Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jul 2nd You Can Take The Fire – Pt2 – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Psalm 80-95, Proverbs 2, Matt 3-4

Today’s Passage…

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.” (Matthew 4:23-24)

Good morning. As I look down at a picture of my daughter, Melissa’s picture that is near my computer, tears start to form in my eyes. As most of you know from her Facebook page that the cancer is back. Last week in the Post, I told the story of the work of a silversmith in the refining of silver. The story told started with Malachi 3:3. The Lord sits as refiner and purifier of silver. It was a beautiful picture painted of our God. The silversmith must place the silver in the hottest part of the flame. It is the only way to burn off the impurities. He must watch the metal every moment it is in the flame. If the silver is too long in the flame, it will be destroyed. He knows when the silver is done when he can see his reflection in it. God allows us to go through the fire to make us more like Jesus.

As I look at the photo, questions fill my mind. Questions I don’t understand. Who is the fire for? Is it for Melissa? My wife? Me? Is it for all three of us? Having had arthritis for almost 30 years, Melissa has been through the fire many times. I remember when she was around seven years old, we were racing into Ocean County Mall. She fell and skinned her knee. Inside the mall we lost track of her. The next thing we see is a group of people standing around looking at something. There was Melissa with store security getting a band-aid put on. Even back then God was keeping His eye on her. Around 2001, her head started slipping down on her spinal cord. We were at camp Aura, and were able to get her to the hospital in time to fix it. The doctor said the operation would take about 5 hours. Ten hours later he made it out of the operating room telling us that she would be okay. God was watching over her. I know that God was watching over her when she had both knees and both hips replaced. When she had her ankle fused; when she had rods placed inside her wrist to straighten her hand, God was watching over her. His eyes were on her all the time she was in the fire. I’m very proud of Melissa. One of the proudest moments was when she graduated Texas Baptist College. Leaving her electric wheel chair at the side door, and with a little help, she was able to walk across the platform to receive her diploma: the whole church gave her a standing ovation. The point is that Melissa has been through a lot, and God knows the beginning and the ending. I don’t. But I do know one thing – it ain’t over till it’s over. David, when the child he had with Bathsheba lay dieing, prayed and fasted, not knowing if God would heal the child. And do you know what? One day she will have a perfect body, relief from all the pain, and no tears to shed.

Pray for us. The date for Melissa’s operation is not set yet, but it will be soon. And thank you for allowing me to share some of the feelings that I am having. I hope this will help someone else who is feeling the heat.

Peace. (John 16:33)

Jul 1st Where’s God

Today’s Passage – Psalm 78 – 79; Proverbs 1

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 1 – 2; Memorize – Haggai 1:5 – 6)

“Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servantswhich is shed.” (Psalm 79:10)

Have you ever asked the question, “where is God?”  I have often heard the people of this world ask this question when bad things happen on the earth. They will say that if there was a loving God, He would not allow all of this evil in the world. I have also hear some of the people of God pose the same thought when they or somebody they care about are experiencing hardship in life. However, the context of the verse written above is a little bit different. It seems that the psalmist here has penned these words at a time in Israel’s history when they have suffered a horrible defeat to the Babylonians (around 586 BC) which included the complete destruction of Jerusalem along with the people of Israel being taken into captivity.  Here the psalmist is pleading with God to avenge them of their adversaries. He tells God that their enemies are mocking them, saying that their God must either not care or must be absent altogether. The irony of the whole situation is that God actually “raised up” these Babylonian attackers for the express purpose of getting the attention of His people who had seriously departed from following Him.

My thought for this morning, however, is that I wonder how many of of the people around us: our neighbors, our co-workers, our family members, etc. can see God in our lives.  Can they see the reality of our faith working throughout our day to day living. Maybe they are tolerant and even polite to us regarding what we say about our faith; but I wonder sometimes if they aren’t secretly thinking, “where is their God?” Can they see the reality of God in our lives?  No wonder we are having a difficult time reaching the people around us. If God isn’t real to us, how can he reveal Himself to others through us. I believe we have a tremendous responsibility and an awesome opportunity to show people our God through our lives.

1  Show them God by living out your faith.  If you really believe God, then live according to the principles found in His Word.  Walk with Him daily.  Yield to His Spirit and His will.  Separate from the things that are not apart of His perfect plan for your life.

2  Show them God by loving the people around you.  God loves people, unlovable people just like you.  Demonstrate the reality of God by demonstrating God’s love to people.  Look for ways to express the love of God to the lost world around you.  Don’t take separation beyond where God intended it to be.  He wants us to impact their world; not only with the truth, but also with compassion.

The greatest compliment a person could give me would be for them to say that they saw the reality of God in my life.

Jun 30th Slippery Places

Today’s Passages – Psalms 73-77; Proverbs 30

(Second Milers memorize – Haggai 1:5 – 6)

“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.” – (Psalm 73:2)

Jun 29th Magnify the Lord

Today’s Passages – Psalms 69-72; Proverbs 29

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 20 – 22; Haggai 1:5 – 6)

“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)

As I was reading the passage this morning, my attention was drawn to the phrase, “let God be magnified”.  The word magnify or magnified is used a couple of dozen times in the Bible, but I was interested to discover that most of the occasions for its use was to record men who have attempted to magnify themselves over God.  We are certainly prideful creatures by nature.  We do an awful lot in order to make ourselves bigger in the eyes of our peers.  I was forced to do a little self-examination about myself while pondering this thought.  How much do I do in order to enlarge myself.  Even this daily blog that I do: is it all about God, or is it all about the magnification of me?  Sobering thought.  Am I trying to keep up with the spiritual Jones’ (the “big preachers” who all use this type of format)? Don’t misunderstand, I think this is a great tool for communication, but what is the motivation behind it?  How about the church?  Do I want to see it grow so that God will be glorified, or is there hidden down deep in my soul a secret, prideful agenda of self-elevation?  I am just trying to be honest. How about you?  Is your life’s pursuit the magnification of self; or are you trying to magnify the Lord?

The Bible is clear, we are to magnify God!  Now that does not mean that we make God bigger.  We can’t possibly do that.  God already is infinite in everything that He is.  What God is, He is infinitely and completely.  All of His attributes are who He is.  He does not just possess love, He IS love.  No, we can’t make God bigger, but we can see Him bigger.  A magnifying glass does not make the words on the page bigger, but it does allow us to see them bigger.  How big is your God?  Perhaps you cannot see God as big as He really is because you have magnified yourself.  The bigger you are, the smaller God is.  Make yourself smaller in your sight, and God may just get bigger to you.

Two more thoughts.  God does not just want us to magnify Him, He also wants us to magnify:

1  His Name

“And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel:…” (2 Samuel 7:26)

“Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel:” (1 Chronicles 17:24)

2  His Word

“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm 138:2)

Let us all try to minimize ourselves and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jun 27th The View from the Top

Today’s Passages – Psalms 58-64; Proverbs 27

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 12 – 15; Memorize Haggai 1:5 – 6)

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” – (Psalm 61:2)

I love this verse from Psalm 61. David was a man who had many enemies and spent much of his life fighting them. He valiantly strove against the enemies of God’s people throughout his life, and he also spent a good portion of his life defending himself from some of his own people that had turned against him. He lived much of his life at war. I can certainly understand why there were many times that his heart was overwhelmed. Imagine how he must have felt for David when King Saul pursued him for all of those years; or when his own son Absolam led a rebellion against him, forcing him out of his own city temporarily. David’s life was not easy. He experienced much heartache along the way.

Though I have never experienced the horrors of military battle, I have experienced my share of trials and difficulties in life. There have been many times when life got a bit overwhelming. There have been many times when I just did not know what to do. These are the times in life when we should go to God, who is the Rock that is high above all of the circumstances of life.

I have given some thought to David’s use of the illustration of a mountaintop to express his going to the Lord during the difficult days (and nights) of  his life. In a battle, there  are many advantages to having the higher ground. The mountaintop was a place of  safety. It is much harder to attack someone when you have to climb up to fight them. It is easier to defend a higher position than it is a lower one. God is our place of safety. Nothing can happen to the child of God, who is living in His will, unless God wants it to happen. It is very comforting to know that God has got my back.

The mountaintop is also a place where our sight increased. Have you ever gone up to the top of a mountain? The views are sometimes absolutely breathtaking. Last year my wife and I were blessed with a once in a lifetime trip to to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. We took a drive on the Big Island up the side of an old volcano on the Kohala Mountain Road. I don’t know how high up we drove, but when we got to the top, we could see everything. It was an absolutely gorgeous view. It was a rather strange experience being on top of a mountain, and looking down at miles and miles of shoreline, as well as the vast Pacific Ocean. We could even see one of the other islands from where we were. God wants us to understand that when we are overwhelmed with life, He can see much better than we can; and through the eyes of faith, we can see a little better too. We may not be able to fully understand what we are going through, but we know that God does; and we can trust that He has a purpose for it all.

It is wonderful to know that though life gets a little overwhelming for us, it never is that way for God.

Jun 26th (No Title)

Today’s Passages – Psalms 51-57; Proverbs 26

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 8 -11; Memorize – Haggai 1:5 – 6)

Jun 25th You Can Take The Heat – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Today’s Reading: Psalm 46-50, Proverbs 25, and Revelation 4-7

Today’s Verses: Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

And Proverbs 25:4: “Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.”

Good morning! I was looking on the internet for information on refining silver. Proverbs 25:4 had stood out for me today, and I wanted to know more about refining silver. What follows is by an unknown author, but I felt I needed to share this with our readers…

“There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came cross verse three which says: “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what his statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot– then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy–when I see my image in it.”

This story is especially meaningful to those of us who may be in the hottest part of the flame right now. To know that God has his eyes fixed on those he is refining and cannot be distracted is most comforting! Nothing that happens in your life goes unnoticed by the Father ….. most comforting. He is aware of all and guess what? He’s on your side!! The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance and faithfulness. We are told that the mark of a true Christian does not lie in his works, but that we will know them by their fruit! Here we must also remember that this is HIS fruit, not ours ….. the fruit of the Spirit …. that word is capitalized in the Bible …. His Spirit ….. through us …. to others. What an awesome responsibility that is! Whenever I find myself in the “hottest flame,” I just instinctively look at the “fruit” list …. “What fruit is my Lord trying to bring forth in me now?” Every day He presents to me situations that require me to be gentle ….. kind ….. patient, etc. I’ve gotten to where I look for them now and rejoice when they come! l’m sure we’ve all at some time or another asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or more specifically “God’s people?” I don’t ask anymore …. I just know.

How else can He perfect in us the fruit of the Spirit unless obstacles are presented? Sometimes it’s in small ways, but very powerful; sometimes in much deeper ways …. painful even. It’s during these times I hope you will remember one thing from this devotional today …. “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy– when I see my image in it.”

Source(s):

http://www.revivaltimes.com/news/refining_silver.htm

This article makes me think: what do we really know about someone who is “going through it?” Are we willing to watch and allow God to work? Or do we act like Job’s friends getting on his case because they think he is being punished? Watching and waiting sounds like tough love, but it’s love that comes from our perfect Father. He knows us, and will not leave us in the fire for more than we can bear. In light of eternity, our life on earth is only but a vapor, and death is only the doorway to be forever with the One who died for us.

Peace (John 14:1-3)

Jun 24th Are You Thirsty?

Today’s Passages – Psalms 40-45; Proverbs 24

(Second Milers also read – Jude – Revelation 3; Memorize – Malachi 3:10)

“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Psalm 42:1

I remember when I was a boy, the neighborhood that I grew up in was involved in an unorganized baseball league and we would challenge other neighborhoods in our town to play us. I remember one very hot, summer afternoon we were playing Lake Riviera, our arch rivals.  The temperature was in the 90’s with high humidity.  It was a real scorcher.  I don’t remember who won or lost that game, but I do remember that out of all of the dozen or so guys on our team only one had enough sense to bring water.  I recall he had one of those Coleman jugs that contained about a half gallon or so of water.  At first he did not want to share; but under the threat of death from his teammates, he finally yielded and shared his treasure.  It was as close as I ever came to identifying with the rich man in Luke 16, who desired just a drop of cool water.

In the passage referenced above the Psalmist tells us that he had that kind of a thirst, not for water, but for the things of God.  Jesus said, “…if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37), and “blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).  Amos referred to a thirst for the “hearing of the words of the Lord”. (Amos 8:11)

We tend to get thirsty when we have been without hydration for a while.  America is dehydrated spiritually, and I bet there are a lot of folks out there who are thirsting for God; and they may not even realize what they are thirsting for.  They have been drinking from the wells of this world for a long time, but have not found satisfaction.  The people of God are not helping the situation because they too have abandoned the well of the Word of God and have been sipping at the fountains of the devil.

Are you thirsty?  As God’s people, our desire should be for God’s will and God’s Word.  We should thirst after it.  How long has it been since you took a good, long, satisfying drink from God’s well?  How long has it been since you offered a cup of God’s Spirit to the thirsty people of the world around you?

Jun 23rd Nuggets of Gold from the 37th Psalm

Today’s Passages – Psalms 36-39; Proverbs 23

(Second Milers also read – 1 John 4 – 3 John; Memorize – Malachi 3:10)

Before I give you today’s thought from the Scripture, I would like to apologize for the inconsistent posts lately. My schedule has changed quite a bit here lately, and there have been several days where I just could not squeeze it in. I hate to admit this, but I am a little behind in my Bible reading. Pray for me that I will be able to get all of my ducks in a row.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” – (Psalm 37:4)

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” – (Psalm 37:23)

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” – (Psalm 37:25)

Have you ever noticed that Psalm 37 contains many wonderful verses that we often quote. I have listed three of them above, but really I could have added more. This Psalm almost reminds me of a chapter from the Book of Proverbs, but the theme seems to be the same throughout the Psalm. The bottom line to this Psalm is that God is encouraging us to trust in His promises and provisions; and to not worry about the apparent prosperity of the lost world around us. Their success and superiority is short-lived at best; but ours is eternal.

Let’s consider the three verses listed above. David says that a good man will “order” his steps according to the direction of the Lord. This means tha a good man will yield himself to the will of the Lord. Notice that both verse 4 and 23 say that this good man will “delight” in God. God then in turn not only provides the necessities mentioned in v 25, but also will grant his desires. What a wonderful and awesome God we serve. What does this world have to offer you that could possibly compare to what God wants to give that “good” man (or woman) who delights in Him.

Jun 22nd (No Title)

Today’s Passages – Psalms 32-35; Proverbs 22

(Second Milers also read – 2 Peter 3 – 1 John 3; Memorize – Malachi 3:10)