Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Feb 20th We Are Blessed by Debbie Leatherman

Today’s Passage – Numbers 14 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 19 – 21; Proverbs 20; Psalms 101 – 105)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 119:105

Read the “0220 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s reading: “Obstacles.”

“The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” (Numbers 14:18)

Like many of us, I read the verses in Numbers that tell of all the complaining of the congregation, and what seems to be a lack of trust in God and / or their leaders; and I wonder how in the world all those people could so quickly forget how God had saved them from slavery and blessed them and protected them… and I think My Goodness how could they so quickly forget the miracles they had seen and experienced??..

BUT THEN, I realize that I can’t be so high & mighty because in fact, aren’t we the same way?  I know I am.. They complained and whined but don’t we do that too?  I know I do… And they had no self-control.. but I struggle with self-control sometimes too..

Perhaps the root of their doubt and disappointment was really that way down deep they thought; “I’m not really worthy that God would do all this for me?”  I’m not qualified; I’m not capable; I’m fearful of change; Can anyone else relate or is it just me?  I even struggled with trying to contribute to this Blog and I lack confidence in having enough wisdom and knowledge and ability to place the right words on paper to make a good thought. Doesn’t the Devil know exactly how to scare us and frustrate us; cause us to doubt and worry, and complain and whine??   He can certainly get into my head and cause me to self-doubt, to tell me that I’m in that other part of Gideon’s army that he sent back to their tents; not the final chosen 300 to fight the good fight (Judges 7:8).

Thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness; to the Israelites of old and to us today.  Thank you for your longsuffering and patience; your love even though we also complain and whine and doubt, just way too often.

Remember He is Our God.. Numbers 15:41

Fear not..Num 14:8-9

II Tim 1:7

Listen to Steve Green sing: “Find Us Faithful“

Feb 18th God’s Presence by Sarah Camillo

Today’s Passage – Numbers 8 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 13 – 15; Proverbs 18; Psalms 91 – 95)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8

Read the “0218 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s reading – “Don’t Move“

“So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.” (Numbers 9:15) 

There are times in our lives we end up in a spiritual wilderness. We feel alone, forsaken, unloved, unforgiveable, and longing for God’s presence.  Reading the passage today, we see that the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, which they did for 40 years. It was due to sin and this was the consequence, yet in the midst of them God made His presence known! The cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night was God’s presence with them during those wilderness years. He used the cloud and the pillar of fire to guide them. What a comfort to know that even when we are in the “wilderness” GOD IS THERE!  He is with us! As He guided the Israelites by taking up the cloud and moving it to where He wanted them to go and the pillar of fire by night to light their way, so God’s presence in our darkness will light the way and guide us through the difficult times of our lives. He is our guide and He is our light! A great verse to commit to memory is Hebrews 13:5b “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

 “Guide Me Thou, O Great Jehovah” is an old hymn that was written in 1745 by William Williams after going through many difficulties. It is one of my favorite hymns. Notice that verse two refers to the cloud and the fire. May these words be a blessing to you today.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, 
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliv’rer, strong Deliv’rer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

Feb 16th The Lord Bless Thee

Today’s Passage – Numbers 5 – 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 7 – 9; Proverbs 16; Psalms 81 – 85)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 61:1 – 3

Read the “0216 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”  (Numbers 6:24-26)

In chapters 5 of the Book of Numbers, God is instructing the children of Israel about what they should do if a man suspects that his wife has been unfaithful to him. The Bible talks about “the spirit of jealousy” that comes upon a man if there is something going on behind his back. I believe the same holds true for the wife. I know that today we don’t often think of jealousy as being a good thing; but interestingly, the Bible records that God is very jealous over his children. I do not think it is wrong either for there to be a healthy dose of jealousy within the marriage either. A man should love his wife to the extent that he cannot bear the thought of her being with anyone else. The same applies to the wife. Jealousy is, I believe, a God-given emotion. Now it must be controlled, just as all of our other emotions; and we cannot let it cause us to sin, but I believe it to be a good thing nonetheless.

Chapter 6 primarily deals with the rules concerning the vow of the Nazarite. When a person took this special vow of consecration in Old Testament days, he would not cut his hair or his beard, and he was not permitted to touch any alcohol, or come near anything (or anybody) that was dead. This vow was a vow of “separation unto the Lord”. The person that took this vow was declaring that his or her life was wholly dedicated to God. Usually, a person would be under this oath of separation for a period of time, not for his entire life. By the way, don’t confuse a Nazarite with a Nazarene, which is a person that comes from the city of Nazareth. Jesus was a Nazarene.

I was captivated this morning by the prayer of blessing found at the end of chapter 6. It seemed almost strange for this beautiful prayer to be place in this particular place. I mean, we have been reading a lot here lately about a bunch of commandments, sacrifices, rules, etc. Here, God tells Aaron that he wants him to pronounce this prayer of blessing over the people. I think God just wanted to remind the people that he loved them and that He was for them. I think we can learn a couple of lessons from this as well. First, we need to be reminded that God loves us and wants nothing but the best for us. We often will think about God as this angry, cold dictator that is ready to pounce upon us when we do wrong. That is not God. He loves us and He wants to give us the richest blessings, and a life full of abundance.

The second lesson that we should learn from this is that when we are trying to teach our children, we need to remember to let them know often that we love them. Yes, we need to give them all of the rules, commandments, and instructions; and yes, we ought to discipline them when they do wrong; but we also need to make sure that they know that we (and especially God) are in their corner, and that we want nothing but the richest blessings for their lives. This would be a good lesson for preachers and other mentors to learn as well. In our zeal to instruct, we sometimes come across as being uncaring and unloving. You have heard the old saying: “People do not care about what you know, until they know that you really care.” Well, we ought to really care, and we ought also to express that love and care often to the people that we are trying to help.

Feb 15th Does This Mean I Can Retire? – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Numbers 3 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 4 – 6; Proverbs 15; Psalms 76 – 80

Read the “0215 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.” (Numbers 4:46-49)

Good morning. I am 66 years, and 4 days old today. I like it that way: each day brings me closer to my going to be with the Lord. In our text, God told Moses that those from thirty years old to fifty years old are to do the service of the ministry. Does this mean I can retire? No. I’ll retire when the Lord takes me home. There are dangers to quitting. Here are a few verses to consider…

“For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11:29)

Since the gifts God gives us are to edify others, we both suffer if you quit. And if God’s calling is without repentance (He will not change His mind), well, just look at Jonah and watch out for great fishes…

“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. (Jonah 1:1-4)

“And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land. Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous. And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:7-17)

1) Quitting not only affects you, but others also.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

“There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.” (John 21:2-3)

Peter, and those who followed him, went fishing and caught nothing…

2) Quitting does not glorify God.

“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1Kings 19:1-4)

“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.” (2Kings 2:9-14)

3) Quitting could end in an untimely demise.

What if? Let me give you this ‘what if’ here. What if Elijah would have kept going, and the Lord performed a few more miracles through Elijah, say five more. Elisha saw Elijah depart, and Elisha did get his request granted and performed twice as many miracles as Elijah. This would mean that there would have been ten more miracles done by Elisha. Considering quitting? Consider the consequences it will have on you and on others.

Peace.

Feb 13th Obey? – By Camille Stahl

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 26 – 27 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 19 – 21; Proverbs 13; Psalms 66 – 70)

Read the “0213 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;…” (Leviticus 26:1-3)

In chapter 26, we see God addressing to the children of Israel, the first and third of the Ten Commandments. He then gives a detailed description of what will happen if they walk in His ways, (verses 3 – 13). But in verses 14 – 39 , he explains what He’ll do if they do not walk in His judgments. Then at the end of chapter 26, God gives them the opportunity to repent.

Israel reminds me of the United States. Originally the people came over from England because they wanted religious freedom. So as God freed the children of Israel so they could worship Him in the wilderness, He made America free.

But when they got to Mount Sinai, they erected a golden statue to worship. Just think about how many statues we have standing in our country today.

In verse 16 it mentions “the burning ague” (a very high fever), it causes a sorrow of heart. I think about all the diseases we had, and the ones we have now that cause so much sorrow.

The beginning of verse 22 says “I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children”. How many of our children go missing or have been miscarried. Remember the sun shines and the rain falls on the just and the unjust. We live in a sin cursed world.

So because of our disobedience, there are consequence to suffer. But be of good cheer. Our God is longsuffering. He loves us gentiles as much as He loves the children the of Israel.

“And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.” (Leviticus 26:41-42)

“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)

I do understand that Leviticus was written to the Jews, but we can apply it to today. What an awesome God we serve. We have the Bible to help us through all our needs. We can read and learn from the mistakes of those who’s lives in the pages were written by Almighty God. We can rest in knowing that when we mess up, we can always run home to Him, confess and forsake our sin and we will be forgiven.

Let us not just read the Ten Commandments, but to be an example to others and live our lives according to them. Amen

1John 5:13

Feb 11th Biblical Separation by Wade Thompson

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 22 – 23 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 15 – 16; Proverbs 11; Psalms 56 – 60

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33

Read the “0211 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s reading – “Take Time to Remember.“

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 22:1-2)

We live in a society where sin is glorified and godliness is looked down on. Sin is everywhere; it’s on our phones, it’s on the billboard on our way to work, it’s in the music we listen to, and it’s on our TV’s that we watch with our family. In such a sin-filled atmosphere we see Christians all around us falling to the Devil, and it’s just so discouraging. As Christians we are a called out assembly and we are supposed to be transformed reflection of the image of God:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

The Lord is very strong on this principle of separation, and we see that in Rev 3:16:

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

God wants us either all in or all out, no in between. We are fighting the Devil (Ephesians 6:11) and we need to be ready to withstand his attacks. This is important to remember if we are to live a holy, godly life. We should want to be as close to God as we can get, and sin separates us from Him:

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

We need to draw nigh to God, and he will get closer to us (James 4:8).

1. If you are in sin, remember God is faithful and just to forgive you (1 John 1:9).

2. There is no temptation that we cannot bear when we have God’s help (1 Corinthians 10:13).

3. We are commanded in the Bible to be holy (1 Peter 1:15-16; Romans 12:2).

4. We are a chosen people, called OUT of darkness (1 Peter 2:9).

Let us go against the flow and resist the trend of the world and how it influences the church and let us live separated lives that please God. Let us not profane God’s holy name. He is the Lord.

Feb 8th The Four R’s – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 14 – 15 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 9 – 10; Proverbs 8; Psalms 41 – 45

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD. And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean. And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil; And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering. And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD: And he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: And the priest shall pour of the oil into the palm of his own left hand: And the priest shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD: And the priest shall put of the oil that is in his hand upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the place of the blood of the trespass offering: And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; Even such as he is able to get, the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. This is the law of him in whom is the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get that which pertaineth to his cleansing.” (Leviticus 14:1-32)

“Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.” (Proverbs 8:32-33)

Good morning. Aren’t you glad that God’s salvation is a gift: you don’t have to earn it? In today’s reading of Leviticus 14 and 15, God’s Law is revealed on dealing with leprosy in man, leprosy in houses, and other “issues.” This is what the people had to go through to make themselves and their houses clean. But even back then God had taken care of everything. All those sacrifices had pointed to the one Sacrifice that was to come: the Jews were looking forward to the coming of Christ just as we look forward to His coming when we will meet Him in the air.

Ephesians 2:8 and 9 say…

“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)

So what should we do in the time we are here on earth? Here are the Four R’s…

1) REALIZE. Realize that you are a sinner without any hope of saving yourself.

Twice in Ezekiel 18 God warns…

“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)

And…

“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)

Romans 3:10 and 3:23 tell us…

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

And

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

2) REPENT. Change your mind about how you can get to heaven. Turn from unbelief to belief.

“And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:23-31)

Romans 10:13 says…

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

3) REMAIN.

Being sinners, we are always going to mess up during our life here on earth. 1John 1:9 reminds us that…

“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)

This “R” is the easy “R.” Jesus is the one that holds onto us. Jesus said…

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

4) REPRODUCE.

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

Peace.

Feb 6th What!… No Lobster?!?… by Cindy Erickson

Today’s Passage –Leviticus 11 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 5 – 6; Proverbs 6; Psalms 31 – 35)

Read previous posts from this passage – “Creeping Things,” and “Provision for the Poor.”

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

Read the “0206 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. … For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Leviticus 11:1-2, 44)

Did you ever wonder why God gave the Nation of Israel all of these rules regarding what they could and could not eat? I am in complete agreement with God regarding most of the selections that He took off the menu in the Old Testament. For instance, I have no desire to eat a camel, or eat fried eagle. However, some of the items on the “unclean list,” are some of my favorite meals; lobster and shrimp come to mind. But what was the reasoning behind God’s list of what was OK and what was not. It could be that He knew that these animals would not be good for their health. Or it may just be that the eating of these animals would in some way take away from His glory. It may have been to keep Israel separated from the heathen nations. We really do not know the exact reason(s), and it really doesn’t matter. God said, “No,” and that settles it.

What we do know is that there is now no spiritual prohibition against eating any of these things. In the New Testament, Peter got rebuked for calling these “fourfooted beasts,” etc. unclean.

” On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:9-15)

Whew! Lobster is back on the menu. I bet my husband wishes it wasn’t. He is not a big fan of any kind of seafood.

Jesus said it was not what goes into us that defiles us, but rather what comes out of us (Matthew 15:11). The point is, while we should be somewhat concerned about our health and what we put into our bodies because it is God’s temple (1 Corinthians 6:19), we should be far more concerned about the things that go into and proceed from our hearts. Too many of us are feeding on things (not food) that are not spiritually healthy for our hearts, and as a result, it shows up in what comes out of our lives.

Feb 4th Access Through the Advocate by Pastor Gerald Hicks II

Today’s Passage – Leviticus 5 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – John 1 – 2; Proverbs 4; Psalms 21 – 25

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105

Read the “0204 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Ignorant but not Innocent.”

Advocate- (n.) one that pleads the cause of another. Intercessor.

In these next set of chapters of Leviticus we read a good amount from the Law of Moses on the different offerings that were observed. There are about five different offerings discussed in chapter five alone. All these offerings were apart of their normal way of life. There were two verses in chapter five that I just couldn’t get over.

“And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a kid of the goats, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin.” (Leviticus 5:5-6)

After reading those verses, I just could not stop thinking of the free access that we have to God through His Son. Throughout chapter five you will see how specifically detailed each offering and it’s requirements were. It is a humbling thought to think that Jesus loves someone like me so much that He died. Not only did He die and rise again so that I could have the chance to receive Him as Lord and Saviour, not just so I would never see or spend a second in Hell, but He did all that so that I could have access to the Father. 

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2)

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews‬ ‭4:14-16‬)

I don’t know what you’re going through or where your walk with the Lord is at today. I want to encourage you to not take for granted that high priest named Jesus Christ, but instead take advantage of the relationship you can have with Him. The One that took our place and interceded for us on Calvary desires for us to know Him intimately. He knows you better than you know you. He knows what you’re going through. 

He wants to hear from you! He never gets tired of your voice and you can talk to Him anytime of the day or night! 

I find more and more as time goes on just how much I need that mercy and grace that is referenced in the verse above. As you have probably gathered by now, life is tough, but I promise you it’s a whole lot easier to go through when the Captain of our salvation is at the helm of our lives. I can hear my dad now whenever he’d talk about life’s trials, “Just keep livin’, you’ll see, just keep on livin.”

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)

One Last Thought:

Life doesn’t stop at salvation!

James says our life is “but a vapour “.. it’s here now, but with every fleeting breath that God allows us to breath, in all reality we draw closer and closer to being with our Saviour… What are we doing for Christ with the time that we have left?

Feb 1st Don’t Spare Me The Details – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Exodus 36 – 38 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Luke 19 – 20; Proverbs 1; Psalms 6 – 10

Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.” (Exodus 36:1)

Good morning! It always amazes me the amount of people that say they dread reading this portion of Exodus: the building of the Tabernacle, and the items therein. Too many details, they say. But our God is a perfect God, and as the only perfect God, He is concerned about the details. For instance, when Israel complained to Moses that there was no water to drink, God told Moses to smote a rock, and water would come out. Moses did, and life giving water flowed freely from the rock that he smote. God painted a great picture of how Jesus would be smitten, and His blood would flow freely, giving life to all who would drink from this Most Holy Fountain. The next time, the details were marred. God told Moses to only speak to the rock, and water would flow. But Moses didn’t. In his anger at Israel, he hit the rock as he spoke, and once again water flowed. Moses had smudged the painting God was making: the details were ruined. God was painting a picture of Romans 10:13…

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

As a result of him messing up the details, Moses was not allowed to enter into the promised land. God is concerned about the details.

We should be glad that God is concerned about the details too. He knows me and you better than we know ourselves. Just think, a perfect God, who supplied the perfect salvation, is building me the perfect mansion in the perfect place. My mansion is just for me, and it will be the perfect place for me: don’t spare me the details!

According to our verse, God gave wisdom and understanding to those building so they would know the details, and create the items exactly how God wanted them. What were they building?

1) They were building a witness for the Lord.

There was a TV commercial years ago that stated how amazing the human eye is. It can see the flickering light of a candle that is 10 miles away. How much more the fire of the Lord by night and the cloud of the Lord by day covering the Tabernacle? Exodus 40:38 tells us that it was in the sight of all Israel. If your eye can see a candle flickering 10 miles away, the surrounding nations may have saw also that God was with Israel.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

2) They were building up riches in Heaven.

Jesus said…

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

They gave out of the abundance that the Lord had given them when they spoiled the Egyptians. They gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop giving (Exodus 36:4-7). I ain’t never heard that one happening in any of today’s churches. God can stretch your 90% more than you can stretch your 100%.

3) They were building a legacy for their families.

The Tabernacle would be the place to worship God, and offer Him sacrifices, for 480 years when Solomon would build the first Temple. That’s five, or so, generations that would meet with the Lord here.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

What have you built lately? Don’t spare the details.

Peace.