good shot through the thick trees. When he got 75 yards from me, he came into a clear spot and stopped to look around, his body quartered to me from left to right. I filled my scope with hair as I shot for the heart. The gun roared. I expected the buck to fall, but he turned and ran about 25 yards and stopped again. This time a neck shot put him down. My heart was racing. I had shot my first mule deer.

It wasn’t supposed to happen here. I called for Tim and he came running and joined me. We walked to the deer. He had run a few yards and went down in a heap. I could not believe my eyes. I had been used to smaller blacktail bucks and here I had a big mule deer down. He had a three-point rack, well balanced and proportional. The shot was a good one and had killed him right away and not ruined any meat. What had happened to the first shot? Upon examination of the body, I could see a wound, but it looked like a horn mark from another deer, not a bullet hole.

Tim and I marveled over the animal for a while. It takes me some moments to process the idea of having killed a magnificent animal. In life, the deer is majestic and beautiful. In death, a buck is awesome and I consider it a great gift. I hope I never lose that feeling. I field dressed the buck while Tim walked to a nearby shelf and sat, waiting to see if another animal might come by. In just a few minutes, we had a funny experience. A spike bull elk ran into the clearing between Tim and me. Since we were in an area where bulls had to have 3 antler points or more, he was safe from harm, but boy was he confused. He ran around in circles three times while we just stood and watched. Finally, he decided that this was not the place to be and ran off kicking up a great noise and flying branches.

It took a while to get this deer back to camp and hung in the tree for skinning. We were glad I shot it early in the day. While skinning the deer, my knife hit a hard object. It was the first slug that I shot, just under the skin and intact. The bullet had not expanded. It had lodged about 12 inches from the entry mark that I had noticed in the woods, but had traveled between the skin and the body before stopping. How a .30 caliber slug would do that and create no damage at all to the animal, I have no idea.

That night, we had liver and onions. We were grateful for the success of the hunt. Sam had shot a smaller buck and brought it in to camp late that evening, so we had two tags filled the first day, but no elk. In fact, Tim and I were the only ones to see an elk that day.Our elkless days were to continue the rest of the week. We heard very few shots during the day, indicating that nearby hunters were not having success either. We kept seeing deer in abundance, but no elk.

The last day of the trip, we decided to go to an area where I had seen numerous deer and see if Dad could get his doe. All five of us went together. Those of us who did not have doe tags would try to drive something to Dad and see if he could shoot it. We entered the woods and I began to see many tracks. After about 30 minutes of slow walking, I heard a noise ahead. I froze. There was a big doe staring at me through the aspen. I raised my rifle and looked at her through the scope. It was an easy shot. I could take her in the head and we could have Dad tag her. Then I began to have thoughts that stayed my finger. “You have Tim with you on this hunt. If you kill this deer, you will teach him by example that he does not need to abide by the rules. Is that what you want?” Another thought: “You can walk out of these woods with a doe and fill your Dad’s tag, or you can walk out of here with your integrity, but you can’t do both.”

I lowered my rifle and stared at the deer until it walked off. As quickly as I could I went and found my Dad and brought him to the spot to see if he could find the doe. We never found her and the tag went unfilled.On the way back to camp, we were telling stories of what we had seen. I heard the question, “Why didn’t you shoot?” It was not a question that expected an answer as much as it was intended to teach a lesson. It was a question that the asker had to deal with once in his life as well. My answer was, “I did not have permission to kill the doe.” I was never at peace as much as I was with that answer. I could have brought the doe in and everyone would have been glad for the extra animal. However, the price I would have had to pay would have been too great.

The Bible says: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Galatians 6:6-7 (NKJV) What a joy it was to reap the pleasures of everlasting life in my spirit rather than the corruption of the flesh through my rifle. I have faced more challenges in my integrity with a rifle in my hand than at any other time in my life. Integrity that takes a lifetime to build, but only a moment to give up. If surrendered, it is hard, sometimes impossible, to gain back. Knowing that one has faced a tough decision and has chosen the route of integrity is a great feeling. It rivals, even surpasses the joy of the hunt. It is not for the glory of the man, for there is no glory. The glory is for the Lord who changes the man and makes him a person that can consistently decide to do the deeds of integrity.

Perhaps a Spirit-filled hunter is a contradiction in terms in the minds of many. I would not want to be any other kind. I know that a man can pursue any avenue of life that does not contradict the Scripture and bring glory to God. I want to be a hunter that brings glory to God because I let Him work in me in all areas and avenues of life. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 (NKJV)

End of the Earthly Trail

I am writing a tribute today for a dear friend, Al Wright, who went home to be with Christ on January 2, 2008. He was a member of Berean Bible Fellowship, and we had just over two years together to get acquainted. His earthly trail is finished, but he lives in eternity with Christ.

Special memories

I spent a great deal of time with Al over the few years that I knew him. It was our habit to meet for donuts every week and spend an hour together talking. I learned many things about him, some of which I will share this morning.

He respected and honored his father. His father meant a great deal to Al, and though he was gone a lot in his work as a salesman, he instilled in Al some great values of work and industry that stayed with him all of his life.

He loved his country. We would often talk of the modern political scene. He was a conservative man who supported conservative candidates and was often flabbergasted about the state of mind of those with whom he disagreed.

Al would often talk of his military service in the US Army. He recalled with great detail the scenes of battle and the incidents that he lived through. He was proud of his service and spoke of working with General Mac Arthur, of serving in the Battle of the Bulge and of enduring the hardships of a good soldier. I was always amazed at his recall. So many men have come back from military service and buried their experiences in the depths of their minds.

Al loved his family. He would often talk with me about you and keep me up to date on what was going on in the family, even though I had not met most of you at that time. I know he prayed

Al loved his Savior. He talked often of his salvation, his early years with Christ and his continued devotion to the Savior. He loved being involved in church. Every time there was a meeting scheduled, he was there if he was physically able to be there. He prayed for the church, supported the pastor, and stuck with things through thick and thin.

He loved being involved with Gideon’s International. Gideon’s around the world are actively involved in distributing copies of God’s Word to as many as possible. He often told the story of the influence of the Word of God in his life before he was saved. It seems that in one of his tours of duty, he lived in the same barracks with a believer who had an active testimony. He would read the Bible out loud while Al was in the room. Al was not interested in the Bible at that time, but after a while he listened. He stated to me that it was the continual exposure to Scripture that softened his heart for the day and time of his personal response to God. God gave Al the blessing of meeting up with his Army buddy in the mall one day after Al was saved. They had a wonderful and tearful reunion as Al told the story of his salvation experience.

We each knew Al in a different way. As you have gathered together here today, it is appropriate for you to share a memory with us that would be an encouragement to the family that is gathered at this memorial service.






Al’s favorite Scriptures

In the weeks prior to Al’s death, I had the opportunity to meet with him many times and to share the Word of God with him. Today I will share with you two passages that lifted his spirits and encouraged his heart.

John 3:16 tells us the gospel message in a simple form. Al loved this verse. It spoke to him of the fact of God’s love for him while he was a sinner. He understood that as God gave His Son, Jesus Christ to the world to pay the penalty of death for sinners, Al was included in those for whom the price was paid. Al knew that he was a sinner, but he understood that he was a sinner saved by grace. So, on a particular day in his adult life, Al came to the place where he received the gift of grace from God according to His promise and believed by faith. Al understood that his faith in Christ was a gift from God and he took no boasting in his faith. Rather, he rejoiced in the assurance that because of that faith which he exercised in Christ he would not perish, but have everlasting life.

Although Al rejoiced in his salvation, there was one thing that bothered him and he mentioned it several times. He was bothered by the fact that he received Christ so late in life. I know his exhortation to us today would be: don’t wait as long as I did to receive Christ and serve Him.

Today we are at a memorial service and Al is no longer alive . . . on this earth. He has gone into the presence of Jesus Christ, according to the promise of God, and there he is as alive and vibrant as he ever was on earth – more so even. For you see, Al no longer has the physical limitations of a body that is suffering from the effects of Adam’s sin. He is freed from those constraints and sufferings. And that brings me to the second passage that I shared with Al that he loved.

II Corinthians 5 says: 1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down – when we die and leave these bodies – we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies. 4 Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. 11 It is because we know this solemn fear of the Lord that we work so hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

While Al was on this earth, he was a vibrant and energetic man – and I first met him when he was 87. But in his last years, you could see the reality of this passage in his life. He was slowing down and things were not as easy as before. He appreciated it when his grandson, Jason, would mow his grass for him.

But today, this promise has been fulfilled in Al’s life. He is in the presence of Christ. His body is in the grave, awaiting the day of resurrection, but He is in the presence of Christ in a glorified body that God has prepared for him.

Al would want me to personalize these verses for you today, since you have come to honor him. He wants to see each of you in the presence of Christ some day.

Now, you can only get there through faith in Christ. You must believe that there is a holy God to whom you are accountable. You must understand that you are a sinner, prevented by your sin from ever standing in the presence of a holy God. You must know that God has prepared an answer to this problem by giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the death penalty for sin by dying on the cross. When He arose from the dead three days later and ascended to heaven, he demonstrated that the penalty was paid and that heaven was open to all who would believe. But you must turn, with your will, from your sin and receive the One who died and rose again to pay the penalty for your sin.

If Al were standing with me today on this platform, he would be sure to make this invitation: now is the day of salvation. Do not wait any longer to respond to the message of God’s grace and to receive His eternal promises.

A final verse that I leave with you today sums up Al’s Christian walk with God on this earth. II Timothy 2: 1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Al has finished his tour of duty on this earth for His Savior. He has appeared before him as a faithful man, completing what was entrusted to him.

As you consider the life of Al Wright with me today, I hope that you find in his testimony the challenge to be the faithful follower of Christ that he was.

The service was a moving memorial. Al's grandsons, Jason and Mitchell both spoke words from the heart that showed that Al truly was a godly influence for his family.

We were glad to have known Al and to be a part of his memorial tribute.

Can you Believe it?

I have got to get one of these trampolines!!

For sure.

Be sure you put your money in the right vending machine. Can you imagine?

Detour on the trail

By now, there should be many posts about trails and adventures. Hunting season has come and gone and there are few trail reports to make. I did get a chance to go out for a weekend with some friends. They were the hunters and I tagged along. We went to a campground near Fish Lake outside of Wenatchee, WA. I remembered why I did not like camping at a campground. When the music was still playing at 12 midnight, I called the camp host on my cell phone and he came out with the Sheriff and quieted the place down. Wish I had called sooner.

I saw some beautiful country. We were looking for deer, but the deer did not want to be seen. Attached are a few of the photos from the trip.

The beauty of the mountain range in the Cascades.

Enough tracks for track soup. A little dry.

Someone was watching over us. Mr. Buzzard kept his vigil.

Down this trail have walked countless deer, but none when we were here.

The deer did not keep their appointment with destiny, and it would turn out to be my only trip out this season.

A never ending trail

I had hoped to have many trail experiences posted this summer. But such was not to be. Things will change now in a few days. I have accepted a teaching position at Grace Academy in Marysville. I will be teaching three sections of Bible. 9th grade will look at the doctrine of Scripture and Interpretation. 10th grade will study doctrine. 11th grade will study the doctrine of the church and missions.

So, the trail I have been pursuing this summer has been the treadmill. Margaret and I have membership at the local 24 Hour Fitness club. That is a misnomer, because very few of the members could be defined by the word "fitness" unless it was in the sentence, "Most members of our club have little experience with fitness."

So we go there in the morning about 6:45 and leave at 8 for a good hour plus workout. As part of my routine, I spend 10 - 12 minutes on the treadmill. Three of those minutes are running and the rest on a high pitched incline.

Some observations I have made on the treadmill.
1) I am in control of my speed, intensity and time. That is quite different from other trails I have been on. There the course is set before me, the time depends on my ability and the intensity depends on my effort.
2) The scenery could be improved. In our club, there are TV's in front of us to help while away the time. I have read of some clubs that project a trail scene in front of the treadmill to keep customers occupied. Some of our patrons read while they walk - I have tried it, but need glasses and don't like to wear the glasses while I sweat.
3) The mental time is stimulating. This is a great time to reflect, recite verses and pray. Margaret hooks up to a portable cd player and listens to books and music while she does her work.
4) When you get off the machine, you are still at the same place you started - lots of energy invested, but not much progress made. The exercise thing is to be cultivated as a regular habit. It is a good feeling to get the heart rate up to a high level for a period of time in order to keep fit and energized.
5) There is a big payoff in the future for me if I maintain consistency with my physical exercise now. I have already seen great improvement in my posture, my back strength, by endurance and my weight.

So, the trails can be grand and glorious in God's great creation, or continuous belts on electric machines in stuffy gyms. The key is: are you walking, and if so, how is that walk going . . . phycially, spiritually and personally? (No photos on this one because cameras are not allowed in the gym.)

Firey Trials

Fireweed. One of my favorites along the trail. Blooms reddish pink in early summer. Develops a series of reddish pods through the summer and then fuzzy white seeds in late summer and fall. When the flowers are in bloom, a field of them will look like it is on fire. In the fall, when the seeds are flying in the breeze, a field of fireweed will look like it is smoking. Quite a great plant and beauty from our Creator.

Peter talks about fire. Not the brimstone of judgment, but the welcome fire of trials that purify the believer. I Peter 4:12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1:7 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The imagery that Peter uses opens our eyes to the trials of life. The word is a word that signifies the trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy. This integrity, this fidelity is put to the test by that which is called “firey.”

When the smelter worked metal and wanted it pure, he would bring up the temperature in the furnace to the point where the metal was liquefied. At that temperature, the pure metal was consolidated and any dross or slag was removed. The remaining metal was more pure after the fire than it was prior to it.

When Peter welds these two words together, he produces a concept that ignites our imagination. The tests of life, designed by God, are intended to display purity and fidelity that are only His work. In ourselves, there is only dross and slag. In His fruit-producing life in us, there is only purity and goodness.

Some examples of firey trials:

Financial problems can force me to take my eyes off of my self-reliance and to return them to the Lord who has promised to meet all of my needs according to His riches in His time.

Health problems can force me to depend on God for daily strength rather than on myself and my body for daily strength.

Terminal illness can cause me to consider that there is an eternity I am about to face and that I had better get ready for what comes after while there is still time.

Take the trial you are going through. Look for the purifying fire in it. There is some there, for God has described the testing, the purifying, the purging as a welcome time of fire.

If you see some fireweed along the trail, remember God is purifying your life.

Sanctification

Two people whom I know are having an online discussion regarding sanctification. One (Chris Anderson) is proposing what some Puritan authors of old have taught regarding sanctification: fill one's being with the glories of Christ and there will be little room for sin. The other, (Don Johnson) is saying that such an approach borders on mysticism and is not taking into account the struggle against sin that demands the employment of the human will. (I hope I have summarized this correctly).



This text is one of the quotes debated: "So the path forward is not to decrease one’s affections but rather to enlarge them and fill them with ‘heavenly things.’ Here one is not trying to escape the painful realities of this life but rather endeavoring to reframe one’s perspective of life around a much larger canvas that encompasses all of reality. To respond to the distorting nature of sin you must set your affections on the beauty and glory of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the wonder of the gospel: ‘Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed with these things . . . what access could sin, with its painted pleasures, with its sugared poisons, with its envenomed baits, have unto our souls? Resisting sin, according to this Puritan divine, comes not by deadening your affections but by awakening them to God himself. Do not seek to empty your cup as a way to avoid sin, but rather seek to fill it up with the Spirit of life, so there is no longer room for sin.’ " Find this quote here under the August 1 post.





This discussion interests me because I taught and preached on this topic a while back. I am including a summary of some of the points taught.



"The thoughts and desires that are at the very center of your life are the things that are important to you. They represent your values and commitments. Things you are willing to die for. Your faith in Christ is found here as the single most important thing in your life.
The Bible says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:24), so it is that which is in the very center of life affects the way you think. Your thoughts affect the way you choose and your choices dictate your behavior. Therefore, in order to change your behavior, God must change your heart. There is only one way that your heart can be changed.
The things you hold dear in your heart, your inner man, are the things that affect your values and thinking. Proverbs 27:3 says that “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Your desires and affections affect your thinking. That is why Paul warns believers to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) rather than to be conformed to the world. Since we have a new nature, our thinking is brought to change.
When your thinking changes, then your choices are affected. “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8) The delight in the will of God comes because your heart and mind are influenced by the Word of God.
The final element that changes in life based on what is in the heart are the actions. The deeds others see are not just reactions to the circumstances of life. They are responses made to the deep things that you have placed in your life over the years in the form of values, decisions and desires.
There are some practical applications to this illustration. 1) If we simply focus on a person’s actions in order to build change, we may obtain the change, but the heart has not been reached. Lasting change and growth occur when the heart is changed. 2) If we seek to reach the heart of a person, we must take time to develop the kind of relationship that can search the deep things of the heart. 3) When making decisions that seem automatic in your life, they will be based on the years of wisdom or foolishness stored up in your heart. You will respond based on the way you have trained yourself to respond. Therefore, it is necessary that you take time to be careful how you are going to live, how you are going to think and how you are going to choose.



Here is how this is made practical for me. The struggle for sanctification is a warfare. Ephesians 6 is clear about that. Filling my mind with spiritual things, with the excellencies of Christ does crowd out sin.

If I am tempted to have wicked thoughts and vain imaginations, I quote II Corinthians 10:3-5 several times in my mind until the thoughts diminish. Then I fill my mind with the excellencies of Christ by quoting verses that deal with my subject matter so that my mind is renewed. If I am angry and having angry thoughts, I will quote and meditate on the fact that the "anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (James 1). If I am fighting lust, I will quote Philippians 4:8 and will deliberately bring into my mind things that are good and pure to replace the temptation to think on impurity. If I am struggling with jealousy, I will confess it as sin and work hard to think thoughts of honor regarding the person I am jealous toward. All of this is empowered by the Holy Spirit who is bringing me to perfection in Christ (Colossians 1:28)



When I take trips into the mountains (Don prefers the prairies and God created both) I fill my eyes with the beauty of creation, I fill my mind with praise toward God for what He has done, I meditate on the many benefits He has given me beyond what I can see (see Ephesians 1 for this) I fill my voice with song and give verbal praise and worship to God. All of this activity crowds out sin in my life for the time that I am exercising my will to worship and adore. Now, I will have to fight sin a few minutes later perhaps, when unexpected temptations arise in my mind, but I Corinthians 10:13 comes to play here and I quote it repeatedly and use it as the sword it is intended to be in my fight against sin.



I do not believe that any of this is defined by the word "mysticism." It is practical Christianity that puts into practice what believers have been teaching throughout the centuries. The battle is in the mind (Rom 12:2) and it requires a fully dedicated body (all parts of man - Rom 12:1) to win the battle in league with the omnipotent Holy Spirit, our Comforter.



These are my thoughts from the trail: the trail of sanctification.