Thoughts About Job from Phil Erickson Jr.
Today’s Reading – Job 15 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Philippians 1 – 4; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Scripture Memorization for June – Verses Supporting an Unlimited Atonement
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “Wait Before You Step Out“
Read the “0609 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” (Job 16:2)
The story of Job in the Bible has always fascinated me. I have always loved hearing messages preached about his life. For those of you who attend our church, the “Hast thou retained thine integrity?” message is one of the all-time greats. To think that a man could go from being ”the greatest of all the men of the east” as the Bible calls him, to having nothing in just a matter of hours, and still praise God through all of it just boggles my mind. I have often wondered what it was that made Job such a “perfect and upright” man. Was it the fact that he gave his tithes and offerings faithfully? Maybe. Was it the fact that he cared so much about his family and their spiritual condition? Could be. Or maybe did God just like him better than anyone else at the time? God is not a respecter of persons, but who knows? Maybe He did favor him. He obviously blessed him with a lot. But as I read these few chapters a thought jumped out at me. Job is right smack in the middle of the absolute worst time in his life, and here come his ”friends.” They go on and on about why they think this is all happening to Job. And right in the middle of it, I noticed verses 19-20 of chapter 16. And, I may be wrong, but I think these couple verses may be the secret to Job’s “success” as a man of God. The verses say – “And now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.” Job cared about what God thought, and ONLY about what God thought. He said ‘my witness is in heaven’ , and ‘ my record is on high.’ He knew that God knew everything that was going on. He knew that God knew his heart and his intentions with everything he did in his life. He knew that God knew that his tithes and offerings, his service to God, and his love for his family was out of his love and devotion to God. It had nothing to do with ANYONE else. So, when the chips were down, and everything went down the drain, he didn’t go running to his friends or anyone else. He went to God. He brought his tears to God. He knew that when things were good, it was God. When things were bad, it was God. And he praised God through it all.
As Christians we need to see that everything that happens to us, good or bad, comes from the Lord. He loves us more than we can ever know. He has a plan for our lives, and we need to trust Him and Him alone. When the chips are down, our friends won’t always be there. Sometimes even our family won’t be there. But God is always there. He never turns His back on us…who are we to turn our backs on Him?
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Wisdom
Today’s Reading – Job 12 – 14
(Second Milers Read – Ephesians 4 – 6; Psalms 36 – 40;Proverbs 8)
“With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. … With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his. He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, and maketh the judges fools.” (Job 12:12-13, 16-17)
” If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
Just a quick thought this morning from the reading passage from Job. Notice in chapter twelve the dialogue is continuing between Job and his three friends. Job’s friends are making their accusations regarding the cause of Job’s calamity, and they are all declaring what they think they know about God. In replying to them, Job teaches us something about wisdom. Wisdom belongs to God. He is wisdom.
Perhaps the greatest need that all of us have is wisdom. One of the first prayer requests I make each day is for wisdom. Like Solomon, “I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in”. (1 Kings 3:7) But Solomon got the direction and answers he needed from God. James tells us that God will give any believer wisdom, if they ask it of Him; and He gives it out liberally and doesn’t hold back. The lack of wisdom that is apparent in believers today must simply be due to the fact that we are not asking Him; perhaps because we all too often” lean unto [our] own understanding”. (Proverbs 3:5)
Notice also that the passage declares that God is, not only wisdom, but he is strength as well. If we are going to be able to stand for the Lord today in this dark world, we must have His wisdom, and His strength. Have you asked the Lord for wisdom and strength today?
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Road May Be Long
Today’s Reading – Job 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Galatians 1 – 3; Psalm 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)
Scripture Memorization for June – Verses Supporting an Unlimited Atonement
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “The Power of Biblical Affirmation“
Read the “0605 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Lessons from Job“
“So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” – (Job 2:13 )
I have read these first four chapters from Job many times, and I have preached several messages from them; but I noticed something new today that I thought was worth developing, but first, let me review the story. In chapter one Job lost all of his children, and nearly everything that he possessed; yet his response was worship for God (see vv 20 – 22). In chapter two, Satan is permitted to destroy Job’s health. I do not know much about what Job experienced, but I would imagine that Satan chose the most painful malady possible in order to make him break. Yet, Job maintained his integrity, even when his wife turned against him. By the way, I used to beat up Job’s wife for her weakness, but now I have some compassion for her. After all, she did lose all of her children and possessions also. This must have been a very difficult time for her as well. Then Job’s friends arrive. Again, I used to be pretty rough on Job’s friends, but they stayed with him for seven days without saying a word. I believe they truly wanted to help him.
It is not until we get to chapter three that we see Job begin to break down. He begins to complain that he wished that he had never been born at all. Satan couldn’t get him to break with the loss of his children and possessions; and he couldn’t get him to yield initially when Job lost his health. However, after enough time went by, Job began to crack. Time was the element used by Satan to wear Job away. Then, once he began to break, Job’s friends also piled up on him. They shouldn’t have said anything, but I think, like most well-meaning people, they didn’t have a clue.
I have seen this happen in people’s lives today. When tragedy comes their way, oftentimes their first reaction is positive; but after a little time, bitterness begins to set in; and soon their faith begins to wane. Had Job’s trial ended the day after it started, he would have been fine; but time took its toll. and slowly caused him to lose all hope.
I don’t know exactly what can be done in order to keep encouraged during trials like this, but I think that understanding that trials are seldom short-term can be a help in itself. In other words, we need to realize that when we go into the valley, we need to be prepared to be there for quite a while. I have been going through some things myself here lately that really started more than a year ago. There would be times when things would get temporarily better, and I would think that a mountaintop was on its way; but then something else would go wrong. I am learning to understand that God may not be finished working in, and or, through me. I need to just trust Him. He can do what ever He wants. I need to remember that He knows what He is doing, even if I cannot see it. God may never remove the trial, but that is His decision. We need to be prepared to endure until the Lord removes the trial, or takes us home. It may be a very long road.
Posted in Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
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)
Scripture Memorization for June – Verses Supporting an Unlimited Atonement
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “The Power of Biblical Affirmation“
Read the “0604 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Sometimes We Reap More Than We Sow“
A Study Of Women In The Bible
Herodias and Salome – More Bad Babes Of The Bible
“And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.” (Mark 6:21-25)
Herodias, who was married to her uncle, Herod Philip, went to Rome and met Herod Antipas, Philip’s brother, a tetrarch of Galilee. She later left Philip and married Antipas. When John the Baptist told Herod the marriage was unlawful, Herodias wanted to get rid of him. She had great hatred towards John the Baptist. So she manipulated her daugther Salome to ask for John the Baptist’s head. Very bad advice to give her daugther. She could of had anything up to half the kingdom. I wonder what Salome would have asked for if she made her own decision.
These verses makes me think of how important it is to guard our words. Regardless of what the situation is, we must watch our lips. It shouldn’t have mattered that Herodias was so angry, her words changed the direction of not only herself, but of her daugther and John the Baptist. It’s not only our children hear our lose lips, but so do others. Our words effect all who hear it. Have you ever said something about someone (ie. Oh, did you know so and so did such and such) later to find out they got right? When they got right did you go back to the ones you told, and told them that they got right? Usually not. Those few words you spoke could change an opinion of someone. Our mother’s were right when they taught us ‘If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say nothing at all.
I would like to share some verses about our speech. I pray they will help.
“Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” (James 3:10-12)
“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)
“He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” (Proverbs 10:18-19)
“Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.” (Proverbs 4:24)
“Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.” (Proverbs 24:28)
“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” (Psalms 34:13)
“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” (Proverbs 20:19)
In closing just remember, we can never take back that which has already been said.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Spring Cleaning
Today’s Reading – Nehemiah 11 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 2 Corinthians 1 – 4;Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Scripture Memorization for June – Verses Supporting an Unlimited Atonement
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “The Power of Biblical Affirmation“
Read the “0602 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.” – (Nehemiah 13:9)
In Nehemiah 13, I noticed that there were four things that had crept back into the life of the people of Israel that had to be cleaned out:
1 In vv 4 – 9 we see that Eliashib the priest had actually emptied a chamber in the temple of God, and had prepared it for Tobiah to stay in. Tobiah had been the one who had opposed Nehemiah and the people of God as they rebuilded the city of Jerusalem. He had to go. Nehemiah gave him the boot.
2 In vv 10 – 13 we learn that the Levites had to go back to the fields to work because the people of God were not supporting them through their tithes and offerings. Nehemiah corrected this problem as well.
3 In vv 15 – 22 we see that God’s people were violating the Sabbath by working, and by trading with outsiders. God wanted the Sabbath Day to be kept holy, and set apart from the normal routines of the week. Nehemiah commanded that the gates of the city be closed on the Sabath so that the merchants could not enter in to do their business.
4 Finally we see that the Jews began to inter-marry with the heathen people around them. It got to be so bad that some of the children did not even speak the Hebrew language, but instead conversed in the language of the land where the mother came from. Nehemiah had a fit about this, and made the people promise to separate from people who were not Jews. He reminded them of how even King Solomon was caused to sin because of his marriages to non-Jewish women. God wants his people to marry within the household of faith.
It is amazing how quickly all of these abuses crept back into the lives of the people of God. Every once in a while we need to have an old-fashioned house cleaning to remove all of the junk that creeps into our lives as well. Why not take a spiritual inventory of your own life. Is there anything in your home, or in your life that God would want cleaned out? Just a thought.
Posted in Thoughts from Nehemiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Daddy – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading – Nehemiah 8 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 1 Corinthians 13 – 16; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Scripture Memorization for June – Verses Supporting an Unlimited Atonement
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “The Power of Biblical Affirmation“
Read the “0601 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from today’s reading – “We Will Not Forsake the House of Our God“
Good morning, and happy first day anniversary to Roni and Mike. They tied the knot last night in a beautiful ceremony. It was good to hear Roni sing again, as she sang a love song to Mike. Cheyenne (Roni’s daughter) looked very pretty in her gown. There was one thing I noticed about Cheyenne, as she walked into the sanctuary, she was nervously chewing her bottom lip. A thought came into my mind: I wonder if she understands that this is a new life for her too: that she is getting a new daddy?
Memories started flooding my brain. I remembered when I got back together with Camille. Then I remembered Melissa asking her, “Can I call him daddy yet?”
I had to grab onto the sound booth to steady myself, as I felt the tears swell up in my eyes. I thought about our wedding in the office of the mayor of Brick Township. I believe it was Mayor Kinievy (I’m not sure of the spelling). Camille was crying. She held my hand tightly, as we swung them nervously back and forth, while listening to the Mayor speak. We said our “I do’s”, and it was done. When I married Camille, I was agreeing to take Melissa too, as my own daughter. …To love and to cherish, till… I remembered before Melissa got the arthritis. I raced her from the parking lot, to the entrance of Monmouth Mall. She fell and skinned her knee. We were looking in a few stores, when we realized that Melissa wasn’t with us. PANIC! We ran back to the last store we were in, and there she was, sitting on the floor, with a security guard putting a bandage on her scraped knee.
I remembered the arthritis, which would eventually cause her to have both hips, both knees replaced, five or six cervical vertebrae fused, and her head attached with wires and screws. Her wrist was humped like a camel’s back. Two rods were inserted in her wrist to make it straight again.
I remembered the one-month stay Melissa had at the Children’s Seashore Hospital in Atlantic City. It was there we met Debbie, a little girl with Spinal Bifida. She would later become part of the youth group at The Christian Bible Church. Thinking of Debbie made me think about the two ladies, with child, in our church. What if their child is born with arthritis or Spinal Bifida? The Bible says in the end times that people will be without natural affection. Will they still care for, and love their defective children? I’m sure that these two ladies would. God would not trust them with such a precious cargo if they would not.
She went home to Heaven on Thursday morning, February 16, 2012, 1:15am. This is something I would have a hard time forgetting. God blessed us with Melissa for 36 years. Parents: love your kids. You don’t know how long they will be with you. Make some memories with your children. You may have to thank God one day for those memories.
I hope that this blog will help someone. Things happen in our lives, but God gives us gifts to help others. I hope this will edify. 1Corinthians 14:26 says, “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”
Peace. (Revelation 21:5)
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Here We Go Again!
Today’s Reading – Ezra 8 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 29)
Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt– “Seven Big Parenting Mistakes“ from Ministry 127
Read the “0529 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “I Am Ashamed and Blush“
“And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.” – (Ezra 9:13-15)
In our Scripture passage in the Book of Ezra today, we see the people of God returning to Jerusalem from the bondage of captivity. The reason that they were taken into captivity in the first place is because they had forsaken the Lord by serving other gods, and by ignoring the principles contained in the Law. However, God in His mercy, did not forsake them, and gave them a new opportunity to re-establish themselves in the land of Israel. One of the leaders of the returning remnant was Ezra, the man who penned this book. He was a priest, and a very good man, and he was very concerned that the people would repeat their errors of the past. Notice what Ezra did before making the trip back to Jerusalem:
“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.” – (Ezra 8:21)
This man, and many others of the people of Israel, wanted to please God, and they desperately desired God’s bleesing on this renewed nation.
However, when we get to chapter nine we discover that some of the people had begun to make some serious errors in judgment again, as their fathers did before they went captivity. Notice the first two verses of chapter nine:
“Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.” – (Ezra 9:1-2)
Some of the leaders of the people had taken the first step toward the idolatry that their ancestors were guilty of by marrying some of the non-Jewish women that dwelt in the land. God knew that if these men married these women, soon they would be worshipping the gods of the women, and tolerating some of the ungodly practices of the culture that the women came from. God demanded that His people live separately from the people of the land. God demands the same from us today. Consider the following New Testament verses:
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – (Romans 12:2)
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” – (2 Corinthians 6:17)
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” – (1 John 2:15)
There are so many more verses that we can look at, yet the principle of separation is pretty much an ignored doctrine to many of our New Testament churches. There has never been a more worldly group of believers since the time of Christ. Someone once said that the church follows the world by about ten years, or so. I am not sure if that is true or not, but I do know that there is not a whole lot of difference between the lifestyles of the unbelievers today and the lifestyles of Christians. This passage of Scripture from Ezra is a great picture of what is happening today. The people of Israel were placed in captivity and bondage because of their sin, but were then given a second chance; yet they chose to do the same things that got them into trouble in the first place. We who are saved have also been delivered from the bondage of sin, yet we keep choosing to go back to the sinful things and worldly lifestyles that we were delivered from. Shame on us!
Well, what should we do? It would probably be a good idea to do what Ezra did. A careful reading of chapter nine will reveal that Ezra first repented on behalf of the people when he realized the problem. He then went to God, and poured out his heart to Him; and then he went to the people, and poured out his heart to them. The good news is that the people repented too, and got right with the Lord before He would have to send judgment again. I hope that we will do the same thing.
Posted in Thoughts from Ezra by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Reading – Ezra 3 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Romans 13 – 16; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)
Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt– “Encouragement for Spiritual Leaders“
Read the “0528 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
A Study Of Women In The Bible
Miriam, A Strong Leader Who Over-stepped Her Boundaries.
“For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15:19-21)
Miriam’s work for the Lord started at an early age. Her mother depended and trusted her to watch over the basket prepared for baby Moses that was put on the water. It took courage to approach the Princess and ask if she could find someone to nurse the baby. It was because of her wisdom from Almighty God, that she brought the Princess together with the baby’s mother. Miriam was brought up as a slave who served the Living God.
As an adult, Miriam continued with her godly responsibilities. She was in leadership, under Moses, with her brother Aaron. She was unmarried, the first spokeswoman for God, and very dedicated to her work. Her responsibilities must have been unbelievable when the children of Israel left Egypt. It’s hard enough when your moving your own family, but what a task trying to assist in the moving of millions! Miriam must have encouraged the people as they walked between the walls of water. She led the women in song and dance when they reached the other side. She was a born leader, BUT…
“And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.” (Numbers 12:1-2)
“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.” (Numbers 12:9-10)
“And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.” (Numbers 12:15)
…Miriam over-stepped her boundaries. She put herself on the same level as Moses. Aaron and Miriam tried to usurp Moses’ authority. She was given great authority by God, but pride and jealousy stepped in. Through God’s anger, Miriam became a leper. God took her from a leader of women singing and praising God, to crying out, “Unclean, unclean”. The entire nation stopped their journey as Miriam was put out of the camp for 7 days. The Bible does not say if Miriam repented or if she was returned to her leadership position, however the Bible does say in Numbers 20:1 that she died before the children of Israel entered into the promise land.
Miriam stepped out of her God-given boundaries, and it’s very easy to step out of ours. God has given us all positions. It would do us well to remember to stay within our positions. A good leader is a better follower. In the work of God, there will always be someone in authority over you, just as there will always be some under you. If we all stay within our God-given positions, we can accomplish God’s work more efficiently. Remember, the most important job God has given all of us is to win souls. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)
“Do you see all the people sinking down. Don’t you care are you going to let them drown? How can you be so num, not to care if they come? You close your eyes and pretend the job’s done. Bless me Lord, you know it’s all I ever hear. No one aches, no one hurts, no one even sheds one tear, but He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, and He cares for your needs, and you just lay back and keep soaking it in. Can’t you see it’s such sin? Cause He brings people to your door, and you turn them away as you smile and say, God bless you, be in peace, and all Heaven just weeps….. Cause Jesus came to your door…. you’ve left Him out in the streets………….. Open up and give yourself away. You see the need, you hear the cries, so how can you delay? God’s calling, and your the one… but like Jonah you run. He’s told you to speak, but you keep holding it in. Can’t you see it’s such sin? The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can’t fight ’cause it’s asleep in the light. How can you be so DEAD, when you’ve been so well fed? Jesus rose from the dead, and you can’t even get out of bed…” (Song: Asleep in the Light by Keith Green)
Thank You
1 John 5:13 – 14
Posted in Devotions, Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
A Fresh Start
Today’s Reading – Ezra 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Romans 9 – 12; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt– “Encouragement for Spiritual Leaders“
Read the “0527 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.” – (Ezra 1:2-3)
The children of Israel had spent 70 long years in captivity at the hands of the Babylonians. We cannot really blame Babylon for Israel’s troubles however, as the Scripture makes it very clear that Israel was taken into captivity as a direct judgment of God because they had forsaken Him. However, now at the end of the seventy years, we see a new king, Cyrus of Persia, who is releasing the nation of Israel and giving them the charge to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Again, we cannot fully give the credit to Cyrus for being such a gracious king, as God foretold this event in the Book of Isaiah almost 200 years prior to its happening, even mentioning King Cyrus by name:
“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” – (Isaiah 44:28)
At any rate, Israel is given a wonderful opportunity to get things right; they are given a fresh start. What a wonderful thing it is to be given the opportunity to start all over again. Salvation does this to a person’s life. God gives them a clean slate; a new beginning. While we can never go back and undo our past mistakes, it is great to know that those mistakes are in the past, and under the blood. Israel was granted the chance to go back into the land and live for God, and worship Him as had been originally intended. Sadly, however, history wil reveal that they quickly went back to some of their old ways. We do the same thing, don’t we? God gives us a new beginning, but we soon find ourselves making the same mistakes as we did prior to our salvation. It’s really a shame, but it just reveals that the old sin nature is still alive and well. We won’t be rid of this sinful flesh until we are with the Lord; but we can make the most out our fresh start and do our best to live our lives yielded to the will of God.
If you are saved, God has given you a fresh start. Make the most of it. Experience the fullness of a life filled with the Spirit of God in the very center of God’s will. Every day, we have a fresh opportunity to get it right. Let’s ask God to help us live our lives to the fullest today, representing Him well to the world around us.
Posted in Thoughts from Ezra by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Enough is Enough!
Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 34 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Romans 5 – 8;Psalms 120 – 125; Proverbs 26)
Scripture Memorization for May – Romans 10
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt– “Encouragement for Spiritual Leaders“
Read the “0526 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” – (2 Chronicles 36:15-16)
God, in His mercy, will send us messengers to warn us of the judgment that is coming if we fail to humble ourselves before Him, and submit to His will. Oftentimes the people of God would turn back to him and would escape the judgment, or at least postpone the judgment. But here we see the people of God, not only rejecting the Word of God; but are also mocking and attacking His messengers.
Today in America, the Spirit-filled preacher of the Word of God is also mocked, and sometimes even attacked by the world around them; and even sometimes by the people of God. God will not put up with this too much longer. There will come a time when God will say, “enough is enough”. And when that happens we are finished as a nation.
But let’s think of this a little more personally. Do you as a faithful member of a Bible preaching church consider the preaching and teaching by the pastor as a message from God; or perhaps do you just think of it as just good information that may or may not be helpful. Are we not guilty of almost the same thing as these people from Judah, when we don’t heed the warnings and exhortation given to us by God through His word in our churches. When you listen to the preaching this week, look past the preacher and focus on the message that God has supernaturally ordained to be given to you through His messenger. Support your preacher: cheer him on as he labors to deliver the message from God to your family.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Chronicles by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.