The Hamilton Minute

“And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 (NASB95).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

As comforting as it is to know that eternal life in the tangible, manifested presence the Messiah is our home, salvation is not intended to focus us exclusively on the eternal state. In fact, Jesus explicitly instructed His disciples that we are to be reproducing disciple-makers.

Central to following Christ as his disciple is denying ourselves daily. Living self-willed, self-absorbed, and self-centered lives is actually contrary to the call to follow Christ. Denying ourselves is a daily priority if we are to follow Him.

“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.” 1 Samuel 1:18(b) (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

1 Samuel chapter 1 begins by introducing us to a woman named Hannah. She was tormented and grieved by barrenness. Hannah wept continually and was so disturbed that she wasn’t eating.

Yet, she makes her way to the LORD’s temple. Poured her heart out 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 tangible evidence of an answer to her heart’s cry at the moment. She had the intangible confidence in The One to whom she cried. The matter was settled in prayer.

“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.

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.”  Acts 17:26 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

The scripture teaches that God has sovereignly “determined the boundaries” of our habitation and the “appointed” the times in which we would live.

That means the fact that you live right now in the United States of America, in the 21st Century, following the November 2020 elections is not a mere coincidence. It is the time and place that God has appointed for you. This isn’t a time to shrink back. It’s our moment to contend! May the Remnant arise to meet our moment.

In Jesus’ name.

And you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Acts 1:8(b) (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

The 128th Psalm explains it is the individual who’s been transformed by the power of God who then builds the transformed family. Transformed families build transformed churches. Transformed churches build transformed communities and transformed communities impact the broader society.

The way forward in America is repentance and living locally. Focus intensely on your families, your local church, and your local community.

What goes on in your house is far more important that what happens in the White House.

Great commission execution must begin in Jerusalem.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.”  Proverbs 14:34 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

The prophet Isaiah diagnosed the condition of the rebellious nation of Judah prior to its conquest and exile by Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 59 of his book. He explained that Judah’s transgression separated the nation from YHWH. Due to Judah’s sinfulness truth had fallen in the streets. The consequences for their rejection of truth was that lawlessness abounded.

Similarly, truth has been rejected in our nation. Abundant lawlessness is the consequence for a nation that has turned away from the LORD. Repentance is what is needed in our nation, starting in the church. Righteousness is what exalts a nation.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”  Revelation 21:1-2 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

The city lies foursquare. Its length, width, and height all equal: 1,380 miles for each dimension.

The city’s wall is 216 feet high. Twelve gates surround the city, with each gate made of a single pearl.

Streets of gold so pure their translucent.

No need for a sun. God’s glory light’s the city.

No tears. No pain.

I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”  2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Have you ever seen one of those track and field events where the runner starts out in blazing fashion, leading the pack for majority of the race, only to stumble just before reaching the finish line?

Starting the race well and running well are vitally important, but if we don’t finish the race well, all else can be overthrown.

The Apostle Paul penned those words, having fought the good fight, right on to the end as he faced imminent execution under Nero’s sword.

Let us all brothers and sisters set our courses to finish well.