THE STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE BIBLE – BY CAMILLE STAHL
The Woman Who Left Her Water Pot
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:28-29)
Back in John 4:7 we are introduced to a unnamed woman who is going about her daily chores serving her family. She was a Samaritan. She was part of a people who had been resettled in the land, moved by the King of Assyria. They had been taught and partially accepted the faith of Israel, but held onto their old pagan religions also. (see II Kings 17:24-41). Traveling from Judea to Galilee, Jesus and His followers pass through Samaria. While there Jesus sat by a well while His disciples went to buy food. When the woman came to the well, Jesus asked her for a drink. She was shocked that a Jewish man talked to her as the Jews wanted no part of the Samaritans. Jesus began to talk to her about eternal life and her state of condition (John 4:13-18). We see in verse 27, that the disciples came back from shopping and in verse 28 the woman left her waterpot to tell the men.
I would like to focus on verse 28 “then left her waterpot”. Lets look at some reasons why she left her water pot.
Maybe because she felt uncomfortable about the discourse between Jesus and the disciples. Maybe because Jesus’ food was there and she wanted Him to enjoy His dinner. Maybe because she was so excited about what just happened that the water pot would hinder her from getting back to the city to tell others.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)
To be saved we must realize we are sinners, Jesus pointed out the woman’s sins. But as we grow in our Christian life, we learn of the weights that hold us from serving to our full potential. A weight is all inordinate affection and concern for the body, and the present life and world. Inordinate care for the present life, or fondness for it, is a dead weight upon the soul, that pulls it down when it should ascend upwards, and pulls it back when it should press forward; it makes duty and difficulties harder and heavier than they would be. A stumbling block to us, so to speak.
What is your weight? What is holding you back or pulling you down from serving the Lord fully? Finances? Family? Jobs…….? These are not bad things in themselves, but they become weights if they keep up from serving Him. The woman realized the water pot would slow her down from getting back to the city to tell others about Jesus. Her excitement about Jesus was more then the needs of herself and her family. She knew she could come back to get the water, but did not want to waist time to tell others about Jesus. Oh that we all had that zeal. I ask again, what is your weight? Lets band together and pray to ask God to show us our weights. Lets beg God to lead us to a lost “Samaritan”.
Thank You
I John 5:13
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Cast Out First The Beam
Today’s Passage –Luke 6 – 7
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 28
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.” – (Luke 6:41-42)
You can’t see anything in the picture above because there is a huge telephone pole blocking your view. In our passage today, Jesus warns us not to be too critical of what we may think we see in other people’s lives, at least until we get all of our own problems straightened out, which probably won’t be anytime soon. There is something about our human nature which causes it to justify and condone our own sin; but yet we are quick to notice the sins of other people, particularly when they sin against us. Jesus said that we have to be careful about being judgmental. We all have problems, and we are all still sinners with a fallen nature bent on sinning more. Thank God for salvation. Thank God for the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. Thank God for immediate justification and then the lifelong process of sanctification in our lives; but let us never forget what we are still flesh. Paul said that in him “dwelleth no good thing” and it would do us well to recognize the same thing about ourselves.
Having said all of that let me now say a few things about judgement. Jesus did not mean that we should never judge things. In fact 1 Corinthians 6 clearly tells us that we are to be judges at times, and we will even someday judge angels. We can and should be discerning about a lot of things. For instance I can judge whether or not an action is right or wrong based on what the Bible says about that act. However, I can not clearly see the motivation that went into the act; and I also cannot tell whether or not the person who committed the act is a saved person or not. I have seen saved people (including myself) do some pretty sinful things.
God has also put most of us into a position of being a judge in some specific areas. For instance, as a father, God has given me the right to be a judge when it comes to the lives of my children. As a pastor, I have also been given the responsibility to discern or judge certain situations in lives of the people that He has entrusted to me. But I have to be very careful because I am limited as to what I can see; and I cannot see into the hearts of people. I really do not fully know my own heart.
The bottom line is that we need to be careful about our judgement of people. God may put you in a position where you may have to look a little more closely at somebody else’s life; but be careful that you do not develop an attitude of superiority over those people. You are still just as much a sinner as they are. Analyze your own motives. Are you truly just trying to help people with their problems or are you somehow trying to justify yourself?
Posted in Thoughts from Luke by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Fire – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning! We had a great time last night. Most went on the hayride, a few went through the corn maze, but I was content to sit on a bale of hay with Camille. It was very relaxing. We were just sitting there talking, and watching the fire. It’s really beautiful to look at, the warm glow, and the sparks flying upward into the night. And the fire was nice too. Fire gives us light to see. Fire gives us heat to keep us warm in the cold night air. Do you know what else fire is good for? COOKING! I keep looking in the flea markets for an inexpensive cast-iron pot. I want to try making a batch of chili, cooked in an open fire. Chili cooked in an open fire is supposed to taste very good. Anything cooked by an open fire is good. Toasted marshmallows, hot dogs, and S’mores. There are many good uses for fire. And as with any good uses there are also many bad uses.
Smokers who smoke while they drive. They take their finished cigarette, and flip it out the window. The sparks fly as it bounces to the edge of the road still burning. The next thing you know, millions of acres are destroyed across America.
A cow had knocking over a lantern was blamed for the Great Chicago Fire.
300 people died, and 100,000 were left homeless.
Christians, who would not deny Jesus as their Saviour, were chained to a stake and burned alive by unbelievers.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, tried to burn three Hebrew men in a firey furnace because they would not bow down to the golden idol he had set up. He even made the fire as hot as he could get it. The flames of that furnace were so hot, that it killed the men who were going to throw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the flames. But Jesus was looking out for His 3 children here. Daniel chapter 3 says: “And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” (Daniel 3:23-27)
Whenever you are around fire, your clothes are going to smell like smoke. The clothes that the 3 Hebrew men were wearing did not smell like smoke. Jesus protected them 100%.
I mentioned earlier, the Great Chicago Fire in which 300 people died. How many of those 300 are still burning today, because they did not have the protection of Jesus? The fire started around 9 PM on Sunday, October 8th, 1871. D. L. Moody had finished preaching for the day. There was one thing he forgot to do at the end of his service. It was something he would always regret, and he would never neglect to do it in any of his future services. What did he not do?
He did not give the people an invitation to receive Jesus as Saviour.
How many of those 300 were at his church service that night and did not hear the Gospel? How many of those 300 died in the flames, only to open their eyes in the flames of hell? We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Our end here on earth could come tonight. Our only hope for protection from the fire is the Lord Jesus Christ.
2000 years ago, He left His home in heaven and came to earth.
2000 years ago, He shed His blood to pay for our sins: the sins of the world.
2000 years ago, He was buried then 3 days later He rose from the dead, proving that He was who He said He was: God the Son.
John the Baptist had introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. It doesn’t matter what you have done, the shed blood of Jesus cleanses us from from all sin. Ever tell a lie? It doesn’t matter if it was a big lie, or a little white lie. If it isn’t the truth, then it’s a lie. 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.” (Revelation 21:8)
Twice in Ezekiel chapter 18, God warns: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The Bible also tells us that there is none righteous, no not one, and for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sinners: we have all done wrong. And the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Just be honest with God. He already knows what sins you have committed yesterday, and today. He also already knows what sins you will commit tomorrow. Be honest with Him, and tell Him you have done wrong. Ask Him to forgive you and He will. The Bible also says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You can survive the fire and come out smelling smoke-free as Sadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did.
Peace! (John 6:37-40)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Certainty
Today’s Passage –Luke 1 (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 121 – 125; Proverbs 25
Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
“That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” (Luke 1:4)
I have always been fascinated by these first few verses in Luke’s gospel. He is writing to an individual by the name of Theophilus who we know very little about; and he is explaining to him, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, in detail all that he knows about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is interesting when you think about it that Luke appears to be writing this entire book to one man. Now we know that God had other plans for the book; but on a human level, it seems to be the most comprehensive gospel tract ever written. All for one man, Theophilus. The first thought that hits me is the concern that Luke must of had for this one man in order to go through this arduous task just so that Theophilus could be certain about what he already knew about the Lord. Luke is possibly the most diligent soul winner there ever was.
The second thought I have from this Scripture comes from the word “certainty”. Luke penned the Word of God so that the hearer could be certain about the Lord Jesus Christ. That reminds me of another verse that tells us that …faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Practical application of this principle tells us that the more time we spend in the Word of God, the more we will be certain about the things of God; and the more certain we are in our faith, the greater our life and ministries will be also. We will be able to boldly plow forward through this dark and cold world with the gospel simply because we are sure of what we believe about God.
If you look at the faithless condition of America today, and consider how that Satan has been effective at both distorting the Word of God in most of our churches, and removing the Word of God from schools and many of the other public venues of our society, it is no wonder that the country is rapidly moving away from God. The answer is the Word. We in the church need to get strengthened ourselves through the certainty that comes through time spent in the Book; and then flood our churches, communities, families, neighborhoods, and workplaces with the Word of God. The more they hear the Word, the more they can be certain about the Lord.
Certainty is very important. Being certain about what you believe will get you through the trials of life with your faith intact. Be certain about your calling will keep you at your post until the Lord makes it clear that He wants you to do something else. Certainty comes from the Word of God, and it is strengthened as we continue to walk by faith. I want to demonstrate this certainty in my life as I minister to the people here in Galloway Township. I want them to be able to see that I really believe what I claim to know about the Lord; and I want them to see a consistency in my life and ministry in the years to come that will be the fruit of the certainty that I have received from the Lord.
How about you? Are you certain about what you claim to believe? Being sure about what you believe will dramatically change the way you live. I believe the reason why most of us struggle so much with our testimony is because we really don’t believe deep down what we say that we believe. Our faith needs to be increased. Ask God to bring you in closer, and give you a greater assurance about His Word and His will. As you meditate upon and study the Word of God, He will increase your certainty about the things of God.
Posted in Thoughts from Luke by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Ready, Set, Go
Today’s Passage –Mark 15 – 16
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 116 – 120; Proverbs 24
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” – (Mark 16:15)
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – (Matthew 28:18-20)
“And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – (Matthew 10:7)
“Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.” – (Matthew 22:9)
“Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” – (Mark 5:19)
“Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” – (Luke 9:60)
“So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” – (Luke 14:21)
“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” – (Luke 14:23)
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” – (John 15:16)
“Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” – (Acts 5:20)
Got the message?
Posted in Thoughts from Mark by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Servant Leadership
Today’s Passage –Mark 10 – 11 (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 101 – 105; Proverbs 21
Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34
“But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” – (Mark 10:43-45)
When I was in Bible college, I went to work for a supermarket chain in the East Texas area. This company had a unique, but refreshing leadership style that I was unaccustomed to at the time. My store manager, and all of the assistants were people that worked hard alongside the employees of the store. They didn’t just bark out orders to the clerks, they were willing to get their hands dirty themselves. It was not at all unusual to see the store manager with a mop in his hand, cleaning up a spill; or out in the parking lot gathering up the buggies (shopping carts). Their philosophy was that in order to be a leader in the company, you first had to demonstrate that you could be a great servant.
I find that in the ministry the same principle should also be true. The pastor, deacons, and other leaders in the church should not be beneath any task that needs to be done within the church. If the bathrooms need to be cleaned, or the lawns need to be mowed, the leadership should be more than willing to pitch in at times to do it. Now, I understand that it may not be the most efficient use of time and talents to have the leaders doing these things that could be done by others, but the leadership should be willing to do whatever needs to be done in order for the cause of Christ to move forward. There are no “big shots” in the ministry. The Lord we serve is the only superstar. The rest of us are merely servants.
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Great Advice – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Passage –Mark 8 – 9 (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 96 – 100; Proverbs 20
Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read “When Your Teen Says No – Part One” by Pastor Chappell
A great gettin’ up mornin’ to ya, fair ye well, fair ye well. And I hope you do fair well today. I don’t know if it’s just me, or not, but when I mount the pulpit to lead the congregation singing, all the cares of my world seem to melt away. And why not? I get to lose myself in singing praises to Jesus.
Psalm 100 says: “A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Looking out over the congregation, I can see some people clapping, some people swaying, most singing, but some not, and some being obedient to Psalm 100 and making a “joyful NOISE” unto the LORD! I think about the music David played on his harp and the evil spirit left king Saul. I think about Joshua and all Israel as they marched around Jericho and they shouted a great shout – they made a joyful noise, if you will – and walls came a tumblin’ down. What evil spirits has the Lord removed from your life? What walls has He torn down so that you could be free? As I look out at the congregation again, some are not singing, some look like they would rather be somewhere else. They are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work in them through the song. Dr. Lester Roloff said something like if you can’t sing songs in the night, don’t come to me with songs in the light. When you are going through the night, or times of trouble, God will give you a song to sing. Will you sing it? “It will be worth it all…”
Psalm 100 is a Psalm of praise. There are several instructions contained here that we should know about.
We need to make a joyful noise unto the LORD.
We need to serve the LORD with gladness.
We need to come before his presence with singing.
We need know the Lord who created us, and made us His people
We need to come before Him with thanksgiving and praise.
We need to be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Why?
Because the Lord is good.
Because the Lord gives us His everlasting mercy.
Because the Lord gave us His truth.
God’s goodness, mercy, and truth should be enough to give us the song in our hearts whether it be day or night.
And speaking of songs, I found a good one. I was flipping through the tv channels when I came to the Create Network. There was a show just coming on called Danny’s Guitar Shop. I wasn’t going to watch it, but this episode was about Gospel music. The church’s choir was practicing this song called Ride On King Jesus. I found the lyrics to it…
from « American Negro Songs »by J. W. Work, 1940
Ride on King Jesus !
No man can hinder him
Ride on King Jesus !
No man can hinder him
Jesus rides o a milk white horse
No man can hinder him
The river Jordan he did cross
No man can hinder him
If you want to find your way to God
No man can hinder him
The gospel highway must be trod
No man can hinder him
I was young when I begun
No man can hinder him
But now my race is almost run
No man can hinder him
Peace! (Revelations 19:11-16)
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Good Ground
Today’s Passage –Mark 4 – 5
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18
“And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.” – (Mark 4:5-7)
I have always been fascinated by the accuracy of the Scripture. This parable of the sower is a perfect representative of the realities involved when dealing with people in their relationship to God. This story told and explained by the Lord Jesus speaks of four different types of soil, which is representative of four different groups of people. The first type of soil mentioned is hard ground that does not receive the seed, and eventually the seed that is sown upon it is gobbled up by birds. This soil type is representative of the hard-hearted person who will not allow God’s Word to enter into his heart. The last type of soil is the best case scenario, which represents a person who receives the Word of God by first trusting Christ as His Saviour; and then he goes on to produce much fruit in his life.
My focus this morning is on the two types of soil in the middle: the stony ground, and the ground with thorns. These two types of soil represent people who start out well, but eventually fizzle out spiritually. The “stony ground” Christian never lets the Word of God take route in his life. Consider what the Apostle Paul told the church at Colosse:
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” – (Colossians 2:6-7)
If a Christian is going to continue growing and eventually begin producing fruit in his life, he must get “rooted” in the Word of God. This is why our church strongly recommends our discipleship program. Through discipleship the new believer gets a good foundation, and enough strength to help withstand the lure of the world, the tests of the flesh, and the early attacks of the devil. If the new believer is going to survive, he must get in the Word of God.
That brings us to the third type of soil – the soil that is choked with thorns. The thorns represent all of the distractions that can keep the Christian away from the Spiritual nourishment he needs to keep producing fruit in his life. By the way, this can happen to the Christian who, as a new believer, has removed the stones from his soil and has been “rooted” in the Word of God. Thorns have a way of growing up all around us; and if we are not careful we will allow a bunch of things (sometimes even good things) to creep into our lives that will pull us away from God. We need to keep our focus.
In order for us to finish our course and remain fruitful in our lives we must get grounded in the Word; and then we must maintain our walk with the Lord. Anything that pulls us out of the will of God will hinder our ability to produce fruit. We are here to produce fruit.
Posted in Thoughts from Mark by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
What Does It Mean To Blaspheme the Holy Ghost?
Today’s Passage –Mark 1 – 3
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 81 – 85; Proverbs 17
“Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:” – (Mark 3:28-29)
“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.” – (Matthew 12:31)
I remember when I was a new believer there were certain passages in the Bible that scared me. On the surface, these verses seemed to contradict what I was being taught in church. Mark 3:28 and 29 are those kind of verses. I used to think that these verses somehow taught that there was a certain sin that I could commit today as a believer that would revoke my salvation. Adding to this problem was the fact that I had no idea what this sin was. What did it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost? For a number of years I just avoided the passage altogether: sort of like hiding a past due bill in a drawer, pretending that it’s not there. Eventually, however, I decided to study the passage out to see what it really was teaching.
As in all Bible study, it is crucial that we look into the context of the passage. In Mark 3, we have the religious leadership of Israel attributing the miracles that Christ was performing to the power of Satan. Basically they were saying that Jesus cast out devils with the power of the devil. Jesus straightened out there false logic by explaining that it made no sense for Satan to divide himself, or attack one of his own. The deeper message from this passage was, however, that Israel’s religious leaders had completely rejected that Jesus was, in fact, the Christ. By stating that Jesus was working for Satan, they totally rejected His lordship as their Messiah, and their God.
The question that I always had about this passage was what did all of this have to do with the Holy Ghost. To understand this, I had to do a little study on the Holy Spirit. Who is He? What Is His ministry all about. I will not give you here all that I discovered, but there are two things about the Holy Ghost that I will share with you, that are critical to answering the question regarding “blasphemy against the Holy Ghost”:
1 The Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost) is God. He is just as much God as the Father is, and Jesus is.
“But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” – (Acts 5:3-4)
2 The Holy Ghost’s ministry on earth today is to bring people to salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” – (John 16:13-14)
The religious leaders in our text rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ; and thereby rejected the message of the Holy Ghost. The message of the Holy Ghost is Jesus Christ, and when we die rejecting Christ, we die rejecting the message of the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit then cannot be a sin that can be committed by a true believer, because a true believer has already received the Message of the Holy Spirit, which is Jesus. However, if a lost person continues to reject the message of salvation, and dies in his sins, he has blasphemed the Holy Ghost by rejecting the gift of salvation that the Holy Spirit offers through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Posted in Thoughts from Mark by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage –Matthew 27 – 28 (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 76 – 80; Proverbs 16
Scripture Memory for October – Matthew 5:1 – 16
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Great article by R. B. Oullette – “The Basis for Biblical Standards”
The Study of Women in the Bible
Two Babies, Two Mothers
“Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.” (1Kings 3:16-27)
Wow! What a story. How disconnected the woman must have been who lost her child. She had no regard for the other woman. She had no compassion towards the living child. The baby is only three days old – no big deal. As long as she doesn’t have what I want, I’ll be happy.
One of the most precious things that God gives us is a child. Some couples pray and prepare about having children, while others get surprised. Many don’t even think about the results of their actions, and then use their child as a pawn in their relationship, or worse ‘get rid of them’ before they’re even born. Women prepare for 9 months for the baby’s arrival. The room needs to be ready with furniture and decorations. A name needs to be chosen. I’m sure even the two harlots were excited and prepared for the birth of their babies. There’s usually a baby shower with lots of gifts and excitement. Finally the day comes and the baby is born. Everyone gathers together, fussing over the new arrival. The baby comes home. The sleepless nights come. The changing of the poopy dippers…..
The child is still so cute and cuddly, so all of this inconvenience is overlooked. Now we get to the terrible two’s. Some mothers realize this is the time of intense training. Other moms would like to remove themselves from the responsibility of being a mother. Some just don’t care. For the next 11 years mother and child are going in one of two directions, growing closer or growing apart. By the time they are teens you either have them or you’ve lost them.
At 6 years old “Mommy, I love you”
At 10 years old “ Mom, whatever”
At 16 years old “My Mom is so annoying”
At 18 years old “I want to leave this house”
At 25 years old “I wanna go to Mom’s house”
At 30 years old “I don’t want to lose my Mom”
At 70 years old “I would give up everything for my Mom to be here with me”
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
(Proverbs 22:6)
As a side note, it’s unfortunate that many pre and young teens are not taught the right way about married life and raising children. I’ve heard great preaching on the subject, but it gets me so mad that parents are neglecting that vital area of their responsibility. Just a thought!
You ask, “how can I apply this to my life? I don’t have children or grandchildren. I’m not a harlot.” Or you may think, “my children are grown, I’ve already raised them in the Lord.” How many times have we heard a mother verbally putting their child down or neglecting them in someway? We say, “I don’t want to interfere, or it’s not my business”.
“The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,” (Titus 2:3-4)
That “aged women” doesn’t only mean old in physical age, but also old in spiritual maturity.
About two months ago, while in Shop Rite, I saw a mother on her cell phone with her 3 children. Two of the children seem to be helping her and the third was in the cart. She looked about 5 years old. She was crying because she wanted to get out to help shop with her brother and sister. The mother backhanded the girl, called her names (cursing), and then went back to texting. I so wanted to say to her how blessed she was that she had children, to help her realize that she could lose them at any moment. I chickened out. While checking out, I notice they were at the next register. The little girl still sitting and crying because she wanted to help, with mom still verbally putting her down. When her mom was paying her bill, I said to the crying girl, “Hey I really like that necklace you have on.” She stopped crying for a brief moment and smiled until mom abruptly say it was time to go. Again, I chickened out about saying to mom how blessed she was. I was so mad at myself, I decided later that day that I would not chicken out again.
It’s just like our story. By not giving kind words (not judgmental), it’s just like being the woman whose child died. We are showing that we don’t care. We get so busy in our lives, that we overlook opportunities to do the work of the Lord.
In closing, if you are guilty in this area – I know I’ve been -pray and ask the Lord to help you. If not, pray and ask the Lord for an opportunity to be a blessing to someone else who may be struggling. You may never know how you’ve touched someone’s life.
Thank You
1 John 5:13 – 14
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.