Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Today’s Passage – Lamentations 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 – 1 Corinthians 5 – 8; Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 29)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Practical Ways To Invest In Your Team“
Read the “0829 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.” – (Lamentations 3:21-24)
I love the Biblical significance of the rainbow. God showed Noah the rainbow and told him that it would be there in the sky at the end of the rainstorm to remind God’s people that the rain is coming to an end. For Noah it was a precious reminder, as he had just experienced the destruction of every living creature on the earth through a deluge of water. To us, the rainbow is still a symbol of hope. In our passage in Jeremiah today, we do not see an actual rainbow but we do see the hope that all of God’s children can see even when it feels like it’s all over. In these chapters we read about Israel after the destruction that came through the hands of the Babylonians. It was a horrible time for God’s people – possibly the lowest point in their history. Jeremiah had warned the people for many years that judgment was imminent because the people of God had forsaken the Lord. Well, here in Lamentations, there are no more warnings, just the account of the total humiliation and destruction of Jerusalem, Israel, and the people of God.
The first two chapters of this book are very sad indeed; and chapter three starts out as bleakly as the first two; but when we get to verse 21, we can finally get a glimpse of hope. Jeremiah recalls that God is merciful and compassionate, and as he wrote in The Book Of Jeremiah, “he will not make a full end” of them. You see, Jeremiah remembers here that God loves His people, even though He had to correct them. God’s correction would not last forever. In fact, Jeremiah reminds the people that God’s compassion is new every morning. I love that statement. Aren’t you glad that God never runs out of compassion?
Christian, you may be experiencing in your life right now the correcting hand of God. I know that I have had my share of correction through the years. It is certainly not pleasant. However, there are two things that we need to remember about God’s correction. First, we must remember that God does not correct us to get even. He disciplines us for our own good, purely out of love for us. He is trying to bring us back to where we need to be – for our own good. Secondly, we need to keep in mind that God’s correction will not last forever. I remember as a child, I sometimes thought the punishments that I had received at the hands of my parents would never end; but they always did. The sun always came up, and the rainbow eventually appeared to signify the end of the storm. If you are experiencing the loving correction of our Heavenly Father today, take heart: there is hope, His compassions are new every morning.
Posted in Thoughts from Lamentations 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)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Practical Ways To Invest In Your Team“
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 1 comment.
JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 49 – 50 (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 13 – 16; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Practical Ways To Invest In Your Team“
Read the “0827 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
A Bible Study Of Women In The Bible
A Soul Winner – The Woman At The Well
“The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.” (John 4:28-30)
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” (John 4:39-42)
Back in John 4:7 we are introduced to a unnamed woman who is going about her daily chores serving her family. She was a Samaritan. She was part of a people who had been resettled in the land, moved by the King of Assyria. They had been taught and partially accepted the faith of Israel, but held onto their old pagan religions also. (see II Kings 17:24-41). Traveling from Judea to Galilee, Jesus and His followers pass through Samaria. While there Jesus sat by a well while His disciples went to buy food. When the woman came to the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. She was shocked that a Jewish man talked to her as the Jews wanted no part of the Samaritans. Jesus began to talk to her about eternal life and her state of condition. The woman confessed her sin, and in John 4:15, the woman asked for that water.
I would like to focus on verse 28. The first thing she did was to tell others about Jesus Christ. She was concerned about eternal life for others, more than her own needs. Remember, she was at the well getting water. Water was a needful thing. They didn’t have the comfort of turning on a faucet with hot and cold water. She went soul winning and God blessed her efforts.
We must be about the Lord’s business of winning souls. Time is short and people who die without Christ will burn forever and ever. So often we are afraid to start a conversation about the Lord. But think how you would feel at the White Throne Judgment, when Christ says to that person “Depart from me….”. Then they point at you and say “You never told me”! Start by grabbing a bunch of salvation tracks and leave them where ever you go. John R. Rice wrote a book called Personal Soul Winning packed good information. Ask someone at your church who goes soul winning, if you can go with them.
Within the last few weeks, I personally know of several people going off into eternity. I would like to share a story about my experience with a woman whom I’ve never met. For privacy reasons we’ll call her Paula.
Before moving out of state, a very dear friend of mine accepted Christ as her personal Saviour. Through the years, she became close friends with Paula. Not long ago, my friend called and told me Paula was dying of brain cancer. My friend was clearly upset. The first question I asked was “Does she know the Lord as her Saviour”. My friend didn’t know. She never talked to anyone about salvation before. I told her that I would send her all the information she needed. All she would have to do is read it. I challenge you to use this letter, either for you to use to witness or to send to someone. No one is promised tomorrow.
Note: Change the greeting to fit your needs.
Hi _____________, my name is ____________. I’m an old friend of ___________. I am so sorry about your health and I want you to know that our church is praying for you and your family. _____________ has shared with me that you were both thinking about going to church. If you can, I encourage you to go. But if I may, I would like to explain something from the Bible to you. _______________ was not sure if you heard this before or not, but I beg you to read this until the end.
1 John 5:13 – “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
The Bible tells us that we can ‘know’ for sure that someday we can go to heaven. Let me explain how:
In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sinned. The spirit they had within them died. That sin nature, (dead spirit) was passed on to everyone ever born of man.
Romans 5:12 – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Sin requires a payment. Just as if you killed someone and got caught, you would have to pay the penalty, jail or death.
Romans 6:23a – “For the wages of sin is death; …”
The only payment for sin is death in hell forever and ever. But God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. He only made hell for the devil and his angels. So God provided a way to get to Heaven. He sent His Son Jesus. Jesus knew no sin, so He was the only one who could pay the price. He is the Lamb of God.
Romans 5:8 – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
There is no sin in Heaven. We can’t get in on our own. God sent His son to pay the price for our sin (dead spirit). Going back to the example of if you killed someone and having to pay the price by the death sentence. Someone comes along and says to the Judge, “Let ____________ go free. I will pay the price for her killing the person”. You go free. Jesus pay your sin debt. You don’t have to do a thing. It was paid in full when Jesus died on the cross. It’s a free gift from God.
Romans 6:23b – “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
I pray you’re asking yourself, ‘How do I get this free gift’? You get it just like any other free gift, accept it. How?
Romans 10:13 – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Saved from what? From hell forever and ever. Your dead spirit that you were born with is revived by the Holy Spirit who enters in.
1. You must believe your a sinner. Can you think of a time you’ve sinned? That makes you a sinner.
2. You must believe that Jesus took your sins upon Him and paid your sin debt.
3. You must trust in Jesus and Jesus alone, for his death is the only payment for your sins and that He, and only He, will take you to Heaven. (some people trust in things that they have to do, or in a church, or even some other god.) We don’t have to do a thing but believe and ask. There were to men on either side of Jesus when He was dying on the cross.
(Luke 23:39-43) – “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
The one man just believed.
The Bible says:
(John 14:6) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
(John 3:16-18) – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Believe and ask in prayer. It’s the MOST IMPORTANT decision you’ll ever make.
___________, my question is, do you believe your a sinner? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Will you trust Him and only Him in taking you to Heaven someday?
If you’ve answered yes to all the above questions, then bow your head in prayer now and ask Jesus to be your Saviour. You can say something like this:
Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. Please forgive me of my sins. Thank you for paying my sin debt. I am trusting in you and you alone to take me to Heaven someday when I die. Come into my life and save me. Thank you Jesus. Amen.
If you prayed, and truly believed and prayed it from your heart, the Holy Spirit now dwells within you. You are promised Heaven. When you close your eyes here, you will be with the Lord. Please consider these things seriously. I am praying for your health but mostly for your salvation (excepting Jesus as your Saviour). Please tell ____________ what you decided. I asked her to let me know. I am adding some other Bible verses for comfort.
(Hebrews 13:5) – “… I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
(John 10:27-30) – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”
(2Corinthians 5:8) – “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
(John 6:36-40) – “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
(Revelation 21:4) – “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
(John 14:2) – “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
(Revelation 20:10) – “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” AMEN!
Thank You
(Proverbs 11:30) – “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
The Safest Place On Earth
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 41 – 45 (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 5 – 8; Psalm 119; Proverbs 25)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Practical Ways To Invest In Your Team“
Read the “0825 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.” (Jeremiah 42: 13 – 16)
I remember years ago, when I was serving God as a youth director for Lighthouse Baptist Church in Gloucester City, NJ, we used to go soul winning in the city of Camden. Now Camden was a rough town in those days, ranking at the top of the list in many crime categories. At first, we were scared to death to go in there; but God taught me a valuable lesson in those days: if it was His will to serve in Camden, then I was safer there than if I was in Beverly Hills or Palm Springs. Why, because with the will of God comes protection as well as provision. We never did have one problem while we were soul winning there; and we spent lot of time in that city visiting our bus routes, etc.
The passages that we read today in Jeremiah remind me of those days in Camden. At this time Jerusalem was a rough place. Most of the inhabitants were already taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon. No doubt there must have been a great fear of further oppression from the Babylonians. However, God promised the remnant in Judah and Jerusalem that if they would stay there and serve Him, He would protect them and prosper them. Unfortunately, the remnant did not listen. Instead, they decided to move to a place that was without war and famine: a place of wealth, culture, and prosperity. The only problem was that it went against the will of God. Guess what happened? All of the things that they feared about Jerusalem, happened to them in Egypt. They should have stayed in the place of God’s will.
Where is the will of God for you? It may not seem like the best place on earth to other men, but it is the place where you will thrive. Sometimes parents are reluctant to allow their children to become missionaries, because they fear for their safety on the foreign field; but they are safer there in the will of God than in the best place in America out of the will of God. Are you where God wants you, doing what God wants you to do? Surrender your will to His; lean not unto your own understanding; and He will prosper you and protect you.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
What’s Wrong With The Old Black Book? – The Saturday Morning Post By Pastor Ted Stahl
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)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Skills for Healthy Communication“
Read the “0824 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 117)
And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Good morning! Aren’t you glad today that you have truth that you can stand on? God’s truth? And His truth endures forever.
You can trust your King James Bible. If you look at the cover page, you will see: The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. Translating is stressful work. The translators knew they were answerable to King James, but also the King of Kings. Not to mention all the English speaking people who would be saved from reading God’s Word and seeing with their own eyes God’s perfect plan of salvation. That was a heavy responsibility to carry on their shoulders. They knew what God said in the Scriptures…
“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.” (Deuteronomy 4:1-4)
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6)
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:18-20)
And you think your job has you stressed out? I have a translating example. It’s not the greatest example, plus it’s Spanish, not Greek or Hebrew. I typed an English phrase into a website that would translate the phrase into Spanish. It came out…
tengo que ir al bano
tengo means “I have.”
que means “what”, although the website said que has multiple meanings.
ir means “I have to do something.”
And al bano means “to the bathroom.”
You have “I have / what / I have to do something / to the bathroom.”
So the translation would probably look like this…
I have [to go] to the bathroom.
Maybe, one day, I’ll learn Spanish. The translators of the King James Bible reverenced God’s Word. They feared the Lord. The words that help us understand the English structure of the verses, if needed, were put in italics.
I hope I didn’t lose you with that last statement. There has been a question being kicked around about the inspiration of the Bible: was it just the originals that were inspired, or the King James Bible too? We can see how God feels about His Word from the verses above. God wants His Word perfect. Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
God’s hand was all over the King James Bible. He gave the translators every word that He wanted in the Bible, both italicized and non-italicized. Without Jesus, the translators could never have given us the correct translation in the King James Bible. And we know from testimonies, history, and revivals, that the King James Bible brought forth much fruit, as it still does today.
Let me show you something I copied from somewhere while I was in college…
1382 The Wyclif Bible
The first purification.
1525 The Tyndale Bible
The second purification.
1535 The Coverdale Bible
The third purification.
1537 The Rogers Bible
The fourth purification.
1539 The Great Bible
The fifth purification.
1560 The Geneva Bible
The sixth purification.
1568 The Biship’s Bible
The seventh purification.
1611 The King James Bible.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6)
So, what’s wrong with the old black book?
Absolutely NOTHING!
Peace. (Psalm 119:97-104)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
No More Soulwinning?
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 30 – 32
(Second Milers also read – Acts 22 – 24; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)
“But thisshall bethe covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33 & 34)
The context of today’s reading in the Book of Jeremiah is the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth which is yet future. The Millennium will begin with an event that we call the Rapture, where Christ will come down in the clouds and shall gather His Bride, the Church, and take us to Heaven. Immediately following the Rapture there will be a seven year period known as Jacob’s Trouble (or The Tribulation Period). This will be a horrible time of judgment on the earth, but God will get the attention of the nation of Israel and they will turn their hearts back to Him. They will realize that they were wrong about the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will receive Him as their Messiah. At the end of this Tribulation Period Christ will return to set up His Kingdom upon the earth. Everybody that lives on the earth at this time and is old enough to understand will be saved: they will all know the Lord. God says in the verses above that during this time we won’t have to convince our neighbors to know the Lord, because they will all know Him.
I can’t imagine living in a place where everyone is saved. I can’t fathom not having a burden to reach the people around me with the Gospel of Christ. There will be no lost people on the earth. However, we are not there yet. Today there are still myriads of people who do not know the Lord, and it is our responsibility to reach them. We are to take the message of Christ to all of our neighbors, near and far. Sometimes it gets frustrating living in a world where the vast majority of people are lost in their sin, but that will all soon end. For now, we need to be busy, very busy, winning the lost around us; and giving to missionaries who will take the message of Christ to those that are out of our reach.
When was the last time you talked to your neighbor about “knowing the Lord”? Someday soon, you will no longer have that opportunity. Get busy!
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Make The Best of It
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 26 – 29 (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 19 – 21; Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)
“Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7)
Throughout much of the Book of Jeremiah the prophet is passionately warning the people of Jerusalem to repent so that God could turn from judgment that was surely coming. God had been promising for many years that the people of God would be taken out of their land and delivered into captivity if they refused to turn back to Him. But they didn’t listen, and the promised calamity came as promised. Now, the majority people from Jerusalem are in Babylon, living under the dominion of a Gentile king. Their homes have been taken away, the temple was destroyed, many have died, and the surviving families and friends have been separated from each other. Things were not good. Complicating matters was the fact that there were many false prophets running around, telling them that God was going to give them back everything that was lost in a short time. Jeremiah told them to submit themselves to the rulers of Babylon, and make the best of a very bad situation. He also encouraged them with news that the captivity would not last forever. In seventy years God would again “visit” His people, and bring them back into the land, which they had lost.
I believe that this passage from Jeremiah accurately illustrates the lives of many Christians today. We, like these Israelites of old, have previously made many mistakes that have caused us to fall out of the perfect will of God. We did things our way instead of God’s way. We simply didn’t listen. As a result, our situations are not what they could have been, and though God forgives He does not always restore what was lost from our sin. However, God would say the same thing today to us. Make the best of it. We are living in a sin cursed world today that is reaping the consequences of its sin. All of the prayer in the world is not going to bring us back to Eden, but we can make the best of the world that we have been given. Our nation is not what it was when it was founded. We have lost many of our liberties, and the scars of sin are evident all over our land, but it can still be a wonderful place to live, and we can still worship and serve our Lord here. Make the best of it. Some of our homes have experienced tragedies: some of which were not our fault, but some were the direct result of our own bad choices. We can still make the best of a less than ideal situation. Ultimately, we must remember that this world is not our home. Someday, God will bring His children away from this imperfect, sin-ravaged place into a beautiful new Heaven and Earth, which will be far better than the original; but for now, let’s make the best of the situation we are in.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 23 – 25 (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 16 – 18; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Skills for Healthy Communication“
Read the “0820 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this morning’s Bible reading passage – “Handle with Care“, and “Who Can You Trust?“
The Study of Women in the Bible
Hannah, A Woman Who Gave Her Son To God
Before we get started with the study of Hannah, I would like to ask you how you did with your challenge from last weeks blog (Aug. 13th – “The Contentious Woman”)?
“So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” (I Samuel 1:9-11)
Hannah was in a polygamous marriage. Like Sarah, Abraham’s wife, she was not able to conceive. Peninnah, the other wife, mocked Hannah. Sometimes a person is tested to their very roots of being. Hannah must have felt this way, but Hannah had definite access to God. She shed many tears. She felt forsaken by God because she had no children and her husband’s other wife kept reminding her of it. She was mocked so much that she did not even eat. She had nowhere else to go but to God, so she cried out to Him. Hannah presented God with a great petition. She did not insult Him by asking for a small favor. Hannah didn’t pray vaguely. She prayed with a specific request. God I want a son and I will give him back to you for all his life. No razor will touch his head. Soon Hannah received the answer to her prayer, a son named Samuel. After Samuel was weaned, she kept her promise to God. Hannah brought her son to the temple where Eli was, and presented Samuel to God. Eli then raised and trained him in the priesthood. Hannah must have had a great impact on Samuel as he became one of Israel’s greatest prophets. She must have felt sorrow at leaving her child, yet she praised and glorified the Lord. Later we learn that Hannah and her husband had five other children.
Truths About Hannah’s Life:
- Hannah was a prayer warrior. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing and in Psalms 126:5, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy”. Hannah did both. Our part, as a mother and wife, should be to pray for our family. We can get so busy in life that we may not take the time to pray. Remember the devil is seeking to devour us. We need to cover our family with prayers.
- She kept her promise to God. We pray for something, God answers, then we forget our part of the commitment. How often do people pray for a job but then don’t tithe. Or pray for transportation, and then not attend church.
- She gave her son wholly to the Lord. What a great example of giving to the Lord, something that is so greatly cherished. We all ought to dedicate our children to the Lord. Remember the devil is seeking us out. He wants to destroy us.
In today’s world, our government allows women to kill unborn children. They want to tell us how to raise them. If we don’t abide, they threaten to take them away. The family structure is being torn down. As Christian ladies, we need to band together and be prayer warriors for our family.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5)
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16b)
One of the most precious gifts God has given to us, is a child. We must do all we can, through Christ, to protect them from the evil one. We must always be teaching them the ways of the Lord. Pray with them, read the Bible with them. Don’t drop them off at church, but attend with them. Be a good example. Make fun times with them. Give lots of hugs and kisses because you never know when the last one will be.
This weeks challenge is to tell your children that you love them. Also, write them a note and praise them for something they said or did. If you have no children or grandchildren, like myself, find a young person at your church you can reach out to. It will not only change them, it will be a great blessing to you.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
The Point of No Return
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 14 – 17 (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 10 – 12; Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Skills for Healthy Communication“
Read the “0818 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!'” (Jeremiah 15:1)
In the picture on the left, the man is jumping from one rock formation to the next. You will notice that the position of his body would make it impossible for him to change his mind at the last minute. He had reached “the point of no return”.
In our passage we see that the people of God had passed the point of no return. God said that it did not matter if Moses or Samuel came to intercede on their behalf, they had gotten too far away from Him, and judgement was unavoidable. God had warned them and corrected them previously, but to no avail. They would not receive the correction and they did not heed the warnings. They continued to travel down the road eventually leading them to the point of no return. God was about to bring in the Babylonians as a judgment for the backslidings of Judah.
I wonder how far God will allow America to get away from Him until she gets to the point of no return, where nothing can be done to escape judgment. I wonder how far the Christian can travel down the road of sin before God says, enough is enough. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that God will remove a Christian’s salvation if they are genuinely born again; but I am saying that He will eventually get fed up with rebellion, and will be forced to impose severe chastisement in order to rectify the situation. He may even take the offending Christian home to Heaven prematurely.
Let’s not allow our lives to get so out of control that God says we have passed the point of no return. Let’s keep an open heart, listen daily to His admonitions and exhortations from the Word of God; and heed what He says. Let’s yield to the working of the Spirit of God within us and yield to His will for our lives. I want to be used of Him all of my earthly life. I don’t want to be put on a shelf, or worse, face some sort of terrible judgment. I want to bear fruit that remains in my Christian life. I guess I had better stay close to my Saviour and far away from the point of no return.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Strange Gods – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 10 – 13 (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 7 – 9; Psalms 81 – 85; Proverbs 17)
Scripture Memorization for June – Pre-Tribulation Rapture Passages
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “5 Skills for Healthy Communication“
Read the “0817 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
If you had asked me a few years back if I thought America was under God’s judgment, I probably would have said I didn’t think so. Everything appeared to be going okay. After 9/11 things drastically changed in the United States.
An illustration that many preachers have used is about how to cook a frog. If you toss a frog in a pot of boiling water, he will hop right out. But if you place a frog in a pot of water, and slowly bring up the heat, he will stay there in the pot till he gets cooked. That’s what happened to us. The devil has been working on this country for quite some time. The religion of Evolution is preached in our schools as truth instead of just a theory. Children are taught that the baby formed in the womb is just an unfeeling blob of goo, so abortion is okay. People are numbed by propaganda telling them that homosexuality is an alternate life style and not sin. The Word of God has been removed from schools, government buildings, and books of “higher learning” (Romans 1:22).
Coexist is written on many of our bumper stickers. You can be whatever religion you want, just don’t attack anyone else’s. It doesn’t matter if they are on their way to Hell: they’ve been taught that there is no Hell. Why, you can even be a god yourself. Just jump around like Shirley McLane and John Denver shouting I am god, I am god. Is it any wonder that many Americans have tried to push God out of their lives, and unfortunately the lives of others too?
Even if the godless succeed in removing from the Pledge of Allegiance the phrase: one nation under God; we are still, and always will be one nation under God. And God chastens those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-11). Look what God said about Israel in Psalm 81:8-16:
“Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.”
Maybe one of the problems is that as Christians today, we don’t see God work in our lives. Why should we see God work? Look at what God says in Isaiah 43:12:
“I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.”
God has spoken to us through His Word. God has saved us, not only salvation from sin, but also problems attacking our lives. And God has showed us His great love to us. And we are supposed to be His witnesses of these things. And God did these things in our lives. He did them “when there was no strange god among” us.
Logic with me for a minute. If anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Then anything that we deem more important than God, is a strange god. What is more important than God to you? Is it sports? Is it your job? Is it a favorite TV show that’s in the same time-slot as church? What is your strange god? When we get rid of them, maybe God will start working in our lives again. We will be witnesses for Him. He will heal our nation (2Chronicles 7:14). Psalm 85 is a good model prayer:
“LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.”
Tired of not seeing God work in your life? Get rid of the strange gods.
Peace! (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.