The Lord Bless Thee
Today’s Passage – Numbers 5 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Acts 7 – 9; Proverbs 16; Psalms 81 – 85)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read the “0216 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
In chapters 5 of the Book of Numbers, God is instructing the children of Israel about what they should do if a man suspects that his wife has been unfaithful to him. The Bible talks about “the spirit of jealousy” that comes upon a man if there is something going on behind his back. I believe the same holds true for the wife. I know that today we don’t often think of jealousy as being a good thing; but interestingly, the Bible records that God is very jealous over his children. I do not think it is wrong either for there to be a healthy dose of jealousy within the marriage either. A man should love his wife to the extent that he cannot bear the thought of her being with anyone else. The same applies to the wife. Jealousy is, I believe, a God-given emotion. Now it must be controlled, just as all of our other emotions; and we cannot let it cause us to sin, but I believe it to be a good thing nonetheless.
Chapter 6 primarily deals with the rules concerning the vow of the Nazarite. When a person took this special vow of consecration in Old Testament days, he would not cut his hair or his beard, and he was not permitted to touch any alcohol, or come near anything (or anybody) that was dead. This vow was a vow of “separation unto the Lord”. The person that took this vow was declaring that his or her life was wholly dedicated to God. Usually, a person would be under this oath of separation for a period of time, not for his entire life. By the way, don’t confuse a Nazarite with a Nazarene, which is a person that comes from the city of Nazareth. Jesus was a Nazarene.
I was captivated this morning by the prayer of blessing found at the end of chapter 6. It seemed almost strange for this beautiful prayer to be place in this particular place. I mean, we have been reading a lot here lately about a bunch of commandments, sacrifices, rules, etc. Here, God tells Aaron that he wants him to pronounce this prayer of blessing over the people. I think God just wanted to remind the people that he loved them and that He was for them. I think we can learn a couple of lessons from this as well. First, we need to be reminded that God loves us and wants nothing but the best for us. We often will think about God as this angry, cold dictator that is ready to pounce upon us when we do wrong. That is not God. He loves us and He wants to give us the richest blessings, and a life full of abundance.
The second lesson that we should learn from this is that when we are trying to teach our children, we need to remember to let them know often that we love them. Yes, we need to give them all of the rules, commandments, and instructions; and yes, we ought to discipline them when they do wrong; but we also need to make sure that they know that we (and especially God) are in their corner, and that we want nothing but the richest blessings for their lives. This would be a good lesson for preachers and other mentors to learn as well. In our zeal to instruct, we sometimes come across as being uncaring and unloving. You have heard the old saying: “People do not care about what you know, until they know that you really care.” Well, we ought to really care, and we ought also to express that love and care often to the people that we are trying to help.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Following the Will of God
Today’s Passages – Genesis 31 – 32 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 23 – 24; Proverbs 12; Psalms 56 – 60)
Read the “0112 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “No More Jacob.“
“And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. … Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.” (Genesis 31:3, 17-18)
Jacob had lived in the land of Padanaram for twenty years, after fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau (see Genesis 27:41). During that time, he married two wives and had twelve children, eleven of whom were sons and one daughter, Dinah. His twelfth son, Benjamin, would be born later (see Genesis 35:16 – 18). He also accumulated much wealth during his time there due to an arrangement with his father-in-law, Laban, which allowed him to keep certain of the cattle that were born as part of his wages. God had blessed both Jacob and his father-in-law mightily during his time in Padanaram, but it was time for Jacob to move on and follow the will of God for his family.
As we read this story in chapters 31 – 33, we learn that following the will of God isn’t going to be easy for Jacob or his family. First of all, he is taking his wives and children away from the only life that they knew. All of their extended family and friends were going to be left behind. It is never easy to leave the people you love, even if you are doing exactly what God wants you to do.
Secondly, Jacob would also have problems with his former boss and father-in-law, Laban. Laban and his sons had been blessed mightily as a result of God’s hand being upon Jacob. And, even though God had perhaps given Jacob more than Laban received, Laban was still far better off after twenty years of Jacob’s service than he was before Jacob arrived. Laban knew that Jacob was the reason that God was blessing him the way He was, and Laban didn’t want to lose those blessings. Sometimes people, even well-meaning people who love you, will try to prevent you from doing what God wants you to do because they are afraid that their lives will be worsened by your departure. The truth, however, is that if Jacob had disobeyed the Lord and stayed with Laban in Padanaram, the blessings of God would have ceased for all of them.
A third consideration in following the will of God is the uncertainty of what lies ahead. God does not often paint a vivid, detailed picture of all of the things that will happen in the future as we follow his will for our lives. Jacob was certainly concerned about what would happen to him when he arrived back in Canaan. There was that little matter that needed to be settled with his brother Esau who had threatened to kill him twenty years earlier. I am sure that Jacob was imagining the worse-case scenarios regarding his reunion with his brother. However, even though Jacob was very apprehensive to go back, he trusted that his God was going to be with him as he went, and he was right. When Jacob finally meets up with Esau, all is well. It can be a little scary following God into the unknown, but we must trust that God wants the absolute best for us and our families.
It would have been very easy for Jacob to resist the will of God and stay in his comfort zone, but he did the scary thing. He followed God into the unknown. But, God blessed both him and his family mightily. Don’t be afraid to trust God; or better, don’t let your fears keep you from following God’s will.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Water is Life by Samantha Mears
Today’s Passage – Genesis 25 – 26 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 47:1
Read the “0109 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “ “From A Father To A Son”
“For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” (Genesis 26:15-22)
When we read this passage we see the struggle that Issac went through. Issac wasn’t struggling because of any wrong he had done; he was very blessed of the Lord and it made the Philistines jealous, so much so they attacked in a major way. They stopped up the wells that Abraham had dug while he was alive. It’s easy to see why this was such a serious offense – water is life. For the next few verses we see Issac striving to renew these wells by removing the “earth” to get to the water once again. I would like to take a moment and share just how important this passage is, or should be to Christians today, and how the Lord spoke to me. Abraham dug these wells, and with his passing the wells were filled with earth. Our spiritual fathers dug wells of living water and laid a foundation of “Christianity” for us to draw from. When I say “us” I am speaking to my generation. A generation that I believe has become very apathetic to the idea of drawing from the wells. The wells of truth have become so full of “earth” (aka worldliness) and we are ok with that. If Isaac decided to sit back and leave the wells filled with earth, instead of digging them again, people would have died. Because, water is life.
What has filled our wells?
Worldliness – fitting in with everyone else around us.
Apathy – a numbness to the real facts, that people are dying and going to Hell.
Bitterness – towards former preachers or parents who weren’t perfect and messed up.
Contentment – to just live a mediocre Christian life.
If we continue to allow the wells to fill up with this “earth” people are going to die. The living water of Christ is not flowing and people are dying and going to hell. Because, water is life.
So what can we do? We can take back the wells; we can dig again the wells which our fathers dug. It won’t be easy, it wasn’t easy for Isaac (Genesis 26:20-21) but we can do it, just as he did. It’s going to take faith, hard work, sacrifice, determination and so, so much more. If we don’t do something now, it will be too late. The next generation will have no well to draw from, no water to drink, and they will die. It’s time we wake up and take back the wells. Because, water is life.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
God Knows You
Today’s Passage – Genesis 17 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 25
Read the “0106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage –“Don’t Look Back,” “Abraham Did a Little Walking With God, Too,”and “The Prayer of a Friend”
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” (Genesis 18:19)
The big story from our passage today involves the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, apparently along with other “cities of the plain” (Genesis 19:28 – 29; Deuteronomy 29:23). Before the Lord destroys those cities, however, He visits with Abraham and lets him know about His plans. In chapter eighteen, He appears in bodily form with two other “men.” Bible students have long debated as to who or what these men were who arrived with the Lord and then leave the Lord alone with Abraham (Genesis 18:22), but it is logical to conclude that they are the same angels who show up, again in bodily form in Sodom in chapter nineteen.
The verse that drew my attention for this post is Genesis 18:17 – 19 where the Lord discusses with the angels his plan to reveal to Abraham ahead of time what he plans to do with Sodom and Gomorrah. He tells the angels that He “knows” Abraham, and then He reveals specifically that He knows what Abraham will do and be, not just who he was previously. God is the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 21:6; 22:13). He knows everything about us past, present, and future. He not only knows our past, He knows our potential. We tend to only see ourselves in our present and past state, but God sees who we can be in the future.
Notice also that God made a covenant (Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17) with Abraham based upon what He knew about him (foreknowledge). The last statement in verse nineteen states: “that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” There is a lot to think about from this verse, but the practical point I am trying to make is this: If God calls you to do something, it is because He knows what you will be as well as what you can do. You only know about what you have already done, but God knows what you can and will do. I made a decision a long time ago that If I was asked to do something that I believed was the will of God – even something seemingly impossible for me – I would step out in faith to do it. Your “I can’t do that” thoughts are based upon what you have already done, not based upon what God knows you can do. More importantly, God knows what He wants to do and can do through you. I am not saying that you can do anything that you want to do, but you can and should do anything that God wants you to do. God said to Abraham and Sarah in this same chapter, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14a) The answer is no. God can do in and through you whatever He wills. You just need to say yes to His will.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Good Friends Are Hard to Come By
Today’s Passages – Genesis 13 – 16 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25)
Read the “0105 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from today’s passage – “Balanced and Biblical Separation;” “Relationships are More Important than Riches;” “Gardens and Green Grass or God’s Will?”
“And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.” (Genesis 14:14)
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
Abraham demonstrated that he was a good friend to a man who in the past was not so friendly to Abraham. Back in Genesis 13:8 – 11 , Abraham’s nephew Lot decided that he no longer wanted to live in the same place that Abraham dwelt in. He said that there just wasn’t enough grazing grass for the both of them and their large herds. He wanted to move away from the man that had taken him in and took care of him after his dad died (See Genesis 11:27 – 28). Abraham was very gracious to Lot and allowed him to make the first choice about where he wanted to be, and Abraham agreed to settle away from whatever area that Lot chose. Lot’s choice was the “well watered” plain of the Jordan Valley.
Time moves on as it always does, and Lot eventually ends up living near and then inside of the very wicked city of Sodom. When Sodom and four other cities are conquered and taken captive by a confederation of four kings, Lot and his family are taken into captivity with them. Abraham could have forgotten about Lot and left him in the hands of the Canaanites, but Abraham was a good friend to Lot, and came to his rescue. A good friend will help even when the person they are helping has not been very friendly. Abraham will later come to Lot’s rescue again by interceding for him to God (see Genesis 18:23 – 33) when God was about to destroy cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, including all the people living in them. God spares Lot and some of his family by removing them from the city before the destruction came (See Genesis 19).
Uncle Abraham was not a “fair weather friend” to Lot. He made a choice to be a friend to him, and he continued acting as his friend even when his kindness was not being reciprocated. People may not always be friendly, kind, and loving to us; but we can choose to be a friend to them regardless. Christ acted as our friend by dying for us when we were not deserving, and He still is our friend today. Let’s take the spiritual high road in our friendships. Let’s choose to be good to people, to be friendly towards them, even when they are not being very kind to us.
One more thought. While we should always choose to be friendly to all people, we should also be careful who we allow to be good friends to us. If we let the wrong people get close to us and influence us, it could pull us out of the will of God. Remember, “Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab” (2 Samuel 13:3), but Jonadab wasn’t a very good friend. Amnon should have been a little wiser in who he chose for his friend, it would have saved him a lot of heartache, and in the long run it would have saved his life.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
You’re Invited!
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 a previous post from today’s passage – “Behold, I Make All Things New“
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)
First of all, I want to congratulate those of you who have journeyed with us this year through the Bible. Reading the Bible through each year is quite an accomplishment, and it is also very rewarding. Some who are reading this post may not have been completely faithful in your reading at times; perhaps you were “hit and miss”. I have often been there myself. Don’t be discouraged! Try again this year. Our new journey begins January 1st in the Book of Genesis. I am excited again to offer an even more intense “Second Milers” program this year for those who desire to take their walk with God to a higher level.
Have you ever taken notice of all of the invitations there are in the Bible? Here at the very end of the Bible is another invitation for people to come to Christ. Have you received Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Have you received that new birth that Jesus spoke of in John chapter 3? Jesus loves you very much, and desires for you to come to Him. He won’t force anybody to come; but as you can clearly see from the verse above, He invites you to come. All throughout the Bible, God has always offered an opportunity for people to turn from their sin unto Him. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, He still desires a relationship with you. Mind boggling, isn’t it. Why would God desire us? Maybe you’re a Christian, and you have strayed away from God’s will. God invites you too to come back to Him. He never stopped loving you either, no matter how far away you’ve wandered.
A final note to those of you who are doing well spiritually: God wants you to come in a little closer. John tells us in his gospel that God wants us to have “life more abundantly”. Every day of our life ought to be more abundant than the day before. Why? Because every day we ought to be drawing closer to Him. Make this new year the year that God gets all of you, the year that you surrender more fully to the will of God; the year that you are wholly yielded to the Spirit of God. Who knows, this may be year that Christ comes to take us home to Heaven. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. What a blessing it is to be a child of the King!
Posted in Thoughts from Revelation by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Supper’s Almost Ready
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 a previous post from today’s passage – “It Will All Be Gone Someday”
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” (Revelation 19:9)
I must confess that I really don’t understand all that is going to take place during that period of time called the Great Tribulation. I know that it will be a horrible time for those living on the earth for both the saved and the lost. I know also that it will be a time of rejoicing and receiving in Heaven. You might think that those words are not exactly adequate to describe what will take place there in that day, but maybe after I explain you will understand what I mean.
The rejoicing part is rather self-evident. We will do a lot of rejoicing in Heaven. In chapter 19, we see the words, Alleluia, Amen, and Praise used repeatedly. The angels will be rejoicing, as well as the Saints. We will probably get a little glimpse as to what is going on in the earth while we are in Heaven awaiting the end of the Tribulation. We will see the destruction of God’s enemies. We will watch the destruction of Babylon, with all of the political power and false worship that it represented. God will win. We know that now through faith in his Word. I remember hearing a song years ago entitled, “I Read The Back of the Book and We Win”. That’s the truth! We are reading about it prophetically now, but someday soon we will see it. We should probably learn to rejoice now, shouldn’t we?
The Tribulation period will also be a time of receiving for those who are experiencing the events from Heaven. What will we receive? Well, for one, we will receive rewards for the works that we did for the Lord while we were on earth. The Bible calls those rewards “crowns”. I don’t know if I will receive any rewards or not, but one thing I know – I really don’t deserve any. Jesus deserves all the glory. Anything I did for His Kingdom that was of any value, He did through me anyway. I guess that is why the Bible says that we will cast those rewards back at the feet of Jesus.
What else will we receive? Well, I believe that all throughout the Tribulation Period we will be receiving new saints in Heaven. Saints that have made their robes white in the blood of the lamb through martyrdom. I believe that many will be saved during this period, but I also believe that most of those that get saved, will be martyred. We don’t know much about persecution in the time that we are living in today, especially in America; but most of these Tribulation saints will be faithful unto death. Every day, more will arrive. Heroes of the faith that chose death rather than live in allegiance to Satan.
Then, we will receive some supper. It is called a supper isn’t it? I wonder what we will eat? Can you imagine sitting at a table with the Lord and all of the saints? As I said before, I couldn’t possibly know all that will happen, but I do know that it will be wonderful, because everything He does is wonderful.
Posted in Thoughts from Revelation by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Better
Today’s Passage – Philemon – Hebrews 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 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Proverbs 27:15
Read the “1218 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Hebrews 1:4)
“But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” (Hebrews 6:9)
“And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.” (Hebrews 7:7)
“For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” (Hebrews 7:19)
“But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6)
“For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.” (Hebrews 10:34)
“But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:16)
“Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:” (Hebrews 11:35)
“God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:40)
“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24)
Did you ever notice how many times the word “better” is used in the Letter to the Hebrews? This epistle was written to Jewish people, both saved and lost. God was encouraging the saved Jews to not look back to what they had under the Old Testament Law, because that what they now have in Christ is better. God was also challenging the lost Hebrews to consider Christ as the fulfillment of all of the Messianic prophesies, and that He was in reality what all of their ceremonies, sacrifices, and traditions pointed to. Old Testament Judaism was only a shadow of the substance of New Testament Christianity. Christianity is better for all of the reasons mentioned in the verses above.
My goal this morning is not to go through all of the points made in Hebrews regarding the better relationship that the New Testament believer has when compared to the Old Testament Jew; but rather, I would like to simply state that my life is also much better since I have been saved. Like the song says:
“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart.”
I have been a Christian now for over two and a half decades, and I can say without hesitation that the life I now live as a child of God is infinitely better than what I had before. Not that I don’t still have my trials and struggles with the flesh, which I certainly do; but there are just so many blessings associated with being a Christian. My life is better now, my family is better now, and my future is sealed, secure and full of hope. Talk about a retirement plan. What a great God we serve, and what an awesome Saviour. Have you stopped to consider today how much better your life is since Jesus came in?
Posted in Thoughts from Hebrews by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Learn From The Past
Today’s Passages – 1 Corinthians 10 – 12 (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 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “1202 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage – “Are You Unworthy?” and “Be Careful“
“But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” (1 Corinthians 10:5-6)
“In history, a great volume is unrolled for our instruction, drawing the materials of future wisdom from the past errors and infirmities of mankind.”
Edmund Burke
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
George Santayana
In 1 Corinthians 10, God gives us the example of the Children of Israel as they left Egypt and wandered through the wilderness on their way to the Land of Promise. The Bible references that there were people who did things that did not please God, which must mean that they were not acting in faith for “without faith it is impossible to please him”. There were many things that happened during their 40 years of wilderness wanderings that earned the chastisement of God: there was the golden calf, the rebellion against Moses, the numerous complaints about water and food, the griping about the manna, their lusting after the quail, and on and on it goes. In verse 6, however, we learn why God recorded all of these things in the Bible. They were examples for us to learn from, and hopefully not repeat.
1 We can learn from the past mistakes (and successes) of those recorded in the Bible.
2 We can learn from the past mistakes (and successes) of those who are with us today, particularly those who are older and have experienced a little more of life than we have.
3 We should also learn from our own past mistakes and successes.
We do not have to re-invent the wheel when we can take what others have learned and put it into practice in our lives; and we don’t have to see the bad history of others repeated in our own lives. Learn from the past!
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Finish Well
Today’s Passages – John 17 – 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 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 121
Read the “1113 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:4)
I believe that John 17 is the real Lord’s Prayer. Jesus is about to be crucified, yet He spends this time shortly before His death praying for His disciples. He asks the father to shield them from evil, and to sanctify them through the Truth. He also asks that they would be unified, just as He was one with His Father. It is truly a beautiful prayer of intercession.
However, my thought this morning surrounds John 17:4. Jesus states that He was finished the work that He came to do, and that He did all to the glory of God. This verse reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:6 – 8:
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
The Apostle Paul completed the task that God had given him, and I believe the record plainly shows that he also glorified God with his life. He finished well.
What a practical challenge this is for us today. We should be encouraged to be like our Lord and also like Paul in this regard. Let us strive to completely, efficiently, and enthusiastically fulfill God’s will for our lives, and let us make sure that everything that we do brings glory to the Lord. We need to make the Lord look good to the world around us. Our lives ought to be bright, shining lights that boldly declare that Jesus is Lord.
Posted in Thoughts from John by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.