Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Aug 24th What,s Wrong With The Old Black Book? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 37 – 40 (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 – Romans 1 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118; Proverbs 24)

Read the “0824 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 37:16-17)

“O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalm 117:1-2)

And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Good morning! King Zedekiah was worried. The king of Babylon was coming. What would he do? How could he stand against the coming army? He needed God. God’s plan was to hold Israel in captivity for a while. Then God would punish them, and His people would go free. The king panicked as everything around him happened as God told Jeremiah and Jeremiah told the king. The last that king Zedekiah saw was…

“Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.” (Jeremiah 39:6-7)

Aren’t you glad today that you have truth that you can stand on? God’s truth? And His truth endures forever. You can trust your King James Bible. If you look at the cover page, you will see: The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. Translating is stressful work. The translators knew they were answerable not only to King James, but also the King of Kings. Not to mention all the English speaking people who would be saved from reading God’s Word and seeing with their own eyes God’s perfect plan of salvation. That was a heavy responsibility to carry on their shoulders. They knew what God said in the Scriptures…

“Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.”(Deuteronomy 4:1-4)

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5-6)

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:18-20)

And you think your job has you stressed out? I have a translating example. It’s not the greatest example, plus it’s Spanish, not Greek or Hebrew. I typed an English phrase into a website that would translate the phrase into Spanish. It came out…
tengo que ir al bano

tengo means “I have.”

que means “what”, although the website said que has multiple meanings.

It means “I have to do something.”

And al bano means “to the bathroom.”

You have “I have / what / I have to do something / to the bathroom.”
So the translation would probably look like this…

I have [to go] to the bathroom.

Maybe, one day, I’ll learn Spanish. The translators of the King James Bible reverenced God’s Word. They feared the Lord. The words that help us understand the English structure of the verses, if needed, were put in italics.

I hope I didn’t lose you with that last statement. There has been a question being kicked around about the inspiration of the Bible: was it just the originals that were inspired, or the King James Bible too? We can see how God feels about His Word from the verses above. God wants His Word perfect. Jesus said…

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

God’s hand was all over the King James Bible. He gave the translators every word that He wanted in the Bible, both italicized and non-italicized. Without Jesus, the translators could never have given us the correct translation in the King James Bible. And we know from testimonies, history, and revivals, that the King James Bible brought forth much fruit, as it still does today.

Let me show you something I copied from somewhere while I was in college…

1382 The Wyclif Bible
The first purification.
1525 The Tyndale Bible
The second purification.
1535 The Coverdale Bible
The third purification.
1537 The Rogers Bible
The fourth purification.
1539 The Great Bible
The fifth purification.
1560 The Geneva Bible
The sixth purification.
1568 The Biship’s Bible
The seventh purification.
1611 The King James Bible.

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6)

So, what’s wrong with the old black book?
Absolutely NOTHING!

Peace.

Aug 17th Strange Gods – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 10 – 13 (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 – Acts 7 – 9; Psalms 81 – 85; Proverbs 17)

Read the “0817 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.” (Jeremiah 10:1-6)

Good morning. If you had asked me a few years back if I thought America was under God’s judgment, I probably would have said I didn’t think so. Everything appeared to be going okay. After 9/11 things drastically changed in the United States.

An illustration that many preachers have used is about how to cook a frog. If you toss a frog in a pot of boiling water, he will hop right out. But if you place a frog in a pot of water, and slowly bring up the heat, he will stay there in the pot till he gets cooked. That’s what happened to us. The devil has been working on this country for quite some time. The religion of Evolution is preached in our schools as truth instead of just a theory. Children are taught that the baby formed in the womb is just an unfeeling blob of goo, so abortion is okay. People are numbed by propaganda telling them that homosexuality is an alternate life style and not sin. The Word of God has been removed from schools, government buildings, and replaced with books of “higher learning”

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:22-25)

Coexist is written on many of our bumper stickers. You can be whatever religion you want, just don’t attack anyone else’s. It doesn’t matter if they are on their way to Hell: they’ve been taught that there is no Hell.  Why, you can even be a god yourself. Just jump around like Shirley McLane and shout I am god, I am god. Is it any wonder that many Americans have tried to push God out of their lives, and unfortunately the lives of others too? Even if the godless succeed in removing from the Pledge of Allegiance the phrase: one nation under God; we are still, and always will be one nation under God. And God chastens those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-11). Look what God said about Israel in Psalm 81…

“Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” (Psalm 81:8-16)

Maybe one of the problems is that as Christians today, we don’t see God work in our lives. Why should we see God work? Look at what God says in Isaiah 43…

“I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” (Isaiah 43:12)

God has spoken to us through His Word. God has saved us, not only in salvation from sin, but also problems attacking our lives. And God has showed us His great love to us. And we are supposed to be His witnesses of these things. And God did these things in our lives. He did them “when there was no strange god among” us. Logic with me for a minute. If anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Then anything that we deem more important than God, is a strange god. What is more important than God to you? Is it sports? Is it your job? Is it a favorite TV show that’s in the same time-slot as church? What is your strange god? When we get rid of them, maybe God will start working in our lives again. We will be witnesses for Him. He will heal our nation (2Chronicles 7:14). Psalm 85 is a good model prayer:

“LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.” (Psalm 85:1-13)

Tired of not seeing God work in your life? Get rid of the strange gods.

Peace.

Aug 10th He Is The LORD Of Hosts – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 48 – 52 (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 – John 13 – 14; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10)

Read the “0810 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name. I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them. Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb. For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isaiah 48:1-11)

Good morning. God is the LORD of hosts. The word host means a mass of persons (or things) especially organized for war. Yes, God is in control of everything: He is the LORD of hosts. Even so, He is much more than that.

1) He is the I AM.

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” (Exodus 3:13 – 15)

2) He is THE WAY.

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” (Exodus 13:17-22)

“Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40:10-11)

“And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.” (Ezekiel 20:42)

“When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.” (Ezekiel 39:27-28)

3) He is THE TRUTH.

“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:35-36)

“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.” (Isaiah 46:9-13)

4) He is THE LIFE.

“Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”(Isaiah 43:10-11)

“Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:21-22)

“Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:13 – 15)

5) He is THE GREAT SHEPHERD.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one. (John 10:27 – 30)

6) He is THE LORD.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Do You Believe HE IS?

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

He is the LORD of hosts, and we are His: walking in the good works that He has ordained for us to walk in. He is the LORD.

Peace.

Aug 3rd What Happened to Tyre – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 19 – 23 (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 – Luke 23 – 24; Psalms 11 – 15; Proverbs 3)

Read the “0803 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished. And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations. Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth? The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.” (Isaiah 23:1-9)

Good morning. The city of Tyre was part of Lebanon. Partially on land and partially on an island. Tyre was described as a strong city in Joshua…

”…And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib…” (Joshua 19:29)

King Hiram was ruler there, and was friends with both David and Solomon. He sent cedar trees, and craftsmen to David to build his house. Solomon made the same deal with Hiram, and was sent more cedar trees, and craftsmen for the Temple project. And if Tyre had the craftsmen, skilled workers, for David and Solomon, can you imagine what Tyre itself looked like? It must have been a beautiful city. The people must have been proud, and that was the problem.

“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” (Proverbs 16:5)

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

And the LORD said in our passage about Tyre…

“The LORD of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.” (Isaiah 23:9)

And who here are the honourable of the earth? They are the trafficers: the merchants: those who are there to make money.

“Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?” (Isaiah 23:8)

And who is the king of pride? The biggest self-worshiper of all time? Tis the devil himself…

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14:12-17)

So what can we do if the devil snares us with pride? Humble yourself.

1) Confess it as sin.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 1:9)

2) Don’t be proud of your Salvation: you did nothing, it was God’s gift to you.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

3) Realize that you cannot do nothing on your own.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John15:5)

So what happened to Tyre? God kept His promise. The mainland portion of Tyre was conquered a few times but the island portion was not conquered until Alexander the Great. He tore down the mainland city and used the cut stone to build a causeway over to the island. It is not the great merchant city that it was, but is a tourist city for visitors to Lebanon.

Peace.

Jul 27th This Is The Whole Duty Of Man – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 9 – 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 – Luke 9 – 10; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)

Read the “0727 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Good morning. Fear God, and keep His commandments. This is the whole duty of man. One of those commands is to rejoice.

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

Looking at the world, the direction it is going (I just saw an advertisement on TV for an “R” rated movie staring young boys – not even teens yet) it is on a moral downhill spiral waiting to crash and burn. It is overrun with sodomites, baby killers, liberals, and the like. But it is still commanded that we rejoice in the Lord. Jesus talked with His disciples…

“And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:18-20)

If you’re saved, heaven is your home, so choose to rejoice. Habakkuk wrote…

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Another command is to trust in the Lord…

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7)

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psalm 2:12)

Are you trusting in the Lord? Do you love the Lord? It’s commanded, but it should come natural after all He did for you.

“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?   And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” (John 14:15-21)

“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)

Peace.

Jul 20th A Matter Of Life And Death – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Proverbs 16 – 18 (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 – Mark 11 – 12; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)

Read the “0720 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Good morning. Have you ever had anyone talk trash about you? Have you ever listened to anyone who talked trash about someone else? Have you ever talked trash about someone to anyone? It’s all trash.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:29-32)

Why do we do such things? Because we are sinners. We still have a will to sin.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45)

“A Psalm of David. LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” (Psalm 15:1-3)

“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” (Proverbs 26:20-22)

How can you love your neighbor if your words are killing him? You can’t. So what can be done?

1) Stop Spreading The Gossip

“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23)

2) Stop Listening To The Gossip

“He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” (Proverbs 20:19)

You could even say to the gossiper, “Joe Shmoe did that? Let’s go see him and see if it’s true. That will stop many gossipers from coming to you with that trash.

“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” (James 3:2-12)

Peace.

Jul 13th Sick Of Sin – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – Psalms 140 – 145 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)

Read the “0713 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man; Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah. Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings. The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah. I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah. As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” (Psalm 140:1-13)

“To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:1-3)

Good morning! Have you ever been stuck in that horrible pit of sin? After you were saved? Some of us are living there now. It’s a horrible pit. The word horrible in this verse means uproar. Inside the devil’s bag are many tricks. One of them is distraction. The devil gets many things going in our lives that we lose focus on what God wanted us to do. He causes an uproar in our lives, a horrible pit. Our world is turned upside down. We start relying on our own power to get out of this mess when we should have relied on the Lord to get us out. After all, Romans 14:23 does tell us…

“And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

And where does faith come from?

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Even Jesus, when He was tempted by the devil, used Scripture to battle him. That is what we need to do: use Scripture.

The first action you need to take is to stop.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Scripture tells us in Psalm 40:2 that God is the one that brought you out of the horrible pit, set your feet upon a rock, and established your goings. God will lift you out in His timing.

Your second action is to allow the Lord to bring you up one step at a time.

He brings you out, sets you a solid foundation: The Rock. Then He gets you going again in the right direction, and puts a new song in your mouth. Don’t worry about what is going to happen tomorrow. Jesus said…

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:34)

Your third action is to praise God for His deliverance.

“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:3)

Just as verse 12 and 13 of Psalm 140 says…

“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.” (Psalm 140:12-13)

Peace.

Jul 6th Joy Is Coming: Remembering The Fourth Of July – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – Psalms 103 – 105 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)

Read the “0706 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.” (Psalm 103:1)

Good morning. As I sit here reading my Bible, I realized something about the Fourth of July. This was a few years ago. I didn’t go to watch the parade. I didn’t watch the Macy’s fireworks show, the biggest fireworks display in the nation. I didn’t even watch the Twilight Zone Marathon. My flag was up on the front of the trailer waving in the breeze. I played dominoes with Camille most of the day; and cooked BBQ’d ribs in my 16 qt. cast iron dutch oven. And yes, they came out great! But this was the most quietest fourth of July I ever had.

My best Fourth was in 1976. I went to visit my brother, Harry. We stood near the Varizano Narrows Bridge, and watched the tall ships sail by. Then later into the evening, we went to a swamp where you could see the back of the Statue of Liberty and watched the massive fireworks display celebrating our nations 200th birthday. That was 43 years ago. The celebration of the fourth in 2013 just did not feel the same to me. Maybe it was the camping trip to Gettysburg, PA, a few weeks earlier that got me to thinking. There were 51,112 deaths in that one battle. That’s more than the Korean Conflict (36,574), and almost as much as the war in Vietnam (58,209). I wonder what the soldiers would say if they could see the condition the country is in today. The country they gave their lives for. Would they be sickened by the stench of our way of life: relying on big brother, rather than God for all our needs? What would they say? Would they say, “Wow, what a great cell phone!”; or would they slap our faces for the low price we put on the freedoms that they shed their blood to keep?

Depressing, isn’t it. It was for me until I read Psalm 30:5. There may be some hope for our nation. Psalm 30:5 says…

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

Joy is coming. It may be in seeing the nation turn back to God, or it may be in Christ’s returning for us. But joy is coming in the morning. We made a real mess of our “One Nation Under GOD”, but He promises…

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14)

Joy IS coming.

Peace.

Jun 29th Let God Be Magnified – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – Psalms 69 – 72 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 13 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)

Read the “0629 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.” (Psalm 70:4)

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18)

Good morning. Do you have a vision for the things of God? Has God given you a vision for what He wants to accomplish in your life? Let God be magnified. Do you have a vision? If you don’t, you need to get a vision before you perish. Maybe God once gave you a vision of His will for your life, and somehow you got sidetracked. This happens. It happened to me. I was recently reminded of the verse I had received as my reason to go to college. In Luke 14:21, Jesus said, “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.”

Where is your vision? The key is after the colon: he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Your vision of God’s will for your life is in the Scripture. You need a vision or you will perish.

Have a vision for God’s Word.

King David wrote,

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.” (Psalm 119:1-8)

And God is serious about His Word. His Word is truth. God wanted the king to write out his own copy of the Bible:

“And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)

Have a vision for God’s people.

Jesus said,

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34-35)

Maybe you are down on yourself. You think, how can God use me? I’m such a screw-up. If you start loving others as Jesus did, you will begin to get a vision of how God sees you. He doesn’t see you as a screw-up, He sees you as His child.

Have a vision for those who are not God’s people.

Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for people. 2Peter 3:9 tells us that…

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9)

God is not willing that any should perish. That’s why He commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. People need to hear the gospel. You are saved by grace through faith, and faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Those who are not God’s people need a chance to become God’s people. If you are reading this and are not one of God’s people, you can become one. 1John 5:11-13 tells us,

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1John 5:11-13)

Romans 3:10 & 23 tell us that we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory. God will not allow any sin to enter heaven. The good news is in Romans 5:8…

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

According to Romans 10:13, all you need to do is ask Him to save you and He will.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Did you do that? Great! Now get yourself a vision for God’s Word, God’s people, and those who aren’t God’s people. And let God be magnified.

Peace.

Jun 22nd She’s Just A Kid – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – Psalms 32 – 35(Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 2 Peter 1 – 3; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)

Read the “0622 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” (Psalm 34:11)

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Good morning. I read something about six years ago. It was an article about a 16 year-old girl who was sentenced to death and is being released now that she is 43. She pleaded guilty to the murder of a 78 year-old Bible Studies teacher. She was 15 when she sat on the old woman, and slashed her 33 times with a butcher knife. She did this while three of her friends looked on (the youngest was 14).

She was sentenced to death, and became the youngest convict on death row. Protest sprung up across America, and even Europe, against the death penalty. The Indiana Supreme Court moved the minimum age for the death penalty from 10 years-old up to 16 years-old. This young girl was then sentenced to spend the next 60 years in prison. But you need to see how the article ends…

Linley E. Pearson, who was Indiana’s attorney general when [the girl] appealed to the state Supreme Court, said research now shows that the human brain doesn’t fully mature until age 24. “So kids can do a lot of things they wouldn’t do if they were an adult,” Pearson said. [The girl’s] sentence was reduced due to her behavior in prison, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She will remain on parole for a few years…

So who is to blame for the murder of the 78 year-old Bible teacher? Was it the girl? She was old enough to know right from wrong. She chose to do wrong. Were the parents to blame? Proverbs 22:6 tells us to…

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

I don’t know what her up-bringing was like. Maybe her dad only cared about making babies, and didn’t love his wife as Christ loved the church? Was it something she learned in school? Maybe in evolution class? Did her teachers tell her how she came from a slug that crawled out of the sea, and that she was superior and stronger than a 78 year-old lady. Did they teach her that she would be doing the world a favor by killing the old woman? It did not work for Hitler, and his socialistic, superior then any other, Aryan race either. Maybe it was the government who took God’s Word out of the schools. How do the students learn right from wrong if they are being taught to do their own thing? How can a country that is built on the Word of God function without the Word of God? It can’t. That is why we are in the mess we are in today: children killing children, drive-by shootings, home invasions all because we refuse to listen to God’s Word. Israel turned their backs on God, and started chasing after false gods, and for a while they were without a country: scattered. America has turned it’s back on God, and we are paying the price. Our freedoms are being flushed down the sewer. Soon the country that was built on God’s Word will be no more because we chased after false gods. What are our false gods? Worship of self, money, things. False gods like Allah, Buddha, Harri Krishnah, and the devil. We need to give God His proper place: Number One in our lives. 2Chronicles 7:14 says…

”If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14)

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but being under the rod of God’s correction is not a good place to be for our nation.

Peace.