Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 10th Running with the Right Crowd

Today’s Passages – Psalm 119; Proverbs 10

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Memorize – John 10:30)

Today’s Passage – Psalms 117 – Psalm 119:88

“I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.” (Psalm 119:63)

I love the 119th Psalm.  Nearly every verse has some type of reference to the Bible in it.  Each verse contains a word that represents God,s Word.  You will find the words  law, commandments, word, statutes, judgments, etc.; but the whole Psalm has to do with the Bible.  In verse 63 we see the word,precept; another word that is synonymous with God’s Word or Law.

Notice, however, that in this verse the Psalmist declares that his companions: the people he runs with; the men he is associated with, are people that keep God’s precepts; people that fear God.  It is very important that we hang around people who love the Lord and are at least trying to live for Him as best as they can.  Conversely, we need to avoid people who will influence us away from the word of God. The Bible says that “iron sharpeneth iron”, meaning that we have an impact and are impacted by those we rub against.

Who do you run with?  Are you surrounding yourself with companions that fear and obey God? Someone once said that you are or soon will be who you hang around. Why not try to run with a crowd that will bring you closer to the will of God.  We need to be friendly to everybody; we need to love everybody, even our enemies; but we should only be friends with those who are going the same direction that we are going.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” Romans 16:17

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)

Jul 9th The Truth – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Psalm 115-118, Proverbs 9, and Matthew 17-18

Today’s Passage: Psalm 117: “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.”

Good morning! What is truth? Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832) said that, “Pure truth, like pure gold, has been found unfit for circulation, because men have discovered that it is far more convenient to adulterate the truth than to refine themselves.”

Some people say that truth is relative: what may be truth to me, may not be truth to you. To that, I say, “Truth is truth. If you try to bend it, or shape it into something else then it becomes a lie.” Can you imagine if the government started telling the truth? Just a simple truth. They come out and admit they were wrong about our nation: we are a Christian nation, and the operation of our government can be found in the Bible. But then they would have to admit that there is a true and living God. They would have to allow the Ten Commandments back into it’s buildings. After all – they would have to admit – we’re trying to keep the government from interfering with God, but allow God to work His will inside government. (Can I let you in on a little secret? God is working His will inside our government whether they believe it or not!)

So truth is solid: it cannot be moved or changed. If anything is not the truth, or if the truth is flexed and stretched, then it is no longer truth, but a lie. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I CHANGE NOT; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” and in John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus also said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in TRUTH: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in TRUTH.” (John 4:23-24).

And what is the truth?

The truth is that we are all sinners. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [AND] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:10, 23)

It’s in our blood to sin, and to lie, and to not do the truth: because Adam sinned, we all sin. Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…” So the truth is that we are all sinners. And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a).

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

And the truth is that it is so easy to get this love for your self. And He made it so easy for us. Jesus took on Himself the hard part: dying for our sins on the cross. All we need do is receive Him into our hearts. That’s the truth.

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-10,13)

And that’s the truth.

Peace. (Luke 24:36)

Jul 8th He Won’t Budge

Today’s Passage – Psalm 108 – 114; Proverbs 8

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Memorize – 1 John 5:7)

“Surely he shall not be moved forever…” (Psalm 112:6)

“…his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7)

“His heart is established…” (Psalm 112:8)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,  forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Cor 15:58)

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed….A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6,8)

There is far too much instability among God’s people today; they just can’t seem to make up there minds as to where they stand. The Bible says about Jesus that His face was set like a flint, meaning He wasn’t budging from the will of God.  Why is it that His children, however, are always moving in their doctrinal positions, and in their personal convictions.  We need to learn the lesson that the Psalmist teaches here in the 112th Psalm.

Notice the characteristics of this unbending, righteous man spoken of here in the Psalm:

1  He is unmoveable about His Bible.

He delighteth greatly in his commandments (v 1)

He is not the type of guy that changes the Bible he uses, or what he believes about the Bible.  He is bull-dogmatic about Bible principles.  He believes and applies what God says; and doesn’t deviate off of the course that the Word charts.

2  He is gracious and full of compassion. (v 4)

Even though you are not going to move him about what he believes, he will be gracious and compassionate with those who have not yet grown to where he is.  He gives people who are heading in the right direction time to get there.  He is willing to give somebody a second and third chance when they demonstrate true contrition and repentance.

3  He is generous in his giving. (v 5, 9)

He knows that the source of all of his wealth is God.  He knows also that God expects him to distribute the wealth that he has given him in order to be a blessing and a help to others.

How often do we change our minds and our actions regarding our Christian walk.  We need to be a little more like this man mentioned in the Psalm.  We need to dig in, find out what we believe from the Bible, and stick with it until the Lord takes us home.

Jul 7th Never Satisfied

Today’s Passages – Psalm 106 – 107; Proverbs 7

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 13 – 14; Memorize – 1 John 5:7)

“And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”   (Psalm 106:15)

The Scripture referenced above has to do with the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings.It seems that the people were always griping and complaining about their condition; always discontented about what God had provided for them.  You will remember that God gave them manna from Heaven, but the people lusted after meat.  God gave them what they wanted, but at what price?  The Psalmist tells us they received leanness into their souls.  I don’t think that God was upset with them because they had a physical hunger; but He did judge them because they put their lust for the physical above their love for Him.

How often do we put our physical, and other fleshly desires over the things of God.  There is nothing wrong with food, but when we become so consumed with eating, playing, enjoying, etc. that we become negligent of the spiritual we too will suffer the consequences of a spiritual famine.  I love to eat, I love to enjoy the good things that God has given us to enjoy in this life, but I don’t want to trade off the spiritual blessings that God has for me because of an over-appetite for the physical.

Notice the historical reference of this event from Numbers 11:

And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. (Numbers 11:33)

Our flesh is enemy # 1.  If we are not careful, we will allow our flesh to take over our lives.  We may be physically fat, but we will also be spiritually famished.

Jul 6th (No Title)

Today’s Passages – Psalm 103 – 105; Proverbs 6

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Memorize 1 John 5:7)

Jul 5th Singing, Thanksgiving, and Praise

Today’s Passages – Psalm 96 – 102; Proverbs 5

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Memorize – 1 John 5:7)

“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:2)

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4)

Gladness, singing, thanksgiving, and praise.  These are the words that the Psalmist uses in connection with the presence of God.  These words do not have exactly the same meaning, but they are all closely related.  Do these words describe your relationship with the Lord.  It has always amazed me that God’s people, the people that have more reason to be joyous than anybody else, tend to be the most miserable people on the planet.  Why is that?  Maybe it’s because that we don’t often come “before His presence”.  We serve a wonderful, glorious, and awesome Saviour.  Why shouldn’t we be happy and fulfilled as we walk in this life.  If we would just take a moment to reflect on God’s goodness to us, our hearts would be filled with the gratitude for Him.

I think the problem is that we so often become focussed on a small negative in life instead of the big picture.  When you feel a little bit down, and you are tempted to gripe and complain about your situation, why not try to refocus on the blessing of being a child of God:

1  Consider His Provision – God has been good to us.  He has promised to meet our needs, and he even graciously provides some of our desires.

2  Consider His Protection – God may not shield us from every evil and hurt that is out there; but think of all that he has protected us from already.  How many times has God miraculously kept me safe from some accident, or from some other painful experience?

3  Consider His Purpose – God has given us a reason to live; a reason to exist.  We get to represent Him; to shine His light in this dark and evil world.

If we were to take the time to think about it, we would realize that we have a lot to be thankful for; a lot to praise Him for; a lot to sing about.  God is good all the time.  God’s ways are right all the time.  This is the day which the Lord hath made;  we will rejoice and be glad in it. Besides, it’s a lot more fun to go through life rejoicing than griping regardless of your circumstances.

Jul 4th Happy Birthday America – 235 years old!

Today’s Passages – Psalm 90 – 95; Proverbs 4

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Memorize – 1 John 5:7)

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. …If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32; 36)

Praise the Lord for America!  This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth.  When I think about Independence Day I am filled with praise and gratitude to our God for three specific things:

1  I thank the Lord for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins, giving me liberty from the Law and from the bondage of sin.  To think that Christ would love someone like me is really beyond my comprehension.

2  I also thank the Lord for the men and women of God throughout the centuries who have given their lives delivering the message of salvation.  I could not be saved today if it weren’t for people who sacrificed greatly communicating the truth of God’s Word.

3  Finally, I am filled with gratitude for the men and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom here in America.  With all of her faults, America is by far the best place in the world to live.  I can carry my Bible here; I can open it on any street corner and proclaim the glorious name of Christ.  I have the freedom to worship God here according to the convictions that God has given me through His Word.  I do a lot of complaining about the direction our country is heading sometimes; but today I am going to lay aside  all of the negatives, and be thankful for the blessing of America!

One more thing.  I am going to think today about what sacrifice I can make to send the message of Christ to not just America, but to every living, breathing soul on this earth.

Thank you Jesus for setting me free from sin.  Thank you America for giving me the freedom to thank and serve Jesus.

Jul 3rd Teach Me Thy Way

Today’s Passages – Psalm 86 – 89; Proverbs 3

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 5 – 6; Memorize – 1 John 5:7)

Just a quick thought from the Word of God this morning. As I was reading this 86th Psalm, I gave some extra thought to the verse above. God wants to teach His children, but unfortunately many of His children are not very teachable. God will use several methods to instruct us, but the easiest way for us to learn is to apply what we read or hear from the Word of God to our lives. However, if we choose not to learn the lessons taught in the Word, then God will have to put us through the “School of Hard Knocks”. I spend much of my time in this learning center, and I bet many of you do as well. It’s too bad that we are not as mold-able and teachable as God would have us to be.

Jul 2nd You Can Take The Fire – Pt2 – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Psalm 80-95, Proverbs 2, Matt 3-4

Today’s Passage…

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.” (Matthew 4:23-24)

Good morning. As I look down at a picture of my daughter, Melissa’s picture that is near my computer, tears start to form in my eyes. As most of you know from her Facebook page that the cancer is back. Last week in the Post, I told the story of the work of a silversmith in the refining of silver. The story told started with Malachi 3:3. The Lord sits as refiner and purifier of silver. It was a beautiful picture painted of our God. The silversmith must place the silver in the hottest part of the flame. It is the only way to burn off the impurities. He must watch the metal every moment it is in the flame. If the silver is too long in the flame, it will be destroyed. He knows when the silver is done when he can see his reflection in it. God allows us to go through the fire to make us more like Jesus.

As I look at the photo, questions fill my mind. Questions I don’t understand. Who is the fire for? Is it for Melissa? My wife? Me? Is it for all three of us? Having had arthritis for almost 30 years, Melissa has been through the fire many times. I remember when she was around seven years old, we were racing into Ocean County Mall. She fell and skinned her knee. Inside the mall we lost track of her. The next thing we see is a group of people standing around looking at something. There was Melissa with store security getting a band-aid put on. Even back then God was keeping His eye on her. Around 2001, her head started slipping down on her spinal cord. We were at camp Aura, and were able to get her to the hospital in time to fix it. The doctor said the operation would take about 5 hours. Ten hours later he made it out of the operating room telling us that she would be okay. God was watching over her. I know that God was watching over her when she had both knees and both hips replaced. When she had her ankle fused; when she had rods placed inside her wrist to straighten her hand, God was watching over her. His eyes were on her all the time she was in the fire. I’m very proud of Melissa. One of the proudest moments was when she graduated Texas Baptist College. Leaving her electric wheel chair at the side door, and with a little help, she was able to walk across the platform to receive her diploma: the whole church gave her a standing ovation. The point is that Melissa has been through a lot, and God knows the beginning and the ending. I don’t. But I do know one thing – it ain’t over till it’s over. David, when the child he had with Bathsheba lay dieing, prayed and fasted, not knowing if God would heal the child. And do you know what? One day she will have a perfect body, relief from all the pain, and no tears to shed.

Pray for us. The date for Melissa’s operation is not set yet, but it will be soon. And thank you for allowing me to share some of the feelings that I am having. I hope this will help someone else who is feeling the heat.

Peace. (John 16:33)

Jul 1st Where’s God

Today’s Passage – Psalm 78 – 79; Proverbs 1

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 1 – 2; Memorize – Haggai 1:5 – 6)

“Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servantswhich is shed.” (Psalm 79:10)

Have you ever asked the question, “where is God?”  I have often heard the people of this world ask this question when bad things happen on the earth. They will say that if there was a loving God, He would not allow all of this evil in the world. I have also hear some of the people of God pose the same thought when they or somebody they care about are experiencing hardship in life. However, the context of the verse written above is a little bit different. It seems that the psalmist here has penned these words at a time in Israel’s history when they have suffered a horrible defeat to the Babylonians (around 586 BC) which included the complete destruction of Jerusalem along with the people of Israel being taken into captivity.  Here the psalmist is pleading with God to avenge them of their adversaries. He tells God that their enemies are mocking them, saying that their God must either not care or must be absent altogether. The irony of the whole situation is that God actually “raised up” these Babylonian attackers for the express purpose of getting the attention of His people who had seriously departed from following Him.

My thought for this morning, however, is that I wonder how many of of the people around us: our neighbors, our co-workers, our family members, etc. can see God in our lives.  Can they see the reality of our faith working throughout our day to day living. Maybe they are tolerant and even polite to us regarding what we say about our faith; but I wonder sometimes if they aren’t secretly thinking, “where is their God?” Can they see the reality of God in our lives?  No wonder we are having a difficult time reaching the people around us. If God isn’t real to us, how can he reveal Himself to others through us. I believe we have a tremendous responsibility and an awesome opportunity to show people our God through our lives.

1  Show them God by living out your faith.  If you really believe God, then live according to the principles found in His Word.  Walk with Him daily.  Yield to His Spirit and His will.  Separate from the things that are not apart of His perfect plan for your life.

2  Show them God by loving the people around you.  God loves people, unlovable people just like you.  Demonstrate the reality of God by demonstrating God’s love to people.  Look for ways to express the love of God to the lost world around you.  Don’t take separation beyond where God intended it to be.  He wants us to impact their world; not only with the truth, but also with compassion.

The greatest compliment a person could give me would be for them to say that they saw the reality of God in my life.