Just for Ladies – by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 5 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 17 – 18; Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 31)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Proverbs 27:15
Watch – “Developing a Spiritual Family in the Midst of a Fervent Ministry” by Pastor Chappell
THE STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE BIBLE
Rebekah, From Triumph To Failure
“And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water. And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.” (Genesis 24: 10-19)
“And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.” (Genesis 27:5-10)
Rebekah was a hard worker with a kind spirit, excited about doing God’s will. Her day started like most of ours: she got up, got dressed, and went to work; but this day was different. While at work she met a man. She served him by giving him and his camels water. Rebekah was friendly and invited him to meet her family. There was no thought when she said yes to the question “Will you go with this man?” This was a great step of faith. She would leave her family to go into an unfamiliar land to marry someone she never met, but she was willing. She loved and served Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah served the Lord together, and later Esau and Jacob were born. In chapter Genesis 27, the Bible tells us that Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau. This may have been because Isaac favored Esau. I only had one child, so I don’t fully understand sharing love between two children. However, I’ve seen the results of parents showing favor towards one child. This was Rebekah’s downfall. What was it that turned the heart of Rebekah from a kind spirited servant of God, to a deceiver? The Bible doesn’t say, but we all know who’s behind all evil.
Rebekah’s life is much like the Christian life. We are out and about doing our daily routine, when we meet someone who asks the question “Will you go with this man (Jesus)?” We willingly say yes and accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, and begin to serve Him. We work by serving others in church and in the community and are excited about it. We lose the old man and start allowing the “New Spirit” to take control. We do things and go places where we’ve never been before. We invite strangers into our lives to help them find their way to the Lord. But as we get on in our Christian lives, like Rebekah, we allow Satan to creep in. We love the Lord but we really like the way of the world. We are divided. Be careful not to make bad decisions when stepping towards the world. I pray that if you find yourself in Rebekah’s shoes, that you will turn your attention back towards the Lord. Remember, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
“My eyes are dry, my faith is old, my heart is hard, my prayers are cold. And I know how I should be, alive to you and dead to me. But what can be done, for an old heart like mine, to soften it up with oil and wine. The oil is You, Your Spirit of love, please wash me a new, in the wine of your blood.”
A Song By: Keith Green
Thank You 1 John 5:13
Posted in Guest Posts, Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Where Are The Men?
Listen to the message preached by Issan Acosta on Wednesday Night – “Learn To Look Up”
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 15 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 30)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Listen to the Clark Family sing “A Few Good Men”
“As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” (Isaiah 3:12)
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” – (1 Corinthians 16:13)
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” – (Ezekiel 22:30)
Isaiah is writing at a time when the people of Israel and Judah were in economic prosperity but spiritual and moral depravity. The end of chapter 3 records that the people were very proud, they were full with possessions and pleasure; but they were far away from God. God warns them through the writing of Isaiah that judgment will come. It is important to keep in mind as we read this Book of Isaiah that God is often dealing with the present condition of Israel and Judah 800 years or so before the time of Christ; but he also speaks prophetically regarding Israel and others in the last days. He speaks much about the future Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Here in chapter 3, He is specifically speaking of Israel; but the application can be made to us today.
The condition of our nation is very similar to Israel and Judah prior to the judgment that came through the nation of Assyria, and later Babylon. We are a very proud and prosperous people. This prideful attitude permeates our society. We scream out with our lives that we don’t need God; and we certainly aren’t going to submit to Him. Notice in the verse above that the women are ruling. I don’t think that this is a slap against women as much as it is a statement that the men were not fulfilling their God given roles as leaders. We have the same problems in our society today. The men are abdicating their responsibility as the leaders in the homes, and in the nation. Our churches are also full of women that will volunteer for anything; but where are the men? Why are their so few men who will take on the responsibility of leadership?
We need men that will lead their families. So many homes today are without fathers. Statistics have shown this to be absolutely devastating to the lives of the children. We need some strong men who will be leaders in our communities, and in this nation. We need men who will lead, teach, and mentor in our churches. I praise the Lord for the woman who have stood in the gap and taken on some leadership positions. Many of these ladies are doing a great job; but we need men to step up to the plate and assume the responsibilities intended to them by God.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Without Spot
Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 5 – 8 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 13 – 14; Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 29)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –Psalm 121
Read “No More Excuses” by Dr. Rick Flanders
“How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” – (Song of Solomon 7:6)
“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2)
“That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”(Ephesians 5:27)
The Song of Solomon is a beautiful song written through the pen of Solomon. On the surface it would seem that this song represents a dialogue between Solomon and his wife; but considering he had 1000 wives and concubines, we would certainly be left wondering which wife this song refers to. This song then must go much deeper than any earthly relationship. I believe that the intimate relationship so beautifully detailed here is the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. Keeping that in mind, consider the little phrase in chapter 4 where the bridegroom says of the bride, there is no spot in thee. This is an amazing statement, because in reality there certainly are many flaws in any person; but the amazing thing is that this Man sees no flaw at all in His bride.
When I think about the unconditional love that Christ has for His Church (the Bride), and me in particular, I am blown away. How can he possibly love me? When I think about how spotted and flawed I am, I recognize my complete and total unworthiness. The only thing that I deserve is judgment: yet He loves me; and more than that: He does not see any flaw in me at all. Mind boggling! I guess that is what Romans 3:22 meant when it said that believers receive the righteousness of God. He sees me as completely righteous; flawless. Amazing!
God has given me two practical thoughts this morning while I contemplated this passage:
1 Do I appreciate Him – I know I am totally undeserving, yet He treats as if I am. This should cause me to live my life in surrender to whatever He wants from me. This should completely humble me. The Bible tells us that the love of Christ constrains us. I have often thought that was speaking about our love for Him, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it is His love for us that constrains us.
2 Do I appreciate others – If I am undeserving, yet accepted unconditionally; why then do I have such a hard time unconditionally accepting others, especially those that are a part of His bride as I am? Why do I see everyone else’s flaws. Should not I try to see others as Christ sees me?
Posted in Thoughts from Song of Solomon by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Decisions – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning! This week we went camping again. It was in the driveway of Evangelist Joe Kieser’s house. We were there for the Northeast Vision Summit at Solid Rock Baptist Church, in Berlin, NJ. We got to see many old friends, and some new ones. My job schedule only allowed me to be there Wednesday night and all day Thursday. Camille got to see David Gibbs. He is such a great story-teller. We also got to see and hear Pastors Doug Fisher, Jack Trieber, and Paul Chappel from California. Bruce Frye was also there to sing for us.
On Wednesday night, Bruce Frye sang a song about a boy’s love for his unsaved father. The dad was hidden behind a newspaper, his son behind a box of Cheri-o’s, and the mom wanted to go to church. The dad said he wasn’t going, that he would end up in the place were people like him go (hell). The mom asked the son to go, and the son told the mom, no, he wanted to go where his daddy was going, because he loved his daddy.
I had to praise the Lord for that song because I was faced with a similar situation in 1984. We had just moved into our first house in the Birchwood Park section of Brick Township, NJ. Our daughter Melissa was at the playground when she was approached by a woman out visiting on her bus route. Jackie Ferrara invited Melissa to go to church on Sunday. She followed my wife and daughter to our house, and told them about the church. Just to give you a little insight into my life, I was raised Pentecostal, my wife was Roman Catholic. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum! I get home from work and Camille says, “Guess where we’re going Sunday.”
“Where?”, I asked.
“To church!”
“Church? What church?”
“Ocean County Baptist Temple. It’s in Toms River.”
“Baptist! That’s hell-fire, damnation stuff!”
What should I do? We had never been to church as a family. Well, it was a church, and we got a free bus ride. We went. This was the first time I heard the Bible preached and taught clearly as it should be taught.
But, what if I had said no, I’m not going? Would that have kept my wife and daughter from going? Would I have been a dis-courager instead of an en-courager? I have to praise the Lord for helping me make the right decision to go.
How do we love and care for our families? I think about what Job did.
“And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.” (Job 1:5)
Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Shouldn’t we show that same love for our family? Doesn’t the Bible tell us in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…”
The only thing that could possibly get in our way is pride.
By the way, the song had a happy ending: they all went to church and the dad got saved.
(P.S. If anyone knows the title of this song, and/or the name of the album, let me know: I’d like to hear it again. Thanks and..)
Peace. (Mark 9:50)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Sharpen Your Ax
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 9 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 9 – 10; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” – (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
I have been enjoying this devotional reading of the Book of Ecclesiastes as there are so many nuggets of truth. I actually had a hard time deciding what to post this this morning. I had considered doing something on Ecclesiastes 9:11, or 10:1. A couple of years back, I wrote “The Bottom Line”, from chapter 12. The verse above, however, is one of the most helpful truths in the Bible for me. You see, I am not the sharpest ax in the shed, and I need to be sharpened constantly in order to do what God has called me to do.
Solomon says that if a man does not “whet the edge”, he will have to add a little strength in order to be able to accomplish the goal. Whetting (or sharpening) the edge allowed the blade to penetrate deeper into the wood with less strength. It helps accomplish the goal without as much effort. Solomon is using this illustration to teach us about life. At the end of the verse he says that wisdom is profitable to direct. Acquiring wisdom is like sharpening the axe or whetting the edge. It will help you do the job with less difficulty.
God has given us a lot of things to do in life. In order to accomplish the things that the Lord has for us, we will need to acquire some wisdom. Wisdom makes us more proficient and helps us to accomplish the tasks at hand. God says that He will give us the wisdom that we need if we simply ask for it in faith.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” – (James 1:5)
We can get God’s wisdom from the Word of God; through prayer; and from the counsel of those who are wise.
I do not think that God is minimizing, or belittling the value of hard work, either. There are a lot of things that I find myself doing where I am perhaps not as wise as someone else. In these situations I will have to work a little harder than that person, but I can still accomplish the goal. However, if I am going to be the best that I can be at all that God has given me to do. I will need to ask for wisdom. I need His wisdom to be a good husband and father. I need wisdom in order to pastor the people of God at the church. I need wisdom for every task that I perform, and so do you. Work hard, but if you want to get the most out of each swing, you will want to sharpen your axe.
Posted in Thoughts from Ecclesiastes by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
We Talk Too Much
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 5 – 8
(Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8; Psalms 121 – 125; Proverbs 26)
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.” – (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3)
We did not have to read long this morning to find a very simple and practical truth from the Word of God. The verses above deal with our words, but particularly in the context of the words that we say in the house of God. Notice the Scripture is clear that we are to be more ready to hear than to hear than to speak, especially when it comes to speaking to God. I think the next few verses (vs. 4 – 7) shed a little bit more light on the context of this passage. We need to be very careful about the things that we vow to God. Last year’s post – “Promises, Promises” – dealt specifically with the subject of vows.
This morning, however, I want to think more about the tendency that we have to alk too much. There are so many verses in the Scripture that teach us regarding the use of our words. I will not take the time to list all of them here. I am sure that most us are pretty familiar with them, anyway. But I do want us to be challenged to be careful about what we say. Much of what comes out of our mouths is useless drivel, not really profitable for anything. I am not saying that there is not a place for small talk and pleasantries; but I do thing more thought should be given to what we say.
Here are some things that we should think about before we open our mouths:
1 Will it be profitable to those we are addressing, building them up?
2 Will it glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, or are we attempting to lift up ourselves? I find that many of us like to talk about ourselves, and say things that make ourselves look good.
3 Will it hurt those that we are speaking too? I understand that we need to speak the truth in love, but our motivation ought not be to hurt people, but rather to help them.
There are many things that I would like to say regarding this, but it would be a violation of the principle. Let the Word of God speak for itself, and let our words be few, unless we are sure that we are actually saying things that God would be pleased with.
Posted in Thoughts from Ecclesiastes by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
All Is Vanity
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Psalms 116 – 120; Proverbs 25)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” – (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
I have recently preached a series of messages through the Book of Ecclesiastes at our church, so I have had the advantage of giving these passages a little more thought than perhaps I would normally give one of our morning devotions. As I have told our church many times, there are three keys to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes:
1 There is a key word – “vanity” – It literally means vapor or breath. It means emptiness. James said that our lives were like a vapour.
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” – (James 4:14)
This key word appears 27 times in the Book. It carries with it the idea that much of what this life has to offer ultimately is empty in itself, or will lead to emptiness. God wants us to have an abundant, fulfilling life.
2 There is a key phrase – “under the sun” – This phrase appears 33 times in the Book. It speaks of the things that are of this earth. Things that are temporary in nature, not eternal. Things that are “under the sun” are not necesarily evil things, they are just things that will be forgotten, and are without eternal value.
3 There is a key verse:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” – (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Solomon came to the conclusion that much of what is done by man “under the sun” are things that are in themselves “vanity”: they produce emptiness. Therefore, we should devote as much time and energy as possible to the things that are eternal: things that will last forever. Fearing God and keeping His commandments are the highest order of business for the child of God today. Though it is certainly not wrong to enjoy the lawful things of this earth, it is important for us to keep in mind that they are temporary, not eternal; so our primary focus should be on eternity – living for the Lord.
One more thing. It might help us to remember that the human author of this book is Solomon, a man who experienced everything that this world had to offer. He had widom, wealth, works, and lots of women; but none of those things brought any lasting value. Only the things that were done for the Lord followed him into eternity.
Posted in Thoughts from Ecclesiastes by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Just for Ladies by Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 28 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 24)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Watch “Growth Points – The Trail of the Blood” by Pastor Chappell
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
A Study of Women in the Bible
Lydia, A Business Women Who Loved The Lord.
“And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.” (Acts 16:9-15)
“And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.” (Act 16:40)
Lydia was a intelligent, well respected, dedicated and successful, business women. She was in contact with many people and lived in her house with others. As involved with her work as she was, she still found time to serve the Lord. She was not like other women, because many of them served Apollo, but she served the one true God. This busy day she was on her way to a prayer meeting for women only. This prayer meeting was different. They had a guest speaker, Paul the apostle; with Silas, Luke and Timothy.
Lydia loved God, but did not know the Lord Jesus as her Saviour until Paul came to preach that day. Because Lydia’s heart was tender, when she heard the preaching of Paul, she was saved and baptized. She told the people in her home about the saving grace, and they were saved and baptized as well. As busy as she was, she invited the men to stay at her home. What a servant’s heart! But where did she find the time? Paul and Silas came to Lydia’s home again, and Lydia and her household took care of them after they were beaten in prison .
Today woman are busy more then ever, but we must follow Lydia’s example and find the time. Our family and jobs are an important part of our lives, and so is serving the Lord. We can start at the beginning with prayer,Bible reading and attending all the church services. Also, we can serve by telling others about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Lydia served God by serving other ladies at her church. You can easily fill a void in someone’s life by investing some time in them. Ask them how their week went and find out a little something about them. Everyone is looking for a little attention. Support your church’s missionaries. Ask a visiting missionary over or out to dinner. If you are able, have a travelling missionary family stay at your home. Brother Stahl and I use to own a four bedroom home and had missionaries stay with us a few times. If you pray and ask God for help, He will not only help with finding you the time, but He will show you how you can serve.
Lydia had been given much and she used it for the Lord. She is proof of what God can do through a person who makes Him first in their life.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
Thank You
1 John 5:13 – 14
Posted in Just for Ladies by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
A True Friend
Listen to Sunday Morning’s Message – “First Day on the Job” from 2 Kings 3
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 25 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 1 – 2; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 23)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” – (Proverbs 27:6)
“Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.” – (Proverbs 27:10)
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” – (Proverbs 27:17)
Chapter twenty-seven of the Book of Proverbs includes the word “friend” several times. I have posted some of them above. From these verses we can get a better, Biblical understanding of what a true friend is. The world would have a broader definition for friendship, but the Bible is much more specific about what a friend is, and what a friend does. We each may have many acquaintances, and people that are friendly at times to us; but if we were to really apply the Biblical understanding of true friendship, we would have to conclude that the number of real friends we have is few.
The Bible tells us that a true friend is there for us no matter what. We have all probably heard the expression, “fair weather friends”. This type of person is the one that will be your friend as long as you have something to offer them. I remember years ago when I was newly saved, my wife and I were attending a church in Toms River, NJ. We were both very young Christians, and we had a hard time establishing relationships with some of the other couples that were there. There was one man that all of a sudden began to take an interest in me. He invited us over to his house, and he really seemed to be trying to reach out to us. I was very flattered, but then this man began to tell me about a business venture that he wanted me to be a part of: something that was going to eventually make me very rich, but at first would require an investment on our part. When this man finally realized that I didn’t have any money to invest in his business, he stopped being nice to me. This man was not my friend. He was friendly as long as he thought I could benefit him in some way. A real friend is not merely concerned about what he receives from the relationship, but is instead focussed on what he can offer to it. True friends will also remain friendly through the good times and the bad.
“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” – (Proverbs 18:24)
The Bible also tells us that a true friend will not be someone that tells us what we want to hear, but rather tells us what we need to hear. I want my friends to help me be a better me. In order for that to happen they will need to be open and honest with me. There are many things about me that I cannot see. My flesh has set up protections that insulate me from facing myself. My pride causes me to think that I am always right. But I know that can’t possibly be true. So God has placed some people in my life who love me enough to tell me what I often do not want to hear about myself. Don’t misunderstand, these friends do not spend all of their time criticizing me, but they will straighten me out when I need it. The greatest friend that I have, besides the Lord, is my wife. She doesn’t pull any punches with me: she loves me enough to tell me what I need to hear.
Of course, the Lord is the greatest friend that we have because He gave His life for us. A true friend will give himself unconditionally to those that he loves.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – (John 15:13)
Posted in Thoughts from Proverbs by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Don’t Quit
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 15 – 16; Psalms 101 – 105; 19 Proverbs 22)
Scripture Memory for July – Hebrews 1
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17
“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” – (Proverbs 24:10)
Many years ago, before I went to Bible college, I saw a poster similar to the picture above, hanging on the door of a walk-in freezer in the stock room of one of the supermarkets that I delivered to. I asked the clerk if I could make a copy of it, and I put that picture on my refrigerator at home. When we moved to Texas to go to Texas Baptist College the picture managed to remain with us, and ended up once again on our refrigerator. Bible college was tough, and there were many times that I contemplated quitting; but I would often look at that little poster, and remember that God had called me into the ministry, and He specifically revealed His will to me about where I should go for training, and I should finish what He had called me to do. That poster served for those three years as a reminder of the fact that no matter how hopeless the situation might seem, God would always bring me through, if I would just not quit.
There were many “war stories” that I could share from those college days, but one particular time stands out in my memory. It was the August before my senior year at the college, and it was registration time for the fall semester. I didn’t have a dime to my name. I was struggling to pay all of my bills, and even just put food on the table; and I knew that I was going to have to pay the college something in order to get enrolled for my final year. To make matters worse, I still owed them money from the semester before. At first, I wasn’t even going to attempt to go through the whole process of choosing classes, etc. I mean, why bother? They weren’t going to let me in anyway; but for some reason, I went down to the college, and started to go through the motions of registering. When I finally got to the final step of the process – this was the part I really dreaded – meeting with the comptroller of the college, Brother Shaw, I timidly entered his office waiting to get yelled at, or maybe even laughed at. I explained my situation to him, and I remember him saying to me, “Brother Erickson, let’s just see what it says in our records.” He went to his computer and told me that not only was there no balance due from the previous semester, but there also was $1000.00 already paid for the new one. I couldn’t believe it. I just sat there with my mouth open, while he sat there grinning at me. To this day, I have no earthly idea where that money came from, but I do know that God taught me a great lesson that day. Don’t give up. No matter how hopeless the situation might seem, keep getting up and doing what God has called you to do. Don’t quit. There is always hope in the will of God. There have been many other times in the ministry where God has miraculously come through to help in time of need, He always came through. He may not always do what we want Him to do, but He always fulfills His will. We just have to hang in there, and stay faithful.
Posted in Thoughts from Proverbs by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.