Are You Blind?
Today’s Passages – 2 Corinthians 1 – 5; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalm 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)
Memory passage for the month of November – Luke 1:26 – 38
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read previous posts from today’s Bible Reading Passage – “What’s New About You” & “Ambassadors for Christ”
Watch a great video – “Life Is Like Coffee”
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” – (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
I remember one time I was walking in a store, kind of in my own little world, when I turned and accidentally bumped into someone. In their frustration, they asked me: “Are you blind?”. I guess I was. I mean I wasn’t paying attention, I was too busy focusing on other things that I just didn’t see the person I bumped into. Twenty-two years ago something similar happened to me. I was going along, living my life, when all of a sudden a light bulb clicked on in my heart and mind, and I saw for the first time that I was a lost sinner in need of a Savior. I had been in that condition for a very long time, but I just didn’t see it. I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand it. Someone once said that light is to the eyes what understanding is to the mind; and although I had been a lost sinner for my whole life, I didn’t realize it until God opened my understanding to the Truth.
There are a lot of people out in this dark world who are lost in their sins. The god of this world (Satan) has them blindfolded. They are either deceived because of their religion, or distracted due to their pursuit of power, possessions, and pleasures; but they simply do not recognize their lost condition. Jesus talked about this:
“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” – (Matthew 13:15)
The Bible tells us that Israel is blind (at least for now) to the fact that their Messiah has already come:
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” – (Romans 11:25)
These people are not less intelligent than those who have been saved, and neither are they worse sinners than Christians; they are just blind. I have some friends and family members that are blind to this truth. but what can I do about it?
1 I can pray – God will have to open their eyes to the Truth. I must pray that they will be able to see the truth of the gospel before it is eternally too late.
2 I can continue to proclaim the truth. Satan is busy deceiving and distracting. I need to be busy proclaiming. I need to figure out ways to get people to listen to the Word of God. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
3 I can persist – There were many people who were trying get me to see Christ before my eyes were opened. They never gave up on me. They kept preaching to me, and praying for me, until finally it all sunk in. I must not give up on the people I love, either. I am not sure whether or not they will all come to a saving knowledge of Christ, but I am confident that some will. I need to keep at it, for their sakes.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passages – 1 Corinthians 15 – 16; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 16 – 20; Proverbs 4)
Memory passage for the month of November – Luke 1:26 – 38
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read a previous post from today’s Bible Reading Passage – “A Family Addicted to the Ministry”
Study of Women in the Bible:
Naomi – A Woman God Used in a Time of Need
“So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? 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 1:19-21)
Naomi and Elimelech had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. As a family, they served the Lord and traveled the land together. Because of a famine in Israel, they traveled to Moab. While there, Mahlon and Chilion married Moabite women, Opah and Ruth. Mahlon and Chilion died and left Opah and Ruth childless. With Elimelech dead, Naomai found herself in despair and wanted to change her name to Mara, which means bitter. How could three women make it in a world where women didn’t exactly have career options?
Naomi selflessly decided to send the younger women back to their own homeland, where they were more likely to find new husbands. Orpah took Naomi’s suggestion, but Ruth clung to Naomi and refused to leave. Maybe she had seen something in her husband’s faith that she didn’t want to lose. Maybe Ruth believed in God and felt bound to her mother in law. Whatever the reason, God provided a companion for Naomi and a reason to go on.
Naomi looked to Ruth as her own daughter. In kindness and gratitude to her daughter in law, who conducted herself respectfully, Naomi guided Ruth. Naomi was not selfish and wanted Ruth to marry and raise seed up to those that were gone.
“Then Naomi her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee? And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the threshingfloor. Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking. And it shall be, when he lieth down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee what thou shalt do. And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do.” (Ruth 3:1-5)
“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. 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. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.” (Ruth 4:13-17)
Naomi was blessed by God for being faithful to His work. Even in her bitter state, and unable to preserve her own seed, she continued on.
There may come a time in your life, when you are unable to continue with a work God has given you. You may have to move over for the next generation to take your place. This doesn’t mean that God can’t use you, it just means He will give you something else. God can use anyone who has a willing heart. You can encourage others and pray for them. As you teach them in an area, you can help. Just pray and ask God to show you. God will never put you on a shelf if you are willing to serve. Just ask. Are you willing? In the end, God blessed Naomi and if your faithful to Him, He will bless you too!
There is much work to be done. There is plenty for all to do. We must band together and labor for the Lord. Time is getting short. No matter what situation your in, God has a blessing waiting for you. Will you be like Naomi and carry on?
A Good story-> A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, “Who still wants it…?” Still the hands were up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air. “My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to God. (Unknown Author)
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Are You Unworthy?
Today’s Passages – 1 Corinthians 10 – 12; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Memory passage for the month of November – Luke 1:26 – 38
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
Read a previous post from this passage – “Be Careful”
“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” – (1 Corinthians 11:27)
The answer is yes – and no.
How’s that for an answer? Let me explain. In ourselves (our flesh) we are completely unworthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper. There is nothing good about any one of us. The Scripture has a lot of things to say about the sinful condition of men. Not just “bad men” by the way: all men. “There is none righteous, no not one.” Isaiah probably said it best: ”But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) We are all unworthy.
However, those that are saved are completely worthy. Paul said, ”Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” (Romans 3:22). So even though we unworth in ourselves, because of the blood of Christ we are completely worthy. He has removed all sin from our record. Positionally, He sees us as righteous as He sees the Lord Jesus.
So what does the Scripture mean when it says, ”wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily…”. The word “unworthily” is an adverb. An adverb modifies or explains verbs or other adverbs. The word “unworthily” here modifies the verbs eat and drink. In other words, Paul was not saying that the person eating was unworthy, but rather that the way he was eating and drinking was unworthy. Read the context. It clearly indicates that Paul was correcting them for what they were doing while remembering the body and blood of the Lord. The Scripture is teaching here that our focus during the Lord’s Supper should be on nothing but the death and shed blood of the Lord.
If you are saved, you are worthy to sit at the Lord’s table. If you have sin in your life (and who doesn’t), while you are reflecting on the Lord and His sacrifice for you, it would be a great time for you to confess those sins to Him; but by all means come to the table, and remember what He did for you.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Harbinger – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning. Isaiah 9:8-10 says, “The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.”
Rabbi Johnathan Cohn has seen a parallel, in these verses, between Israel and the United States. On September 11, 2001, the bricks fell with the destruction of the World Trade Center. A 20-ton hewn stone was placed at Ground Zero. During the collapse of the tower, a beam fell and knocked down a Sycamore tree that was in the yard of a church. The roots were later removed and the tree replaced with an evergreen. Just as Israel was attacked by Syria, the United States was attacked by terrorists. Seven years later, we had our worst stock market crash. The market dropped 777 points. Seven is God’s number. And just like Israel, with a defiant spirit we said we will rebuild, we will make stronger. There were 3 different witnesses to this: Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Senator John Edwards, and President Barack Obama. They all said, basically, what Isaiah 9:10 says: we will rebuild, we will make stronger.
Revelations 16:1-21 says, “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
I often wondered how people could shake their fists at God who loved them so much that He gave His Only-Begotten Son to die on a cross, and shed His precious blood to pay for their sins.
Is Obama the anti-Christ? I don’t know (and I don’t think so). Is Mystery Babylon the United States? I don’t know. When they see the smoke rising, and the merchants weeping, because of all the buisiness deallings they had there; does that spell the end of New York? I don’t know. If there is another judgment, it will happen in 7 years: in 2015. But this I do know: God put another sign in this mess: the fallen Sycamore. Newspapers called it a miracle. The fallen tree protected the church from destruction when the buildings collapsed. No matter what happens the Lord will protect His church. Are you part of His church? Will you, or have you received Jesus as your Saviour? Or, will you shake your fist at God, and blame Him for all your problems? All you have to do is call on the precious name of Jesus to save you, and He will.
Peace. (Revelation 22:20-21).
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Giving Back
Today’s Passages – Romans 14 – 16;
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)
“But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.” – (Romans 15:25-28)
Here in the concluding chapters of the Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Paul mentions having a desire to eventually travel to Rome on his way to Spain. Interestingly, Paul never gets to Spain, but he will spend some time in a Roman jail because of a series of events that take place in Jerusalem. Anyway, Paul is intent on travelling back to Jerusalem first for a number of reasons mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, but the reason mentioned here was because he was carrying relief money for the poor saints in Jerusalem that was collected from the Gentile churches in Macedonia and Achaia.
The thing that caught my attention this morning was that Paul mentions here that these saints in Greece owed a debt to the saints at Jerusalem. Why was that? Because the gospel mesage that brought salvation to the Grecian peninsula originated in Jerusalem. The saints at Jerusalem invested a great price in order to get the gospel to the rest the world. Notice that it says that these Gentile churches were giving to meet the carnal needs of the people of Jerusalem, because they were suffering financially. They needed food, clothing, and shelter, because they had lost these things because of their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture uses this same illustration regarding how God’s people should meet the needs of those that minister to them spiritually:
“If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? … Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” – (1 Corinthians 9:11, 13-14)
People who are in the ministry do not (or should not) do what they do for any financial benefit, but they should not have to worry about their carnal needs while they minister. A preacher who has to spend a great deal of his time trying to earn income will not have the time or energy he needs to effectively minister to the people of God.
As Christians, we must recognize that we all owe a debt, ultimately to the Lord; but also to the people that have given to us the spiritual blessings that we enjoy. There are many people who have paid a dear price to get me to where I am today spiritually. I owe them. I may not be able to repay all of them in some tangible way, but I can pay the debt by making sure that I am doing what I can do to reinvest what has been given to me back into the work of the Lord. I can give to somebody else, what has been freely given to me.
Posted in Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passages – Romans 8 – 10; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 27)
Memory passage for the month of November – Psalm 95
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read a previous post from this passage – “Living Sacrifices”
The Study of Women in the Bible
Mary and Martha
“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)
There was much to get ready for the Lord was coming to dinner. Cleaning the house, buying the food, setting everything out just right. What a busy day it must have been. Everyone was finally there and Martha must have been tired from all the work. In walks Jesus with some men. Martha was busily heating up the last of the food. Her thoughts were occupied by details and other issues. She became irritated at Mary because she wasn’t helping. She was so irritated that she interrupted the Lord by saying “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me”. What was she thinking? She was so worried about the food and drink that she forgot that she had the bread of life and the spring of living water sitting in front of her. To busy to stop to hear the Word of Life.
Although it is not sin to give details to ‘other matters’, it is sin when it hinders us from our relationship to our Lord. We neglect our time with the Lord because we get up late and don’t make time before work or school. We get to bed late on a Saturday night and are too tired to attend church in the morning. When we are at church, we’re too busy to listen to the sermon because we’re texting or talking or taking care of the baby who should be in the nursery. Remember, the very words of our Lord are being spoken. We spend more money than we have so we are unable to tithe. The list goes on and on. The devil will always put ‘things’ in our lives to keep us away from the Lord.
You will not hear a knock on your door and find Jesus standing there when you open it, because He is already there. His word is in your Bible. His service to Him is in your family. Your conversation to Him is through your prayers.
What is standing between you and Jesus? It was food and drink for Martha. Lets forsake all the other ‘priorities’ and be more like Mary: put Jesus first in our life.
We have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
Just a thought!!
Thank You
I John 5:13
Posted in Devotions, Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
And Can It Be
Today’s Passages – Romans 1 – 3; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 120 – 125; Proverbs 25)
Memory passage for the month of November – Psalm 95
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” – (Romans 3:21-22)
Years ago, Pastor Wedemeyer was preaching from this portion of Scripture, and he asked the question: “How many of you believe that because of salvation, you are positionally as righteous as Jesus is?” I was not too surprised to see that nobody’s hand went up. However, Pastor Rick pointed out from the Scriptures that because of the blood of Christ, we that have trusted Jesus are seen in the sight of God just as holy and righteous as the Son of God. That is an amazing truth. I know who I am, and I know what Ive done. How could God just write off all of the debt that I have accumulated and continue to accumulate in my life? It’s only because of what Jesus did for me (and you) on the cross. What a wonderful and awesome God we serve!
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:12)
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” – (Isaiah 1:18)
“Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” – (Romans 4:7-8)
My sin is gone. Jesus took all of it upon Himself on the cross; and in exchange He gave me a robe of pure righteousness. Amazing love – how can it be?
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Posted in Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Reflections – The Saturday Morning Post By Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning! Do you know why your eyes are still filled with sleep when you struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and then stumble into the bathroom? If you could focus and see yourself in the bathroom mirror, you would probably scream and give up the ghost for fright. Then you take a shower, steaming up the mirror, looking at yourself through a fog. So you get dressed, brush your teeth, and put on your Right-Guard (don’t forget the left side – remember, you haven’t had your coffee yet!). By this time, the fog on the mirror, and the sleep in your eyes has cleared. You can see your face. Not too bad. Then you go on your merry way. James said, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (James 1:22-24) Sometimes we need to be reminded what manner of men we were. When we see a brother or sister fall, does pride lift us up to the point of kicking the fallen when they’re down? Or do we extend a hand to the fallen to help them back to their feet? I think about the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees threw her down at the foot of Jesus. They boldly, and un-compassionately told Jesus that the Law and Moses said she should be stoned. Then they asked for His opinion. Jesus agreed, but added a stipulation to their bloodthirsty plan: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
One by one, they dropped their stones and left. Jesus turned to the woman and asked, “…Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11)
Seeing the eyes of the condemning mob, and then looking into the forgiving eyes of the Saviour must have been unforgettable. What do you see when you look into the mirror? Do you see the face of Jesus, or the face of a Pharisee? As the days draw closer to his demise, the devil is working harder to cause people to stumble and fall. The devil uses others too. He makes sure there is someone near to do the kicking. Remember Jesus’ story of the Pharisee, and the publican? Luke 18: 10-14 says: “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
The Bible is the greatest mirror that you can look in . The Bible will show you exactly how you look. There is one passage in the Bible that would make me cringe as I read it. It lists seven abominations which the Lord hates: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. These are listed in Proverbs 6, verses 17 through 19. You see, I’m guilty of all these abominations. When I got saved, I did not cringe at the reading of these anymore. I look at them now as a reminder of mire that the Lord lifted me up from. “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”, Jesus says. Shouldn’t we show the same compassion towards others?
If we are truthful with ourselves, we know that we are no better than the guy standing next to us. As God put on flesh, let us put on Jesus, and show His compassion to others.
Peace! (Ephesians 4:21-32).
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Farewell
Today’s Passages –Acts 20 – 22; (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)
Memory passage for the month of November – Psalm 95
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read – “2 Practical Thanksgiving Admonitions” – by Pastor Chappell
Read a previous posts – “Happy Thanksgiving” & “Truly Blessed”
This morning I was torn between writing a post from the passage, or one regarding Thanksgiving. I decided that I would share a little of both. There are also links above to three other blog articles regarding Thanksgiving.
Last night, we had Pastor and Mrs Siebold from Open Door Bible Baptist Church from Howell, NJ with us. Pastor Siebold has been in the ministry for nearly forty years, and he did a wonderful job preaching on the subject of “Causing People To Be Thankful For You”. It was perhaps the greatest Thanksgiving service I had ever participated in. God was certainly with us. I am thankful for “Rev’s” (Pastor Siebold) testimony of faithfulness to the Lord. I am also very thankful for our church family, who came out in large numbers on a very busy night, and sang their hearts out, and also testified of the greatness of our God!
Now for some thoughts from today’s passage:
“And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.” (Acts 20:25)
In Acts chapter 20 we have the account of the Apostle Paul on his way back to Jerusalem from his third recorded missionary journey. He wants to make it to Jerusalem for Pentecost so he doesn’t have time to visit Ephesus personally. However, he knows that there is great potential for problems in Jerusalem, and that he will most likely not be able to get back to Ephesus, so he wants to say good-bye to them. So this is a farewell visit with people who he loved dearly, and had ministered to for almost three years.
While reading this passage I was intrigued by four reflections that Paul had regarding his ministry to the Ephesians. The interesting part about these remembrances is that they refer to what Paul did not do rather than what he did.
1 He didn’t withhold from them anything that was profitable.
Paul was a giver. He gave all that he had in order to meet their need. There was no part of his time, talent, or treasure that was hoarded for himself.
“And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:20 & 21)
2 He didn’t walk away from the will of God when the pressure was on.
He didn’t move. Too many men of God jump ship whenever the going gets tough. I know how it feels as I have been close to throwing in the towel myself. We must learn to endure hardship as a good soldier. We must learn to be steadfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work; in season and out of season.
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)
3 He didn’t wait to declare all the counsel of God.
Previously, we mentioned Paul’s time, talent, and treasure. Here we see that Paul held nothing back as far as doctrine was concerned. He showed them from the Scriptures how to be saved; but he also declared unto them all the counsel of God, so that they could completely fulfill God’s will for their lives. Paul wasn’t lazy.
“Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:26 &27)
4 He didn’t want any of their money or stuff.
Paul was a giver, not a taker. He didn’t demand that others meet his needs, he worked so that, not only his need, but also the needs of others were met.
“I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:33 – 35)
These four reflections would be good “don’ts” for all of us who are in the battle trying to serve the Lord.
Posted in Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Mentoring
Today’s Passages –Acts 17 – 19
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)
“And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” – (Acts 18:24-26)
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” – (2 Timothy 2:2)
In our text today we read about a man named Apollos, who was a bold witness for the Lord Jesus in the synagogue in Ephesus. The Bible tells us that this man was eloquent in the Scriptures, and had some knowledge of the Scriptures, but he had not yet been taught all that he needed to learn in order to be the most effective witness for the Lord. When Aquila and Priscilla find him, they take him under their wings, and “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly”, meaning they gave him instruction and guidance that would help him to better serve the Lord.
2 Timothy 2:2 says that we are to take what God has given us, and “commit” them to faithful men. I thank God for the men who mentored me when I was a young Christian. These folks not only taught me Biblical principles, they also helped polish and refine some of my rough edges. They invested in my life and ministry, and now I am better equipped for the Lord’s work as a result. Even today, though I have been saved for over twenty years, and have been pastoring for eleven, I still find myself drawn to some of the older pastors, who can continue to instruct and guide me along the way. I recently went on a men’s retreat with Pastor Charlie Horton, a man in his 80’s who has been serving God full-time for over half a century. Our church also just had Dr. Paul Fedena, who is also near 80 years of age, in to preach for our Harvest Banquet. I can learn much from these men. They have had a lot more experience than I have had, and they have also gleaned much knowledge through the years that I can put to use in my ministry. I would be foolish not to welcome their counsel.
My challenge to you younger Christians out there is to find someone who has been saved, separated, and serving Jesus longer than you have, and latch on to him (or her). Glean what you can glean, learn what you can learn. Don’t ever get to the place where you think that you no longer need to grow and learn more. I am always looking for people who are a little further down the road than I am so that I can follow and learn from them as they follow the Lord.
My challenge to you older Christians is to find a young believer, and invest some time and energy in him. Pay back a little of what others have given you to help get you where you are today. There is no greater blessing than to mentor a young, eager servant of the Lord.
Posted in Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.