The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree
Today’s Passages – Genesis 25 – 26
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)
“And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said,
She is my sister: for he feared to say,
She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah;
because she was fair to look upon.” – (Genesis 26:7)
In order for you to fully understand this morning’s thought, you might want to go back and read Genesis chapter twenty. If this account of Isaac lying about the true identity of his wife sounds familiar to you, it is because we read back in Genesis 20 that his father, Abraham, did the exact same thing to Abimelech. It appears that the apple doesn’t fall very far the tree. Isaac apparently had picked up some of his father’s bad habits.
There is an old expression which states that parents don’t get what they want in child-rearing, they get what they are. I have observed that to be true. Our children definitely begin to emulate our values, character traits, and even our mannerisms. As a school teacher, I have closely observed the children in my charge, and it is amazing how much the children are like their parents. It’s kind of scary to think that we are also passing on our bad habits. Isaac learned how to lie from his dad.
As parents, we must be very careful to remember that our children are always watching us; almost analyzing us. They mistakenly think that everything we do is right, so they have no reason not to mimic who we are. Even later when they are taught with words regarding bad behavior, the message that they received from the life of the parent will often leave a stronger impression. Parents, and mentors, need to be very careful to watch their own behavior, especially around those young ones that are so impressionable. We need to be what we want them to be. Be the right example to your children.
Posted in Thoughts from Genesis by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
JUST FOR LADIES – By Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Genesis 17 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalm 26 – 30
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 25
Read the “0106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage –”Don’t Look Back“, “Abraham Did a Little Walking With God, Too” and “The Prayer of a Friend”
THE STUDY OF SARAH
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. (Genesis 18:9-14)
Abraham and Sarah lived a secure life in Ur, with friends and family. One day God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his land and go to a place which He would point out to him. Most women would find it hard to leave their home to face an unknown future, but Sarah got on board and stood behind her husband, obeyed God and went willingly. After moving over 600 miles away, God told Abraham to move again. All the while Sarah was waiting for the promise of God to bear a child.
Abraham and Sarah continued moving around, and because of a famine, they decided to move to Egypt. For the first time Sarah saw Abraham not take council from God. She must have really questioned her husband when he asked her to tell the people she was his sister. Here was a man who walked beside God now running ahead. Sarah honored her husband, and God honored Sarah by protecting her in Egypt. Sarah knew from experience that to live a life of faith she would need to be patient. Faith and patience go together. You can’t buy them, you have to experience them. But Sarah was growing older and now past her days of child bearing. She suggested to Abraham that he take a Hagar as his concubine. Although these things happened frequently back then, it was still wrong because of her lack of faith.
A year after God appeared to them again, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a child. Finally the promise from God.
Today, we have two nations from the loins of Abraham: the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael; and the Jews, the descendants of Isaac. They are still at war with each other, all because Sarah ran ahead of God.
We too must follow by God’s side. Never running ahead or dragging behind. Move when God moves us, wait when He is working. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” If you ever walked in the woods at night with a flashlight, you know you must walk next to the one holding the light. Too far behind or ahead, you are in darkness. You might go down the wrong path, stumble or fall. So let’s take the Saviour’s hand and walk together by His side.
In conclusion, I do not want to leave Sarah on a sour note. Sarah’s had experienced many sacrifices. Her faith grew after the birth of her son Isaac. She experienced hardships and disappointments all without complaints. She was flexible with the changes that were made in her life. By her obedience to Abraham, she allowed him to obey God. In Hebrews 11, she was honored for the faith she did have, not because of her failures.
Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy Blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God I come…
Thank You
1 John 5:13
Posted in Just for Ladies by admin with no comments yet.
Don’t Move – Unless God Moves You
Today’s Passage – Genesis 10 – 12
“And Abraham journeyed, going on still toward the south” (Genesis 12:9)
There has only been two times in my life that God has clearly revealed His perfect will to me. I am not referring to the will of God that is revealed to all of us in the Word. What I am referring to is when God miraculously showed me where He wanted me to go and what He wanted me to do. The first time was when God showed me where to go to Bible College. I had been searching for His will regarding my training for the ministry and frankly I was not sure what to do. I won’t go into to all of the details, but after spending a lot of time in prayer, God made it crystal clear to me where He wanted me to go.
I will tell you a little bit more about the second time. I was in my last year of Bible College and the day of my graduation was at hand. I did not know at that time what God had planned for me after I finished. I had some thoughts about what I wanted to do, but I wanted to make sure that I was following God, not trying to get Him to follow me. I was out on my bus route in Texarkana one Saturday, and again I was praying about what to do. All of a sudden I thought about Pastor Charlie Clark, a preacher that I had known back in New Jersey. I decided to give him a call and ask his advice. I remember that he had once told me that he wanted to help start twenty new churches in south Jersey. Maybe God would allow me to be the pastor of one of them. I called 411, got his number, and then called him, and surprisingly Pastor Clark picked up the phone. I shared with him my dilemma, and after a long conversation, he agreed to help me start a church when I returned home. I later found out that as soon as he hung up the phone with me, the phone rang again. This time it was Pastor Dan Owens, the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church. Pastor Dan had been called by God to become a chaplain in the military, and he needed somebody to take the church that he had started in Galloway. God used Pastor Clark to connect me with Dan Owens, and the rest, as they say, is history. I never candidated anywhere else, and I didn’t really candidate here at Jersey Shore. I just met with the pastor, and preached a couple of times for him; and upon his recommendation, the church voted me in. I believe with all of my heart that God, through those circumstances, revealed His perfect will regarding where He wanted me to go after I graduated from college.
Now I told you all of that to tell you this: it was thirteen years ago this week that the people of Jersey Shore Baptist Church voted me in to be their pastor. But before they chose me, God did. Now through these years there have been many good days, but there have also been many times of trial and testing. However, because I knew that I was where God wanted me to be, I did not quit. Though I have been tempted to do so many times, I did not move away.
In Genesis 12:6 – 8, Abraham entered into the land of Canaan, and God appeared to him and told him this was the place where He was going to bless him. X marks the spot. You don’t need to go anywhere else, Abraham, because this is the place of God’s blessing. How sad it is that in verse 9, Abraham is leaving the place of God’s calling. Verse 10 reveals that when a famine comes, he moves further away into Egypt. Do you know that God does not speak to Abraham again until he gets back to the place where God had told him to stay? (Genesis 13:14)
Christian, be very careful about the decisions you make in life. Things like where you live, whom you marry, what school you go to. All of the major decisions should be carefully prayed over, and counsel needs to be sought after. Don’t move unless you are sure you are in the perfect will of God. All of these decisions have long-term consequences. Make sure you get it right. And once you find God’s perfect plan for your life, don’t move, unless you are absolutely sure that God is moving you.
Posted in Thoughts from Genesis by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
In Search of Noah’s Ark – The Saturday Morning Post
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 ; Psalm 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! 2015 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 John 3:16 and 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. (2Corinthians 6:2)
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
He Is Still Creating Me
Today’s Passage – Genesis 1 – 3
(Second Milers also read – Mathew 1 – 2; Proverbs 1; Psalms 1 – 5)
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:1-5)
Before I share my thought from this morning’s Bible reading passage, I would like to make perfectly clear something that I believe to be very important. I believe that the Scriptures teach that the earth was created in six literal days and that it is also a very young earth, existing only for thousands of years, not billions as the evolutionist often tell us. The reason that I wanted clarify my position on creation is because I didn’t want there to be any doubt about it as I develop the following thought from these first five verses in Genesis.
Genesis 1:2 teaches, “the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep“, which means that in the beginning of the creation process, on the first day, the earth was incomplete. God would develop the earth into a beautiful and finished product over the next seven days. I see a picture here in Genesis 1:1 – 5. Man in his lost state is incomplete without God. In fact, we know from the New Testament that man is actually spiritually dead in his trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1 – 5; Colossians 2:13) Man is literally in spiritual darkness until the Spirit of God moves upon him and shines the light of spiritual understanding to his lost and dark condition. When the Holy Ghost of God illuminates and brings conviction upon the lost sinner, he can then realize his need for the salvation that can only come through the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that a person is saved automatically because the Holy Spirit brings him to this understanding, as he still has a choice as to whether or not he wants to be saved. John tells us that some men love darkness rather than light. (John 3:19) However, the Holy Spirit must move upon a person and Light must be given in order for a person to be saved; born again into the family of God. I remember very clearly the day that I trusted Christ as my Savior. It was literally as if somebody turned on a light, and I could finally see (understand) my need for Christ’s salvation. I finally “got it” because the Holy Ghost shined a light on my dark soul.
The exciting thing about this first day of creation is that it didn’t end there. There was more work to be done, and for five more days God continued to create. And, there is still a lot more work that must be done by God on the lost sinner after he receives the Lord Jesus as his Savior. The Holy Spirit will continue to move and transform the lives of those who become the children of God. God has been working on me for nearly three decades, and He is far from being finished. He will continue to work on me until He brings me into the very presence of Christ.
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“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 12:2)
“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.” (Romans 8:29)
Posted in Thoughts from Genesis by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
JUST FOR LADIES – By Camille Stahl
Yeaaaaah!
“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 20:10)
This is my favor verses concerning the devil. I thank God I read the back of the book.
Soon Christ will return for His bride, when the dead in Christ shall be raised and the living shall be changed. The church and the Holy Spirit will be taken and the tribulation will begin. Satan will give every effort to gain control of the earth. He will give power to the Antichrist who will gather the armies to the battle of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation, Christ will return to the earth with the saints, riding on a white horse. He will win the battle for His children at Armageddon. Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years.a The flesh that remains, both great and small, will be devoured by the ‘fowls of the air’. Revelation 19b ends stating, “All the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
But that’s not Satan’s end.
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”(Rev 20:1-3)
After the awful condition of the tribulation and battle, Jesus will live and reigned on earth. Satan will no longer have the power to destroy, and disrupt. But when the thousand years are over, Satan returns to stir up strife against the saints of the Lord.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
But be of good cheer, Satan may win many battles but he WILL lose the war!
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 20:10)
Satan’s desire is to destroy and take every soul to Hell that he possibly can. A saved soul is a testimony to God’s power therefore he desires to keep people from accepting Christ.
Satan hates Christians. He causes people to murmur against God and to complain. He leads them to worship false idols and gods. Churches have often been torn apart. He makes us feel unworthy to be called a child of God. He loves to destroy families, he wants to destroy your life. The only way we can conquer Satan and cause him to flee from us, is through the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So if it seems that Satan has a hold on your life and there’s no way out, remember this, some day Satan will bow before the Lord Jesus.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
Just as God destroyed the Egyptians, Satan will be cast out, no longer able to hold his power over you and never shall you be tempted by him or anyone again.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. (Exodus 14:13-14)
So when the devil reminds you of your past [sins], remind him of his future.
Amen!
Posted in Devotions by admin with no comments yet.
For Thy Pleasure – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Revelation 4 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read –Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 27)
Read the “1227 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:8-11)
God created all things, and for His pleasure they are and were created. Even the United States of America. For His pleasure. In 2010, the United States sent out 127,000 of an estimated 400,000 missionaries. There were 32,400 missionaries that were sent to the United States from other countries in 2010 also. In 2010, there was an estimated 314,000 Christian churches across the United States. And in 1998 the porn industry was making almost 1 billion dollars per year. Leviticus 18 says…
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness. The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover. The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness. The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness. Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time. Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 18:1-30)
What are your eyes focused on? Does it bring pleasure to the Lord?
Peace. (Proverbs 15:3)
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
JUST FOR LADIES – BY Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – 1 Peter 1 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “1223 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this morning’s reading passage – “Suffering“
Cleansed Through the Precious Blood!
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1Peter 1:15-19)
Well just two more days until Christmas morning. Everyone is racing around getting their last minute shopping done. Most of the gifts are wrapped and under the tree. The Christmas meat is thawing in the fridge. Lots of cleaning still to do before the family arrives. Up early, to bed late. There’s a snap of cold air and a slight hint of white flakes falling from the sky. Lights bring a beautiful display of the spirit of Christmas. Memories flood our minds as we sing the carols we heard since we were very young. Aww, Christmas. The Babe in the manger. The One who came to save the lost. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Holy One! The One who we will share eternity with. The One who is getting our home in Heaven ready. There is no amount of silver or gold that could buy even a little piece of the riches that Jesus will share with His children. What He offers is free. He paid for it. We are like that dirty spotted little lamb. We’re useless and not worth a dime. But the Lord Jesus Christ sees great value in His creation. We are so valuable, to Him, that no amount of silver or gold could pay for our value. Only the Blood of the Spotless Lamb could pay that price. You see, the Babe in the manger didn’t stay a babe. He came to die and shed His blood to pay the price. That Blood washes us, white as snow. No blemishes, no spots, so we could live a holy life. That’s when our Heavenly Father looks at us and sees us as that white lamb. Praise God for His gift of Love to us, Jesus, the Lamb in the manger.
I pray you all have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy your families.
Thank You
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. (Luke 2:11-12)
Posted in Just for Ladies by admin with no comments yet.
My Worst Enemy – The Saturday Morning Post
Today’s Passage – Hebrews 10 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)
“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)
Good morning. This is about my worst enemy. Actually the devil is our worst enemy, but excluding that snake, I guess this is about my other worst enemy. My worst enemy has some things in common with our worst enemy. He does not want me to hold fast my profession of faith, he would rather see me wavering. He would rather me crawl into a shell than to provoke others unto love and good works. And as the day approaches, he seems to be working overtime. The apostle Paul even wrote about him…
“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” (Romans 7:15-25)
My worst enemy is me. Tuesday, while reading Proverbs 16, I got a solution for suppressing my worst enemy, even sending him into remission…
“When a man’s ways please the Lord , he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)
According to this verse, God’s Word, and God’s Word is truth, if my ways please the Lord, He can even make my enemies to be at peace with me. How can we please the Lord? Have 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)
And where do we get faith from? From God’s Word…
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
And how do we know if we have heard God’s Word? Think about your kids…
“Go clean your room!!!!!!!!!!”, you scream.
Is it clean? If it is clean, your kids heard.
God gives us things to do in the Bible. Are you reading your Bible on a daily basis. That would be a good place to start. Do you pray daily? The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. How about soul winning? He who winneth souls is wise. Do think it would be wise to leave a tract with the gas station attendant. How about sending a tract back in the “junk mail” you get. The postage is already paid for too. It’s all part of the Great Commission . Do you think it would be pleasing to God? We are to provoke one another to good works. Are you?
“When a man’s ways please the Lord , he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)
Peace. (James 2:20)
Posted in The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
Moving On
Today’s Passage – Hebrews 5 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers also read – Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “1219 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.” – (Hebrews 6:1-2)
The foundation of a house is very important. In fact, it is the most important part of the house because if it is not strong, the rest of the structure will not be able to stand for very long. However, if we are going to have a complete house we must build on top of the foundation. So, in order to have a house, we have to build beyond the foundation.
Kindergarten and grammar school are also foundational in the process of education, but if a student is going to learn all that he needs to know in life, he will have to enter into middle school, then high school, and possibly even higher education. Now this does not mean that we will never re-visit the things that we learn in grammar school, for those truths are the building blocks for everything else that we are going to learn in life. A knowledge of basic mathematics is necessary in order to do algebra, geometry, calculus, and accounting. Similarly, the basics of grammar and word building are necessary in order to effectively and intelligently communicate on an adult level. small child who is only about two and a half years old likes to play with pretty simple toys. He can even content himself with spoons and spatulas, and pots and pans. However, he won’t enjoy these things for very long as he will want to move on to bigger and better things. His world will enlarge. He will move beyond the confines of the house, and begin to explore the back yard, and eventually he will enter into the world; exploring and learning about all that is out there. He will not stay a toddler forever.
The passage above from Hebrews 6 teaches us this same principle, but the application regards our spiritual life. Too many Christians never grow up beyond the foundational truths of salvation. Now don’t misunderstand me, I love thinking about my salvation, and I re-visit those foundational truths often, but I also moved on beyond those foundational principles. At the end of chapter five, Paul rebukes some of his readers for their lack of growth:
“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” – (Hebrews 5:12-14)
Don’t stay a baby Christian. Grow up. Take those foundational principles of Christianity and incorporate them into a deeper walk with God. The only way that you will be able to do this is to be daily in the Word of God, and weekly in the services at your church where the Bible is preached and taught. Don’t miss any opportunity that comes your way that will help you grow up in the Lord. Take advantage of chances to participate and serve in the ministry. By serving, you are exercising and putting into practice what you learned in the classroom. There is no excuse for not growing, especially if you are part of a church that is flooding its members with opportunities to serve and grow. Get involved. Grow up in the Lord. Move on to bigger and better things spiritually.
PS – I need to warn you about one more thing. If you do decide to grow up and move on in your spiritual walk, you will be leaving behind some of your friends that will not choose to take that journey with you. That’s OK, though. You will find many more friends that will share your vision as you move further down the road. Don’t let anything or anybody hold you back from the journey of faith that God wants to bring you on.
Posted in Thoughts from Hebrews by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.