Inevitable Futility
August 05, 2024
00:01:00
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
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“You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.” 1 Samuel 12:21 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Samuel admonished the Israelites, “… do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.” v. 20(b). The inevitable consequence of “turning aside” from the LORD is that you will give yourself to futility, things that “can not profit or deliver.”
Do you want your life to mean something? Do you want it to count? You actually were created for life eternal. The only way forward is to give your life wholeheartedly to Christ.
Eternal life is the only way to live now.
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.” 1 Samuel 12:23 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
When the Israelites finally grasped the gravity of what they’d done in demanding a “king to judge us like all the nations,” they asked Samuel to pray for them that they “may not die” (1 Samuel 8:5; 12:19). Samuel agreed to both pray and instruct them in righteousness.
Christ-followers shouldn’t allow people to manipulate us into co-signing wickedness by saying, “just pray for me.”
We will certainly pray AND speak the truth in love.
"Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.” Jeremiah 29:1 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in scripture, albeit usually out of context and misunderstood.
Something that is often missed is that it is one sentence from an entire letter God sent to exiled Jews in Babylon. What should be noted here is that even in the midst of judgment, God still provided guidance and instruction to His people ,anticipating their return to Him.
So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
First Samuel chapter 1 begins by introducing us to a woman named Hannah.
She was tormented and grieved by bareness.
Hannah wept continually and was so disturbed that she wasn't eating.
Yet she makes her way to the Lord's temple, poored out her heart to Him , moving her lips but not uttering a sound.
Immediately, as she concluded her prayer, the matter was settled.
Though she didn't have any tangible evidence of an answer to her heart's cry at the moment, she had the tangible confidence in the one to whom she cried.
The matter was settled, in prayer.
So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Before she ever became aware of the possibility of a kinsman redeemer, Ruth the Moabite demonstrated a strong work ethic and confidence in the God of Israel.
The way toward God's destiny for our lives is through faithful obedience to Him and diligent execution of what He's put in our hands to do right now.
Before concerning ourselves with what may be next, we should first ask whether we've been faithful where we are.
Faithfulness and diligence now yields clarity later. Let's put our hands to the plow we have now.
“When we heard [it,] our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Joshua 2:11 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
When Israel was poised to enter the promised land, Rahab, the Canaanite harlot, risked her very life to protect YHWH’s people. This woman, whose life was filled with immorality, with no knowledge of YHWH’s law yet she risked her life for His people after only hearing of His exploits.
How much more then, should we give our lives for Him. We have His word. We know His ways. She we be any less committed?
Rahab’s conviction is provoking.
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
As Paul was incarcerated, facing imminent execution by Nero, he told Timothy perilous times were coming. Evil men and seducers would wax worse and worse.
But, he instructed Timothy to continue in what he knew to be true.
Then, he emphatically stated, “preach the word!”
As darkness mounts and wickedness increases, you and I must continue to cling the God’s Holy word and yield to the Lordship of Holy Spirit in our personal lives.
And, we absolutely must continue the preach the word!
We have our orders! Let’s magnify the King!
“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service.” 1 Timothy 1:12 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he expressed his awe, wonder and amazement at the inexhaustible grace and mercy of God in that He saw fit not only to regenerate Paul, but to also find him worthy for appointment to Gospel ministry.
Paul knows his history as a blasphemer and a terrorist who sought to destroy The Way of Christ following.
He stands as a witness to the fact, that no one—and I mean no one— is beyond the grace of God.
Keep praying for your unsaved loved ones!
“And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.” Mark 5:15 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Mark described the Gadarean demoniac, who said “My name is Legion, for we are many” as living among the tombs, breaking free from shackles and chains, howling in the night and cutting himself with stones.
But Jesus cast the demons out of him. And when the townspeople saw him with Jesus, free, clothed in his right mind… that is when they were afraid.
If you’ve recently been freed by Jesus don’t be surprised if it makes your old friends uncomfortable. It’s not you. It’s them.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
When the the Prodigal Son parable is discussed the focus is usually placed on the young son who squandered his inheritance, yet returned home when “he came to himself.” But, if you look closely at the biblical text you will see it actually reveals the inexhaustible love of The Father.
Jesus’ story-telling reveals that this was no usual earthly father. When the young son squandered all, brought shame upon himself and his family, The Father sees him from a distance, runs to him and restores him. That’s our heavenly Father.
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but [only] one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41(b)-42 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
After Jesus resurrected their brother, Lazarus, Martha and Mary, hosted a dinner party in their Bethany home. You can imagine the excitement and the buzz that swirled through the town and the number of people who came because the Rabbi had returned.
Martha busied herself with preparations. Mary sat at Jesus’s feet, basking in his teaching.
Life’s demands can easily consume our focus, but one thing is necessary: that we remain at Jesus’ feet, anchored in His word!
“And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.” Acts 19:22 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
As Apostle Paul navigated torrential ministerial waters in Ephesus, he sent Timothy and Erastus ahead of him as an advance team to Macedonia. Paul also includes Erastus as one who greeted the church at Rome in Romans 16:23 in which Paul described Erastus’ job as the City Treasurer in Corinth.
In 1929, archeologists in Corinth discovered a mid-1st century latin inscription that read “Erastus in return for his aedileship laid the pavement at his own expense.” The modern equivalent of a 1st century aedile would be a City Manager.
The Bible is trustworthy!
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.” 1 Peter 2:9(a) (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
When the the Spirit of God penned those words through Apostle Peter he meant every bit of them. Christ-following is distinct from the world. Christ-followers must look different from the world.
We shouldn’t be surprised then, when the world does not understand us and demonizes our faith. Jesus said, the student is not above the teacher. The world hated Jesus. We mustn’t be surprised when the world hates us.
We are called to be peculiar. Understand it. Embrace it. Get comfortable with it. Get used to it.
We are in the world, but not of the world.
Stay peculiar my friends.
“The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.” Jeremiah 1:1-2 (NASB).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Jeremiah descended from a priestly lineage in Judah. He grew up in Anathoth, about 2-4 miles northeast of Jerusalem, where the temple was located. He began ministering prophetically about 627 B.C., during the 13th year of King Josiah’s reign. This is about 5 years before Josiah began Judah’s spiritual reformation.
It is very likely that Josiah’s reformation was influenced by Jeremiah’s preaching.
“He who walks with wise [men] will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The American Enterprise Institute conducted an empirical study to understand the decline of religious faith in America. They concluded,
The data seem to show the main driver of secularization in the United States is government spending on education and control over the curricular content taught in schools.
Why? Because,
Children learn more at school than reading, writing, and arithmetic. They imbibe a whole set of implied assumptions about what’s important in life. Faith in God becomes a sort of optional weekend hobby akin to playing tennis or video games.
And our taxes dollars pay for it.
“Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female.” Matthew 19:4 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The state of Tennessee passed a law to protect its minors from chemical castration and mutilating surgeries in the name of “progress.” The Biden administration sought to prevent the law from taking effect.
Tennessee prevailed over the Biden administration in the lower courts so now the United States Government has appealed the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to fight for the right to irreversibly damage children in its support of transgenderism.
SCOTUS has agreed to take the case and will ultimately decide whether a state can protect it’s children from ideologically driven adults.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The editors at Scientific American penned an article calling for more government control and regulation of homeschooling.
They’re “concerned” because the government is losing its monopoly on the minds of other people’s children, as homeschooling explodes all over America. Parents have realized they can do a much better job training their children for a fraction of the cost using only a fraction of the time.
They’ve awakened to the fact that they don’t need to co-parent with the government and that has the totalitarians shaking in their boots.
Homeschoolers aren’t the problem. Government is.
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” Isaiah 5:20(a) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The United States Department of the Interior published a guide to “inclusive language” that tells bureaucrats to avoid sex specific terms like “husband,” “wife, “son,” and “daughter.”
The 24-page document, called the U.S. Department of the Interior Inclusive Language Guide, published “for official use only,” details the terms bureaucrats should use or avoid.
The guide includes a list of 104 different terms that the Interior recommends replacing with alternate, approved words.
The guide even instructs bureaucrats to refrain from using the term “preferred pronouns” because it implies that “gender identity” is a choice.
Our tax dollars at work ladies and gentlemen.
“A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Several Columbia University administrators were caught mocking a panel on antisemitism in a group text-message chat.
The Washington Free Beacon obtained photographs of the text messages showing the administrators,
Responded with mockery and vitriol, dismissing claims of antisemitism and suggesting the Jewish figures on campus were exploiting the moment for ‘fundraising potential.’
It’s not surprising that Columbia University is one of the schools overwhelmed by anti-Israel demonstrations and bigotry. It seems, at a minimum, some of their leaders share similar sentiments. No wonder they weren’t in a hurry to quell the “protests.”
“And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them.” Isaiah 3:4 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The fall out from the disastrous June 27th debate for Joe Biden has led Democrat elected officials and party loyalists to call for Mr. Biden to exit the presidential race.
The reality, however, is that the American people have now been publicly confronted with the fact that we’ve been subjected to a shadow presidency. The people running the Whitehouse currently were not elected to do so by the American people.
This is has been perpetrated by the entire Democrat party apparatus: the Obamas, The Clintons, Susan Rice, Ron Klein, Anthony Blinken and more.
Changing presidential candidates will not change the corruption.
