The Wages of Sin on a Society
Today’s Passages -Lamentations 4 – 5; Proverbs 30
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 10 – 13; Memorize – 1 John 1:14 & 15)
Note – I will update the Bible reading and Scripture memorization for the month of September later today.
“They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.” – (Lamentations 4:5)
The Book of Lamentations is a very sad passage of Scripture. In these last two chapters of the book we see the end result of a nation that turns its back on the Lord. Israel was once the crowned jewel of all of the earth. At one point in their history they had experienced the marvelous blessing of God, with all of the provision and protection that came along with it. What happened? Slowly, they began to think that their prosperity was not a result of the favor that God had bestowed upon them. Instead, in their pride, they believed that all of the good things that had come their way were the result of their own works and wisdom. God was gradually pushed out of their minds; and as God was slowly losing His preeminence in their eyes, sin began to move in. At first it was very small and subtle, but eventually the nation became engulfed in full-scale immorality and idolatry.
Surprisingly, God did not bring about judgment immediately. He lovingly and patiently pleaded with the people, warning them about the eventual consequences of their actions. At some points in their history, the people even heeded the warnings, and turned back to the Lord, at least temporarily, and managed to postpone the judgment. Eventually, however, God’s patience ran out and the judgment that they long deserved came. These chapters in Lamentation portray a vivid picture of the payment that will eventually come upon any people that turn their back on God. What a shame!
I wonder how long it will be before God’s patience runs out on America. We have certainly been turning our back on the Lord for the past several decades. We’ve removed God from our schools and government. We murder innocent babies by the millions. We have thrown the towel in on decency and morality. We have become consumed with material things, and have forsaken the things that really matter. God cannot be pleased with this once godly nation. In recent years we have seen a number of natural and un-natural disasters that have hit our nation and our world. Were these events just natural occurrences or isolated coincidences, or is God trying to get our attention? I can’t answer that question definitively; but I do know that God allowed all of these events and may have even caused the natural ones, and He could have prevented them. I think that it is very likely that we will see more of the same in the future. I don’t think our economy will get much better, either. Things are getting rough out there. The prosperity and protection that we experienced for years is vanishing away. The only hope that we have is in turning back to God.
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Sometimes when we think about passages like these we think only of the lost world around us. In our mind we blame the situation that our country is in on the unbelievers out there; but according to the verse above both the blame and the solution rest in the hands of God’s people. If “my people” didn’t get away from God in the first place then we wouldn’t have to get back to God today. Our churches and our families are gradually, slowly, subtly, and almost unconsciously moving away from the Lord. We need to repent, and revive, and radically move back to where we once were. How about you? Are you as close to the Lord now as you used to be at some point in your past. Do you allow things into your life and home now that you once wouldn’t even think of? How is your devotional life: your Bible reading and prayer time. Have you quietly slipped away in your personal relationship with God? These are hard questions, but we must give them some serious thought. Our flesh will rebel against the effort. It never wants to admit failure, but we must carefully and prayerfully take inventory of our spiritual lives. I want the blessings of God on my life, my ministry, my family, my church, and my nation. I’d be willing to bet that you do to. God hasn’t moved – we have. We need get back to where He is.
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Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Today’s Passages – Lamentations 1 – 3; Proverbs 29
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 6 – 9; Memorize – 1 John 5:14 & 15)
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” – (Lamentations 3:21-24)
I love the Biblical significance of the rainbow. God showed Noah the rainbow and told him that it would be there in the sky at the end of the rainstorm to remind God’s people that the rain is coming to an end. For Noah it was a precious reminder, as he had just experienced the destruction of every living creature on the earth through a deluge of water. To us, the rainbow is still a symbol of hope. In our passage in Jeremiah today, we do not see an actual rainbow but we do see the hope that all of God’s children can see even when it feels like it’s all over. In these chapters we read about Israel after the destruction that came through the hands of the Babylonians. It was a horrible time for God’s people – possibly the lowest point in their history. Jeremiah had warned the people for many years that judgment was imminent because the people of God had forsaken the Lord. Well, here in Lamentations, there are no more warnings, just the account of the total humiliation and destruction of Jerusalem, Israel, and the people of God.
The first two chapters of this book are very sad indeed; and chapter three starts out as bleakly as the first two; but when we get to verse 21, we can finally get a glimpse of hope. Jeremiah recalls that God is merciful and compassionate, and as he wrote in The Book Of Jeremiah, “he will not make a full end” of them. You see, Jeremiah remembers here that God loves His people, even though He had to correct them. God’s correction would not last forever. In fact, Jeremiah reminds the people that God’s compassion is new every morning. I love that statement. Aren’t you glad that God never runs out of compassion?
Christian, you may be experiencing in your life right now the correcting hand of God. I know that I have had my share of correction through the years. It is certainly not pleasant. However, there are two things that we need to remember about God’s correction. First, we must remember that God does not correct us to get even. He disciplines us for our own good, purely out of love for us. He is trying to bring us back to where we need to be – for our own good. Secondly, we need to keep in mind that God’s correction will not last forever. I remember as a child, I sometimes thought the punishments that I had received at the hands of my parents would never end; but they always did. The sun always came up, and the rainbow eventually appeared to signify the end of the storm. If you are experiencing the loving correction of our Heavenly Father today, take heart: there is hope, His compassions are new every morning.
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Thoughts About The Storm
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 51 – 52; Proverbs 28
(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 2 – 5; 1 John 5:14 – 15)
This morning our minds are all on Hurricane Irene. Here in southern New Jersey we have gone through the worst of the storm, and are begining the cleaning up process. I pray that all of you have (or will) fare well in the storm. Here are some thoughts that I have previously published from Matthew 14:30 regarding the storms that we face in life.
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:30)
The disciples were traveling by ship in the Sea of Galilee without the Lord. The Lord had stayed behind to get alone and pray. The Lord saw them through His omniscient eyes, and saw that they were struggling and frightened in a severe storm on the sea. He went to them, walking on the water. Peter sees the Lord walking on the water and he decides that he would like to try it as well. He asks the Lord’s permission to venture out on top of the waves. The Lord bids him to come, and he Peter does well for a short time until he loses his focus. While his eyes were on the Lord, he stayed afloat; but when he took his eyes off of the Lord and focused on the storm and the waves, he began to sink. Finally, he cries out to the Lord for help.
In the Christian life, there will be many storms. Some of these storms will be physical, some financial, some relational; but we will all go through the difficult days as we serve the Lord. Some of these storms will be self-inflicted, while others will be caused by others, and still others are beyond explanation. It really matters not where the blame lies as to the storm itself. The key to staying afloat in the storm, however, will be keeping our focus on the Lord Jesus. He allowed the storm in our lives for a purpose. It may be for our good; it may be for His glory; it may be for both. We need to trust the Lord and allow Him to see us through the storm.
I have seen this principle in action in recent days. When the storm first started, I spent most of my time trying to figure out how the storm originated. Who could I blame for the storm? Surely, it couldn’t be my fault, could it? After a while, though, God began to show me that this storm (and most other storms that I have experienced) was at least partially my own doing. He also showed me that the purpose of the storm from my perspective was to teach me and grow me. I must confess, I wanted to sink. I wanted to just throw in the towel, blame everybody else for my troubles, and move on in bitterness. Instead, I have cried to the Lord for help. He has (and is) lifting me up, and is helping me to make my way back into the ship. I thank the Lord for his mercy, grace, and patience with me.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
2Timothy 1:7 – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 40-50, Proverbs 27, and Romans 14-1Corinthians 1.
Today’s Verse: 2Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Good morning! I started writing this while in the waiting room of my daughter’s doctor’s office in Philadelphia. On the TV is CNN reporting on a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the east coast. The earthquake was felt from Atlanta, Ga., all the way up to Toronto, Canada. The first thing that came to mind was what Jesus said in Matthew 24:7, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”
According to 2Timothy1:7, which I had started to read in the doctor’s office, God hath not given us the spirit of fear. Earthquakes in various places are going to happen: Jesus said it would. This is all part of the end-times; we do not have to fear. Today we’re waiting on Irene, a hurricane that should start hammering NJ sometime tonight. But God hath not given us the spirit of fear. He gave us power, love, and a sound mind.
We have been given power. The power of the Holy Spirit living within us. Guiding us in the decisions we make (John 14:26). Sealing us till the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).
Of love. We love God because He first loved us (1John 4:19; John 3:16).
And of a sound mind. I know that I have an appointed time to depart this earth. I also know that if I was on the east side of Route 9, I would have evacuated. That’s what our elected officials wanted. Those whom God has appointed. Here is a question. If you were given orders to evacuate, would you stay? “I’ll put my trust in God.” Remember what Joseph said to his brothers?
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” (Genesis 45:4-7)
God sent Joseph to preserve life. The official who gave the order to evacuate everyone east of Route 9 may not know it, but he is acting in the same capacity as Joseph, and was sent by God to preserve life.
And remember 2Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Peace. (Mark 4:39)
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“I Will Not Make A Full End Of Thee”
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 46 – 48; Proverbs 26
(Second Milers also read – Romans 10 – 13; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)
“Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.” (Jeremiah 46 – 48)
The Book of Jeremiah is book of judgment: most of it dealing with the coming captivity for the people of Judah in the land of Babylon. However, these three chapters that we have read today deal with the judgment that God had prepared for three nations: Egypt, the land of the Philistines, and Moab. All three of these nations have had a bad history with God’s people Israel. For most of history these nations have been bitter enemies of the people of God. God would not spare these nations when he judged them: they would not receive the mercy that Judah and Israel would receive. Notice in the above verse that God says (regarding His people) that He would correct them “in measure”, but he would not make a full end.
I thank God that He loves me unconditionally and that, even though there are times when He needs to correct me and chasten me, He never stops loving me. We know that there is a principle throughout the Bible of reaping and sowing; but I know that God has not caused me to reap in judgment to the same degree what I sowed in disobedience. On the other hand, I have reaped far more blessing than I deserve. God has been very good to me: He loves me, even when I am not very lovable. I am His child: I came in through the door, Jesus Christ; and God will never kick me out of the house. It’s mind boggling; but I am not complaining. People who do not know God misunderstand this unconditional love: they claim that it sounds like a license to sin. However, his unconditional love for me has constrained me, and His grace has taught me to deny ungodliness. When I think about His love, I want to sin less and serve more.
I thank God for His correction; but even more, I thank God that no matter how bad I am, He never stops loving me!
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The Safest Place On Earth
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 41 – 45; Proverbs 25
(Second Milers also read – Romans 6 – 9; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)
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.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Is There Any Word From The Lord?
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 37 – 40; Proverbs 24
(Second Milers also read – Romans 2 – 5; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)
Pictures from Junior Camp are located in the upper right window of this page. Wave your cursor over the picture and then you can advance to more pictures using the arrows that appear.
“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 the job that God gave Jeremiah? He was sent to warn them of 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 Zedekiah, the King 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 funny thing is that even though Zedekiah had Jeremiah put into prison, he would still secretly visit him and ask if there was “any word from the Lord?”.
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 in 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 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. Your 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.
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Call Unto God
Today’s Passages -Jeremiah 33 – 36; Proverbs 23
(Second Milers also read – Acts 27 – Romans 1; Memorize – Philippians 4:6)
I will be posting Junior Camp pictures on this website throughout the week. Place your cursor over the picture on the top right of this page, and then advance via the arrows at the bottom of the frame.
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3)
There are so many wonderful truths in the passages that we have read today that I had a hard time deciding which one to write about. For instance, while reading chapter 35, my attention was drawn to the account of the Rechabites, who were faithful servants to the their father, Jonadab, and also to the Lord. It would benefit you greatly to do a little study on this family. (See last year’s post, “Who Are the Rechabites?” – http://pastorerickson.com/?p=1060.) I was also interested in chapter 36, where Jehudi, a servant of the king of Judah, actually took a knife and cut out the Word of God and burned it in the fire. There is a lot that we could say about that, and many parallels can be made to what the world and some Christians are doing to the Word of God.
I finally elected, however, to write about Jeremiah 33:3. This verse is certainly one of the more familiar verses in the Bible, which has provided much encouragement and comfort to the people of God for millennia. In it’s immediate context this verse is written to the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah. The city of Jerusalem and the entire land of Judah was being devastated by the armies of Babylon; but God showed them from this passage that there was yet hope, and that He would restore the land to her former glory. In verse 15, there is a wonderful prophecy concerning the “Branch”, who is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who would come and set up a righteous kingdom.
In a broader application of this passage, all Christians can be encouraged by this wonderful truth. God wants His children to call upon Him; and He will answer us. This is one of the many wonderful prayer promises in the Bible. I have listed some other prayer promises in the “Scripture Memory” section of this website. Prayer happens to be our Scripture memory theme for the month of August. It is a glorious thought to realize that we have a God that wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him. He loves us and He desires to bless us, and show us some things; just as an earthly father desires to show things to a child that he loves. What a wonderful God we serve.
Do you have a burden today? Call unto God. Are you in need of direction? Call unto God. God wants to encourage us and direct us as we serve Him.
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A Good Investment
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 30 – 32; Proverbs 22
(Second Milers also read – Acts 24 – 26; Memorize Philippians 4:6)
“So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.” – (Jeremiah 32:8)
“Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:” – (Jeremiah 32:37)
In chapter 32 of the Book of Jeremiah there is a very interesting story. Jeremiah the prophet is in jail; the nation of Israel is in a complete mess; the Babylonians have already taken a good number of the citizens of Israel into captivity; and the final invasion by Nebuchadnezzar into the land is imminent. You would not think that this would be a good time to be purchasing real estate in the land of Israel. However, God had told Jeremiah, who in turn told the people, that though things were going to be horrible for a number of years, God was going to give the people of Israel their land back; and He was going to prosper them once again. Of course, this is one of those dual purpose prophecies: it was fulfilled back in this Old Testament period, but it will ultimately be fulfilled when Christ returns.
The bottom line is that Jeremiah had enough faith in the Word of God to invest his money in a piece of land that was at that time worthless. He knew that God would do what He said that he would do, and that someday the property would be very valuable. I don’t know how much land is worth in Israel today; but I know this: someday it will be priceless because Christ will make Israel the capital of His World government. I am putting my money on Israel, and on God. He will do what He says He will do. You can bank on it.
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Who Can You Trust?
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 26 – 29; Proverbs 21
(Second Milers also read – Acts 21 – 23; Memorize Philippians 4:6)
“The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.” – (Jeremiah 28:9)
“Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.” – (Jeremiah 28:15)
“Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:” – (Jeremiah 29:3)
In chapters 28 and 29, we see two false prophets that were preaching to Israel, refuting what the true prophet, Jeremiah, had been telling them. In chapter 28 we see Hananiah who was telling the people of Israel that God had told him that their problems with Babylon were only temporary: that God was going to rescue them in two years from the captivity that they were enduring. When Jeremiah first heard what this man had to say, he was skepticle yet optimistic. He hoped that what this man was saying was true, but he was careful to warn the people standing by that this man could be a false prophet. His suspicions were confirmed when later God revealed to him the truth about Hananiah. He was a false prophet. He was lying to the people and the peace that he was promising would not come to pass.
In chapter 29, there is another man, Shemiah the Nehelamite, that was also lying to the people. Jeremiah also exposed this man for the fraud that he was. It must have been difficult for the people, however, to discern who was telling them the truth. Jeremiah told them how they could know in verse 9 of chapter 28. They could determine whether a person was a false prophet or not simply by examining the proof of his claims. If what he predicted became true, he was a true prophet; but if what he said did not come to pass exactly as he said he would, he should never be trusted again.
Today it is a lot easier for us to tell whether a preacher is telling us the truth. We have the Word of God, and we know that the Bible is truth. If a preacher is telling us something that is contrary to the teaching of the Bible, we know that that person is a false prophet. Recently there was a man on the radio that was forecasting a date for the return of the Lord. He had already done this back in the 90’s and was wrong then also. A lot of people were deceived by what this man told them. Some had even sold all their possessions and had given the money to this man so that he could spread his lies further. However, if they had just read their Bibles they would have known that “of that day and hour knoweth no man”. We can only know the truth through the Word of God. Don’t take any man’s word for it. Search the Scriptures to make sure that what the preacher is preaching lines up with the Bible and is in fact the truth. You cannot completely trust any man, but you can trust the Word of God. There are a lot of false prophets out there, some within the church and some outside of the church; but you can know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free.
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