And That’s The Way It Is – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 10 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 11 – 12; Proverbs 20; Psalms 96 – 100
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “A Checklist that Matters“
Read the “0420 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Good morning. That title is the closing line used by Walter Cronkite on his CBS news show. I couldn’t help thinking of that while watching the capture of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev. The one reporting said that the older brother was in hell, and that the younger brother would be joining him there. Terrorists get the death penalty. Maybe, instead of taking away our rights to bare arms, and limit the rounds in our defense rifles, the government should make jail an unpleasant experience instead of a vacation. And if you take someone’s life, you forfeit your own.
And that’s the way it is. Unless someone reaches that kid with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He should have read…
Proverbs 19:19 – “A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.”
A man of great wrath WILL suffer punishment. A man of great wrath will continue to be a man of great wrath. And, if a man of great wrath could be delivered, you would have to deliver him over and over again. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. But this 19 year-old has never heard that. He believes a lie. He should have read…
Proverbs 20:17 – “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.”
The only cure for a man of great wrath is either death, or the Lord Jesus Christ. God tells us to make ourselves living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), not dead ones. God also tells us that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2Corinthians 5:17). Only God can change a person, and the man of great wrath is passed away: gone. You see, God loves the man of great wrath, just as He loves every sinner. We are all sinners (Romans 3:10 & 23). And, because God knew that being sinners we could not save ourselves, He put on flesh, became a man, and died on a cross to pay the price for our sins (John 1:1-14; Romans 5:8-11, 6:23). The only thing we can do is ask Him to save us (Romans 10:13).
Peace! (Exodus 20:3)
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Use Your Abilities for the Lord
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 6 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 7 – 8; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “A Checklist that Matters“
Read the “0418 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.” – (1 Kings 7:13-14)
Not every Christian is gifted by God to be a teacher or a preacher. In this passage, we see Hiram, a man from Tyre, who was uniquely gifted by God to make all of the works of brass that were to be used in the Temple. Back in the Book of Exodus, we saw two other fellows. Bezaleel and Aholiab, who were also uniquely filled with wisdom (gifted) to build the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. As far as we know, these men never taught the Scriptures; they were not priests, or prophets; but they were greatly used of the Lord.
We have many people in our churches today who have also been uniquely crafted by the Lord to fulfill His purpose. They may be builders, like the men referenced above. They may be men or women that have a knack for cleaning, or landscaping. These are all very necessary and important jobs in the service of our churches today. As I read this passage today, I thought of a man in our church who was used of the Lord to build our platform in the auditorium along with the sound booth. He did a wonderful job, and our church building is much more beautiful and functional as a result of his using his gifts for the Lord. We also have some folks in our church that like to cook, and when we have a dinner of some kind, these people go to work, preparing delicious food for the rest of us to enjoy. They work mostly behind the scenes, but their work is very important to the Lord.
God tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:
“But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” – (1 Corinthians 12:18)
Not every member is an eye or an ear: some are hands, some are feet. Not everybody is a preacher or teacher; and those that are gifted in areas other that teaching are just as important to the work of the ministry as those who teach or preach.
What is your gift? What is your sweet spot? The thing that you were born to do. Hiram was born to make brass, and he did it very well. God will be well pleased with your life if you find the thing that He has equipped you to do, and then do it for His glory.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Wisdom
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85
“And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.” – (1 Kings 3:7)
“And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.” – (1 Kings 3:28)
“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.” – (1 Kings 4:29-34 KJV)
“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.” – (James 1:5)
1 Kings chapter 3 is a wonderful illustration of the principle found in James 1: if you lack wisdom, you can ask God for it. Solomon recognized that he had a big job to do, and limited knowledge and ability. He admitted that he was like a little child. God likes when we see ourselves as little children. Unfortunately, all too often we are so puffed up with pride that we think we are almost godlike, knowing everything. God gave Solomon the wisdom he needed so that he could fulfill God’s will for his life. We even see an example in vv 16 – 28 of Solomon’s wisdom in action.
We need God’s wisdom today more than ever. The world that we live in is offering us all kinds of advice as to how we should live and raise our families; but oftentimes this worldly wisdom is not wise at all. We need discernment so that we will know what we should and shouldn’t do; but we need to ask. I believe the most important step in the acquisition of wisdom is acknowledging that our little, finite, human minds don’t know everything. We need God to help and guide us through all of the complexities of life. Just this morning as I was walking and praying, I was thinking about how limited I really am. I just can’t put all of the pieces together at times. But, I know that God can. Instead of trying to figure it all out on my own, I can spend my time much more profitably by simply asking God for His help. The Scripture says that “he upbraideth not”, meaning He won’t hold back, and He won’t scold us for asking. He wants us to depend upon Him. Moms and dads need God’s wisdom so that they can raise godly children. We need wisdom at our jobs, and in our churches. It’s available to us from the Lord simply by asking.
Oh, and by the way, I would be remiss in mentioning that the greatest collection of God’s wisdom has already been recorded for us in the Word of God. But, you already know that, because you spent time reading it this morning. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, and it blossoms with education and experience.
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 3 – 4 ; Proverbs 16; Psalms 76 – 80
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “The Dangers of Depletion“
Read the “0416 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
A Study of Women in the Bible
Michal, A Woman Whose Marriage Lacked Unity
“And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster. And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?” (1Samuel 19:10-17)
“And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house. Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.” (2Samuel 6:16-23)
Michal was the youngest daughter of King Saul. Saul had arranged David’s marriage to Michal hoping that it would make him unhappy and cause his death. (See 1Samuel 18:21). But Michal loved David. David was handsome, courageous, a brave warrior, popular with the people, and had a relationship with God.
Saul never changed his mind about David, and hated him more. He tried to get rid of him through war. When that failed, Saul plotted to kill David in his own home. However, Michal heard of it and warned David. She lied to her father by saying David was sick and placed a large idol in David’s bed. Let’s take a closer look at that. Why was there an idol in their home? David loved the true God. Their marriage was doomed from the start. They were unequally yoked.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2Corinthians 6:14)
Later, we see Jerusalem rejoicing together in receiving the ark of the Lord, in the place David had appointed it to be. The priests and Levites had prepared themselves spiritually for their tasks. Leader of the people, with the singers and musicians ready themselves for the joyous occasion, David was overjoyed. He too prepared himself for this great event. He put aside his royal robe and girded himself with linen breeches that God had ordered for the priests to wear. (See Exodus 28:42). David then expressed his overwhelming joy and thankfulness in a religious dance. Michal did not share the religious convictions of her husband. Like her father, Michal was not concerned about the ark of God. She had no desire to play a tambourine and lead the women in song as Miriam once did. Her words were of sarcasm to David. She was putting her husband down.
Michal had a sad life. Her father and husband used her to gain their own ends. Obviously she wasn’t ‘Miss Innocent’. But we can’t blame her for disliking her treatment as a pawn in the political game. It just makes me wonder why she didn’t turn to the one true God. Things would have turned out much better for her than they did.
Lack of spiritual unity in a marriage at first might seem to be only a small crack, but it will quickly widen into a gulf that cannot be bridged. A family must be started with a solid foundation, Jesus Christ. You would never build a house without a foundation, because it would never pass through a storm. The same is true with marriage. Single ladies, look for a mate who is on the same page as you are, spiritually. Married ladies, be true to your husband. No matter if he is saved or not, be careful of your treatment to him. Remember, the husband you put down may meet another woman willing to build him up. Why take a chance. Always encourage him to do right in the Lord. God takes marriage very seriously. It pictures His relationship with us, and cannot be put on and taken off at will.
The marriage of David and Michal stands as a warning in history. If a husband and wife are not one in God, sharing spiritual unity, their marriage will fold under life’s pressures.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
God Doesn’t Forget
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 20 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 27 – 28; Proverbs 14; Psalms 66 – 70
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read a great article by Pastor Cary Schmidt – “The Dangers of Depletion“
Read the “0414 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.” (2 Samuel 21:1)
Remember back in 1 Samuel when King Saul was mad at the priests because they had helped David. (See 1 Samuel 21 & 22) Saul ended up killing all of the priests (85 of them) and then proceeded to wipe out Nob, the city that the priests lived in. What Saul did to the priests and to their families was bad enough; but there was also a group of people who lived in Nob as servants to the priests who were not Israelites: they were Gibeonites. Now you may also remember from the book of Joshua that the Gibeonites were the people who tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them. Joshua promised these people with an oath that Israel would let them live, and in return the Gibeonites would be Israel’s servants. God never forgot that covenant, so when Saul (acting on behalf of Israel) broke the covenant and slew the Gibeonites living in Nob; God held them (Israel – not just Saul) accountable. God doesn’t forget, even when we want to. Here an entire nation is suffering for the decision of one man.
We should be admonished when we read passages like this. First of all, we should realize that our actions affect more people than we think; and we should carefully consider the outcome on others around us from the decisions we make today as well as the impact they will have on future generations. Secondly, we need to think about any unfinished business we may have with God or other people. We are so quick to promise things; but so slow to deliver the things that we promise. God never forgot the promise that Israel made with the Gibeonites.
Note – A separate thought from this passage of Scripture. Notice in 21:8 that five of the ”sons of Saul” (actually grandsons) that were to be killed were the sons of Michal, David’s first wife. Michal had lived a troubled life due to men who have used her for their own gain. Saul promised her to David and reluctantly gives her to be his wife; later Saul took her back and gave her to another man; After Sauls death when David is in power he takes her back, away from a man that loves her; and now here she is losing her sons.
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A Critical Spirit – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning. Have you ever been criticized for something that you did? Can I urge you to pray for those who have critical spirits. Why? Let’s take a look at the situation that took place in Matthew chapter 26…
“Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.” (Matthew 26:6-16)
Here we have a woman with ointment, expensive ointment. She may have been rich, or she may have had her life savings wrapped up in this ointment. Either way, the ointment was her’s to do with as she saw fit. She saw fit to annoint he Lord’s head with it. Outrageous! It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor! What a waste! But Jesus did not see it as a waste. Jesus saw the woman’s deed as a good work, and He told them so. And this is why we should pray for those who critisize us: Judas Iscariot. The last versee says, “And from this time he sought opportunity to betray Him.”
Is it possible that if Judas did not develope this critical spirit, that he would not have betrayed the Lord? Maybe the betrayal would have fallen to someone else. But it didn’t. And Judas cast away the money he received, went out and hanged himself.
Have you ever been critical? After seeing the results in your life, do you wish that someone would have prayed for you? I have three steps that will lead to peace.
1) Forgive them. Jesus said from, from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
2) Pray for them. Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you…”
3) Mind your own business. John 21:21-22 tells us that, “Peter seeing him [John] saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.”
Having a critical spirit does not help anyone, it can only destroy a work that God may be doing in someone’s life.
Peace. (Romans 2:10)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Consequences of Sin – Is it Worth It?
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 12 – 14
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 21 – 22; Proverbs 11; Psalms 51 – 55
“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.” – (2 Samuel 12:10-11)
“And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.” – (2 Samuel 12:15)
I have to admit, that I wish passages like this were not in the Bible. In a perfect world, there would be no sin, and none of the pain and misery that come as a result of sin. Passages like this remind us of God’s passionate hatred for sin. In chapter 11, we heard nothing from God until the very last verse of the chapter:
“…But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”
Of course, the “thing” that David had done was actually more than one individual thing. It began with David’s not being where he was supposed to be. He was the king, and it was the time for king’s to go forth to war, but David was home taking it easy. Next thing he knows, he finds himself lusting after a woman (Bathsheba) that was another man’s wife. Soon he takes her, and she becomes pregnant. When he cannot conveniently cover that situation up, he eventually goes so low as to have the woman’s husband killed in battle so that he can take his wife for his own. As I said at the beginning, God does not say a word to David until he thought it was all over. But once God starts speaking, He doesn’t stop for a very long time. David would suffer much at the hand of God as a result of this “thing” that he did that displeased the Lord.
1 The baby that was born to Bathsheba dies.
2 His son Amnon rapes his sister Tamar. (Notice – another sin of lust)
3 His other son Absalom kills Amnon because of what he did to Tamar.
4 David alienates himself from Absalom.
5 Absalom rebels against David, causing David to have to flee Jerusalem.
6 Absalom sleeps with David’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
7 Absalom is killed.
All of these sins can be traced back to the sin with Bathsheba. Don’t believe me? Look at verses 10 and 11 above again. Does God not say, “I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house”? I am not saying that God caused these people to do what they did. They did what they did because they are sinners, but I am saying, that God did not do anything to prevent all of this tragedy either. Why? Because God wants us to know how much He hates sin, and how much He wants us to stay away from it. We live in a time when sin seems to no longer be sin, but let me warn you that God has never changed his mind on the subject. What are the consequences of sin? A lot of unnecessary pain and suffering for a lot of people. It’s just not worth it.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Samuel by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Kindness
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 8 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Proverbs 10; Psalm 46 – 50
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
Read a previous post from this passage – “Bad Advice“
Read the “0410 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.” – (2 Samuel 9:7)
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – (Ephesians 4:32)
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” – (Luke 6:35)
In 2 Samuel 9, we have the story of Mephibosheth who was the grandson of Saul and the son of Jonathon, David’s friend. David had never forgotton the kindness that Jonathon had showed to David even when Jonathon’s father Saul was trying to chase David down and have him put to death. The friendship of David and Jonathon survived some very difficult days. Long after the death of Saul and Jonathon, David wanted to see if their were any descendants left from Jonathon’s house because he wanted to show kindness to them in honor of Jonathon. David finds out about Mephibosheth, a man wha had been injured when he was just a small boy, and as a result was “lame on his feet”. Mephibosheth was living a very humble existence in a place called Lodebar. He was no longer the son of a prince or the grandson of a king. David brings him and his house out of Lodebar, and restores to him all of the land that was once owned by Saul and Jonathon; and he gives Mephibosheth a place of honor at the king’s table for the rest of his life.
David’s kindness to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of the kindness that God expressed to us when he pulled us up out of our lost condition, and made us joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. We were certainly not deserving of any blessing from God, yet He reached down, plucked us up out of the fire, and gave us robes of rightousness. Why? Because He loves us, and love is kind.
We need to learn how to be kind one to another. Even among Christians there is a drought of kindness. I really believe if we were to learn how to better express the kindness of God to this fallen world, we would be a lot more effective at reaching them with the gospel.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Samuel by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 4 – 7 (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
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34
Read the “0409 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
The Study of Women in the Bible
This Week – The Widow Of Zarephath, Who Gave Her All.
“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.” (1 King 17:8-15)
The great famine that Elijah prophesied would affect many lives, not just wicked King Ahab. When Elijah became hungry, and the ravens fed him no more, God provided another food source, a widow, who’s name is not mentioned. She didn’t have a storage shelter filled with food and water, she just had a great need. I always wondered what she thought when Elijah first ask her to give him some of the last of her food. She knew this was the last meal she and her son would eat before their death, and yet she gave. God kept his promise and supplied food for Elijah, the widow, and her son, and they lived. I wonder why God did not continue to supply Elijah with food through the ravens or some other way. Instead, He sent Elijah to a poor woman. It seemed that she would not be a likely candidate to provide food for anyone, but God graciously allowed this woman to become part of His plan. God caused the little that she had to accomplishing much.
WARNING!! Things are tough now, but be warned they will get tougher. The prices of everything are going up (except our paychecks). Our country, as a whole, is in a drought. With less rain there will be less food, which will drive up prices even more. There are so many people out of work, but will we give? You say ,“We have no way to pay the bills”, but the work of the Lord must go on. It takes money to keep the doors open at the church. People are dying and going to hell every minute.
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” (Malachi 3:8-9)
Fret not. All is not doom and gloom with God. God promises to take care of His children when we obey Him.
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10)
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” (Psalms 37:25-26)
God is no respecter of persons. He took care of and greatly blessed the widow and her son; He’ll take care of, and bless us as well.
Prolong your life. If your not tithing, I challenge you to start. To you who are tithing, don’t stop.
GIVE.
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Encouragement in the Lord
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 28 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 13 – 14;Proverbs 7; Psalms 31 – 35
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19
Read the “0407 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read “We Need More Timothys” by Pastor Paul Chappell
In our passage this morning, we see David and his men returning home to Ziklag, and discover that the city was burned to the ground and their wives and children were gone. At this point they have no idea what these Amelekites had done to their families, but I am sure that David and his men suspected that they were either being slaughtered or, at the very least, abused. The men were naturally distraught. At times like these, people want to blame somebody, and since David was their leader, he bore the brunt of their wrath. Remember, these were men that loved David, and risked much by following him. This was certainly a great test of David’s leadership. But how was David supposed to help his men, when he was also distraught due to the loss of his family. It is very hard to encourage and lead people when you yourself are discouraged; and David is perhaps at the lowest point of his life here.
The last sentence in the verse tells us what got David back up to where he could do something to help these people who were relying on him for leadership. “…David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” It is not easy to turn to the Lord for encouragement when you are down. Honestly, I can speak from experience when I say that sometimes I want to just wallow in the mire of discouragement. Have a little pity party, so to speak. But that will not help anybody. David didn’t stay down; he got back up. He received encouragement from the only source available at the time. Remember, his loyal men wanted to stone him at this time. David went to the Lord. And the Lord gave him the answers that he needed; and in a very short time, they had recovered their families, not to mention their possessions. However, none of that would have happened if David would have just stayed down.
This passage was a great encouragement for me today. Personally, I have battled with a lot of discouragement at times in my life. I guess when discouraging situations enter into my life, like David, I need to get up, go to God, and get back in the battle. Maybe, if I can get some encouragement from the Lord, then I will be able to give some encouragement to the people around me.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.