Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Aug 25th, 2021 The Safest Place on Earth

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 41 – 45 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Romans 5 – 8; Psalm 119; Proverbs 25)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10

Read the “0825 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.” (Jeremiah 42: 13 – 16)

I remember back in the 90’s when I was serving God as a youth director for Lighthouse Baptist Church in Gloucester City, NJ, we used to go soul winning in the city of Camden. Now Camden was a rough town in those days, ranking at the top of the list in many crime categories. At first, we were scared to death to go in there, but God taught me a valuable lesson in those days: if it was His will to serve Him in Camden, then I was safer there than if I was in Beverly Hills or Palm Springs. Why? Because with the will of God comes protection as well as provision. We never did have one problem while we were soul winning there, and we spent lot of time in that city soul winning, and visiting our bus routes, etc.

The passage that we read today in Jeremiah remind me of those days in Camden. At this time in Israel’s history Jerusalem was a rough place. Most of the inhabitants were already taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon. No doubt there must have been a great fear of further oppression from the Babylonians. However, God promised the remnant in Judah and Jerusalem that if they would stay there and serve Him, He would protect them and prosper them. Unfortunately, the remnant did not listen. Instead, they decided to move to a place that was without war and famine: a place of wealth, culture, and prosperity. The only problem was that it went against the will of God. Guess what happened? All of the things that they feared  would happen to them in Jerusalem, happened to them in Egypt. They should have stayed in the place of God’s will.

Where is the will of God for you? It may not seem like the best place on earth to other men, but it is the place where you will thrive. Sometimes parents are reluctant to allow their children to become missionaries, because they fear for their safety on the foreign field, but they are safer there in the will of God than in the best place in America outside of God’s perfect plan for their lives. Are you where God wants you, doing what God wants you to do? Surrender your will to His; lean not unto your own understanding, and He will prosper you and protect you.

Aug 24th, 2021 The Truth Sometimes Hurts

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 37 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Romans 1 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118; Proverbs 24)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17

Read the “0824 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” – (Jeremiah 37:17)

“Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.” – (Jeremiah 38:4)

How would you like to have the job that God gave to Jeremiah? He was sent to warn the people of Judah about the imminent invasion from the King of Babylon. He told them that they needed to submit themselves to Nebuchadnezzar because this judgment was of God. He pleaded with King Zedekiah of Judah, and told him that if he would submit to Babylon that it would go well with him and his family and Jerusalem would not have to be destroyed; but he would not listen. So what did Zedekiah and the princes of Judah do? Did they say, “Thank you Jeremiah for loving us enough to tell us the Truth from God?” No, they threw him in prison: a place so filthy that he sunk in the mire.

The day that we live in is not much different. For the most part, people are not interested in the truth. They want preachers who will tell them what they want to hear. The televisions and radios are filled with these messengers who itch the ears. They are hirelings, not true preachers of the Truth. Now, to be honest, there aren’t too many preachers in America being thrown into a miry prison today for their preaching, but I believe that there are many that would like to put us there. It can get very discouraging sometimes, but we must remember that our reward comes not from those that we speak to, but from Whom we speak for. Remember, history bares witness that Jeremiah was right. Men wouldn’t acknowledge it right away, but God rewarded Jeremiah with his freedom and his home, not to mention the crowns that he received in eternity. What happened to the guys that threw him in prison? They were all slain, except for King Zedekiah; but he had his eyes plucked out just after he saw his sons slain.

Preachers, keep preaching to us the Truth. As painful as it may be at times, we need you to tell us what we are not willing to admit to ourselves. It may seem like the people don’t care, but many of them are listening; some might even be listening secretly like Zedekiah was. Keep on delivering the Truth. The Word will not return void.

People, cheer on the man of God as he delivers the Word of God. He loves you and is trying to help you and your family to have the very best from God. The question on your heart everyday ought to be: “is there any word from the Lord?” When you read your Bible and when you go to church, you ought to be hungering for the Word and words of God.

Aug 19th, 2021 The Potter’s House

Today’s Passage –  Jeremiah 18 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here  to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 13 – 15; Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11

Read the “0819 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Aug 18th, 2021 The Point of No Return

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 14 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 10 – 12; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31

Read the “0818 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!’” (Jeremiah 15:1)

In our passage we see that the people of God had passed the point of no return. God said that it did not matter if Moses or Samuel came to intercede on their behalf because they had gotten too far away from Him, and judgement was unavoidable. God had warned them and corrected them previously, but to no avail. They would not receive the correction and they did not heed the warnings. They continued to travel down the road eventually leading them to the point of no return. God was about to bring in the Babylonians as a judgment for the backslidings of Judah.

I wonder how far God will allow America to get away from Him until she gets to the point of no return, where nothing can be done to escape judgment. I wonder how far the Christian can travel down the road of sin before God says, enough is enough. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that God will remove a Christian’s salvation if they are genuinely born again; but I am saying that He will eventually get fed up with their rebellion, and will be forced to impose severe chastisement in order to rectify the situation. He may even take the offending Christian home to Heaven prematurely.

Let’s not allow our lives to get so out of control that God says we have passed the point of no return. Let’s keep an open heart, listen daily to His admonitions and exhortations from the Word of God; and heed what He says. Let’s yield to the working of the Spirit of God within us and yield to His will for our lives. I want to be used of Him all of my earthly life. I don’t want to be put on a shelf, or worse, face some sort of terrible judgment. I want to bear fruit that remains in my Christian life. I guess I had better stay close to my Saviour and far away from the point of no return.

Aug 20th, 2019 Handle With Care

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 23 – 25 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 16 – 18; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8

Read the “0820 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.” – (Jeremiah 23:1-2)

“The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.” – (Jeremiah 23:28-32)

Jeremiah 23 is a strong rebuke against the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day that claimed to be speaking on behalf of God, but were really just telling the people what they want they wanted them to hear. I do not believe that we would be doing injustice to the Scripture by making application to the many people in our world today who claim to be preaching and teaching the Word of God. This passage delivers a scathing warning for those who mishandle the Bible. In this text I have noticed three common errors that are made today by people who claim to be representing the Lord:

1 Lying – We lie to the people when we don’t tell them exactly what God said, or when we insert our philosophies and opinions. God’s word is very clear. He has very specific instructions regarding how we are to conduct ourselves on this earth. Yet, preachers will often misrepresent God by not declaring plainly and interpreting literally what God said. I wish every Christian knew the Bible intimately themselves, but unfortunately that is not the case. Many of the people that come to us for help are trusting us to tell them them what God would tell them. We have no right to just tell them what we think. Who cares what we think? What really matters is what God said!

2 Leaving Out – By this I mean that we neglect so many of the important truths of the Word. We do not declare the whole counsel of God. We conveniently select passages that promote our agenda, and we take verses out of their context. God expects us to preach and teach the whole Bible, not just the parts that will make us look good in front of the people. We are “itching” people’s ears today by ignoring the passages that deal with their sin.

3 Lightness – Notice verse 31. God mentions the prophets’ lightness. The preachers did not take their jobs seriously. It is an awesome responsibility to be God’s representative. We are to faithfully deliver and explain the Tuth of the Word of God. The people need Truth, not entertainment. We have become comedians, and story tellers, and entertainers; but our “lightness” has caused an entire generation to fall away from God. We need to get back to the sober business of declaring the Truth. When I think back to the prophets of the Old Testament, I see men that were grave, serious, bold, determined, and fearful of the God the represented. We need to get back to that in our teaching and preaching today.

God wants His Word handled very carefully. God magnifies His word even above His name, and His name is above all other names. God’s Word is important. We need to be very careful that we are delivering it clearly, and entirely to the people of God.

Oh, and by the way, according to vs. 1 & 2, God’s flock needs to be handled with care as well. Woe to the pastor that takes advantage of one of God’s children.

Aug 15th, 2015 What Will Ye Do In The End Thereof? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 4 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 1 – 3; Psalms 71 – 75; Proverbs 15)

Read the “0815 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5:23-31)

Good morning. A trap was sprung when the supreme (small “s” on purpose) court took the Bible out of the school system. Since then the school system has produced godless reprobates who do not care about what is morally right and what is morally wrong. They only care about what is in it for themselves. As it says in our text passage, they have grown great and rich, their deeds have surpassed that of the wicked (Israel may have only caused 1,000 children to be killed – passed through the fire – unto Moloch, but, at over 57,000,000 abortions, we have surpassed them). Look at the last two verses from our passage…

“A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely [THERE IS NO HELL; WHY WOULD A LOVING GOD SEND ANYONE TO HELL; WE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF GOD], and the priests bear rule by their means [NOT GOD’S]; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5:30-31)

And the people love it that way – a religion without God. Paul warned timothy about the end times…

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith…” (2Timothy 4:1-7)

Do you want a fable? We have them all here in the United States, just take your pick. We have Allah, Buddha, Harri Krishna or any of the other 3500 gods from India. You can be your own god with secular humanism. Your god could be Mother Nature, and you can go out and hug a tree today. But what does the true, living God say?

“They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” (Jeremiah 5:28-29)

America is due for a visit, and this is the year of the Shemitah (just a reminder of past Shemitah years: September 1994 – the Bond Market lost over one-trillion dollars; September 2001 – the World Trade Center is destroyed; September 2008 – Stocks plunge 777 points; 2015 – ?). But not only that, this Shemitah year ushers in the Year of the Jubilee: the 50th year (seven Shemitah years).

“And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.” (Leviticus 25:8-10)

Could the sounding of the trumpet be the trumpet that begins the raising of the dead in Christ, and us getting caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air? And that ushers in the last seven year period of the Great Tribulation? I don’t know. and no other man knows, the Bible is clear that only the Father knows. There could be another 50 years leading up to the next jubilee, and this may not include America. There are protest going on in Turkey about their government allowing us to bring planes there to fight ISES. With the way this nation is pulling away from God, are you sure they are to fight ISES. Just maybe, a nation without God’s leadership, may just use those planes against Israel!

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)

I don’t want to be around if those in power pull that bonehead stunt. What will you do in the end thereof? Are you saved? Was there a time that you realized you are a sinner (Romans 3:10,23)? Did you know that sin has a price (Romans 6:23a, Ezekiel 18:4, 20)? Did you know that God Himself came down from Heaven to die on a cross and shed His blood for your sins (Isaiah 53:1-11; John 3:16; Romans 6:23b)? And all you need to do is pray, and ask Him to forgive your sins, and He will save you from an eternity of suffering in Hell. Look at the thief on the cross…

“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

Don’t be caught pondering the question, “What will do in the end thereof.”

Peace! (2Corinthians 6:2)

Aug 28th, 2013 Are You Still In Prison?

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 51 – 52 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4;Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)

Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Practical Ways To Invest In Your Team“

Read the “0828 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the firstyear of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,” (Jeremiah 52:31)

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah and he reigned for only eight years when he was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The Bible records that he was an evil king while he reigned. God caused the captivity to happen because of the evil kings of Judah which led the nation into a downward spiral of immorality and idolatry. Jehoiachin remained in prison in Babylon for 37 years, thus making his age 63 at the time of his release. He had spent most of his life in prison. In our passage today we see that he was released out of prison and given a place of great honor in the kingdom.

I am not sure that my assessment is accurate here, but bear with me as I share my thoughts. Jehoiachin was an evil guy; the Scripture is clear about that. Jehoiachin spent a lot of time in prison thinking about his life. Jehoiachin was finally released from his prison. Could it be, though the Scriptures do not clearly reveal this, that Jehoiachin repented in prison and turned back to God? God judged him with his nation during the captivity; and now God was releasing him with the nation. Is this not a picture of forgiveness? Isn’t living in sin a prison? Does the Bible not say that we were in bondage to sin? The Bible even records that his prison garments were put off of him. Doesn’t God give us a robe of righteousness when we become His child? I think that this passage is a marvelous picture of salvation. When the sinner trusts Christ as his Savior he is released from the bondage (prison) of sin; he is given a robe of righteousness; and is positioned in a place of blessing and honor in the King’s House. Note also that this all takes place when he is in his sixties which tells me it is never too late to be forgiven.

Have you been released from the prison of sin and unbelief? God wants to take you out; give you some new clothes, and set a place for you at his table. Why don’t you take him up on his offer? Trust Christ, get changed, and come to the table.

Aug 25th, 2013 The Safest Place On Earth

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 41 – 45 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Romans 5 – 8; Psalm 119; Proverbs 25)

Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10

Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Practical Ways To Invest In Your Team“

Read the “0825 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.” (Jeremiah 42: 13 – 16)

I remember years ago, when I was serving God as a youth director for Lighthouse Baptist Church in Gloucester City, NJ, we used to go soul winning in the city of Camden. Now Camden was a rough town in those days, ranking at the top of the list in many crime categories. At first, we were scared to death to go in there; but God taught me a valuable lesson in those days: if it was His will to serve in Camden, then I was safer there than if I was in Beverly Hills or Palm Springs. Why, because with the will of God comes protection as well as provision. We never did have one problem while we were soul winning there; and we spent  lot of time in that city visiting our bus routes, etc.

The passages that we read today in Jeremiah remind me of those days in Camden. At this time Jerusalem was a rough place. Most of the inhabitants were already taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon. No doubt there must have been a great fear of further oppression from the Babylonians. However, God promised the remnant in Judah and Jerusalem that if they would stay there and serve Him, He would protect them and prosper them. Unfortunately, the remnant did not listen. Instead, they decided to move to a place that was without war and famine: a place of wealth, culture, and prosperity. The only problem was that it went against the will of God. Guess what happened? All of the things that they feared about Jerusalem, happened to them in Egypt. They should have stayed in the place of God’s will.

Where is the will of God for you? It may not seem like the best place on earth to other men, but it is the place where you will thrive. Sometimes parents are reluctant to allow their children to become missionaries, because they fear for their safety on the foreign field; but they are safer there in the will of God than in the best place in America out of the will of God.  Are you where God wants you, doing what God wants you to do? Surrender your will to His; lean not unto your own understanding; and He will prosper you and protect you.

Aug 22nd, 2013 No More Soulwinning?

Today’s Passage –  Jeremiah 30 – 32 

(Second Milers also read – Acts 22 – 24; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)

Aug 21st, 2013 Make The Best of It

Today’s Passage –  Jeremiah 26 – 29 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 19 – 21; Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)

“Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7)

Throughout much of the Book of Jeremiah the prophet is passionately warning the people of Jerusalem to repent so that God could turn from judgment that was surely coming. God had been promising for many years that the people of God would be taken out of their land and delivered into captivity if they refused to turn back to Him. But they didn’t listen, and the promised calamity came as promised. Now, the majority people from Jerusalem are in Babylon, living under the dominion of a Gentile king. Their homes have been taken away, the temple was destroyed, many have died, and  the surviving families and friends have been separated from each other. Things were not good. Complicating matters was the fact that there were many false prophets running around, telling them that God was going to give them back everything that was lost in a short time. Jeremiah told them to submit themselves to the rulers of Babylon, and make the best of a very bad situation. He also encouraged them with news that the captivity would not last forever. In seventy years God would again “visit” His people, and bring them back into the land, which they had lost.

I believe that this passage from Jeremiah accurately illustrates the lives of many Christians today. We, like these Israelites of old, have previously made many mistakes that have caused us to fall out of the perfect will of God. We did things our way instead of God’s way. We simply didn’t listen. As a result, our situations are not what they could have been, and though God forgives He does not always restore what was lost from our sin. However, God would say the same thing today to us. Make the best of it. We are living in a sin cursed world today that is reaping the consequences of its sin. All of the prayer in the world is not going to bring us back to Eden, but we can make the best of the world that we have been given. Our nation is not what it was when it was founded. We have lost many of our liberties, and the scars of sin are evident all over our land, but it can still be a wonderful place to live, and we can still worship and serve our Lord here. Make the best of it. Some of our homes have experienced tragedies: some of which were not our fault, but some were the direct result of our own bad choices. We can still make the best of a less than ideal situation. Ultimately, we must remember that this world is not our home. Someday, God will bring His children away from this imperfect, sin-ravaged place into a beautiful new Heaven and Earth, which will be far better than the original; but for now, let’s make the best of the situation we are in.