The Saturday Morning Post – God’s Right Hand
Listen to today’s passage – Exodus 13 – 15
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 13
Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Proverbs 24; Psalms 116 – 120
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0124 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from today’s passage – “Moving Forward,” and “He Brought Us This Far.”
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.” (Exodus 14:26 – 15:6)
Good morning. God is all powerful, but in this passage, Israel’s focus was on His right hand. His right hand is become glorious in power and has dashed in pieces their enemy. His triumph caused Israel to sing praises unto the Lord. When I lead the congregational singing, I sometimes noticed the faces of those out in the pews. A few looked unhappy. It is like they were mouthing the words, but did not understand what they meant. They were not singing from the heart: it was like they did not have the victory: they had not seen that their enemy was dashed in pieces. And it’s sad.
The Bible says…
“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” (Psalm 100)
Are you focusing on the Victor or on the victory? Do you perceive yourself as fighting a never ending battle? We should focus on the Right Hand of Power: the One who has already given us the victory…
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:28-34)
We already have the victory. Christ is triumphant.
Christ is triumphant over sin…
“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)
Christ is triumphant over death…
“In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.” (Matthew 28:1-8)
Christ is triumphant over the devil…
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7-10)
Christ is the Victor, and by Him we receive the victory…
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Corinthians 15:51-58)
So the next time you are singing in church, remember the One you are singing about, what He has done for you, and the victory He has won for you. And smile!
Peace!
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Exodus and tagged Exodus 14, God's Right Hand, The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl with 2 comments.
Wait… What!? – Three Surprising Lessons from Moses’ Call in Exodus 4–6
Listen to today’s passage – Exodus 4 – 6
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 4
(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read previous posts from this passage – “Expect Opposition,“ and “What’s Your Excuse?”
Read the “0121 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.
I don’t know how many times I have said those words to myself while reading this book. Exodus is fascinating. It is full of unbelievable stories played out by some very interesting characters. If you read the Book of Exodus like a novel that you’re interested in, and not just out of good Christian duty, it really brings the stories and characters to life.
The main character of Exodus is Moses, and the first few chapters really give an insight into God developing him first as a believer, then as a leader.
In Chapter 3, God tells Moses that He is going to do something big, and that Moses is the man He has chosen to do it through. This came as a shock to Moses. By this time, Moses was already getting up there in years, and was probably pretty set in his ways with a good life. What God was asking him to do now was going to change everything.
In Chapter 4, God begins to teach Moses some things that I believe we can learn from:
- If God asks you to do something for Him, He will give you everything you need.
“And he said, Certainly I will be with thee…” (Exodus 3:12a)
“And the LORD said unto him, What is in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent;…” (Exodus 4:2 – 3a)
“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12)
2. Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that scares you.
“And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail…” (Exodus 4:3 – 4)
Wait…what!? Moses was my kind of guy! It says that when he saw the snake, he fled! And if you know anything about snakes, you know that you don’t try to catch them by the tail. This was something that scared Moses. But God was teaching him to just trust Him. It might scare you, and it might not make sense, but if God is asking you to do it, trust Him.
3. Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that might be painful.
“And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.” (Exodus 4:6)
Wait…what!? Leprosy was a horrible, painful disease that would cause people to have to separate from their friends and family.
Can you imagine being Moses in this moment? Going about, minding your own business, then God shows up and things go crazy. God would continue to have to teach Moses many more lessons on trusting Him. Moses was not yet convinced, and came up with excuse after excuse about why God has chosen the wrong man. But Moses was God’s man, and God would use him in a mighty way. Moses’ life had many ups and downs. Happy times and great victories, and sad times and regrets. But that was Moses life, and that is your life. There will be many times in your Christian life where you scratch your head and say, “wait…what!?” And God is saying, “Just trust Me.” None of us know what all God has in store for our lives, but we can know that He knows, and that He loves us. Sometimes it will scare us, sometimes it will hurt. But He will always give us exactly what we need, when we need it. We just need to trust Him.
Has God ever given you a ‘Wait… What!?’ assignment that scared you or felt painful at first? Share below—I’d love to hear your story!
Phil Erickson Jr. and his wife, Katelyn, serve the Lord at the First Baptist Church of Cottondale, TX. They have four sons – Jaxon, Caleb, Philip III, and Kade.
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Exodus and tagged Burning Bush, Christian Growth, Daily Devotion, Exodus, Exodus 4, Faith in Trials, God's Call, Moses, Overcoming Fear, Phil Erickson Jr., Suffering for Christ, trusting God by Phil Erickson Jr. with 9 comments.
Heartache, Loss, and Scars by Pastor Matt Swiatkowski
Today’s Passage – Genesis 45 – 47 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 7 – 8; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10
Read the “0118 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage – “A Change of Plans,” “Just Let It Go,” “Reconciliation,” and “The Big Picture”
Heartache and loss are among the most universal human experiences, yet they can also be deeply isolating. When we face pain, we often feel as if we are the only ones walking through a storm. Friends and family may be around us, but there can be a sense of loneliness that words fail to express. The Bible is very honest about this, and even our Savior is shown suffering, as mentioned in:
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Loss and disappointment take many forms; sometimes it’s the loss of a loved one, sometimes the end of a friendship, and other times the collapse of a dream once held with confidence. At other times, it’s what we might call a quiet loss, the things no one sees us grieving over. These are not marked by public ceremonies, no greeting cards are made for them, and yet they can hurt just as deeply.
As you read your Bible, you will notice that God never belittles the emotional reality of grief. David writes with deep emotion:
Psa 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
We know that Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet, and we see Job sitting in silence because no words will come. We even see our Savior weeping at the tomb of Lazarus.
Pain reveals what truly matters to us. You do not grieve over what you have never loved. Heartache shows that our hearts were involved, that we invested in something, and that our intentions were genuine. While sorrow itself is not pleasant, God uses it to reveal our affections, loyalties, and values. He does this not to condemn us but to shape us. The psalmist confesses:
Psa 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
The affliction was not wasted; it brought clarity. Through grief, many discover and realize what truly matters, who faithfully stands by them, and what they trusted in more than Christ. Although pain is real, it’s not final. The gospel does not merely offer a way through grief; it offers a Redeemer who transforms it. Christ does not give us a survival manual; He gives resurrection.
While we all strive to avoid sorrow – and naturally hope to do so – we must recognize that, in God, sorrow can be overcome. When I was a young man, I once read that a person can’t be a good preacher until he’s experienced a broken heart. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant; I only knew I wanted to avoid heartbreak. Over the years, however, I have suffered a broken heart on many occasions: through the loss of loved ones, the loss of friends, and heartaches in ministry. These experiences have shaped me into a better, more compassionate, and more tender person. Although I always felt empathy for those who were hurting, my own sorrows have deepened my compassion and made me a much better person.
The psalmist made this clear when he wrote:
Psa 30:5 …weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Both night and morning are a part of the verse. This means that God acknowledges the reality of night while promising certainty in the morning. The journey does not simply move on; the Christian moves forward with scars that honor where they’ve been and with grace that points them to where God is taking them. When we read the book of Job, we see this dear man and his world collapse. We read with anger as his friends try to fix him with explanations-and fail miserably. And often, their theology was questionable. A careful reading of the book of Job reveals that God never rebuked Job for his emotions, but He did confront his friends for weaponizing doctrine against a wounded man. When Jesus comforted His disciples, He did not provide charts and timetables; He gave them Himself. He said,
John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
I remind you that God’s comfort is not sterile; it’s personal. I have learned that God does not answer all the questions of why in this life, but He offers something better: the Who.
We receive the presence of the Shepherd, the one who cares for the sheep. We remember what the psalmist said:
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
We notice there is no promise of avoiding the valley; we will go through it. But we are assured that we are not walking alone.
You need to understand something, and one of the great mysteries of grace is that those who hurt deeply often serve most effectively. God never wastes pain. Your broken heart becomes an open door. Many of the greatest servants of Christ have spoken from wounded places, and their words carried weight because they understood. Paul writes:
2 Cor 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Those verses describe the sacred flow of comfort. God heals you so that you can help heal others. Your heart becomes a seed for ministry, and your tears become tools in the hands of God, while your testimony becomes a shelter for someone else who’s walking through the night you once knew all too well.
Everybody has scars, ones people can see and ones they cannot. For many years, I was self-conscious about my hands because they are very scarred. Most people know I was a plumber, but we also did heating and oil burner work. I was an oil burner mechanic, and #2 oil was always on our hands. Then came the harsh hand cleaners, and they would dry out the skin until every knuckle cracked, bled, healed, cracked, and bled again. Eventually, all my knuckles on both hands were nothing but scar tissue.
People would stare at my hands, and I’d become self-conscious. Occasionally, someone would ask what happened, and depending on my mood, I had a couple of one-liners ready. One fellow asked if I was a boxer. I said, “Yes, when I was in college in Florida, I boxed oranges.” What I noticed was that in the summer, when my hands darkened in the sun, the scars became more visible because scar tissue does not tan. Scars stand out in the light.
My friends, the closer we draw to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more our scars will show. But the Lord uses those scars to help us and to help others. People can look at my hands and say, “This man worked for a living.” The unseen scars of the heart and soul say something even deeper – that we have lived, we have hurt, we have cried, we have struggled, and we have endured. Those are the very scars God uses to minister to other wounded people. You will not find a single person in scripture that God used who did not have emotional scars in their life.
We remember after the resurrection and how Thomas was told that Christ has risen and his reaction. He was very blunt and said:
John 20:25 …Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
We remember how a few days later the Lord would show up and present his scars to Thomas, showing him his hand and his side, and how Thomas reacted at that moment.
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Our Lord was not ashamed of His scars, and neither should we. The Lord used those scars to help a very discouraged preacher, and maybe it would be wise to use your scars to minister to others.
Finally, we lose heart precisely because we were not built for death, separation, betrayal, or endings. These entered the world through sin, not through God’s original design. That’s why heaven is described in terms of removal:
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
It’s the restoration of what was lost at Eden. For us as believers, sorrow is never wasted, and I want you to understand that it’s never forever. Heartache may take chapters, but God holds the pen, the Author writes with wisdom, and He writes with the end already in mind.
Editor’s Note – Pastor Matt did an awesome job dealing with a topic that resonates with all of us because at some level we have all experienced heartache and loss. We would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment!
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts and tagged betrayal, broken heart, comfort, Grief, heartache, loss, pain, scars, suffering by Matt Swiatkowski with 2 comments.
Judah – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Listen to today’s passage – Genesis 43 – 44
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 43
(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0117 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Good Morning! In Genesis 44, Joseph tests his brothers by planting his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, leading to Benjamin’s accusation of theft. When the brothers return to Egypt, Judah steps forward to plead on Benjamin’s behalf…
“Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. … Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.” (Genesis 44:18 & 33)
In chapter 44 of Genesis, we find that Joseph tested his brothers by secretly placing his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, resulting in Benjamin being accused of theft. Judah stepped forward and made intercession for Benjamin. Reading this caused me to remember another member of the tribe of Judah – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – the Lord Jesus Christ.
Judah interceded for his brother; Jesus intercedes for us.
Judah’s selfless plea points us forward to a greater Intercessor from his own tribe—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ—who intercedes and substitutes Himself for us in an infinitely greater way.
“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)
Judah’s mind was on his father and brother; Jesus’ mind was on us.
When Judah stepped forward, his mind was on his father, Israel, and his brother Benjamin. When Jesus went to the cross, His mind was on us…
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Judah was willing to become a slave to free Benjamin; Jesus tasted death to free us.
Judah was willing to leave his wife, family, everything he had to set Benjamin free…
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:9-10)
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:1-5)
“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.” (John3:16)
Just as Judah’s plea moved Joseph’s heart, Jesus’ finished work moves the Father’s heart on our behalf. Have you thanked God and praised Him for this amazing grace yet today?
Peace!
We would love to hear your thoughts – Leave a comment !
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, The Saturday Morning Post and tagged Benjamin, Genesis, Genesis 44, intercession, Joseph, Judah, Types of Christ in Genesis by Pastor Ted Stahl with 3 comments.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl – In Search Of Noah’s Ark
Today’s Passage – Genesis 7 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 5 – 6; Proverbs 3 ; Psalms 11 – 15
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 18:3 & 46
Read the “0103 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 8:1-4)
Good morning and Happy New Year! 2026 is finally here, and that brings us closer to the Lord’s return for His bride. Our passage, in today’s reading tells of another rescue by the Lord: the story of Noah’s ark. While reading this passage (and being old), I remembered a TV series (In Search Of), and a movie (In Search Of Noah’s Ark). With all the evidence presented in those shows, they determined that the ark of Noah is on Mount Ararat in Turkey. You can still see some of these old shows on YouTube. But we already know that this is where the ark is: God told us…
“And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.” (Genesis 8:4)
God told us the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat, so the ark is there. What I’m looking for is Noah’s other ark…
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7)
“Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” (Genesis 6:22-7:1)
Noah’s other ark was faith…
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
In Genesis 7:1, God invites Noah, his wife, and their family, and their wives into the ark, “…for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” Noah and his family were the only ones on earth who God saw as righteous in his generation. But what about todays generation? Noah’s ark has already been built, but is broken in pieces, and scattered underneath the snow and ice of Mount Ararat. Today’s generation has an ark too. Our Ark can only be entered in by faith…
“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)
Our Ark was…
“…despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:3-12)
Our Ark is now seated at the right hand of the Father: He is the Lord Jesus Christ.
“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thesselonians 4:13-18)
If you haven’t been invited into the only Ark that can save you from the coming flood of destruction, allow me to. Twice in Ezekiel 18, verses 4 and 20 tell us that “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”; we are all sinners…
“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)
Romans 6:23 says…
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
But the Good News is in Romans 5:8…
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
And Jesus told us in John3:16-17…
“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.” (John 3:16-17)
God’s word makes salvation plain and simple…
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1John 5:12-13)
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Romans 3:20)
If you call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, He will. Isn’t it time to climb aboard the Ark by faith?
Peace.
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, The Saturday Morning Post and tagged Noah's ark by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
Thoughts About Job from Phil Erickson Jr.
Today’s Reading – Job 15 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers Read – Philippians 1 – 4; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51
Read the “0609 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” (Job 16:2)
The story of Job in the Bible has always fascinated me. I have always loved hearing messages preached about his life. For those of you who attend our church, the “Hast thou retained thine integrity?” message is one of the all-time greats. To think that a man could go from being ”the greatest of all the men of the east” as the Bible calls him, to having nothing in just a matter of hours, and still praise God through all of it just boggles my mind. I have often wondered what it was that made Job such a “perfect and upright” man. Was it the fact that he gave his tithes and offerings faithfully? Maybe. Was it the fact that he cared so much about his family and their spiritual condition? Could be. Or maybe did God just like him better than anyone else at the time? God is not a respecter of persons, but who knows? Maybe He did favor him. He obviously blessed him with a lot. But as I read these few chapters a thought jumped out at me. Job is right smack in the middle of the absolute worst time in his life, and here come his ”friends.” They go on and on about why they think this is all happening to Job. And right in the middle of it, I noticed verses 19-20 of chapter 16. And, I may be wrong, but I think these couple verses may be the secret to Job’s “success” as a man of God. The verses say – “And now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.” Job cared about what God thought, and ONLY about what God thought. He said ‘my witness is in heaven’ , and ‘my record is on high.’ He knew that God knew everything that was going on. He knew that God knew his heart and his intentions with everything he did in his life. He knew that God knew that his tithes and offerings, his service to God, and his love for his family was out of his love and devotion to God. It had nothing to do with ANYONE else. So, when the chips were down, and everything went down the drain, he didn’t go running to his friends or anyone else. He went to God. He brought his tears to God. He knew that when things were good, it was God. When things were bad, it was God. And he praised God through it all.
As Christians we need to see that everything that happens to us, good or bad, comes from the Lord. He loves us more than we can ever know. He has a plan for our lives, and we need to trust Him and Him alone. When the chips are down, our friends won’t always be there. Sometimes even our family won’t be there. But God is always there. He never turns His back on us…who are we to turn our backs on Him?
Posted in Guest Posts, Thoughts from Job by Phil Erickson Jr. with 4 comments.
Godly Character
Today’s Passages – Genesis 38 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the passages. Click here to view today’s passage on Blue Letter Bible.)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 1 – 2; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1
Read the “0115 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage – “What About Judah?“ and “God’s Perfect Plan“
“And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:7-9)
Joseph was a man of great godly character and is a wonderful picture, or type, of Christ in that regard. He is simply not like other men. He has the ability to say no to his flesh and completely yield to the will of God for his life. This attribute of godly character can be exhibited in many examples from Joseph’s life, but a particularly vivid picture of this is painted for us in the verses above. Joseph, a young, single man, was being tempted in the area of sexual purity by the wife of his employer. Joseph had the perfect opportunity to yield to the the lusts of his flesh, but instead refuses. He says, “NO!” He knew that yielding to Potiphar’s wife’s wishes was foremost a sin against God and was also a sin against Potiphar, a man that had been very good to Joseph up to this point. How many young men in Joseph’s position would have been able to resist the temptation and say no to this kind of proposition?
Sexual impurity is not limited to just the act of committing adultery with another man’s wife. It is just as wrong for unmarried people to commit fornication regardless of what our very carnal contemporary culture would say. It is also dangerous to view images portraying sexual impurity on the internet. It is very difficult for both men and women to say no to their flesh and yield to God in these areas, but it can be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says:
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
I realize that the Holy Spirit did not work in quite the same way in the Old Testament time that Joseph lived, but I know this: Joseph had a deep and abiding relationship with God, which is exactly what walking in the Spirit is for the New Testament Christian today. Joseph’s love for God and His will superseded Joseph’s fleshly desires. Joseph did not have “better flesh” than other men; he was not superhuman. He just was in love with God.
Peter wrote about this level of Christian discipline:
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)
Notice two of the seven attributes that Peter states can and should be added to every Christian’s life: virtue and godliness. These are the two that Joseph exemplified in his encounter with Potiphar’s wife. However, Joseph also demonstrated the other five attributes listed by Peter throughout his life. And so can we, if we are walking with and filled with the Spirit of God, and yielded to God’s will. It is not easy to “just say no” to our flesh, but it is certainly not impossible with God’s help.
By the way, we see quite a contrast in Joseph’s godly character in chapter 39 with the character of Judah and his family in chapter 38. Notice the language used in v. 2:
“2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.” (Genesis 38:2)
It does not say that he married her; it just states that he “went in unto her.” There is all kinds of other weirdness going on in this chapter also including immoral behavior by Judah’s sons and also Judah sleeping with his daughter-in-law whom he thought was a harlot.
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts and tagged #Genesis39, #Godliness, #GodlyCharacter, #Joseph, #Judah, #Virtue by Phil Erickson with 7 comments.
God’s Got the Details by Katelyn Erickson
Today’s Passage – Exodus 39 – 40 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 21 – 22; Proverbs 2; Psalms 11 – 15)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read the “0202 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “The Glory of the Lord“
“31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat: 32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses. 33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.“ (Exodus 40:31-33)
When I read about the tabernacle I’m always amazed and thankful our God cares so much about the smallest details.
Let’s be grateful for all the beautiful, interesting parts of life that God gives us each day, but it is so important to not get overwhelmed, bogged down, or anxious over all the details.
“As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.” Joshua 11:15
As God gave out each instruction, the Bible says that Moses simply obeyed “as the Lord had commanded Moses”.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” John 14:15, 21
At the end of the book of Exodus it says “So Moses finished the work.” (40:33) We sometimes can get distracted by the complicated intricacies while really we need to keep our focus on the simplicity of just loving Him and keeping His commands…while leaving life’s nitty gritty details in His hands.
Then, we too will be able to finish the work that He has given us in this life that He has blessed up with.
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Just for Ladies, Thoughts from Exodus by Katelyn Erickson with 5 comments.
Stiffnecked
Today’s Passage – Exodus 33 – 35 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 17 – 18; Proverbs 31; Psalms 1 – 5 (Jump start on February because it is a short month)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0131 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous post from today’s reading passage – “Willing Servants,” and “Beaming.”
“….for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.” (Exodus 33:3 – 5)
Reading this chapter brought back some memories of me as a six year old boy at my great-grandmother’s house and hearing her say, Gerald you are so hardheaded!!
We see the Lord upset with the children of Israel, and it’s not his first time nor will be his last that He has been grieved by them and it’s just amazing that He never just destroyed every last one of them… but can’t the same thing be said about us?
We cannot talk enough about the mercy of God!
The Bible says that we are “but dust.” Know what that means? It means we are NOTHING!
Just take a second and think about how often we grieve our God. Too many saved, children of God, like myself that live like this. Why? Why are we so full of ourselves that we think we know better than the KNOWER of all things!?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (James 4:6)
So flippantly we say Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, and we know that means we are born again, but is He LORD of us? Do we live like He is? Is He Master? Does He call ALL the shots? Or does the creature know more than the Creator?!
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
Why do we walk around living a life that screams to God, “I got it!” We live as though we were entitled to salvation or for some reason were worthy of it! We act as though we deserve to be treated a certain way in this world, when you take a step back and think about how we will never receive what we truly deserve. It ought to stop you in your tracks!
Hey every day outside of hell is a good day, NO MATTER WHAT! Without Christ, we are nothing. He is the only thing that makes us special.
We read a lot about the children of Israel and their fickleness, but we must be careful not to look our noses down at them because far too often we are guilty of the same inconsistencies. Think about the things we complain about so much in others that we do ourselves. We look at other “dirt clods” and cast them down, and promote ourselves to better, when at the end of the day, we’re all just dirt.
We must get honest with who we truly are and where we lack spiritually and do something about it.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22)
Look Is He worthy of our absolute total trust in Him or not? Has He not proven countless times the obvious answer? Has our flesh proven that it’s not worth trusting with any moment of our lives, yet which do we yield to more ?
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Exodus by Gerald Hicks with 6 comments.
What Are You So Afraid Of?
Today’s Passage – Genesis 43 – 44 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0117 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from today’s reading passage – “Bereaved Again,” “Passed the Test,” and “People Can Change.”
“And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.” (Genesis 43:18)
If the book of Genesis was a movie, this would be the part of the movie that you would be on the edge of your seat, mindlessly shoving popcorn in your mouth, wondering what’s going to happen next? The story of Joseph’s life starts out looking like things are really good. Joseph seems to have favor with his father and with God. God is giving him special dreams that seem to show him that he is going to be used for some bigger purpose. Then things seem to take a turn for the worse. Jealousy from his bothers, anger, betrayal, slavery, false accusation, prison. At this part of the movie, you’re wondering why you spent the money. It’s depressing. But things then begin to turn around for Joseph. God brings him out of prison, begins to bless him in ways that you could only dream of.
Everything seems to be going well. This movie was crazy, but they all lived happily ever after. Then all of a sudden, Joseph is taken through a time machine, and blasted with a whirlwind of emotions. He sees his brothers. The brothers that wanted to kill him. The brothers that sold him as a slave. What is he going to do now? He know who they are, but they don’t recognize him. I encourage you to read the whole story if you haven’t yet.
And the story goes on. The brothers are wondering why they are being singled out. Joseph, no doubt is wondering if or when his brothers will recognize him. Eventually we get to the passage of Scripture that I have at the beginning. The brothers are afraid. They are looking over their shoulders, expecting to be deceived. Have you ever noticed about certain people, that they think everyone is lying to them all the time? I’ve come to find in most cases, they themselves are compulsive liars. Or, people who think others are talking about them all the time, are generally the biggest gossips. They live their lives a certain way, and they they just assume that everyone else is the same as they are. I think that is the case with Jospeh’s brothers here. If you read back through the past couple of chapters, you can see stories of lies, deceit and deception all involving Joseph’s brothers. So, naturally they are here expecting Joseph to be the same way. And Jospeh does use some deceit here. I believe he does it to wake them up. They have lived their lives in deceit so much, they now have deceived themselves into believing their lies.
Joseph, on the other hand, lived a life of honesty and integrity. He lived a life trusting God. And even though he faced many difficult situations, he was never looking over his shoulder wondering what was going to happen next. He just trusted that God knew what He was doing, and although he may not enjoy what was happening at the moment, he knew God was with him.
I have lived my life at times, sadly, like Jospeh’s bothers. I have, at times, to the glory of God, live my life like Joseph. And I can tell you, that the latter helps you sleep much better at night. In this new year, I don’t want to be afraid, constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for what’s going to happen because of an ungodly, selfish way of living. I want God to be with me. I want God to be pleased with me. How about you? Let’s tackle 2023 together, living a life that is pleasing to God.
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts by Phil Erickson Jr. with 3 comments.