Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

May 3rd The Words Of This Book – The Saturday Morning Post

“And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying, Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.” (2Kings 22:8-13)

“In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book.” – Abraham Lincoln

The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts. – John Jay – First Chief-Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Education is useless without the Bible. The Bible was America’s basic text book in all fields. God’s Word, contained in the Bible, has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct. – Noah Webster

Good morning. Have you seen the news this morning? Don’t bother, it’s all bad. Fathers suffocating crying babies so they can play video games. Two Alaskan police officers killed by a teen. Home invasions, murder, rape; what is this world coming to? The end.

According to 2Kings 22:2 , King Josiah did what was right before the Lord without wavering. Then the Scriptures were found while repair work was being made on the temple. Upon hearing the Scripture read, Josiah tore his clothes; his nation was in trouble with the Lord. Why? He was doing what was right before the Lord, walking in His ways, wasn’t he? Why would the Lord be angry with Judah?

“…because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.” (2Kings 22:13)

Today, in America, sin is running rampant. Look at the quotes by three of our early leaders, and what they said about the Word of God. Things have changed. Maybe we need to rent our clothes, drop to our knees, and humble ourselves before God or has America fallen too far? Josiah was concerned with doing right, when confronted by the Word of God he could see the corruption of the past kings would evoke the wrath of God. Josiah humbled himself before the Almighty God, and God told him, he would die in peace. Is there still time for America? Jesus said…

“…with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

And to quote another great American…

“It ain’t over till it’s over.” – Yogi Berra

There is always hope through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is written in the Words of this Book – The Bible.

Peace. (2Chronicals 7:14)

Apr 26th Precious – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage –2 Kings 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio –Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8; Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130)

“And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.” (2Kings 1:13-15)

Good morning. King Ahaziah was on his death bed. He sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub (his name means lord of the flies). I like what Wikipedia has to say: “Jewish scholars have interpreted the title of “Lord of Flies” as the Hebrew way of calling Ba’al a pile of dung and comparing Ba’al followers to flies.”

Needless to say, that is who Ahaziah sent messengers to ask if he would recover. The messengers met Elijah on the way, who told them to tell the king he would not recover, but die. Upon hearing this, Ahaziah sent a captain and his fifty men to take Elijah and bring him to him. Ahaziah had to do this three times being that the first two came and ordered Elijah to come down in the name of the king: them and their fifties were burnt up with the fire of God from Heaven. The third captain had an attitude change. He cared for the fifty men put under his charge, and humbled himself before the man of God. He saw that the other two before him were consumed by the fire…

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” (Proverbs 19:23)

Fear is a good feeling to have. And with the fear of the LORD is wisdom and life. I was reminded of a passage in Hebrews…

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:23-31)

Even Jesus warned…

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

[Something to notice here: Jesus said body and soul: not spirit. If you are not saved, your spirit is already dead and has been dead since you were conceived. You must be born again to have spirit quickened (given life) by the Holy Spirit.]

The third captain of the fifties asked for mercy from the man of God for himself and his men. He may have went there with the same attitude as the first two captains, but after seeing the two burn marks on the ground he changed his attitude, and humbled himself: he received mercy. God told Elijah it was okay, there was no need to fear. And he went with the third captain to the King Ahaziah and delivered the Word of God in person.

You are precious to God…

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

You were worth enough for God to leave His throne in Heaven, and be crucified, receiving the punishment for your sins. Sometimes, as Christians, we need to be reminded of this. For those who never received Christ, or are trusting some religion, you need to know this.

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezekiel 18:20)

One day we will all stand before God to give an account. Isaiah said our righteousness is as filthy rags. We can not get to Heaven with our own righteousness. The Bible says…

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one…” (Romans 3:10)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

And…

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2Corinthians 5:17-21)

We need the righteousness of God. There is no way we can work our way to Heaven…

“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)

We need Jesus, and Him alone…

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18)

“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)

Why would God the Son leave Heaven, be born of a virgin, be crucified, and then raise from the grave in triumph? Because you are precious.

Peace. (Psalm 72:14)

Apr 19th The Temple And Prayer – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible) (Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95 )

“And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.” (1Kings 8:26-30)

Good morning. How is your prayer life? Have you ever noticed that when your prayer life goes down, so does everything else? Your Bible reading slows down or comes to a halt. You stop telling others about Jesus. Is it that you don’t want fellowship other believers anymore, you just want to be left alone? Does your life seem to be getting hard? Is it because your “elected officials” in Washington taking more, and more of your money? Could it be that you don’t pray anymore?

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” (James 4:1-2)

Were you cheated by someone, or did someone do you wrong? Pray…

“If any man trespass against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to cause him to swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his head; and justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.” (1Kings 8:31-32)

Remember…

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19)

Are you having a rough time because the United States has been over run (or should that be run over) by a bunch of God-less Socialists? Then pray.

“When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers. When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou afflictest them: Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, blasting, mildew, locust, or if there be caterpiller; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness there be; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.” (1Kings 8:33-40)

“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)

Maybe you have sinned against God somehow, and that sin has carried you away as the enemy nations carried Israel away?

“If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness; And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: For they be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.” (1Kings 8:46-53)

Sin will bring us to places where we do not want to go. The prodigal son found himself in a pig pen when he came to his senses…

“And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:14-20)

If you are in the pig pen – pray! David said…

“Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalm 51:9-13)

“Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name’s sake; (For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm;) when he shall come and pray toward this house; Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name. If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shall pray unto the LORD toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for thy name: Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.” (1Kings 8:41-45)

The unsaved will hear the gospel and be converted: we will be back to fighting the good fight, and our already defeated enemy will suffer more loss one soul at a time. Pray.

Peace. (1Thesselonians 5:17)

Mar 29th Have You Heard God Today? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 10 – 12; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (1Samuel 3:19-21)

Good morning. The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

“And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.” (1Kings 22:19)

Have you heard God today?

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

Have you heard God today?

For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4)

Have you heard God today?

“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:44)

Have you heard God today?

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

Peace. (Colossians 3:16)

Mar 21st For As The Man Is So Is His Strength – The Saturday Morning Post

“Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.” (Judges 8:18-21)

Good morning. And how are you? For as the man is, so is his strength. And man should have been strong: he was created in God’s image…

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)

If we are created in God’s image, then when people look at us, they aught to see Jesus. Do they? As a man, Jesus is our example: our perfect example. He is obedient to the Father. He is truthful. He cares for and loves others, even His enemies. He is faithful and prayerful.

How do you stack up against a real man? You don’t have to answer, the Bible is clear: we all fall short of God’s glory. The best thing we can do is stop comparing ourselves to other, and use Jesus as our example on how to be a man. For as the man is, so is his strength.

Peace! (Judges 16:19-30)

Mar 15th Don’t Mess With God’s People – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Joshua 10 – 12

(Second Milers also read – 1 Timothy 1 – 6; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)

“The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29)

“And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.” (Joshua 10:6)

The Kings of the Amorites had a plan…

“Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.” (Joshua 10:3-5)

But God hears the prayer of the righteous…

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night. And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.” (Joshua 10:8-10)

But why would God save a heathen nation? The verse says that He hears the prayers of the righteous: were the people of Gibeon righteous? No, but…

“And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.” (Joshua 9:22-24)

The Gibeonites knew where they could find God: with Joshua and Israel. Let me ask you something, if the Gibeonites looked at you, would they know that’s where they could find God? Jesus said…

Peace! (Jude 1:22-25)

Mar 8th Amazing Grace – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 23 – 26

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40)

“If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.” (Deuteronomy 24:7)

“Amazing Grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.” – John Newton

Good morning. We can see by Deuteronomy 24:7 how God feels about slavery. There was a time that John Newton realized he was in trouble with God. John Newton worked in the slave trade. And God started working on him…

“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!”

Joseph’s brothers were in a mess too: they sold their brother into slavery; and they knew it was wrong, but they also saw an example of God’s amazing grace…

“And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” (Genesis 50:15-21)

God had sent Joseph ahead into Egypt to preserve the lives of his family. God sent Jesus ahead to preserve our lives by shedding His precious blood as payment for our sins.

“Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath bro’t me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.”

What has you in bondage today? What are you enslaved to? One day, all the works of man held in this world will be burnt in fervent heat. The only thing you can take with you is that precious soul you led to the Lord. We should get our priorities in order: God, family, and everything else. Jesus said…

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

“When we’ve been there ten-thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.”

Peace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Mar 7th Feminine And Modest by Pastor Erickson for The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 19 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read –  Galatians 4 – 6; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7

“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” – (Deuteronomy 22:5)

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” – (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

In our text today, we see the famous verse that has no doubt been preached millions of times in reference to the attire of a lady. I know that I have quoted this reference countless times myself, but perhaps, I haven’t preached this principle as much as I should. I am very concerned that there has been an accelerated trend toward immodest as well as masculine dress among our Christian ladies, even in our fundamental churches over the past few years. There has always been immodest dress in our churches, but it seems that lately so many of our ladies are completely throwing in the towel in any attempt to obey biblical principle in the area of dress.

As far as I can see, there are two overriding principles when it comes to women’s dress: femininity, and modesty. A women should dress in such a way that there is clearly a distinction between herself and a man. This principle would also apply to hairstyles as well. Many women today are choosing to wear their hair very short, and even with a masculine style. The Bible is clear that a woman’s hair should be longer than a man’s. It seems like our culture is reversing the Biblical model. Men’s hairstyles seem to be becoming more feminine, and vice versa.

Women should also dress modestly, meaning their clothing should not draw attention to their bodies. Tight pants, and low-cut tops are magnets for mens’ eyes. Many ladies in our churches today are wearing dresses, which are definitely feminine, but, unfortunately, many are not modest: either too short, or too tight, or very revealing in the top. There have been many times, even at church, where I have caught my eyes wandering where they shouldn’t simply because there was someone dressed inappropriately. I know, shame on me; but shame on the lady also that reveals herself through her clothing to men that are not her husband. Clothing should not draw attention to the body. You may have heard this illustration before, but I once heard someone speaking on this subject who said that if a man’s attention is drawn to your body, and not your face, you are dressing immodestly. The word translated apparel in 1 Timothy 2:9 is “katastole”, which is defined as a loose garment, “let down”; or a long, flowing robe.

There is a lot more that I can say regarding this subject, but I think that you get the point. I am not saying that women should wear burlap sacks down to their ankles, but I do believe that Christian ladies should be much more careful when choosing their attire.