Grieving God
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,” and “Shining Brightly in a Dark World.”
“5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” (Genesis 6:5 – 6)
“11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” (Genesis 6:11 – 12)
The spiritual condition of mankind prior to the flood was without doubt a time of complete depravity. Man had gotten as far away from God as they possibly could. Notice that “every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil continually.” And then, those wicked thoughts overflowed into actions because “the earth was filled with violence.” It got so bad that God actually says that “it repented [Him] that he had made man.” That means that mankind’s rebellion against God caused Him to change directions and destroy nearly all of the people on the earth with the Flood. Everyone was destroyed except Noah and his family. By the way, Noah was not perfect either, but he was a believer, and because of his faith in God, he “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).
Jesus says that the way things were in the days of Noah are the way things will be before Christ returns:
“26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:26 – 27)
The spiritual condition of our world today is pretty bad as well, but I do not think that we have devolved quite as far as they did prior to the flood. To be sure, we are a wicked people, but the restraining work of the Holy Spirit along with the light of Christians is holding back the evil somewhat.
My thought for this blog post, however, is not about how bad the world is getting, but rather about how our thoughts and actions grieve God. Believers can grieve God, and I believe it is very possible that when we sin, it may grieve God even more than when lost people sin, because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God within us. We can choose either to yield to our fleshly lusts and the pressures of this world, or surrender to the Spirit of God within us and submit to what He wants us to do.
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
I get it, we will never be sinless, but we can sin less. And, thank God for His grace and mercy toward us as He forgives our sins. He is also well aware of the fact that we can never be perfect, but we can, by faith, yield to Him. We can choose Him and what He wants over what our our old Adamic and sinful flesh desires.
We also can choose to think about things that are good, holy, righteous, and true:
“8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:8 – 9).
If we can train our minds to think about good things, then good things will come out of our lives via our actions.
Let us make it a goal – a resolution – in this New Year, not to grieve God.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
What’s Your Reputation Like?
Today’s Passage – 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5; (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 66 – 70; Proverbs 14)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read another post from this passage – “What’s Right With It“
“So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” – (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8)
What do people think of when they here your name? What do they think of when they hear the name of our church? Notice what it says in the above verses about the reputation of the Church at Thessalonica. They were examples to all the believers of Macedonia and Achaia, which are both part of the Grecian Peninsula. Then it goes on to say that their reputation went beyond their immediate area, and spread abroad to “every place”. I am not in agreement with those who would say that the gospel should not be audibly spoken to those around us, only lived; but it seems that these Thessalonians, not only spoke the gospel with their mouths, they communicated their faith with their lives also. So much so that they were famous for their faith throughout the world.
What kind of reputation do you and I have. I am not suggesting that we should strive for some kind of notoriety among fellow believers, but I do think that we should be concerned that our lives are consistent with what we believe. Our words as well as our actions should communicate to those around us that we are indeed followers of Christ. I want our faith to be known in our community as a church that loves the Lord in sincerity, and believes and follows the Bible literally. Again, I am not seeking the accolades of men, but I do want the world to know that there are churches out there that are real.
Jesus said that we are to shine the light of the gospel to the world around us. It seems that this church in our passage today did just that. I hope that our church will have that same testimony.
One more thing. Did you notice what the caption says on the picture above. One foolish act can ruin an otherwise good reputation. Some mistakes that we make will take a long time to recover from, and unfortunately, some we will never recover from completely. I am not trying to condemn those who have made mistakes in the past here as much as I am trying to admonish and encourage those who have yet to blow it. Nobody is perfect, but the less skeletons we accumulate in our closets the better testimonies we will have. Keep your reputation in tact. Christ is glorified when we live out our faith in sincerity and purity, without hypocricy.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Thessalonians by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Plugged In
Today’s Passage – Colossians 1 – 4; (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 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33
Read the 1213 Evening and Morning devotion from the late Charles Spurgeon.
“For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;” – (Colossians 1:9)
“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” – (Colossians 1:10)
“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;” – (Colossians 1:23)
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” – (Colossians 2:6-7)
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” – (Colossians 3:16)
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” – (John 8:31)
We need to stay plugged in to the Word of God. Previously, I wrote from this passage on “The Importance of Discipleship“, which is very important. However, I fear that many Christians who perhaps have grown beyond the early days of faith need to be encouraged to keep moving forward in their walk with the Lord. The new believer has an advantage to a certain degree over the Christian that has been saved for a while. The “babe” in Christ often has an appetite for the things of God that is much stronger than the more mature believer. The new Christian does not have to force himself to spend time in the Word, he wants to do it, so it comes easier for him. However, those of us who have been saved for a few years sometimes get a little bored with the routine. Many of the truths that we read about have become familiar to us. If we are not careful we will become apathetic toward our relationship with God, and will spend less time with Him.
Let me encourage those of you that have been saved for a while to renew your commitment to your relationship with the Lord. Get back into the Bible. If you have gotten away from spending daily time in the Word, then simply re-schedule your day to include time spent with God in His Word. Make sure you are looking for and receiving fresh truths from the Word, and share what God gives you with others. If you have gotten slack in your church attendance, get back where you belong. Stay plugged in to the places where God is speaking, so that you can continue to be strengthened spiritually.
Posted in Thoughts from Colossians by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Self Control
Today’s Passages – 1 Corinthians 6 – 9 (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 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “1201 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “Settling Disputes,” “Stumblingblocks“, “Property of Jesus“
“24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
“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 5:22-25)
Did you notice while reading 1 Corinthians nine that Paul emphasized the need to control himself. The word “temperate,” means self-control. Paul uses the illustration of people who are in athletic contests who need to have self-control. They cannot expect to win the race if they are overeating and under-exercising. It takes a great deal of self discipline to be able to control one’s fleshly appetites and put in the time and sweat needed to achieve “the crown” or trophy in a sporting event.
It is almost the same spiritually. Paul taught earlier (chronologically) in Galatians that temperance was a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), meaning that it is what the Spirit of God produces in our lives as we are yielded to Him. So, for the believer, temperance is not a fleshly character trait, it occurs when the yielded Christian allows the Spirit of God to control his body, subduing his fleshly appetites. It is not self-discipline, it is Holy Spirit discipline. It is saying no to our flesh and saying yes to what the Spirit of God wants us to do.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Who Is My Neighbour?
Today’s Passage – Luke 10 – 11 (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 30)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “1030 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29)
In our reading passage today there are so many wonderful truths that we could meditate on, but I have decided to consider the “Good Samaritan” passage found in Luke 10:25 – 37. The actual story of the good Samaritan was actually an illustration used by the Lord Jesus in His discussion with a lawyer who had tempted Him with the question, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” As Jesus often did, He replied with a question of His own: He asks the man what His understanding of the Law taught regarding the subject. Now remember, this guy was “tempting” Jesus, he was not sincerely inquiring about going to Heaven, and he was also a lawyer, an expert in the Law. Notice the man’s reply, which was pulled from two Old Testament passages (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18):
“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27)
I guess this lawyer thought that he was impressing Jesus with his knowledge of the Law. Jesus replied that the man had answered well. He told the man that if He could perfectly love God and perfectly love his neighbor, both of which are impossible, then He could go to Heaven. The men then asks a question to clarify the definition of a neighbor. “Who is my neighbor?” That’s a good question. No doubt the lawyer would consider his neighbors to be only those from within the nation of Israel.
Jesus then tells the story about the good Samaritan who comes across a man from Israel who had been beaten and robbed; and then passed by by two upstanding, “Law” abiding citizens (neighbors), who could have and should have helped him, but didn’t. I guess they weren’t feeling neighborly that day. But along comes the Samaritan who although he was not an upstanding member of the Jewish community acted like a neighbor should by helping the man. By the way, this good Samaritan is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ who was willing to help some undesirable people like us.
Jesus’ story of the Samaritan explained to this lawyer that the word “neighbor” means everybody, not just the people you like. Remember what He said in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” (Matthew 5:43-47)
By the way, Jesus was not teaching this man that if he would do these things that he would be saved, but rather he was proving to the man that he had already missed the mark, and that he was a long way away from being able to “justify himself” as he tried to do in Luke 10:29. But Jesus also let us know from this passage that our field of ministry includes all people, everywhere; not just a select few.
Have you loved a neighbor today? Think about some tangible way that you can demonstrate the love of Christ to someone today. You may just get the opportunity to share the gospel with them as well.
Posted in Thoughts from Luke by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Are You Still In Prison?
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 51 – 52 (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 – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read the “0828 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the firstyear of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,” (Jeremiah 52:31)
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah and he reigned for only eight years when he was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The Bible records that he was an evil king while he reigned. God caused the captivity to happen because of the evil kings of Judah which led the nation into a downward spiral of immorality and idolatry. Jehoiachin remained in prison in Babylon for 37 years, thus making his age 63 at the time of his release. He had spent most of his life in prison. In our passage today we see that he was released out of prison and given a place of great honor in the kingdom.
I am not sure that my assessment is accurate here, but bear with me as I share my thoughts. Jehoiachin was an evil guy; the Scripture is clear about that. Jehoiachin spent a lot of time in prison thinking about his life. Jehoiachin was finally released from his prison. Could it be, though the Scriptures do not clearly reveal this, that Jehoiachin repented in prison and turned back to God? God judged him with his nation during the captivity; and now God was releasing him with the nation. Is this not a picture of forgiveness? Isn’t living in sin a prison? Does the Bible not say that we were in bondage to sin? The Bible even records that his prison garments were put off of him. Doesn’t God give us a robe of righteousness when we become His child? I think that this passage is a marvelous picture of salvation. When the sinner trusts Christ as his Savior he is released from the bondage (prison) of sin; he is given a robe of righteousness; and is positioned in a place of blessing and honor in the King’s House. Note also that this all takes place when he is in his sixties which tells me it is never too late to be forgiven.
Have you been released from the prison of sin and unbelief? God wants to take you out; give you some new clothes, and set a place for you at his table. Why don’t you take him up on his offer? Trust Christ, get changed, and come to the table.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
God Remembers
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 37 – 40 (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 – Romans 1 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118; Proverbs 24)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – *1 Timothy 1:17*
Read the “0824 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – The Truth Sometimes Hurts
“Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin; Ebedmelech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying, My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah. And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.” (Jeremiah 38:7-13)
“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 39:15-18)
In our reading today, the prophet Jeremiah was speaking the Word of the Lord pretty much to deaf ears. He was trying to get the people to do what God wanted them to do, but they were not listening. At the this particular point in Jeremiah’s ministry to the nation of Judah, God told him to tell the people of Judah to submit to the will of King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. At one point, had the people of God repented from their idolatry and wickedness, God would have spared them completely from the Babylonian army, but they did not listen to God then either. Now, the the judgment of God through the Babylonians was coming, and God was warning the people of Judah to submit to them, but He also promises that if they do that, He will be merciful to them, cause them to be treated well, and not allow the city of Jerusalem to be completely destroyed.
The people, however, are convinced that they know better, and that they should resist. Keep in mind, during this whole time the people are still living in rebellion against God, there has been no repentance on their part, and they are certainly not listening to God’s prophet Jeremiah. In fact, they get so upset with what Jeremiah is saying that they throw him in jail. This particular dungeon is so bad that there is no water, just a filthy mire for a floor that Jeremiah sinks into when they lower him down into it.
One of the eunuchs that was in the king’s house, an Ethiopian man named Ebedmelech, realizes that what they are doing to Jeremiah is wrong and he goes to the king to intercede on Jeremiah’s behalf, and the king then sends Ebedmelech with a small army to rescue him and pull him up out of the mire.
Fast forward now to chapter thirty-nine. Babylon has arrived, and judgment is falling on all who refused to listen to Jeremiah, but Jeremiah himself is treated well by the Babylonians and is actually given his choice about whether to stay in Jerusalem or go with the rest of the captives to Babylon. Either way, he would be a free man. Notice in vs. 15 – 18 that Ebedmelech also is promised by God that he will be treated well. God remembered the kindness that Ebedmelech showed Jeremiah when he was in the prison.
Jesus said something very similar in Matthew 25:
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:37-40)
Did you notice that one of the things that Jesus will reward (besides the cup of cold water pictured above) is visiting one of His brethren in prison. That’s exactly what Ebedmelech did. His visited Jeremiah and He interceded to the king on his behalf. And, God remembered him. God stated the same thing in Jeremiah 39 that He states in Matthew. He told Ebedmelech that what he did for Jeremiah was just the same as doing it for God.
Ebedmelech was not a prophet, He wasn’t even a Jew, but He demonstrated faith in God by what he did for Jeremiah, God’s man. Not everybody today is a preacher or teacher of the Word of God, but if they faithfully serve God in whatever capacity God has given them and equipped them for, they will also be remembered by God. God remembers.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Bible Burning
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 33 – 36 (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 – Acts 25 – 28; Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read the “0823 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.” (Jeremiah 36:22-23)
“Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.” (Jeremiah 36:32)
When Jeremiah the prophet wrote down the words that God had given him to deliver to the people to Judah, it was ultimately given to Jehudi to be read before King Jehoiakim. The king did not like was written about him by God through Jeremiah, so he took out a knife and cut the book in little pieces, and then threw it into the fire. However, this did not stop God, or Jeremiah. He just wrote another copy of what was previously written, and then added a few more things regarding the judgment that God intended upon the nation and particularly King Jehoiakim. The king tried to get rid of the judgment by removing the Word of God, but he could not eliminate the Word or what it says by burning it.
I find this is what many in our world are doing today. They attempt to hide from the Word of God by removing it from their sight. They figure that if they could just get rid of the Bible, and those that preach it, they could somehow escape the revealed judgment that God has declared against those who live in rebellion to Him. However, their attempt to remove the Word is futile because the minute you try to destroy it in one place, God will just raise it back up again from somewhere else. The communists in Russia, China, and other places have attempted to suppress the Word of God; but have failed miserably. In fact, in China where the Bible has been outlawed, there are millions of copies of the Word being circulated underground, which God is using to bring an incredible revival.
There also some, who having realized the futility of eliminating the Word, have attempted to alter the Word, changing it to meet their agenda. Their claim was that the words needed to be updated and modernized in order to continue to be relevant in an ever-changing culture. When I was saved back in 1990, I went to the Christian book store to buy a Bible. I had no idea what to buy. The clerk tried to sell me one of the modern versions, but for some reason I was drawn to a beautiful, leather-bound copy of the King James Bible. I am thrilled that God led me to the old King James. It has been a tremendous blessing to me and my family through the years. I have never doubted that the Book that I carried was an accurate copy of the very words of God. Stick with the Book!
There are also some preachers and churches that have essentially done the same thing that Jehoiakim did. No, they did not burn the Bible, but they did stop preaching it. Their worship services may include part of an altered verse, or two; but, for the most part, they gather together infrequently to watch movies, and listen to ear-tickling homilies about the love of God, without a word being preached against sin. Churches that once had vibrant Sunday Schools, and Bible studies throughout the week are now barely meeting together at all, and when they do, there is very little of the Bible being preached.
Let’s not be like King Jehoiakim: let’s revere the Word of God, and let’s read the Word of God; and then let us submit ourselves to what it says.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
Forgiven
Today’s Reading – Psalms 32 – 35 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 Peter 1 – 3; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read the “0622 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1
The Book of Hebrews admonishes us to grow up in our faith and move beyond the foundational truths of the Christian life. That’s good advice: we cannot stay babies forever. However, it is wonderful to be reminded often about the simple truths of the forgiveness that God offers to all those who are willing to put their faith in Him. In this passage, there is a reminder to all of us who are saved. The verse above simply reminds us of the fact those who have their sins forgiven are a blessed people. To think that an omniscient God, who knows every sinful act of my past as well as every evil thought, would be willing to forgive me, and even look at me and treat as if I had never done or thought any of those horrible things.
It gets even better. Notice verse 2:
“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalm 32:2)
It is one thing to choose to forgive the acts of the past; but to also forgive ahead of time all of our future transgressions is beyond comprehension. God loves us unconditionally. He says he will not “impute” our sin. The word impute means to assign to or credit to. God says that he will not assign or credit our debts or sins to our account. Why? Because 2000 years ago he laid all of the debt of my sin upon the His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus paid my sin debt for me. What a wonderful thought. Notice how that happened to David:
“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)
He acknowledged his sin. He did not deny them or hide them. He then confessed them to God and asked the Lord for forgiveness. God could only forgive him because the debt would be paid by Christ. Have you confessed your sin to God, and asked Him for forgiveness? Have you come to the foot of the cross and called upon the name of the Lord for salvation. If you haven’t done so yet, please call upon Him today.
To those of us who have received the forgiveness of God through the remission of our sins, how are we at forgiving each other? God has forgiven everything that I have ever done or will do. What right do I have to withhold forgiveness from others? Just a thought.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
Joy Cometh in the Morning
Today’s Reading – Psalm 26 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 1 – 5; Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0621 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” – (Psalm 30:5)
This is a tremendous, encouraging truth from the Word of God. Sometimes living and serving on this earth can be very trying. There are going to be days, and even seasons, where we experience hardships, pain, and suffering; but, praise God, He always brings us to the other side of the trials to the place where we can see the glorious sun of God’s love rising over the dark horizon.
As I read this verse this morning, I thought of the Stahl family. Ted and Camille have had a pretty rough go of it in past years. They dealt for years with the debilitating arthritis of their daughter, Melissa, which involved many surgeries. Later, their daughter developed cancer, and after a long battle with more surgeries and painful treatments, she finally went home to be with the Lord. It was certainly a dark time for this godly, faithful, serving family. After Melissa’s death, Camille had a heart attack, which would necessitate surgeries for her. In the midst of it all, Brother Ted was struggling to take care of his family due to problems related to his job and later, his own health issues. Through it all, they remained true to their God: they stayed faithful. It did not seem like this long night of weeping would ever end, but God has brought them to the place where they could once again experience the joy of living and serving Him. At the time of this writing, they are enjoying living in their new RV and plan to do some traveling.
Ted and Camille Stahl are not the only ones that will go through the fiery trials of this life. Our family also went through a very dark valley a few years ago, and there were times when we thought it would never end. But, God has brought us through to the other side of the trial, and we are now enjoying life more than ever. The truth is that we will all experience the rough times, the dark valleys; but it is good to know that God will be with us every step of the way, even though at times we cannot perceive His presence. It is also very comforting to understand, that every dark tunnel that we may experience in this life has a light at the end of it; and when this life is all over, we have the bliss and splender of Heaven waiting for us.
Are you in a dark valley right now? Take heart. Stay faithful. Joy does come in the morning.
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.