Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 27th God Will Take Care of You

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 4 – 5, 2 Kings 6

Second Milers also read – Luke 9 – 10; Psalm 131 – 135; Proverbs 27

Scripture Memory for April – 1 Corinthians 13

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

Read last years post from this passage – “Lean Not Unto Thine Own Understanding”

“Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. … Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” – (2 Kings 4:1, 7)

There are some mornings when I have a difficult time finding something interesting to write about from the Scripture reading for the day. However, the three chapters that we have read this morning from 2 Kings 4 – 6 are full of exciting stories from the life of Elisha. I have chosen this morning to consider the story of the widow woman who was miraculous provided for by God. The story is found in 2 Kings 4: 1 – 7, and speaks of a woman was the wife of one of the prophets, and was now left alone to care for her two sons. She has nothing left but a pot of oil in her house. The creditors are bearing down on her, and want to take her two sons as bondmen in order to repay a debt that is owed them. She comes to the man of God for help, and he instructs her to borrow vessels from her neighbors that will hold oil. Elisha takes the little bit of oil that she has and pours it into the other containers that the woman borrowed from her neighbors. The oil did not run out until all of the vessels were filled, which she was then able to go and sell so that she would be able to pay the debt that she owed.

There are two thoughts that I would like to pull from this passage. The first involves debt. The Scripture says, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” – (Proverbs 22:7). The passage does not give us any of the details regarding the reason why this woman was in debt. It may have been a debt that she inherited from her dead husband. Anyway, she has a debt that is causing her a lot of trouble. I got to thinking about what kind of financial situation my wife would be in if I passed away suddenly today. I would leave her with the burden of some debt. We are in the process of making some changes to our financial decisions so that all of our debt would be eliminated. I would not want to leave my wife with the kind of pressure this woman had to face.

My second thought from this passage is that God took care of this lady who had given her life to serve Him. She was the wife of one of the prophets, and prophets lived by faith. They had no doubt made many financial sacrifices in the process of serving the Lord. I understand a little about what she is going through. When we sold our house, and packed up our stuff and headed for Bible college, we knew that we were entering a journey of faith and sacrifice. We have had to live without a lot of things throughout the years; but one of the things that we have had to do away with was insurance. Since we have been in the ministry, we have been unable to afford health insurance or life insurance. I know that this is not good stewardship, but when you are forced to choose between food on the table or an insurance policy to protect you from something that may or may not happen, you can see why we might go uninsured. This is a great source of worry for my wife particularly. However, this passage reminds us that even though we may not be the best financial planners, God takes care of those that have given their life in service for Him. He will take care of my family. Don’t misunderstand, someday I want to be able to provide some of these comforting benefits like insurance for my family; but for now, I know that God has got my family’s back.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – (Matthew 6:33)

Apr 26th Commit Thou To Faithful Men

Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 1 – 3

Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8; Psalm 126 – 130; Proverbs 26

Scripture memory for April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” – (2 Kings 2:9)

In chapter 2 of 2 Kings we see the account of Elijah, the mighty prophet of God being translated by God up into Heaven.  Can you imagine what it must have been like for Elijah, and even for the people who witnessed it, to see the chariot of fire come down to pick him up.  Wow!  Before Elijah left, however, he passed his mantle (garment, robe) to Elisha and with the mantle came a “double portion of [Elijah’s] spirit”.

I have a couple thoughts regarding this transition.  First I think that it is a marvelous thing that Elijah took the time to diligently mentor young Elisha.  He did not just teach him, he demonstrated through his life a man that knew God, walked with God, and was greatly used of God.  He made serving God look good.

Secondly, I think about Elisha who did not squander the training and the mentoring he received from Elijah.  He took the foundation that was given him and he used it and built upon it.  I haven’t checked it myself, but I’ve heard other preachers say that Elisha performed twice the number of recorded miracles than did Elijah.

I remember as a young Christian there were men who took time to mentor me.  There were actually many men that had a part in my training, but one man stands out above all of the rest.  Pastor Rick Wedemeyer spent time with me.  He was very patient with me.  He let me get close to him; he let me see first hand the love he had for his Lord, his family and for the people of his church.  He still is a great friend and counselor to me today.  I wonder if some young Christian will say some day about me that I was a great mentor to them.  I hope so.  Why don’t you find someone, maybe a new convert, maybe a kid on the bus; and pour your life into him.  Now this is going to cost you some time and you might want to straighten yourself out first as you wouldn’t want to be the wrong kind of influence; but if you’re willing to do this, your life will continue to live on through the person you mentor after your gone.

And you young Christians:  why don’t you find some older, spiritual saint of God, and latch on to him for a while, and take what he gives you and give it to the next generation.

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Apr 25th Having Itching Ears

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 22

Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Psalms 120 – 125; Proverbs 25

Scripture Memory for April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Watch “A Servant Leader Has One Altar” by Pastor Paul Chappell

“Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” – (1 Kings 22:6-8)

“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;” – (2 Timothy 4:3)

If you had a disease within your body that could be life threatening if left untreated, would you want a doctor who told you the truth, or would you want one who tells you what you want to hear? You would most certainly want to know the truth so that you could get the proper treatment in order to fix the problem. Why is it, however, that many people want a preacher that avoids the truth in order to “tickle the ears” of his people. In our text, this is exactly what Ahab does. He calls the 400 “prophets” who he knows will agree with him. He wants to go to war with Syria. His friend, King Jehosaphat of Judah, recommends that they get counsel from God, but instead of calling upon the one preacher that speaks the truth, he calls these other 400 who he knows will tell him what he wants to hear. The real man of God, Micaiah, when finally called upon at the insistence of Jehoshaphat, tells him the painful truth. Ahab rewards this preacher of truth buy having him thrown in jail.

Christians, we need men of God that will tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. The truth will set us free. If you are church member, encourage your pastor by insisting that he gives you the Truth straight from the Word of God. Cheer him as he preaches difficult sermons. If you are a preacher, let me encourage you to be fearless, yet compassionate in your preaching. Tell them what God said, whether they appreciate it or not. Even if they don’t appreciate what you are telling them now, they probably will later. The truth is not pleasant sometimes, but it always gives the people what they need to make good decisions. You are not in a popularity contest, You are a messenger for God. The people cannot possibly make wise choices unless they have the Truth to help them.

There is also a lesson to be learned in this passage regarding separation. Jehoshaphat was a good man, but he had no business running with the likes of Ahab.

Apr 24th Humble Yourself

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 20 – 21

Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118, Psalm 119; Proverbs 24

Scripture Memory passage for April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121

“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” – (1 Kings 21:27-29)

Ahab was probably the worst king in Israel’s history.  He tolerated all kinds of immorality and idolatry in his kingdom and even promoted it.  He married Jezebel, a woman whose name has become synonomous with wickedness.   Together, Ahab and Jezebel were responsible for the slaughter of many of the prophets of the Lord in Israel.  These were bad people. Ahab was a bad man and an even worse king.

Notice, however, in the last part of chapter 21.  Ahab humbled himself before the Lord.  Now don’t misunderstand, this was not a complete turnaround.  He didn’t surrender to go to the mission field or anything like that; but he did humble himself before the Lord; and as a result, God spared him some of the judgment that he had planned for him.  Apparently, a little humility went a long way for Ahab.

I don’t think there are too many people reading this that are as wicked as old King Ahab; but it would do us well to follow his example in just this one instance.  Let’s kill some of the pride in our lives and humble ourselves before the Lord.  Let’s surrender to Him and submit ourselves to His will for our lives.  Let’s allow him to correct us when necessary.  It may just be that a little humility before the Lord will go a long way in our lives as well.

Apr 23rd Don’t Shoot the Messenger

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 18 – 19

Second Milers also read – Luke 1 – 2; Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23

Scripture Memory for April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105

“And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17)

Israel was going through perhaps the toughest time in its early history.  They had not had rain in three years, resulting in all of the brooks drying up.  There was no grass for the livestock and no food for the people.  God judgment was upon the nation.  The messenger of God had warned the king that this was going to happen back in 1 Kings 17:1; but as often happens, the king places the blame on the messenger instead of accepting the blame himself.

Why do we get upset with the mailman who delivers the bills?  Why do we get mad at the teacher or preacher who delivers to us the Word of God?  Sometimes I fee like Paul when he said, Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

The blame for Israel’s problems lay primarily at the feet of Israel’s leader, King Ahab.  He had completely forsaken God: he married a woman who hated God and even slaughtered God’s prophets.  The solution to the problem was not killing Elijah; but Ahab’s turning back to God.

Through the years, I’ve known many people who have gotten away from God and as a result their lives go downhill: sometimes physically, sometimes financially, sometimes in other ways.  Often these folks get mad at the church or the preacher: anything but look within.

I have come to a conclusion in my life:  my problems are caused by me.  If things are going wrong in my family, I don’t blame the church, the government, my neighbors, or anybody else:  I blame the guy I see in the mirror in the morning and I go to God for help in getting the mess cleaned up.

Apr 22nd God Will Take Care Of You

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 15 – 17

Second Milers also read – Mark 15 – 16; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22

Scripture Memory Passage for April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4

Read “Seven Simple Ways To Connect With Your Pastor” by Pastor Paul Chappell

“And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.” – (1 Kings 17:6)

“And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.” – (1 Kings 17:16)

The setting for our text this morning is the northern kingdom of Israel, which at this point is under the reign of wicked King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. You will remember that at this time the nation of Israel was divided into the northern kingdom (which retained the name Israel), and the southern kingdom of Judah. Now King Ahab of Israel was a very bad king, doing “…more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him”.  (1 Kings 16:33)  As judgment for the idolatry in the land, God brought forth a drought that lasted for three years. Though the people of Israel were suffering terribly from the shortage of water and also the shortage of food that resulted from the lack of water, God still took care of his own. Elijah was fed by the ravens at the brook Cherith; and then he was miraculously provided for through an unending supply of meal and oil, along with the widow woman from Zarephath and her son.

As I reflect on this passage, I am reminded of what David said through the inspiration of God:

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” – (Psalm 37:25)

In my lifetime, I have never experienced a famine such as the one that Israel faced here in our text; but I have lived through some tough economic times. However, during the worst of times, God has always taken care of me and my family. It is interesting that in this chapter of Scripture, God reminds us of two ways that He miraculously provides for our needs during these tough times. First, He supplies us from unlikely sources. The ravens were Elijah’s first source of provision, not unlike the manna that fell from heaven during the wilderness wanderings. I remember when I was in Bible college. Those were certainly some tough days financially. I believe that God was testing our resolve to finish school by allowing us to struggle. Yet, during those years, God provided miraculously more times than I can count. One time, He used a group of co-workers to graciously supply food and Christmas presents for my children. Another time, God used my brother Bill and his wife to graciously help us. Another time, God laid it upon some one’s heart to pay part of my school bill; my mortgage payment was anonymously paid on more than one occasion.  We were awed and humbled by the miraculous provision of God during this period of our life.

The second way that God provided for Elijah, and in this case the woman and her son, was that He allowed what they already had (the oil and the meal) to last longer. You will remember also that as Israel wandered in the wilderness their shoes and clothes did not wear out for the entire forty years. This is just as much of a miracle as the provision through the ravens. God said through Malachi, that He would “rebuke the devourer” (Malachi 3:11) if the people would put God first. Haggai told the people that their bag of money was full of holes (Haggai 1:6), because they had not put God first. I know what it is like to have a wallet “full of holes”; but I also know what it is like to have things last long beyond their lifespan. When I first started tithing as a young Christian I thought that God would miraculously take care of all of my financial problems through some big gift of money; but instead, He provided by causing us to plug up some of the “holes” in our check book. The car didn’t break down, and the kids didn’t get sick as much. We were spending a lot less.

God has been good to my family through the years. I have no regret whatever about the decision Cindy and I made more than twenty years ago to tithe, and to give offerings above the tithe. God has always been faithful to us. If you are struggling in your finances, let me encourage you to trust God by putting Him first in your life.

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – (Matthew 6:33)

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” – (Luke 6:38)

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” – (Malachi 3:10)

Apr 20th Ladies, Lucre, and Liberalism

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 10 – 11

Second Milers also read – Mark 11 – 12; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20

Scripture Memory for the month of April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1

Read – “The Work Begins When You Go Home” by Pastor Chappell

“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.” – (1 Kings 11:4 )

A good friend of mine, Pastor Charlie Horton, once told me that there are three things that will take a preacher down: ladies, lucre, and liberalism; or maids, money, and modernism. That statement has proven to be true. In the twenty years plus that I have been a Christian, I have seen many men of God wander out of the will of God; and in all of these cases it was one of those three things that caused them to veer off of the path. In our text, we see that Solomon’s problem primarily was the ladies. He had 1000 wives and concubines. Wow! How can it be that this man is know for his wisdom? Can you imagine having 1000 mother-in-laws? It would not have been so bad if all of these women shared the same love for the Lord that Solomon had; but, unfortunately, many of these women were heathen women that worshipped other “gods”. In order to please these women, Solomon accommodated for their false worship within the borders of Israel, and Solomon, himself, began to participate in the idolatry. Not very wise.

I do not thing that women were the only attraction that lured Solomon out of the will of God. He was also very wealthy: wealthier than any man that ever lived. Jesus spoke about the difficulties that wealth imposes upon a right relationship with God. Wealth can certainly be a stumbling block also. The text also makes it clear that Solomon was also lured into doctrinal heresy. So, ultimately, Solomon fell prey to all three of the traps mentioned above. The tragedy is that Solomon was a very wise man, and should have seen the dangers ahead of time. I think he deliberately wandered off of the path. He chose to go astray with his eyes fully opened.

Passages of Scripture such as this scare me. Solomon was a much wiser man than I could ever be, yet he blew it. I have seen many others fall in my time that had a lot more on the ball than I do. It scares me, because I know that it could happen to me also. I hope it scares me enough to stay as far away from these traps (and others) so that I will finish my course inside the perfect will of God.

By the way, Solomon’s unwise decisions brought about unpleasant consequences:

“Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.” – (1 Kings 11:11)

Apr 19th The Glory of the Lord

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 8 – 9

Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19

The Scripture Memory Passage for April – 1 Corinthians 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1

Read an older post from this passage – “Forgive”

“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.” – (1 Kings 8:10-11)

As we study Israel’s history, we know that there were many times that they were not where God wanted them to be, spiritually speaking. Often in their history Israel would forsake their God, and err into immorality, and idolatry. These were times when God would be forced to bring judgment upon His people in order to get them to turn back to Him. However, in today’s passage, we see Israel as right with the Lord as they had ever been. They had just completed building the Temple of God, and today was the day that the entire nation was gathered together in order to dedicate the temple (and themselves) to the Lord. God was well pleased with Israel at this time, and He demonstrated His approval with a physical appearance of his presence. Verse 11 tells us that “the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord”.

I have been saved for over twenty years now, and I have been involved in the local church since I was born again into the family of God; and I have experienced the wonderful blessing of seeing God’s presence in the midst of His church. I did not see a physical manifestation of His presence, as these Israelites did, but I did experience the glory of God, nonetheless. Unfortunately, I have also seen the times when God’s presence was apparently absent from our church. Hindsight often provides a better perspective for analyzing the ingredients that went into the times when God seemed to be all over His church. When I look back at the times in our ministry when God was really working in a marvelous way among us, with many being saved and baptized, and wonderful Spirit-filled services, I can see that there were specific ingredients that were present. These same ingredients were present in our text today.

1  There was unity – God wants His children to be “in one accord”. A quick study of the early church from the Book of Acts will reveal that they were all together; they were all moving in the same direction.

2  There was humility – Notice in Solomon’s prayer that He recognizes that the people were prone to get away from God. He admits completely that these people were in God’s hands, and that it was God that blessed them. Notice:

“If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; … Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:” – (1 Kings 8:46, 49-50)

3  There was complete tenacity and loyalty toward God. These people were all consecrated to the Lord. They were not doing that which was right in their own eyes, they were pursuing God. They were not chasing after the world with all of its idols, and all of its immorality. They were not only separated from the world, but they were also separated unto the Lord. These people wanted to please the Lord. They were focused on God. They gave up two weeks of their lives to serve and sacrifice to the Lord.

We can see God’s glory in our churches again today if we have these three ingredients in place. I want to see God move in our church. I want to see Him do great thing in the midst of this world that denies Him. He’s just waiting for us to get on board.