Rejoicing in a Great Week in the Lord!
Before we examine the Scripture passage for today, let me just share with you how excited I am about serving the Lord here at Jersey Shore. We have seen God do many wonderful things here this week with great attendances and many people saved. Praise the Lord!!! Thanks to all of the faithful workers who sacrificially serve the Lord and minister to the people here.
The Reading for Today is 1 Samuel 26 – 28
My thought this morning involves Saul and David. Saul was a man consumed with envy over David. As we study the scriptures, we find that David did nothing to deserve the treatment he was getting from Saul. David faithfully served Saul and Israel. As a young man, he played the harp for Saul him; he fought and killed the giant of the Philistines, Goliath of Gath; he fought many battles for Saul, bringing great victory for Israel. David loved Saul; married his daughter; and was Saul’s son, Jonathan’s, best friend. David did nothing but good for Saul and his family; but it seems that the more good David did, the more Saul despised him. Saul became consumed with hating David; and seeking David’s life.
How did David react to all of this. He did nothing to react to Saul’s unkindness. David could have justifiably killed Saul twice but refused to touch God’s anointed. Finally, no doubt exasperated, David leaves Israel and moves into the land of the Philistines (Israel’s enemy). However, even then he does not become Saul’s enemy. He secretly takes his men and fights against the enemies of Israel. So even after being banished from the country he loved and served: the country that he was anointed by God to be the king over; he continues to be a friend to it and to Saul.
How about you? How do you react to people who are attacking you; people who are being your enemy. Do you attack back with vengence; or do you continue to be a friend to them, even if they don’t deserve your friendship. God will take care of the Saul’s in your life. You just keep doing what you know God wants you to do.
Any thoughts? Please feel free to leave a comment.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Put Your Game Face On!
Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 19 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read the “0307 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “Feminine and Modest”
“And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.” – (Deuteronomy 20:8)
In Deuteronomy chapter twenty, God gives instructions to the people of Israel regarding going into battle. Before going into the fight, God weeded out anybody whose hearts and minds would not be in the fight (vs. 5 – 8). If these soldiers were not not fully committed and focused on the battle ahead, they may be a danger to the other men. If they were consumed with fear, God knew that their fear may spread to the others and discourage them as well. God wants those who fight for him to be “in the fight”.
These verses bring several thoughts to mind, but the one I will share with you is one that I have given quite a bit of consideration to lately. In Christianity today, there is an awful lot of “half-hearted” effort in the battle to fulfill the Great Commission. So many are distracted, and so many more just do not seem to care at all. We need men and woman who are willing to give their all to and for the Lord. Consider these verses:
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” – (Revelation 3:16)
“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – (Luke 9:62)
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – (1 Corinthians 10:31)
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
We are in a battle today: against the devil; against the evil of this world. We are fighting for the souls of men, and God needs us to be focussed and determined as we fight. We need to decide whether or not we want to be in the battle, because turning back is not an option. We need to get in all the way or get out of the way. By the way, I understand that there will be times when we need to break from the battle temporarily for rest and restoration, but that does not mean we give up altogether. Sometimes we will have to fight on even when we are weary, but we must keep fighting. The time of eternal rest will come soon enough, but right now we have something to fight for. Christian, put your game face on!
I heard Brother Roloff (via a tape) sing this song years ago:
I Came Here To Stay
Well the champion marched, for forty days
said “Gimmie a man to fight!”
The Israelites said “We got a brave heart,
but our feet are sorta full of fright!”
Then a boy with a sling and a pocket full of rocks,
who knew how to trust and pray said:
“If you’re gonna run, may as well start now cuz I came here to stay!”
Run if you want to run if you will
cuz I came here to stay
If I fall down, gonna get a right up
cuz I didn’t start out to play
Its a battlefield brother, not a recreation room
Its a fight and not a game
Run if you want to, run if you will,
but I came here to stay
The kids wouldn’t bow, the king got mad
said: “Turn that ol’ furnace up high!”
“Tie ‘em up, throw ‘em on in,
those Hebrew boys are gonna fry!”
A little while later, they looked in the furnace,
they heard brother Shadrach say:
“Pull up a chair boys, warm your hands,
we came in here to stay!”
Run if you want to run if you will
Posted in Thoughts from Deuteronomy by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.