Author: Wade McRoberts

I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976 and served in the Air Force for 29 years. I flew the A-7D, the A-10A, the F-117A, and the F-16C. After retirement in 2005, I worked as a defense contractor. I was diagnosed with ALS in April, 2018. I received my tracheostomy in December, 2019, and have been breathing with the aid of a ventilator since. I have lost total use of my limbs, and write using a tablet with eye-gaze technology. I want to share my journey with you and share the hope that I have in the Lord Jesus!
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Discipline

 . . . discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.  (1 Timothy 4:7-10, NASB)

The Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to his protege, his son in the faith, Timothy, because there was trouble at the church at Ephesus.  Timothy was there, and Paul wrote to give instructions to correct the problems.  In this snippet from 1 Timothy 4, Paul speaks of godly discipline. 

What is the purpose of godly discipline?  According to Paul, “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”  There’s nothing wrong with working out.  No one disputes the physical and mental value of exercise.  However, Paul says there is eternal value to spiritual exercise.  In fact, he says the spiritual > the physical. 

1 Timothy 4:8 image.  Found at Quotess, 
https://quotess.net/life/wisdom/quotes-about-wisdom-for-bodily-exercise-profiteth-little-but-godliness-is-profitable-unto-all-thing/

According to Paul, there is both earthly and heavenly value in godliness.  Godly living attracts other people who may want to do the same.  This is valuable because of our mission to populate heaven.  Godliness is also important because as followers of Jesus, we’re in dress rehearsal for what we’ll be doing when we get to heaven.  So practice, because practice makes perfect! 

Paul concludes with why our actions are important:  “We have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”  God desires all of us to be saved, although it’s not His mandate.  But He is the potential Savior of us all.  It’s up to everyone to either accept the free gift of His Son, or to reject Him.  To those who pray Jesus into their hearts, God has promised the hope of eternal fellowship with Him in heaven, the New Jerusalem.  If you haven’t received Jesus, would you do it now?  Now practice!

Worship:  “Endless Praise,” by Charity Gayle
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Do Good to Others

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.  (Proverbs 3:27-28, NASB)

The excerpt above is from Proverbs 3, and is more advice from King Solomon to one of his sons.  To me, this advice is along the lines of loving your neighbor as yourself.  

When asked by a scribe to tell him the “foremost” commandment, Jesus replied, “you shall love the Lord your God” with all your being; “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:28-31)  Jesus’ guidance is simple, and had been previously given in the Law of Moses:  Love God and love other people.  If we could only do this, there would be no trouble in this world.  In heaven, all of us will love the Lord, and love others.  “Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matthew 6:10)

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/pro.3.27.NIV
Proverbs 3:27 image.  Found at I Live For Jesus, https://iliveforjesus.in/do-not-withhold-good/

This guidance applies to our enemies as well.  We’re called to love everyone, not just those who love us.  There are no caveats, no exceptions.  “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the Lord will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him.”  (Proverbs 24:17-18)  And, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”  (Proverbs 25:21-22)

Loving one’s neighbor is often hard.  If it was easy, it wouldn’t be commanded in the Law of Moses, repeated in King Solomon’s Proverbs, and emphasized by King Jesus!  Loving one’s enemies is doubly (at least!) hard.  But the Bible calls for us to leave revenge up to God.  God will take retribution on those who hate His people.  It all comes down to loving God, and loving people.  Without exception! 

Worship:  “Worthy,” by Elevation Worship
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Confidence

Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.  (Proverbs 3:25-26, NASB)

There are many instances in the Bible where people are told to have courage.  Situational courage is called for on many situations.  When angels appear, people are told to not be afraid (angels must be a scary sight!).  In the excerpt above from Proverbs, King Solomon, speaking to one of his sons, gives a tutorial on faith in God, and the resulting confidence. 

Solomon says, “Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes.”  He had been taught well by his father, King David, who was in many tight spots himself.  The source of David’s strength?  God Himself!  Solomon continues, telling his son why he should not fear:  “For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.”  Trust in the Lord is our ultimate confidence.  Because of His promises, we should have no fear.  (The primary mode of transportation in those days for most people was on foot.  Many of the roads were treacherous, hence the comment about “your foot from being caught.”)

Courage - Standing Tall - Trusting God
“Courage,” found at Bible.com, https://my.bible.com/reading-plans/29488-courage-standing-tall-trusting-god

God is good.  Because of His promises, we should have no fear.  As Jan Catton has reminds me, “No fear, only faith.”  I have placed my faith, hope, and trust in the Lord! 

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Worship:  “Confidence,” by Sanctus Real

This past Wednesday (10 August) was the one-year anniversary of my first post on Dead Man Not Walking.  It took a few days to figure out what I could do, and how quickly, but I figured I could do an essay every three days.  I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.  With the ALS, I lose a little bit each day.  I’m having trouble controlling a drooping eyelid.  When it closes, I can’t control the computer, and I can’t type.  My eyes also tear uncontrollably at times, and when that happens, I may look one way, but the computer thinks differently (many times I have been typing only to have all my work deleted).   But God is good! 

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God, the Strength of My Heart

Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart! . . . I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever . . . But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.  (Psalm 73:1, 23-26, 28, NASB)

Psalm 73 is “The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.”  The author is Asaph, a chief among the Levites, who had charge of musicians and singers during the days of King David, and who wrote many of the psalms.  (1 Chronicles 16:4-7)  In accordance with the title, this psalm deals with the wicked, but the portion above is from my highlights. 

Sometimes it’s just best to let the psalm speak for itself. 

Psalm 73:25 image.  Found at Rejoice in Him, http://rejoiceinhim.com/life/a-remedy-for-overcoming-discouragement/

“Surely God is good” to His people, to those who have put their trust and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.  God has surely “taken hold of my right hand.”  I look forward to heaven, and seeing the Lord, because of His good promises.  “This world has nothing for me (words from a song).”  Though I may come up short, and my time on this earth will soon come to an end, yet my God will never fail me, nor forsake me.  He is “the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  God is my refuge and my strength, “that I may tell of all [His] works.”  God IS the strength of my heart! 

Worship:  “Made Me Glad,” by Hillsong Worship 
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Glorious Praise

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious . . . “All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah. Come and see the works of God, Who is awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men . . . Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue . . . But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me.  (Psalm 66:1-2, 4-5, 16-17, 19-20, NASB)

Psalm 66 is titled “Praise for God’s Mighty Deeds and for His Answer to Prayer.”  There is no author listed in this psalm in my bible.com edition.  According to Bible Hub, “The name of the author of this psalm is unknown. There is no certain evidence that it was composed by David, yet there is nothing in the psalm itself which is inconsistent with the supposition that he was the author. Perhaps the most natural and obvious interpretation of Psalm 66:13-15, would be that there is reference there to the temple; and if so, of course, the psalm must have been written by someone else. But it is not absolutely necessary to suppose that the temple is there referred to, for the language might be applied to the tabernacle as the “house” or the place of the worship of God. There is, however, no positive evidence that it was composed by David, and it is impossible now to determine its authorship.” (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/psalms/66.https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/psalms/66.htm)

“Make His Praise Glorious,” found at Balanced Life Christian Center, https://theblcc.org/make-his-praise-glorious/

In the first section of the excerpts above, the author tells of his praises to God.  The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people, so we should praise the Lord when we pray.  Indeed, the psalmist says to “shout joyfully to God, all the earth . . . make His praise glorious!”  (the exclamation point is mine!)  All the earth is not shouting joyfully to God, as the author had hoped, so His people need to pick up the slack! 

In the second part, he tells us “what [God] has done for [his] soul.”  The psalmist recounts that God has heard, and answered, his prayers.  He has no doubt that God has shown “lovingkindness” to him. 

Despite my illness, I still feel like praising God.  He has blessed me with a great life, and He has not broken any of His good promises to me.  He doesn’t guarantee that this life will be easy.  My hope and my trust is in what’s ahead.  The best is yet to come! 

Worship:  “Make His Praise Glorious,” by Sandi Patty 
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The Blood

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on 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 on us.  (Ephesians 1:3-8,NASB)

Thankful today that John Davis came through his double bypass surgery well.  Praise God! 

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, excerpted above, he discusses some interesting doctrines of importance to the church of Jesus Christ.   This portion is part of the introduction of his letter. 

The first concept is predestination.  Over the years I’ve heard two possible meanings of predestination: 

1)  That those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be adopted as sons or daughters of God, and will spend eternity with Him in heaven; or, 

2)  God has predetermined before the dawn of time, who would or would not be saved, and thus have the same privileges listed above. 

Paul seems to point to the latter when he says, ” . . . He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”  But what about free will?  If God has already decided, why must we work to plant seeds that will result in the Holy Spirit bringing people into the Kingdom?  I’ve heard it explained that we don’t know how a person will come to salvation.  Jesus told us in the Great Commission to go to the ends of the earth to spread the Gospel.  “In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”  God loves us so much that He sent His Son, so that by believing in Him, we’re adopted sons and daughters of the Creator of the universe! 

Ephesians 1:7-8 image.  Found at Bible Portal, https://bibleportal.com/verse-topic?v=Ephesians%201:7-8

The second doctrine is that of the salvation by the blood of the Lamb of God.  The Old Testament documents that God requires blood for the redemption of sins.  In the Tabernacle and Temple, the high priest was required to enter the Holy of Holies once per year to deliver the blood of an animal sacrifice for the redemption of his sins and those of the people.  When Jesus came to earth, He lived a perfect life, free from sin, so He would be an acceptable sacrifice to God the Father.  Jesus went to the cross to take the punishment we all deserve, and His blood sacrifice is good for all time, not to be repeated, so you and I can be saved from our sins.  Praise God that He loves us so!  

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”  Because of God’s grace, we are saved by Jesus’ blood, and our sins are forgiven!  

Praise God that He loves us so much that He made a plan of redemption so that we could be saved!  Praise the Lord Jesus that He followed the Father’s plan and withstood horrific torture and crucifixion, so that by His blood we might be saved!  Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? 

Worship:  “Thank You Jesus for the Blood,” by Charity Gayle
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Psalm 34 IV

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken . . . The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.  (Psalm 34:17-20, 22,NASB)

We’re praying for our great friends, John and Jane Davis.  John is to have open-heart surgery on Monday, 1 August. 

My last essay on David’s Psalm 34, “The LORD, a Provider and Deliverer.”

“The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  To be righteous, or made right with God, one must put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son.  God will then hear, and deliver them from “all their troubles.”  Deliverance may not occur in this lifetime, but oh, what a time we’ll have in heaven!  For most people to be saved, they must come to a point of brokenness.  God promises to save them. 

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.”  We all have troubles in this world.  Some trials are worse than others.  But God promises delivery from them, which again, may or may not happen in this life. 

“He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.”  This is seen by Bible scholars as a prophecy of Jesus Christ.  As He hung on the cross, sunset was approaching, and with it, the Sabbath.  It was bad to leave criminals hanging once the Sabbath began, so to hasten death, the executioners would break their legs (the cause of death during crucifixion was usually suffocation, which happened very slowly; to breathe, the criminal would push himself up on the nail in his feet; breaking his legs would not allow him to support himself any longer, and he would die quicker).  As the Sabbath drew near, the executioners broke the legs of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus.  But having determined that Jesus was already dead, they did not break His legs. 

Psalms 34:22 WEB - Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of - Bible Verse Picture
Psalm 34:22 image.  Found at Scripture Images, https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/web/psalms-34-22-web.php

” The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”  God has redeemed those who believe in Jesus.  For those who’ve called upon the name of the Lord and are saved, they will not “be condemned” to an eternity of agony, separated from God. 

Psalm 34 is rich in the promises of God.  Like in the title, He is “Provider and Deliverer.”  He does these things for His children, those who have been saved by His grace through the blood of the Lamb, Christ Jesus.   

Worship:  “You are My Hiding Place,” by Selah
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Psalm 34 III

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 

Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.  (Psalm 34:11-15,NASB)

Still more from Psalm 34 (for previous essays on Psalm 34, please see the 15 July and 18 July installments).  More from David: 

“Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  This reminds me that the father of the home is responsible to teach the children to live by faith.  The “fear of the Lord” is a healthy respect, such that we want to do His will. 

“Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good?”  This seems to me to be a rhetorical question.  I think most people desire a long life, and to “see good.”  I do! 

“Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”  This is great advise for living from David.  The Bible is consistent about bridling the tongue.  Here, keeping “from evil,” and “speaking deceit.”  Next, actively fleeing “from evil and [doing] good.  Note the active verb “depart.”  We have to work to stay away from the evil, and to do the good works.  More active verbs:  “Seek peace and pursue it.”  The Bible is all about peace, and especially Jesus’ teachings. 

Psalm 34 14
Psalm 34:14 image.  Found at The Consecrated Woman, https://theconsecratedwoman.com/2020/06/30/seek-peace-3/

Last, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry.”  David didn’t know of Christ Jesus, but he did know that one of his descendants would be seated on the throne of David forever.  The only way for a person to meet God’s criteria for being “righteous,” or to be made right with God, is to ask Jesus to be the Lord of their life.  Then, God’s “ears [will be] open to their cry”  God hears from His children, according to His will. 

To summarize, God wants us to control our tongues.  He wants us to actively turn from evil, and do good (love God and love people).  He desires (though it’s not His decree) that we acknowledge His Son, and put our faith, trust, and hope in Jesus.  By Him we obtain righteousness, and gain God’s attention.  My hope is in Jesus. 

Worship:  “The One I’ve Been Waiting For,” by Out of the Grey
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Things Unseen

. . . we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NASB)

The text above is from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth.  In this passage, he discusses the unseen hope that followers of Jesus share. 

Paul begins by attesting that Christians “do not lose heart.”  Why not?  “Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”  I heard someone say once that from the time we’re born, we’re dying.  It’s a matter of perspective.  A friend I recently met through email, who has a terminal disease, told me he likes to remind others that they, too, are terminal.  We are all in a state of decay.  With ALS, I become a little less capable each day.  Some people, especially those who have terminal diseases, are decaying faster than others.  But to experience inner renewal, there is but one name:  Jesus! 

Paul further explains, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”  For those who have called upon the name of the Lord and are saved, what we go through and experience now is nothing compared to the glory we’ll experience later in heaven, in the New Jerusalem!  I can’t wait!  The reunions we’ll experience . . .  Jan Catton has told me we’ll meet inside the Pearly Gates.  It’s never too early to begin planning!

A man in a wheelchair looking to the heavens

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 image.  Found at Learn Religions, https://www.learnreligions.com/look-to-the-unseen-day-26-701778

Finally, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  Our hope lies in the things we can’t see now.  “This world has nothing for me.”  My hope lies not in a political party, government, nor the institutions of man.  My hope is in the Lord, and the promises of God that I read in my Bible. I stand on those promises of everlasting life which only Jesus can fulfill.  

Paul says that the things we see now are “temporal.”  Jesus-followers long for the things unseen, which are “eternal.”  One of the tasks Jesus is performing right now is preparing a dwelling place in the New Jerusalem for those who believe in Him.  This is one of the things we cannot see now, but for which we hope.  New Jerusalem is described in the book of Revelation, and oh, what a place it will be!  “The things which are not seen are eternal,” and they will be glorious to those who know Him! 

Worship:  “Rescue,” by Desperation Band

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Plans

‘ . . . Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare’ . . . “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.'”  (Jeremiah 29:7, 10-13, NASB)

The Bible passage above takes place during the exile of the kingdom of Judah to Babylon.  This is an excerpt of a letter the prophet Jeremiah had written to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, telling them God’s message to keep the faith, that eventually they would return to their Homeland.  The letter begins by telling God’s people to live a normal life while they’re in Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:4-6)

Jeremiah’s next instruction is to “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.”  This is good advice to us today.  Those of us who follow Christ Jesus have dual citizenship in heaven.  We’re just passing through.  Yet we’re to be model citizens where we are, to attract others as we seek to populate Heaven!  We should pray for the “welfare” of our city, state, and Nation so that we can lead tranquil lives, and dwell with security. 

Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 image.  Found at DailyVerses.net, https://dailyverses.net/jeremiah/29/11

Next, God tells them that their exile will last for 70 years, consistent with previous prophecy (God is a Promise-Keeper!), at which time they would be restored to the Promised Land.  “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'”  God has the same promise for His children, those who have called upon the name of the Lord, and have been saved.  God has a plan for us.  It’s up to us to follow.  

Jeremiah concludes this portion with, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.'”  This is true for believers today.  Wise men and women still seek Jesus.  When they’ve found Him, then God listens to our prayers. 

I thought I had plans for my retirement:  Lots of golf together with Sue and with our friends.  Traveling to see our grandchildren; oh, and our kids, too.  And traveling to places we haven’t been.  But God had other plans for me.  Four years ago I was diagnosed with ALS.  While I would prefer not to have this disease, I have to trust that God’s plan is far better than mine.  Plans for a “future and a hope.”  My hope?  I trust and hope in the name of the Lord! 

Worship: “Out of the Ordinary,” by Out of the Grey