True Love by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage – Matthew 27 – 28 (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 76 – 80; Proverbs 16)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “1016 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
True Love
As the people cried out, “His blood be on us, and our children!”; the soldiers took Jesus to scourge Him. The pieces of bone, broken pottery, and metal attached to the nine strands of the whip dug deeply into his skin. And the blood flowed. True love. In the true spirit of hatred, the soldiers stripped Jesus and dressed Him in a scarlet robe: they did this to the Creator of the universe. With cruel mockeries they bowed down saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” With every ounce of hate, our Lord was crowned with a crown of thorns that pierced His scalp. And the blood flowed. True love. Then came the crucifixion. Our Lord Jesus Christ was beaten so badly that Simon of Cyrene was ordered to carry the cross. Long spikes were driven through the hands and the feet of our Lord as He was nailed to the cross. They sat down at the cross to watch Him die. And the blood flowed. True love. The mockings continued as chief priests, scribes, and elders breathed out their hatred. And the blood flowed. True Love. And then He was dead. The Lord had given up the Ghost. The payment for sin had been paid because the blood flowed. True love.
Joseph of Arimathaea, and Nicodemus lovingly wrapped the body of Jesus and placed it in a cold, dark tomb. There lay the body for three days, and three nights.
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him” (Matthew 28:1-9)
True love.
To God, love has always been an action word. Him loving us caused Him to shed His blood paying the price for our sins. We love Him because He first loved us. When they saw the risen Lord, they held Him by His feet and worshipped Him. True love. 1Peter 1: 22 says, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently…”
That’s true love. Having that love in us, calling ourselves Christians, how can we kick our brothers and sisters when they are down. How can we destroy families, and cause fellow believers to leave the churches. How can we discourage and not edify Is that true love? Even when we are to rebuke someone who wronged us, it’s to be done in love and only between you and that person. Proverbs is full of wisdom about the tongue. “The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out” (Proverbs 10:31). “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21).
Remember the scourging. Remember the thorns. Remember the spitting, and pulling out the beard. Remember the cruel mocking. Remember true love. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another ” (John 13:34-35).
Posted in Guest Posts, Thoughts from Matthew by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Revive Thy Work
Today’s Passage – Habakkuk 1 – 3 (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 – Revelation 13 – 16; Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 28)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read the “0928 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” – (Habakkuk 3:2)
In our passage, Habakkuk is writing to a nation that had forsaken the Lord. They had turned their back on God’s law, and had become a pleasure-seeking, idolatrous, and gluttonous culture filled with drunkenness and all kinds of immorality. Sounds like America doesn’t it? We know from the vantage point of history that God did bring revival to this nation, but only after the nation experienced God’s judgment. It was the judgment of God that caused Judah (Israel) to turn back to Him.
I fear that it will also take the judgment of God to cause America to wake up. I know that in my own life it often takes the chastisement of God to get me to see that I am drifting from Him. I have been asking God to do whatever it takes in my life to get me to where I need to be. I want to “know Him,” I want to serve Him, and I want my life to be fully yielded to Him. I want God to revive me. I am His workmanship. I want Him to break up the fallow ground in my life, and mold me into something that He can use for His glory. I want that for my family as well and for the people in our church. I hope that we don’t have to experience too much chastisement and trial in order to get there, but if that’s what it takes, so be it.
Posted in Thoughts from Habakkuk by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Time Is Running Out
Today’s Reading – Psalms 69 – 72 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 13 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0629 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a another post from this morning’s reading passage – “Who Are You Magnifying?”
“Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” – (Psalm 71:18)
A few years ago, the verse referenced above would have meant little to me. I would have probably glanced right over it quickly, without giving it much thought. However, the older I get the more I realize that there is still a great deal more that I would like to see accomplished through the ministry the Lord has entrusted me with; yet, I am quickly running out of both the time and energy that I need to do it. You may think based upon what you’ve just read that I am in my 70′s. Though I feel that old at times, I am only in my 50’s. But, I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that my time on this earth is very limited.
I want my life to count for something. I want to be used of God to help “shew” my generation the strength and power of God. I need to get busy, and I need to become more proficient at what I am doing so as to make the best use of the time that I have left. I am not all that pleased with what has been accomplished so far in the twenty-seven years that I have been saved, or even in the fifteen years that I have been a pastor. I know that God could have helped a lot more people through a more yielded vessel. But, He is not through with me yet. This morning, I have made a choice to not dwell in the failures (or even the successes) of the past, but instead look to the future. God has given me life today and today I can give that life back to Him, for His use, and for His glory. So can you. What are you living your life for? What are you accomplishing today that will be used of God to make a difference in eternity? The Psalmist’s prayer was to remain here on the earth until he was able to fulfil his ministry of telling everybody about God. That’s a great request and it should be the prayer and goal of each of us who are saved today. Time is running out; your appointment with death is approaching.
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” – (Ephesians 5:16)
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” – (Hebrews 9:27)
Posted in Thoughts from Psalms by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Where Is He? … by Justin Mears
Today’s Reading – Job 22 – 26 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read the “0611 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat! … Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:” (Job 23:3 and 8)
Job is going through the worst trial he has ever been through. He has lost everything including his wife, because she is struggling just as he is. They are going through this, not together, but separate. Now Jobs friends eager to help attempt to give clarity and understanding, however sound their advice might be (to someone who had sinned against God, and done something in need of God’s punishment), it just isn’t the case for Job. They tried to understand and even thought they did, but in the end they were only doing damage. They were in reality bringing Job to a place of even more loneliness. The cherry on top, is when Job expresses his deepest pain. In v. 3, he says: “Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat!, and then in v. 8: “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:” Job in essence feels absolute loneliness. He doesn’t have anyone to talk to, or have anyone that might encourage him. He even says in v. 9 that God “hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:” What hopelessness Job must feel.
Have you ever felt alone? Ever felt as though God was hiding from you? You looked to your spouse and they are too broken to help you, and your friends are too sure of themselves to grasp your confusion and pain. It seems as though noone understands and even more importantly, you don’t understand. The largest question in the midst of trials is “why?” Job makes mention of this in v. 5: “I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.” Why would an answer from God help? He says in v. 6: “he would put strength in me.” It gives us a bit of strength to simply understand. It’s been said that people can handle bad news better than no news. The anticipation gives great agony. Though Job doesn’t get an answer, the bit of encouragement he does find is that, though none of us understand, God does. Verse 10 states: “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” This is the place God must bring us to, in order to build our faith in Him. He puts us in the fire to purify his gold. He is using us for which we were designed……to bring Him glory. God has a way of bringing us down to one… “The One”. God is our only hope! We know it with the head everyday, but with our hearts is the question.
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 1:7)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Test
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No Such Thing As Luck … by Amanda Olive
Today’s Reading – Esther 6 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13, Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0604 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
When I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, like so many, everything in my life changed. I looked back at my life before and could see God’s hand in every little thing and every big thing. I realized that luck or chance wasn’t a thing. Reading these verses, I can’t help but think God put the book of Esther in the Bible to remind us that God is in total control of everything. There is no such thing as luck. Esther wasn’t lucky to be queen; God made her to be queen for His purpose. Mordecai wasn’t lucky to have overheard the assassination plot; God put him in that spot at that moment for His purpose. It wasn’t luck or by chance that put Haman in the courts at that moment, God knew what He was doing. It wasn’t luck that dropped Esther to her knees to plead for her people, God used her greatly for His purpose. And it was definitely not luck that saved God’s chosen people. God exalted the Jews and Mordeceai, not by luck, but for His good. God knew exactly what he was doing.
As Christians, we must always know that we are not lucky; God is in control. God most definitely sees what is going on in this world right now. His people must stand firm; we need not to worry or be anxious. Pray for God to show you how you can be an Esther or Mordecai in these times. Go to scripture and be reminded that God is in control.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I will help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall i fear? the Lord is the strength of my life;of whom shall i be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not I am the First and the Last.” (Revelation 1:17)
We as Christians are blessed to know the end of the story. God wants us to be brave like Esther and Mordecai. Step in faith and get the gospel to all the lost that dont know that God is in control. There is no such thing as luck.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 6 comments.
The Fire Came Down
Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 6 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Acts 7 – 9; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read the “0518 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read another post from today’s reading passage – “Hear Thou From Heaven and Forgive”
“Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” – (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)
I love passages of Scripture like these chapters here in 2 Chronicles. Everything is as it should be. The people are in a right relationship with their God, and the Lord is blessing the people tremendously. In chapter 7, verse 1, God sent down a visible manifestation of His approval of the new temple when He sent the fire down from Heaven. It was if He was saying “Amen” to the prayer that was just made by Solomon in chapter 6. How I wish I could have seen that awesome display of the glory of God.
God still sends His fire down today, though it cannot be seen with the physical eye. The fire He sends down today is the manifestation of His Spirit upon His people when they are pleasing Him. I have witnessed God’s fire fall upon some of the church services which we have had here at our church. I wish that I could say that all of the services had the fire of God on them, but I do cherish the times that He makes His presence among us so apparent that every last individual in the church recognizes it. Why can’t we have services like this every thime we meet together? I believe it is because all of the ingredients are not present; and the same ingredients are necessary today, as were present the day that Solomon dedicated the temple. So what was present in 2 Chronicles, and what must we have today, in order for God to send His fire down from Heaven?
1 There must be unity – These people were all “in one accord”. They all had one heart, one mind, and one purpose that day. Their attention was completely focussed on the Lord.
2 There must be praise – Look at 2 Chronicles 5:13 & 14. God truly does inhabit the praises of His people. They were praising the Lord in song, and with instruments; and the Lord was glorified.
3 There must be humility – I noticed in chapter 6 that Solomon got down on his knees before all of the people. Solomon was a “big shot” , but Solomon yielded and bowed to the One who was infinitely greaer than him.
4 There must be obedience – These people were doing exactly what God wanted them to do.
We could see the manifestation of God’s presence today just as much as Solomon did if we simply get with God’s program.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Chronicles by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
Have You Found The Book?
Today’s Reading – 2 Kings 20 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0503 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “He Should Have Quit While He Was Ahead”
In chapter 22, we have the account of the great king Josiah. I used to have debates with a good friend of mine as to who was the greatest king of Israel or Judah. His favorite was Hezekiah, but mine was Josiah. I like Josiah. He started young but he had a heart for God from the beginning of his reign until he died, and he caused God to postpone the judgment that was coming due to the sins of the kings before him.
As I mentioned already, Josiah was a good king from the start, but something happens in verses 10 and 11 that will destine him for greatness. The men that were working on the Temple discover a copy of “the book of the law”, the Bible. Apparently the Bible had been missing and out of use for many years because nobody seemed to even know about it at this point. When Josiah reads it for the first time, he “rent his clothes” because he knew that Israel and Judah had gotten completely away from the principles contained in “the Book”. Once he has finished mourning over the sad state of affairs in his nation, he begins to implement in the nation all of precepts contained in the law. He follows God with all of his heart and all of his strength, and God puts his blessings once again on the nation of Judah.
How about you? Have you found “the Book”? Have you discovered that “the Book” is not just a dusty decoration on your coffee table but is a powerful source of nourishment for your hungry soul, and a bright light of direction in this dark world that we live in today. Find your Bible, read your Bible, study your Bible, apply your Bible, and share your Bible with others.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Kings by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Like Father, Like Son … by Phil Erickson, Jr.
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121
Read the “0421 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:” (1 Kings 12:6-8)
Most of the sermons, devotions, and Sunday school lessons I’ve listened to or read about Rehoboam have dealt with the issue of his pride, that he was an all around bad guy, and that during his reign“…Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.” (1Kings 14:22). And, that’s all true. We need to heed the warnings of those messages. However, every time that I come across this passage, my first thought is, “What happened?”. How did we go from Pop-pop David, a man after God’s own heart, to wicked, prideful, rug-rat Rehoboam? How did an entire nation go from loving and serving God, to doing more evil than ever before? It’s a sobering thought, and it scares me. It scares me to think that in a few generations, you can go from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Rehoboam made all of his own choices. He chose to live and lead the way he did. But I think all of this might have started with his father, Solomon. When I read this story, I think of Solomon. Again, Rehoboam made his own choices, but he learned how to live, and how to lead, from his dad. Which is what scares me. God has given me a great responsibility as a parent. My kids will learn how to live, how to love, and how to lead – from me. Solomon started well. He loved God, feared God, and was humble. But that changed.
Here’s a few things I think we can learn from the story of Solomon and Rehoboam:
1 – Stay Focused.
God has given all of us a purpose. It’s different for all of us. Solomon’s purpose was to lead the people as a king. He was to seek God’s wisdom in leading and guiding the kingdom. As a father, he was to lead his family. He was to love them, and teach them how to love, and to one day lead. But Solomon got off track. He became enamored with doing everything person could possibly do. In Ecclesiastes, he tells how he experienced all the things that anyone could possibly imagine would bring pleasure. I’m sure not all of the things he experienced were bad things. But while he was doing those things, he was not focused on being a king or a father. His focus became pleasure. His focus became getting all the things, and doing all the things that made him happy…and guess who was watching? Rehoboam. Do those following you know that you care about your purpose? Because if you don’t, why should they? Stay focused.
2 – Stay Humble.
When Solomon first became king, God let him choose anything he wanted. All he had to do was ask. Solomon knew that he needed God more than anything if he would be effective as a king, so he asked God for wisdom. He was humble. He leaned on God for everything. But somewhere along the way, Solomon aloud himself to think that he was ok on his own, and started doing whatever he thought was right. One of my saddest memories from growing up was a phrase that my dad would say to me often. Its makes me sad, because at the time, I hated hearing it, but now I know he was right. Every stinkin’ time. He would say, “Do what you want to do Phil, ‘cuz that’s what you’re gonna do anyway.” Now that I’m a dad, and I see the other side of it, I get a sick feeling in my gut when I think about how my pride so often caused my mom and dad to grieve. They knew what was best for me, but I thought I was right, so I did my own thing. Somewhere along the line, this is how Solomon started acting with God. And guess who was watching? Rehoboam. Stay humble.
I started out by saying that this passage scares me. It does. It scares me to think that my choices, my actions, and my pride can have such a huge impact on those following me. I am so thankful that God gave me parents who were focused and humble. Perfect? Not even close! 🙂 But real. I pray everyday for God to give me wisdom. I want my kids and those following me to see someone with a genuine love for God, someone who is focused on what God has given them, and someone who is humble. And I’ll pray for you too. We need the next generation to go farther for God than we can imagine. But they’re watching us.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Built Through the Process … by Paul Meyer
Today’s Passage – Judges 14 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 2 John, 3 John, Jude; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17
Read the “0325 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Note – this post is from yesterday’s reading.
Judges is a book encapsulated in diversity, each Judge was profoundly different than his predecessor. While the formula for Israel’s habitual fall remained consistent, the method of their salvation was always changing. In Judges 11 we are introduced to a man with no social pedigree, despised by his brethren, but used tremendously for the glory of God. Jephthah was the son of a Gileadite and a harlot. In Judges 11:2 she is said to be a “strange woman” perhaps making her a Canaanite. Due to his second-class sonship his brothers drove him from his inheritance. Look in verse 4: “And it came to pass.” Jephthah, like us, was living in a world of uncertainty.
The time spent in your father’s house, your brothers’ disdain for you, spreading sickness, depressed markets, cancelled events, curfews – it all comes to pass. “In process of time” – the will and way of God is not always expedient, certainly in the life of Jephthah these trials did not quickly pass, but the process is what made him who he was. Likewise, our circumstances may not change immediately, but we are built through the process.
As we read through the rest of the passage we see a discourse between Jephthah and the King of Ammon. Jephthah relays to the king the history of Israel and Ammon as recorded in scripture. Perhaps his trial in life helped forge his relationship with scripture. Had it not been for the trial in Jephthah’s life perhaps the Spirit of the Lord would not have come upon him in verse 29. Had it not been for Jephthah’s trial perhaps Israel would have not been delivered. If it had not been for the Church’s trial in our day perhaps our nation will not be delivered. Romans 5:3 says “…but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope…” Our hope is in Jesus Christ, I pray that in this tribulation our hope in Him will be built through this process.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.