Happy Birthday America!

Today’s Passage – Psalm 51 – 60

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:32; 36

Praise the Lord for America! This is the greatest nation on the face of the earth. When I think about Independence Day, I am filled with praise and gratitude to our God for three specific things:

1 I thank the Lord for Jesus who died on the cross for my sins, giving me liberty from the Law and from the bondage of sin. To think that Christ would love someone like me is really beyond my comprehension.

2 I also thank the Lord for the men and women of God throughout the centuries who have given their lives delivering the message of salvation. I could not be saved today if it weren’t for people who sacrificed greatly communicating the truth of God’s Word.

3 Finally, I am filled with gratitude for the men and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom here in America. With all of her faults, America is by far the best place in the world to live. I can carry my Bible here; I can open it on any street corner and proclaim the glorious name of Christ. I have the freedom to worship God here according to the convictions that God has given me through His Word. I do a lot of complaining about the direction our country is heading sometimes; but today I am going to lay aside all of the negatives, and be thankful for the blessing of America!

One more thing. I am going to think today about what sacrifice I can make to send the message of Christ to not just America, but to every living, breathing soul on this earth.

Thank you Jesus for setting me free from sin. Thank you America for giving me the freedom to thank and serve Jesus.

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Phil Erickson

Pastor Phil Erickson has been the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church since January of 2002. Having grown up in Ocean County, Pastor Phil has always had a burden for the south Jersey area. After graduating from Bible College in Longview, Texas, he and his family moved to Galloway Township with the vision of digging in and serving the Lord and the people of Atlantic County. Pastor Phil and Cindy Erickson have been married since 1985. They have four children and ten grandchildren. Their oldest son, Phil Jr. and his wife Katelyn are serving the Lord in Egg Harbor Twp., NJ. Their oldest daughter, Melissa, is married to Wesley Clayton who is in the Air Force and is currently stationed in New Mexico. Samantha, their third child, is married to Justin Mears and they are both serving the Lord at the church in Galloway. Hannah, the youngest, is married to Lucas McCollum, and they are also serving here in Galloway. In preparation for ministry, the Lord led him through a variety of educational experiences that have equipped him to serve the Lord and His people. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgian Court University, a Bachelor of Biblical Studies in Pastoral Theology from Texas Independent Baptist Seminary (formerly Texas Baptist College), a Master of Religious Education in Bible from West Coast Baptist College, and a Master of Biblical Studies from The Crown College. More recently, he completed a Graduate Certificate in Biblical Counseling and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Veritas Baptist College. He is thankful for these opportunities to study God’s Word more deeply, and counts it a privilege to use whatever knowledge the Lord has given him for the building up of His church. In addition to pastoring, the Lord has given Phil the wonderful privilege of teaching as an adjunct professor at Vision Baptist College in Berlin, NJ and Veritas Baptist College.

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Ted Stahl says:

July 5, 2010 at 7:07 am

Just a quick thought on Ps. 51. Our God is a God of action. Because HE LOVED us, HE SENT His Son to die for our sins.
In Ps. 51, David is crying out for forgiveness, and for God to restore the joy of His salvation. The son conceived in adultry was taken, but David's next son conceived with Bathsheba became king of Israel. When God forgives, action takes place. We sometimes keep beating ourselves up about the same bone-head sin we committed years ago. But our God is a God of action. 1John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, HE IS faithful and just TO FORGIVE us our sins, and TO CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness. Just a thought.