What Is The Real Hate Crime? – The Saturday Morning Post By Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalm 26 – 30
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0406 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Good morning. There are many preachers in jail today because of our freedom of speech is becoming a myth, and it is considered breaking the law to tell the truth. If you Google it, the one who comes up most is a street preacher in the United Kingdom. He told a passerby that he thought homosexuality was a sin. The last time I looked, it was (and still is). What would you do in the same situation? What does the Bible say?
Twice in Ezekiel, God says, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (vs 20 & 4).
Ezekiel 33:1-8 tell us, “Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, when I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
If I call a politician a liar who is just trying to keep his job, and not serving those who elected him; is that a hate crime? If I tell them they are going to spend all eternity in Hell; is that a hate crime? Jesus said, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8).
When those in power started pushing evolution as a fact to be taught in schools, while God’s truth was removed; when those in power gave their blessing to abort babies; when those in power think more about being politically correct instead of correct, they stopped serving the people. So I ask you, which is the real hate crime? Telling others about sin and how Jesus died for their sins; or not saying anything, and allowing them to go to Hell? The way the world is going, if Jesus delays His return, you may have to decide.
God’s Word is clear: Jesus died for the sins of the world: He shed His precious blood: He paid sin’s wage for us. We need to share this with others no matter what the consequences. The only sin that will not be forgiven is blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Just like you and me, others need to decide to reject or receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Peace. (1Corinthians 11:24).
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A Good Friend
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalm 16 – 20
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8
Read a previous post from this passage – “Envy“
Read the “0404 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not: But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. … And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.” (1 Samuel 20:13-17, 41-42)
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
David and Jonathan were good friends, and their friendship passed a test that proved its genuineness. Jonathan was placed in a very difficult situation. He was torn between being loyal to his father, and being faithful to his friend. Jonathan’s father, Saul, was clearly in the wrong, as Jonathan could easily see. Saul was insecure, and desparately afraid of David, though David did nothing but demonstrate loyalty and allegiance to King Saul. Jonathan had to choose between his friend David, and his father. This was cetainly not an easy choice because by choosing David, Jonathan was basically relinquishing his right to the throne. Had Jonathan allowed his father to kill David, Jonathan would have become the next king of Israel, instead of David. Jonathan chose the will of God, and his friendship, over his own selfish ambition.
David never forgot the kindness and friendship of Jonathan, even after Jonathan’s death. Years later, when David was sitting on the throne of Israel, he sought out Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. (See 2 Samuel 9) David brought Mephibosheth from Lodebar, and and gave him a place of great prominence in his kingdom:
“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)
God has blessed me with a few very good friends: people who I believe would die for me. There is really no greater asset in life than having a friend that will love you, support you, counsel you, serve you, and defend you. Of course, the greatest friend to all of us is the Lord Jesus, but it is also very good to know that God gives us some people here on earth whose hearts will be knit with ours. I only hope that I can be as good a friend to them as they are to me.
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I’ve Got My Eye On You
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 17 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 5 – 6; Proverbs 3 ; Psalm 11 – 15
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read a previous post from this passage – “Is There Not A Cause?“
Read the “0403 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.” – (1 Samuel 18:9)”
And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.” – (1 Samuel 18:12)
“Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.” – (1 Samuel 18:15)
“And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.” – (1 Samuel 18:29)
In chapter 17 of today’s reading, we see young David taking down Goliath, the fierce giant of the Philistines. David was the only one in the camp of Israel that had enough guts to tackle the monster from Gath. All of the other men of Israel, including King Saul, feared Goliath more than they feared God; they had their eyes on their giant problem, instead of focussing on their giant problem-solving Lord. David feared the Lord, and trusted in Him, which gave him the courage to do the impossible.
In chapter 18, no longer is there an enemy to fear. Goliath is dead; the Philistines have been defeated. King Saul’s giant problem had been solved for him by David, and he should have been rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord. However, we see that a new fear has replaced Goliath in Saul’s eyes. A new giant. Now Saul is afraid of David. Again, Saul should have feared the Lord, and had his eyes on Him. Unfortunately, however, Saul’s eyes are on David. He knows that God’s hand is upon the young man, and the days of his own reign as king are coming to an end.
However, David, on the other hand, continues to fear the Lord, and serve King Saul. It seems that the more Saul tries to exterminate David, the more David does the right thing and succeeds. Notice how many times in chapter 18 the Scripture says that David behaved himself wisely. David never once attempted to react to Saul’s attacks on him. David kept trusting in God and doing what God wanted him to do. We will soon see that God will permanently remove Saul from the throne of Israel, and replace him with David.
There are three very practical truths that we can easily see in this passage:
1 Fear the Lord, not men. “If God be for us, who can be against us.” Saul was afraid of people. David feared God.
2 Keep your eyes on the Lord, not men. David continued to do what God wanted him to do and kept his eyes focused on Him, while Saul became consumed with David. Saul couldn’t function in his capacity as King, because he could not get his mind (and his eyes) off of eliminating David.
3 Know that God’s eyes are on you, too. God sees what is going on. If someone is trying to wrong you, your Heavenly Father will take care of it. You do not have to watch your back, because God is watching it for you.
Keep your eyes on the Lord. David did. Saul’s eyes were on David, but fortunately God’s eyes were on David, too.
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JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 15 – 16 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 3 – 4; Proverbs 2; Psalm 6 – 10
Scripture Memorization for March – John 1:1 – 18
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “0402 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
A Bible Study of Women In The Bible
The Daughter of Pharaoh
“And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” (Exodus 2:1-6)
Today in the worlds eyes being important, and well known, is everything. But is it really? Pharaoh’s daughter was educated, powerful, and well known in her time. She had all that anyone could ever have. Wealth, servants, beautiful clothing…. Her father was the ruler of Egypt. He just commanded, that all Hebrew boys 2 years old and younger be drowned in the Nile River. When she saw the baby, the Bible says she had compassion on him. She was brave enough to disobey her father and kept the baby. She would later raise Moses in the house of Pharaoh. The education, and training, helped Moses in many areas of his life; and God used him in a mighty way.
Even with the important role she played, and what she did, no one knows her name. The Bible doesn’t say if she came to know the God of the Hebrews, but God placed the right woman in the right place at the right time.
How many people do you know that may be unsaved that performs good deeds? a coworker, a family member, your friends. God can use the unsaved to fulfill His will in our lives. God can use different people to fulfill His goals. However, He never forces them to have faith in Him.
There are many daughters of Pharaoh living among us. They are guided by God and doing His will, but lost. We see them and think all is well. They have it all, as Pharaoh’s daughter, and yet they have nothing.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
We can never take for granted that a person knows the Lord. There will be many “nice people” in hell. They must come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. But how can they know unless we are out there telling them.
Will you reach out to someone today? Will you give them a track or invite them to church? We can all rejoice when they come to know Jesus too!
“Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Humble Beginnings
Today’s Passage – 1 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 – Revelation 16 – 19, Revelation 20 – 22;Proverbs 31
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “Why the Gate is Sealed, Steps to the Resurrection, Part 7“
Read the “0331 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.” – (1 Samuel 10:24)
The life of Saul has always fascinated me. Saul started out so well. If I were reading the Bible for the very first time, and just read up to chapter 11, I would see no indication at all that Saul would eventually turn bad. So far all that we have read about Saul is good. In chapter 8, we see him serving his father by searching the countryside for some lost asses. In chapter 9, he is met by Samuel the prophet and is told that “all the desire of Israel” was on him. Upon hearing this statement, Saul humbly states that he and is family were from the least of the tribes of Israel, basically stating that he was not even worthy of consideration. When it comes time for Samuel to announce to the people That Saul would be king, Saul is hiding. I don’t see even a hint of pride in this young man so far. Even when he is opposed by some ungodly men, he holds his peace, and then later when he was annointed king, some of his supporters remembered the opposition and tried to have them executed, but Saul refuses. He seems to be making all of the right moves thus far. He is humble, yet he demonstrates strong leadership when his people were threatened by the Ammonites in chapter 11. He rallies all of the people of Israel to come to the battle, and they destroy the invading army from Ammon. Saul starts out great.
I almost want to stop reading here while everything is “still good in the hood”. What happens to Saul? Does he stay on the right path or does go off course somewhere? Well, we will read all about it in the next few days, but let me give you a little hint here. As we have already seen, Saul starts out very humble, but he will eventually become full of pride; and pride will bring about his destruction. Pride is a huge problem for most of us. Consider the following verses:
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” – (Proverbs 16:18)
“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” – (Proverbs 13:10)
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,” – (Proverbs 6:16-17)
“A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” – (Proverbs 29:23)
The Bible has a lot to say about pride. As we read these next few chapters, watch out for pride developing in the heart of Saul; but more importantly watch out for the development of pride in your own life.
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” – (1 Peter 5:5)
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The Sun’s Coming Up In The Morning – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage – 1 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 – Revelation 13 – 15; Proverbs 30; Psalms 146 – 150
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121
Read previous posts from this passage – “A Good Luck Charm”; and “Get It Out“
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “When You Can Borrow A Tomb, Steps to the Resurrection, Part 6“
Read the “0330 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Good morning! One of my favorite hymns is ‘The Sun’s Coming Up’ by Dee Gaskin. Every time I read Revelation chapter 21 and 22, I think about this hymn and what Heaven is like.
“And the sun’s coming up in the morning. Every tear will be gone from my eye…”
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:1-5)
One day God will make all things new. We will get to talk with Him face to face. All the pain, the suffering, the wrongs done to us will pass away with all the other former things. No more death. No more sorrow. No more pain. And no more crying: God will wipe away all the tears from our eyes.
“And the sun’s coming up in the morning. Every tear will be gone from my eye; This old clay’s gonna give way to glory, And like an eagle, I’ll take to the sky.”
One day we will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, as this old clay gives way to glory. Paul explains in 1Corinthians 15…
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Corinthians 15:50-58)
But what I love the most about this passage in Revelation is the end of verse 5, where God tells John, “Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
“And the sun’s coming up in the morning. Every tear will be gone from my eye; This old clay’s gonna give way to glory, And like an eagle, I’ll take to the sky.”
Peace. (Revelation 22:20)
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Things Are Looking Up
Today’s Passage – Ruth 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 7 – 9; Proverbs 28; Psalms 136 – 140
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “Through His Eyes, Pictorial Steps to the Resurrection, Part 4“
Read the “0328 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?” – (Ruth 1:20-21)
“And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.” – (Ruth 4:14 & 15)
Did you ever have a day like the man in the picture is having. Nothing seems to go as you wanted it to. Sometimes life is that way, and often it may be more than just a day that goes poorly; it may be many days, even years. But hang in there. Stay faithful. Don’t lose hope. God may just turn things around.
I have read this story of Ruth and Naomi many times, but every time I have written or preached on the subject my focus would either be on Ruth or Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. However, this morning I got to thinking about Naomi. Naomi was a great lady, who in many ways was a victim of circumstance. Things just didn’t work out for her in life as she had probably hoped and dreamed they would. I can relate to that. Sometimes I reflect on my own life and wish that I could re-do some things; perhaps make some better choices. Hindsight always reveals the wisdom of our choices. Anyway, Naomi left the land of Canaan with her husband and two sons many years prior to the time of our text. They intended only to sojourn in the land of Moab for a short time, until the famine was over in their homeland. I appears that they stayed a lot longer than they intended. While living in Moab, her two sons marry women from Moab, which was also not according to God’s perfect plan because these women were not worshippers of the God of Israel. To make matters worse, her husband, and both of her sons die while she is there. Now she is left in a strange land with two daughters-in-law that were in many ways still strangers to her.
Naomi is faced with a decision. Life is not working out for her in Moab, and she realizes she needs to get back to her people; to the worship of her God. Good decision. But what was she to do with her daughters-in-law? She understands that feel obligated to her, and in a very real way, both of them had become very attached to her. She must have demonstrated much love toward them, because both of them loved her; and one of them (Ruth) was willing to forsake her own happiness in order to go with Naomi. In facy, Ruth was willing to become a worshipper of Naomi’s God. It appears that Naomi represented her God very well.
The point of all of this is that though Naomi didn’t make all of the right decisions through the years, and although things did not work out for her as she would have hoped, God was still very gracious to her, and was willing to use her. She left Canaan full: full of dreams and full of hope. She left Moab empty: empty of a husband, empty of her sons, and empty of material possessions; but she did have Ruth. God had graciously given her a wonderful daughter-in-law in, Ruth, who proved to be more of a blessing to her than her sons ever were. I bet if there were another chapter to the Book of Ruth we would heae Naomi say, “change my name back to Naomi, I was ‘Mara’ for a while, but things are looking up.
Can you notice a pattern here that you and I can relate to? Life sometimes starts with hopes, dreams, and ambitions. They rarely work out the way we want them to. We make many mistakes along the way that further complicate things. But, God just may turn our lives around before it’s all over. We may find that delight (Naomi means delight) after all; and it may just come through an unexpected source. Don’t lose hope. Keep following God. Better days are coming.
Posted in Thoughts from Ruth by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Civil War
Today’s Passage – Judges 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 4 – 6; Proverbs 27; Psalms 131 – 135
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “I Am Not Ashamed, Pictorial Steps to the Resurrection, Part 3“
Read the “0327 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first. And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.” – (Judges 20:18-21)
This is a particularly sad story in the history of the tribes of Israel. Yesterday’s reading revealed a crime that was committed by the people of Gibeah, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, against a man of Israel and his concubine. (Read blogpost from yesterday’s reading) The men of Israel all rallied around this man, and demanded punishment for the people of Gibeah for the heinous crime that they committed. The tribe of Benjamin, however, defended the people of Gibeah, and stood up to fight against the rest of the tribes of Israel. Civil war had broken out for the first time in the history of God’s people.
What happens next is even more sad. Though the people of Israel were right in their cause against Gibeah and the rest of the tribe of Benjamin, God allowed Israel to suffer two devastating defeats, which resulted in the deaths of 40,000 men. The people of Israel had even asked the Lord prior to both of these catastrophic losses, and the Lord had given them the green light to attack. Finally, God gave them total victory on the third day of battle; but why did God allow the eleven innocent tribes suffer to such a degree, when their cause was just?
I believe the answer to this question lies in the fact that God is very displeased when brethren don’t dwell together in unity. Battles against foreign enemies are hard enough, but battles within a family, or even within a nation, are especially difficult. I believe God wanted the Israelites, including Benjamin, to pay a very high price for their dissolving of the union that God had established. Our Civil War was a similar situation. Though the North was right in their cause to free the slaves, the price they had to pay in order to settle the conflict was extremely high. In fact, I am no expert, but I believe the losses sustained by the North were probably greater in many respects as those of the South. The price of war between brothers is brutal.
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The Women at the Cross – JUST FOR LADIES – BY CAMILLE STAHL
Today’s Passage – Judges 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Revelation 1 – 3; Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read a blog post from today’s passage in Judges – “Speak Your Minds“
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “The Price of Prayer“
Read the “0326 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
A Study Of Women Of The Bible
The Women At The Cross
“And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.” (Luke 23:27)
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.” (John 19:25)
“And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.” (Matthew 27:55-56)
“There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.” (Mark 15:40-41)
Last week, we talked about the women who cried “Hosanna” and “Crucify Him”. We saw that these women were fickle. They were “the follow the crowd” group. This week’s women were “the faithful through good and bad” group. These women not only cried Hosanna when Jesus entered Jerusalem, but stood fast when all others had turned against Him. When other’s hearts were cold in anger, theirs were drowned in sorrow. The One who they were waiting to come and loved so dearly; the One who was being treated worse then any other guilty criminal they had ever seen. They stood by the cross at Jesus’ feet, not knowing if they too would be persecuted. Not even Jesus’ disciples, except one, was there; and another one stood “afar off”. These women were always close to Jesus and they weren’t going to leave Him now. They heard the mocking of the soldiers and the striking of the hammer on the nails. They turned their eyes downward as they took our Lord’s garments. Where were the crowds? Where were the people He healed? Only a hand full of women and one man.
As I sit here writing this blog, I think to myself how many times have I left the foot of the cross? Jesus has giving me everything I need and even things I didn’t know I needed. Even at times when I feel He is nowhere to be found, He is always right by my side.
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
He has shown me time and again, how much He loves me. He loves you, too. He loves us in a way we could never understand.
Ladies, look around you. The signs of the time are all around us. Men of God are being arrested in our world for preaching the Gospel. You can say the name of Jesus as a curse word, but not in worship. The list is unending.
We too must stand strong at the foot of the cross. We must take a stand for our Lord. If your not involved at your church, ask how you can help. Give Gospel tracts to people you meet. Read your Bible and pray everyday. Develop a close relationship with the Lord. We must teach our children, and encourage other women not to leave the feet of Jesus. Don’t be ashamed of our Lord and Saviour. When times get rough, and they will, stay at His feet.
Where will Jesus find you?
Thank You, and have A blessed Resurrection Sunday
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
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Today’s Passage – Judges 11 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – 1 John 1 – 5; Proverbs 24; Psalms 116 – 120
Scripture Memorization for March – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 20
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read a great article by Pastor Paul Chappell – “Just the Facts“
Read the “0324 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.” – (Judges 13:8)
In Judges chapter 13, we see the story surrounding the birth of Samson. Samson’s birth came at a time when Israel was once again away from God, and was suffering at the hands of the Philistines. An angel appeared to Samson’s mother, and told her that she was going to have a son, and that this son was to be a Nazarite from the womb. You may recall that God gave instructions regarding the vow of the Nazarite in Numbers 6; but this child, Samson, is the first example of a Nazarite in the Bible. We do not know all everything about this vow, but we do know that it was a vow of separation; and we also know that the person who had taken the vow was not to drink wine, cut his hair, or touch a dead body. The interesting point about this particular case is that Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth. He never makes a vow. His separation was chosen for him by the Lord. Anyway, the angel did not appear to her husband, yet Manoah believed what the angel had told his wife. Manoah then “intreats” the Lord and asks Him to send the angel back, not to prove that it really happened, but to instruct them as to what they were supposed to do. Interestingly, the angel comes back, but only tells Manoah exactly what he had already told his wife.
I like the petition made by Manoah in Judges 13:8. He wants God to “teach” them regarding what to do with the child. Manoah acknowledged that he didn’t know what to do. He was demonstrating a dependence upon the Lord. I find myself often not knowing what to do. I often pray the prayer that Solomon prayed:
“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. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” – (1 Kings 3:7-9)
And sometimes I pray the prayer that Hezekiah prayed:
“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” – (2 Chronicles 20:12)
The funny thing about Manoah’s prayer is that God never did give him any more information than He already gave His wife; but He did talk to him, and somehow assured him that He was going to be with him as he raised this special child for the Lord. Manoah was just going to have to continue walking by faith. It it is often frustrationg for me to walk by faith. I want God to reveal every step of the plan to me ahead of time, but He never does. He tells me what I need to know for today, and expects me to just keep walking, and keep trusting Him. But I do not think that He is upset with me for asking Him. Those prayers are my declaration of dependence upon Him.
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