Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jan 2nd Instead of Abel – God’s Plan B

Today’s Passage  – Genesis 4 – 6 (Click on the reference to listen to the audio. Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 3 – 4; Proverbs 2; Psalms 6 – 10)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Joshua 1:8

Read the “0102 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Walking with God,” “Sin Lieth at the Door,” “Shining Brightly in a Dark World,” and “Respect,” and “Grieving God.”

“25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 4:25-26)

It did not take long for things to really get messed up upon this very young earth. When God created Adam and Eve, everything was good. There was no sickness or sorrow, and there was no sin. Life was good; there was plenty of delicious food to eat and everything else that Adam and Eve needed was provided for them. We are all well familiar with how their great situation changed dramatically and suddenly for the worse. Sin came in, and with sin, came death; not just the physical death that would eventually take place for them many hundreds of years later, but also a separation from God. We know that God provided an appeasement for their sin through the blood sacrifice that was made when he provided them coats of skins (Genesis 3:21), which was a foreshadow of the atonement that would someday be made through the shed blood of Christ. However, the atonement for sin did not erase all of the horrible effects that came into their world as a result of their yielding to Satan. They were banished from the Garden and the earth became a much more dangerous and difficult place to live in.

In Genesis 4, we read about the effect that the sin nature had upon the first two children born into the world – Cain and Abel. According to Galatians 5, within the sin nature, among other horrible things, are emulations (ζῆλοι from  ζῆλος – zēlos – an envious and contentious rivalry, jealousy), wrath, strife, and murders:

“19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

Cains jealousy of God’s praise for Abel’s offering (Gen. 4:4 – 5 – respect – šāʿâ – to look at or regard) turned into wrath and eventually blossomed into murder. Jesus said that the outward action of murder (and all other visible sins) begins within the heart:

“18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Matthew 15:18-19)

Cain’s heart had a lot of evil in it because of the sin that entered into the world through his parents, as was recorded back in Genesis 3. When Eve first ate of the fruit, she had no idea of the devastating consequences that would be caused by it. Had she known that one of her sons would murder the other because of a simple act of eating a piece of fruit, I do not think she would have done it.

The same is true for us many thousands of years later. Our sinful actions today will have a harmful effect on the people we love both today and in the future. As Christians, we need yield our lives to the Spirit of God so that we will be better equipped to resist sin:

“16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. … 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16, 22-25)

Thank God that just as Adam and Eve received forgiveness for their sin, there is also forgiveness for us when we sin. However, because of sin’s negative effects on us and the people we love, it ought to be our goal to avoid it all costs.

That brings me to my main thought for this morning’s devotion. God, in His grace, provided another child for Eve and they named him Seth, which means “appointed one,” or “substitute.” Eve’s world was no doubt devastated when her eldest son killed her younger son. In a sense, both of her sons were gone. God, however, gave Eve a son to replace the one that had been violently taken from her.

However, there is more to this story than just God’s grace upon Eve. God, in His grace, gave to all the world a believing seed, a righteous seed. Abel was a believer, which was evidenced by the blood sacrifice which he offered to God (Genesis 4:4). When God gave Seth, he gave the world a believer that would pass the faith on to the generations that followed. Notice in v. 26:

“26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 4:26)

“13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Dec 31st Resolve To Be Transformed

Today’s Passage – Your Favorite Passage

(Second Milers also read – Proverbs 31)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – 1 John 4:7 & 8

Read the “1231 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)

Tomorrow begins the New Year, which is traditionally the time that people make all kinds of resolutions regarding things that they want to see changed in their lives. Some want to lose weight, others want to become more organized, and some want to quit some bad habit; the list is endless. In the past, I would make many resolutions, but, unfortunately, was unable to keep many of them. This year, I have resolved not to resolve. You may be asking, “what do you mean by that preacher?” What I mean is: I have resolved to stop trying to fix the myriad of things in my life that need fixing. No, I have not thrown in the towel on trying to live the Christian life. On the contrary, I have discovered a better way to see the necessary changes take place.

This year, instead of exercising my will power to change things in my life, I have opted to turn the whole process over to God. I have figured out that the closer I get to Him, the more He begins to chip away at the things in my life that need to go. Let me give you a verse that has been on my mind a lot lately:

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

This verse tells me that God actually works with our will. Our will is really the problem isn’t it? Paul said that the inside of him was no good thing, “for to will is present with [him]”. Resolutions are about our will, but transformation is about the will of God. We may desire to see things fixed in our lives, but then our will changes, and the fixing stops. However, when transformation takes place from the inside, God not only changes our will, but also implements the changes that need to take place.

You may be thinking: “what do I have to do?” This is too good to be true. I don’t have to do anything? God does all of the work? Well, you do have to draw nigh to God. He says that if you will do that, He will draw nigh (get close) to you.  In order to get close to Him, you are going to have spend more time with Him: reading His Word, and praying. You will also have to spend less time with the world. The world also desires to conform you to what it wants you to be. You see, the world will also mess with your will.  If you spend enough time pursuing the things of this world, your thinking will also change; your desires will change. The same is also true with God. Get with Him. Saturate yourself in prayer and the Word, and God will begin to chip away at all of the rough edges in your life, and you will gradually become a vessel more meet (fitted) for the Master’s use.

This New Year, you have some choices to make. You can decide to do nothing: throw in the towel, and wait out the return of Christ. You can also decide to make a long list of things that you want to see changed, goals that you want to see accomplished, etc., and set out through your will power, your tenacity, to implement those things. You may even be successful in fulfilling some of them. Door number three is the option that I am choosing. I am going to take some tangible steps this year to get as far away from the world and as close to God as I possibly can. Then I am going to sit back and watch what He does in my life. No goals this year, just God.

Dec 30th The Great White Throne

Today’s Passage – Revelation 20 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 30)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – 1 John 3:1

Read the “1230 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s passage – “Behold, I Make All Things New,” and “You’re Invited.“

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

These verses discussing The Great White Throne Judgment are perhaps the saddest in all of the Bible. In this passage we see the final fate of all of those people who lived on the earth but never received the free gift of eternal life by trusting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. This is a judgment for the lost and not for believers. Believers’ sins were judged by the Lord on Calvary. Believers’ works are judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:11 – 15). The lost will be resurrected from their temporary holding place in hell. Note – this is the second resurrection (which actually brings them to a second death) mentioned in verses five and six. They will then be judged by the Lord at the Great White Throne and, being found guilty, will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

If we as believers were judged for our sins we, too, would be found guilty; but, praise the Lord, Jesus was judged for our sins paid the penalty of death for them on the Cross. He died for all of these people here at the Great White Throne as well, but they never received Christ’s payment. If perhaps you are reading this blog today and have not yet trusted Christ as your Saviour, I beg you to do so today. You can find more information regarding the free gift of salvation under the “Are You Saved?” tab on the home page of this website.

Christian, thank God that you will not have to face a just and thrice holy God at this Great White Throne Judgment. You may, however, have to watch from the perspective of Heaven as those countless lost people are cast into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity. Some of those people will people that you knew on earth: family members, neighbors, co-workers, etc. People that you may have had the opportunity to share Christ with but didn’t. That is a very sobering thought, is it not? Please, while we still have time, let’s all get busy talking to people about the forgiveness that is available to them freely through faith in Christ. Let’s get back to passing out gospel tracts and inviting people to church. Let’s earnestly and boldly witness to those that God places in our path. Time is running out. We could be living at the time of the Lord’s return and then the time for telling people about Jesus will be over. We have to commit to winning souls to Christ while we are still here!

Dec 29th No More At All

Today’s Passage – Revelation 16 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – James 4:10

Read the “1229 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from today’s passage – “It Will All Be Gone Someday” and “Supper’s Almost Ready.”

“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. … And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:14, 21-23)

The prophetic context of these chapters in Revelation is the Great Tribulation Period, which is a time yet future when the true Church of Jesus Christ will already have been removed from the earth via the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 17; 1 Corinthians 15:51 – 52; Revelation 4:1). If you are saved, you will not have to worry about all this crazy stuff prophesied here because it will all happen after we are gone. (Praise the Lord!)

In Revelation 17, the focus is on the fall of religious Babylon, which I believe is a reference to the religious system, an ecumenical and apostate church that will be in place during the first half of the Tribulation Period. This system will be destroyed by Antichrist and replaced by a system of worship headed up by his false prophet (the second beast) and will be centered in the worship of himself (Antichrist). In chapter 18, the focus is on on commercial Babylon.

The question arises as to whether “Babylon” here refers to the actual geographical location on the Euphrates River where the city of Babylon was once located when it was the capitol of the world back in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. Or, is Babylon a symbolic reference to the capitol of Antichrist’s kingdom. It is possible that wherever Antichrist’s headquarters is located geographically that it could be given the name, “Babylon.” While the actual location of this capital city may not be precisely known, we do know that it will be the center of both religion and commerce during the Tribulation Period.

My focus for this devotion is on the repeated statement in Revelation 18:9 – 19, “no more at all.” In these verses we see that all of the things that people think to be supremely important – the “merchandise” along with the wealth that could purchase it, was all stripped away, until there was “none left at all.”

In recent years, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw grocery stores shelves stripped of their merchandise. Toilet paper and cleaning supplies were all being rationed, and there were shortages of food items as well. Perhaps, that was just a small glimpse of what is coming someday in the Tribulation Period. Possessions and pleasures are so important to people, but God will someday take away all that these people hold so dear.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy about the love of money and possessions:

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

Jesus also taught extensively about covetousness.

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

Christian, we know that these Tribulation verses do not apply to us in the Church, but let’s try to make a practical application from the passage. The people in Revelation 18 are mourning because all the things that they lived for – the things that were most important to them – were taken from them. How about you? Do you place an unhealthy value on the things that this world has to offer? Do possessions even matter at all when compared with eternity? We need to be careful that we do not get to the place where our possessions become idols. We need things to live, but the things that matter most are not the tangible trinkets that commercial Babylon produces. The things that are really important will be able to follow us into eternity. Just a thought. 

Dec 25th A Christmas Miracle on the Frontier – written by “a Pastor’s Wife”

Today’s Passage – 1 John 3 – 3 John 1 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 121 – 125; Proverbs 25)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “1225 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

I remember a day during one winter that stands out like a boulder in my life. The weather was unusually cold, our salary had not been regularly paid, and it did not meet our needs when it was. My husband was away traveling from one district to another much of the time. Our boys were well, but my little Ruth was ailing, and at best none of us were decently clothed. I patched and repaired, with spirits sinking to the lowest ebb. The water gave out in the well, and the wind blew through the cracks in the floor.

The people in the parish were kind, and generous, too, but the settlement was new, and each family was struggling for itself. Little by little, at the time I needed it most, my faith began to waver. Early in life I was taught to take God at His Word, and I thought my lesson was well learned. I had lived upon the promise in dark times, until I knew, as David did, “who was my Fortress and Deliverer.” Now a daily prayer for forgiveness was all that I can offer.

My husband’s overcoat was hardly thick enough for October, and he was often obliged to ride miles to attend some meeting or funeral. Many times our breakfast was Indian cake and a cup of tea without sugar. Christmas was coming; the children always expected their presents. I remember the ice was thick and smooth, and the boys were each craving a pair of skates. Ruth, in some unaccountable way, had taken a fancy that the dolls I had made were no longer suitable; she wanted a nice large one, and insisted on praying for it. I knew it was impossible; but, oh! How I wanted to give each child it’s present! It seemed as if God had deserted us, but I did not tell my husband all this. He worked so earnestly and heartily, I supposed him to be as hopeful as ever. I kept the sitting-room cheerful with an open fire, and I tried to serve our scanty meals as invitingly as I could.

The morning before Christmas, James was called to see a sick man. I put up a piece of bread for his lunch-it was the best I could do – wrapped my plaid shawl around his neck and then to whisper a promise, as I often had, but the words died away upon my lips. I let him go without it. That was a dark, hopeless day. I coaxed the children to bed early, for I could not bear their talk. When Ruth went, I listened to her prayer; she asked for the last time most explicitly for her doll, and skates for her brothers. Her bright face looked so lovely when she whispered to me, “You know, I think they’ll be here early tomorrow morning, Mamma,” that I thought I could move heaven and earth to save her from disappointment. I sat down alone, and gave way to the most bitter tears.

Before long James returned, chilled and exhausted. He drew off his boots; the thin stockings clipped off with them, and his feet were red with cold. “I wouldn’t treat a dog that way; let alone a faithful servant,” I said. Then, as I glanced up and saw the hard lines in his face and the look of despair, it flashed across me that James had let go, too. I brought him a cup of tea, feeling sick and dizzy at the very thought. He took my hand, and we sat for an hour without a word. I wanted to die and meet God, and tell Him His promise wasn’t true; my soul was so full of rebellious despair.

There came a sound of bells, a quick stop and a loud knock at the door. James sprang up to open it. There stood Deacon White. “A box came for you by express just before dark. I brought it around as soon as I could get away. Reckoned it might be for Christmas; ‘At any rate,’ I said, ‘they shall have it tonight.’ Here is a turkey my wife asked me to fetch along, and these other things I believe belong to you.” There was a basket of potatoes and a bag of flour. Talking all the time, he hurried in the box, and then with a hearty good night rode away.

Still, without speaking, James found a chisel and opened the box. He drew out first a thick red blanket, and we saw that beneath it was full of clothing. It seemed at that moment as if Christ fastened upon me a look of reproach. James sat down and covered his face with his hands. “I can’t touch them,” he explained. “I haven’t been true, just when God was trying me to see if I could hold out. Do you think I could not see how you were suffering? And I had no word of comfort to offer. I know now how to preach the awfulness of turning away from God.”

“James,” I said, clinging to him, “don’t take it to heart like this; I am to blame, I ought to have helped you. We will ask Him together to forgive us.”

“Wait a moment, dear, I cannot talk now.” Then he went into another room. I knelt down, and my heart broke; in an instant all the darkness, all the stubbornness rolled away. Jesus came again and stood before me, but now with the loving word, “Daughter!” Sweet promises of tenderness and joy flooded my soul. I was so lost in praise and gratitude that I forgot everything else. I don’t know how long it was before James came back, but I knew he, too, had found peace.

“Now, my dear wife,” said he, “let us thank God together”; and then he poured out words of praise – Bible words, for nothing else could express our thanksgiving.

It was eleven o’clock, the fire was low, and there was the great box, and nothing touched but the warm blanket we needed. We piled on some fresh logs, lighted two candles, and began to examine our treasures. We drew out an overcoat; I made James try it on – just the right size – and I danced around him, for all my lightheartedness had returned. Then there was a cloak, and he insisted on seeing me in it. My spirits always infected him and we both laughed like foolish children. There was a warm suit of clothes also, and three pairs of woolen hose. There were a dress for me, and yards of flannel, a pair of arctic overshoes for each of us, and in mine a slip of paper. I have it now, and mean to hand it down to my children. It was Jacob’s blessing to Asher: “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” In the gloves for James, the same dear hand had written: “I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” It was a wonderful box and packed with thoughtful care. There was a suit of clothes for each of the boys and a little red gown for Ruth. There were mittens, scarfs, and hoods; down in the center – a box. We opened it, and there was a great wax doll!

I burst into tears again; James wept with me for joy. It was too much; and then we both exclaimed again, for close behind it came two pairs of skates. There were books for us to read – some of them I had wished to see – stories for the children to read, aprons and underclothing, knots of ribbon, a gay little tidy, a lovely photograph, needles, buttons, and thread; actually a muff, and an envelope containing a ten-dollar gold piece. At last we cried over everything we took up. It was past midnight, and we were faint and exhausted even with happiness. I made a cup of tea, cut a fresh loaf of bread, and James boiled some eggs. We drew up the table before the fire; how we enjoyed our supper! And then we sat talking over our life, and how sure a help God always proved.

You should have seen the children the next morning; the boys raised a shout at the sight of their skates. Ruth caught up her doll, and hugged it tightly without a word; then she went into her room and knelt by her bed. When she came back she whispered to me, “I knew it would be here, Mamma, but I wanted to thank God just the same, you know.”

“Look here, wife, see the difference!” We went to the window and there were the boys out of the house already, and skating on the crust with all their might.

My husband and I both tried to return thanks to the church in the East that sent us the box, and have tried to return thanks unto God every day since. 

Hard times have come again and again, but we have trusted in Him – dreading nothing so much as a doubt of His protecting care. “They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.”