The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: 2kings 13-15, Luke 15-16, Proverbs 30
Today’s Passage: Proverbs 30:5 – Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.
Good morning. One of the first hymns that I memorized was called Standing On The Promises. We can stand on the promises of God because every one of His Words are pure. We can trust in His word. That is why that colon is there. The statement after the colon explains the statement before the colon. We can believe God: put our trust in His words because they are pure words. He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
What happens when you stop trusting? Think about it. Isn’t that when things start going wrong in your life? Isn’t that when the problems come? Most of the time we cause our own problems. Problems that God allows are for chastisement, to get our attention, or tho show us His glory and power. When we trust in His pure words, God becomes our shield: He protects us.
Are you trusting the Lord for your salvation? Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40).
We can trust God for our salvation, His pure words tell us so. How about your finances. “Oh no. He’s going to talk about tithing. I can’t afford to tithe in this economy. Gas is almost up to $4.00 per gallon!”
You can’t afford NOT to tithe in this economy. Paul bore witness of God supplying his needs, and our needs. Doesn’t Philippians 4:19 say: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”? Are you trusting God’s pure words? Is He your shield? Have you read Malachi 3:8-11 lately?
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Have you noticed the little things eating away at your paycheck? God will rebuke the devourer if you trust His pure words.
Just look at our country. We have robbed God. Not of riches, but of glory. This is a Christian nation. Our nation was built on the Word of God: pure words. And yet our leaders say this is not a Christian nation. They are steeling glory from God. Unfortunately we have to live here too. We get hit with the $4.00 per gallon of gas also. But you know what? “Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.”
Peace. (Luke 1:67-79)
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Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 13-15; Proverbs 30
(Second Milers also read – Luke 15 – 16; Memorize Ephesians 4:29)
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Clean House
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 10-12; Proverbs 29
(Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14; Memorize John 11:25 – 26)
“Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.” – (2 Kings 10:28)
“And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.” – (2 Kings 11:18)
In all three of the chapters from 2 Kings that we have read today we have seen a “housecleaning” of sorts. First we see Jehu of the northern kingdom of Israel in chapter 10. He slaughters all of the family of wicked King Ahab along with all of the prophets of Baal. Now I understand that when we read passages like this in the 21st Century, we tend to think that Jehu was way to cruel to the family of Ahab. However, it is important to realize that Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, had done more to cause God to be angry than any other king of Israel or Judah. They had filled the land with immorality and idolatry; they had repressed the true worshippers of God, and promoted the worship of Baal. Jehu was actually fulfilling the Word of God through the prophet Elijah when he said that the house of Ahab and Jezebel would be destroyed. (1 Kings 21:19, 21, 29)
Now when we get to chapters 11 and 12, we are in the southern kingdom of Judah. The king of Judah, Ahaziah, was also slain by Jehu in the northern kingdom back in chapter 9. Ahaziah was friends with the king of Israel, so he was guilty by association. Also, Ahaziah’s mother was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. So you see the wicked influence of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of the northern kingdom had spread to the southern kingdom of Judah. By the way, it all started when the good king, Jehoshaphat, became friendly with Ahab. At any rate, by the time we get to 2 Kings 12, the southern kingdom of Judah is filled with the worship Baal, which needs to be exterminated from the land.
What we need to learn from all of this is that if we are not careful about living our lives separate from the world, we too will begin to allow all kinds of things that God is against. And what is worse, we will also set a poor example to our children who will most likely move even further away from God than we do. I do not believe that King Jehoshaphat would be pleased with what happened to his nation in the next couple of generations, but in reality, he was the one who started all by getting too cozy with people who hated God, and God’s prophets.
Consider some New Testament verses about separation:
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” – (2 Corinthians 6:14)
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” – (1 John 2:15)
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” – (2 Corinthians 6:17)
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – (Romans 12:2)
I do not believe that these verses teach that we should isolate ourselves from the world. Jesus said that we are to be in the world but not of the world. Our presence as Christians in this world is really for the purpose that we may glorify God. We are to make God look good to the world through our lives. When we allow the world to conform us into its image rather than us influencing the world, we are no longer glorifying God. Remember, Christian, you are the one who knows the truth. Don’t let the vain philosophies of this world somehow cause you to doubt that truth. I think if we would be completely honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that we have all allowed too much of the dirt of the world to creep into our lives. Maybe its time for us to do a little housecleaning. Just a thought.
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Windows in Heaven
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 7 – 9; Proverbs 28
(Second Milers also read Luke 11 – 12; Memorize John 11:25 – 26)
“Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2 Kings 7:2)
In today’s passage we see the the city of Samaria surrounded by an overwhelming army of the Syrians. This massive host from Syria had the city surrounded for some time, which caused the Israelites to run completely out of food on the inside of the city; with no way to get out to get more food. Things got so bad the people were actually buying and selling dove’s dung to eat. Some had even killed and ate children. Pretty hopeless situation.
Along comes the man of God and tells them that at the same time the next day the situation would be reversed, so much so that food that was very expensive the previous day would be sold for next to nothing on the next day. But one of the lords (princes) of Israel doubted the Word of God through the mouth of the prophet, and stated basically that this is impossible, even if God were to open the windows of heaven.
You can read the story for yourself; but God did exactly what he said he would do. The Syrians heard the sound of chariots, and assumed that their enemies from Egypt or maybe the Hittites were coming to help Israel by attacking them. They flee, leaving all of their food and goods behind. Israel discovers that the Syrians have left, and they come out of the city and spoil the camp of the Syrians.
It looks like God truly opened up the windows of heaven. We have a promise from the word of God regarding those same windows in heaven:
“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)
God has promised us that if we will keep him first in our lives that he will keep those windows open. He doesn’t promise that we will all live in mansions on this earth and eat caviar; but praise the Lord, we won’t have to eat dove’s dung either.
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Lean Not Unto Your Own Understanding
Today’s Passage – 2 Kinggs 4 – 6; Proverbs 27
(Second Milers also read Luke 9 – 10; Memorize John 11:25 – 26)
“But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” – (2 Kings 5:11-13)
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – (Proverbs 3:5-6)
In chapter five of 2 Kings, we see the captain of the host of the nation of Syria is diseased with leprosy. He is told that there is a man of God in Israel that might be able to heal him, so he goes with his servants to Israel to see Elisha, the man of God. When he gets there, Elisha does not even come out of his house to meet the man personally, but instead sends a messenger which tells Naaman to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman becomes furious for two reasons: first, he thinks the solution is too simple. It was not what he expected from a man of God. He thought that Elisha would have performed some elaborate religious ritual or something. Secondly, Naaman figures that if it is only a matter of washing, he could just as easily have stayed in Syria. He felt that the rivers in Syria were far superior to the river Jordan in Israel anyway.
This story illustrates how we tend to think as humans. Often times we come to God with a problem, and we already have a pre-conceived idea in our mind of how that problem is going to be fixed. However, many times God will fix it in a way that is foreign to our understanding, and we will rebel against it. Sometimes when we go for counsel, we look for someone who will tell us what we want to hear, rather that what we need to hear. God’s ways are not our ways. He does what He wants, not what we want Him to do. By the way, there was nothing special about the water in the Jordan river. The healing came from God, and because Naaman finally believed God and did what God had told him to do.
I have added a link to last year’s post on this passage, “Open My Eyes”. My thought from last year was from chapter 6. http://pastorerickson.com/?p=177
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Passing the Torch
Today’s Passage – 2 Kings 1 – 3; Proverbs 26
(Second Milers also read – Luke 7 & 8; Memorize John 11:25 & 26)
“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 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)
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Tell Me What I Need To Hear
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 22; Proverbs 25
(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Memorize John 11:25 – 26)
“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.
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He Is Risen!!!
HE IS RISEN!!! Praise the Lord. I am verv excited about preaching the Word of God four times today. Three of the messages will be on the Resurrection. This morning’s devotion, however, will be taken from this morning’s Scripture passage.
A Little Humility
Today’s Reading – 1 Kings 20, 21; Proverbs 24
(Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Memorize John 11:25 – 26)
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 a woman (Jezebel) 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.
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The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl – How To Start A Fire
Today’s Reading: 1Kings 18-19, Luke 1-2, and Proverbs 23.
Today’s Passage: 1Kings 18:37: “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.”
Good morning. Today we’re going to learn how to get fire with two sticks and some dried grass, or leaves. Take a long, straight stick and carve a point at one end. Take the other piece of wood and carve a small round gully for the pointy stick to fit in. On one of the sides of the gully, carve a small triangle or knoch out. Now place the point into the gully and using a downward motion, with the straight sick in your palms, rub your hands together rolling the stick to create friction. Soon you will see smoke appear. Keep going until you can see a spark glowing. Add some of the dried grass and blow on the ember and the grass should ignite. Add more leaves, dried grass, and wood to keep the fire going. Anybody can use this method, it just takes a little work.
Here is another way to start a fire. If you are saved and backslide then you know how miserable your life can be. Yet there is that small spark within you that keeps trying to call you back. It takes work, but you can do it if you want to. You have friction going between your spirit and your flesh. God sent Elijah to meet with Ahab, and there was friction. “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim. (1Kings 18:17-18).
Now you need some kindling. Wood, hay, and stubble are good to burn. In Elijah’s case: the prophets of Baal. All they did was cause all but 7000 Israelites to bow their knee to Baal. Isn’t that what sin does to you: causes you to turn away from God? Good sent the spark (or fire from heaven) that was an answer to Elijah’s prayer.
1Ki 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.” (1Kings 18:37-39).
Empowered by God, Elijah was able to rid Israel of the 400 prophets of Baal. Now God could bless. Just like you looked for that small spark, Elijah was looking for a blessing from God. “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1Kings 18:41-46).
Remember when you backslide, it only takes a little effort on your part to allow the Lord to start the fire in you again.
Peace (Colossians 3:15)
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God Takes Care Of His Own
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 15 – 17; Proverbs 22
(Second Milers also read – Mark 15 – 16; Memorize Philippians 3:8 – 11)
“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 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)
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