The Saturday Morning Post – The Devil’s To-Do List
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 14 – 18 (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 – Luke 21 – 22; Psalms 6 – 10; Proverbs 2)
Read the “0802 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Good morning. Have you checked your To-Do list today? I’m sure the devil checked his. He knows his time is running out. In as few as seven years from now, he will be cast into a bottomless pit: held captive there for one-thousand years. Then the devil will be released (but not for good behavior) and deceive the nations once again, and then he is cast into the Lake of Fire that was prepared for him. So he knows his time is short. If we know what is on the devil’s To-Do list, maybe we could help him not to get anything on the list done. So here it is…
1) Devour someone.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (1Peter 5:8-9)
It is not just you that the devil wants to devour, but your brothers and sisters in Christ from across the street and around the world. We must resist him: stand on our faith in Christ…
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
2) Steal God’s Word.
“Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.” (Matthew 13:18-19)
And no wonder they do not understand with all the perversions of the Bible available today. Many verses have been changed or left out; words have been changed or left out. God said he would preserve His Word…
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:6-7)
But the devil is smart, he even steals parts of verses. If you have an NIV (non-inspired version) bible (small ‘b’ on purpose) God’s Bible should only be capitalized), and you were trying to cast out a demon and found you could not do it. You would look for an example in your NIV bible. You would be led to find Matthew 17 and the account of the disciples failing to cast out a demon. You would read verse 20, and then find the passage jumps to verse 22. But where verse 21 should be, the NIV tells you to see Mark 9:29. You turn to Mark 9 and it says…
“He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”
You sadly walk away, saying, “But I did pray. What went wrong?”
What went wrong? The devil stole a verse and some words…
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)
“And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29)
We can’t afford to be led astray by perverted translations of God’s True and Holy Word. Stand on the King James Bible – it’s the only Authorized Version.
3) (NOTE to self: Save this one for last!) Bow the knee, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 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 2:5-11)
“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)
So submit yourself to God, and stand on His preserved Word for the English speaking people: the King James Bible. Then you can sit back in Heaven and watch #3 happen. You should also bring others with you to see this great event: the devil hates soul winning too!
Peace!
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with 1 comment.
Who Turned Out the Light?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 9 – 13 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)
(Second Milers Read – Luke 19 – 20; Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Joshua 1:8
Read the “0801 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)
The verse of Scripture referenced above deals with the birth of Christ. When Christ was born on the earth, he poked a huge hole in the darkness of a world that had been without light for a long time. Christ is light, and light equals righteousness and holiness, and it is also synonymous with spiritual understanding. The Bible says of God:
“Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:” (Psalm 104:2)
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Light is not something that God has or something that God can produce; it is what He is. Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of this light on the Mount of Transfiguration. John saw it again when he was on the Isle of Patmos and given the Revelation. Paul saw this light on the road to Damascus when the Lord gloriously saved him. All of these examples were actual physical manifestations of the light of God. However, when He came, He revealed to the world more than just physical light: he delivered to the world a spiritual brightness that many had seen and received; and many more continue to receive to this day.
My thought for the day is: if Christ came and delivered this light to us 2000 years ago, and many millions have received this light from Him via the Holy Spirit; then why is this world still very dark. Jesus told us to shine the light to the dark world around us:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
You would think with all of the millions of lights out there that should be shining, the world would be pretty bright; yet it continues to dwell in darkness. Why? Because God’s people are not allowing the light of Christ to radiate and reflect through them to the world around them. They are covering their candles with a bushel instead of elevating it on a candlestick. Three thoughts regarding the failure of the Christian to shine the light of Christ:
1 We fail to shine the light when we fail to separate from the darkness. Instead of increasing our light, we often participate in things that are very dark: things that are inconsistent with light. Light repels darkness; they cannot dwell together. So in order for the Christian to dwell in darkness, He has to douse His light. He has to quench the Spirit of God that dwells within Him.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)
By the way, unfortunately, the verse above oftentimes applies to the Christian as well as to the world.
2 We fail to shine the light when we fail to saturate ourselves in the light of the Word of God.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130)
3 We fail to shine the light when we shield the light from reaching those around us. This has more to do with fear than anything else. We have the light, and we desire to shine it; but we are so intimidated by the world around us that we conceal it. It is time that we decide to take a stand, and decide once and for all whose side we are on. We belong to God. We owe this world nothing but the light of Christ. Get out of the way, and let His light shine through you.
“That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” (Philippians 2:15)
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
What Could Have Been Done More?
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 5 – 8 (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 – Luke 17 – 18; Psalms 146 – 150; Proverbs 31)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Deuteronomy 32:4
Read the “0731 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? … For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” (Isaiah 5:4, 7)
Our church has a lot of property, most of which is undeveloped. Many years ago now, a couple from our church asked if they could use a small patch of that land to plant a community garden. At first I was a little hesitant, but I agreed to let these folks plant their little garden as long as it didn’t cost the church too much money, and as long as it didn’t require any extra work from me. I had to admit, I was fascinated watching the whole process, from the cultivation of the ground to the actual planting. In the years we had that garden, we actually reaped quite a bit of vegetables. Personally, I was a big fan of the little cherry tomatoes and so was my grandson, Jaxon. Whenever he was at the church, we always walked back to the garden to eat a few. One day, I was out in the garden with one of the men and he noticed a rather large green caterpillar on one of the tomato plants, very similar to the one pictured above. After careful inspection, he discovered another one on another plant. If left unchecked these pests would have completely consumed all of the plant and our little garden would have been ruined.
In our text today, we read about God’s vineyard, the Nation of Israel. God found his vineyard in ruins, and He asked the question: “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” That is a good question. What more could God have done? He gave them everything that they needed to thrive as a nation, and for a while, they did just that; but eventually sin, like those nasty caterpillars, crept in and destroyed the vineyard.
Though this passage is written for and about Israel, I believe that there are some great principles here that we can apply today. I believe applications can be made to our individual Christian lives and also to our families, and even to the local churches. Each one of these areas are a type of vineyard that belongs to the Lord. What can we do with all that God has given us in order to thrive and produce the fruit that God wants to produce through us?
1 We must use good seed. God has given us the Word of God. Why would we want to use the corruptible seed of man’s philosophies. Years ago, I made the decision that my life was going to be established with and directed by the Bible.
2 We must weed. Weeds and pests will overtake the gardens of our lives if we allow them to. In our Christian walk, many distraction can creep in, along with sinful things and false doctrines that will steal all of our energy and redirect our focus so that we cannot produce healthy fruit.
3 We must feed. Good nutrients and plenty of water will cause a garden to thrive. As Christians, we must feed daily on the Word of God, and in our churches, we must make sure that we are providing plenyt of opportunities for church members to come and dine on a healthy diet of Bible doctrine.
If God’s vineyard fails today, it will not be His fault. He has given us all that we need to thrive and produce abundant, healthy fruit.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Come Now, and Let Us Reason Together
Today’s Passage – Isaiah 1 – 4 (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 – Luke 15 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 30)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read the “0730 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
“I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” (1 John 2:12)
The hymn writer James Nicholson wrote:
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
It is such a blessing to know that your sins are forgiven. The passage in Isaiah was written to the southern kingdom of Judah sometime during the life of the prophet who prophesied during the reigns of kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1), from approximately 740 BC to 680 BC. Isaiah was warning Judah about the consequences that would surely come to them, as it did to the northern kingdom, if they did not repent and turn back to God. He promises them if they “be willing and obedient” God will forgive them and prosper them once again as a nation.
Though these verses were written to the people of Judah corporately, we often apply them individually to believers today. God forgives us if we repent of our sin and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Forgiveness is only possible through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The wrath that we deserved was poured out upon Him. However, God goes beyond just forgiving us: He forgets our sins as well. To forgive is one thing, but to forget is another level entirely. The phrase “blotteth out” (Isaiah 43:25) has the idea that the record of our sin has been completely expunged (removed).
Now let’s try to apply this wonderful attribute of God to our own relationships. We are supposed to be like God, aren’t we? If we are saved, we are being conformed to the image of Christ and we have God on the inside of us transforming us to be like Him. If all that be true, then we should be able to forget like God forgets. We say that we forgive someone who has wronged us, but we often replay mentally (or re-tell verbally) the act that was committed against us. In other words, the act has not been blotted out completely in our minds. We store the thing that was forgiven in a special compartment where we can retrieve it again in case we need it. We often pull it back out when a new violation is committed. We are keeping score in our minds. God does not do this. He removes the record altogether. Real forgiveness will lead us to blot out the act altogether; not that their will be no consciousness of the act; but it will not be allowed to be dredged back up again for some future judgment against the offender.
I have one more thought. God not only forgives sin and erases the record, but He also refuses to record any future violations. It is like getting a completely free pass from the penalty of your sins. Don’t believe me?
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” – (Romans 4:5-8)
Oh that we could be more like Him: forgiving, forgetting, and even determining that we will not hold against someone any future acts committed against us. We like to be the receiver of such treatment, but we struggle to treat others in this manner.
God, help us to be more like you. Help us to love people like you do. Help us to truly accept the forgiveness that you offer us, and then help us to return the favor to someone else.
Perhaps as you are reading this, God has put someone in your mind that you are harboring unforgiveness toward. Why not determine to take that person out of your heart’s prison by giving them the forgiveness that God has given you. It is reasonable for us who are forgiven to treat others as God has treated us.
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – (Ephesians 4:32)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Without Spot
Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 5 – 8 (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 – Luke 13 – 14; Psalms 136 – 140; Proverbs 29)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1
Read the “0729 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!” – (Song of Solomon 7:6)
“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)
“For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2)
“That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27)
The Song of Solomon is a beautiful song written through the pen of Solomon. On the surface it would seem that this song represents a dialogue between Solomon and his wife; but considering he had 1000 wives and concubines, we would certainly be left wondering which wife this song refers to. This song then must go much deeper than any earthly relationship. I believe that the intimate relationship so beautifully detailed here is the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church. Keeping that in mind, consider the little phrase in chapter 4 where the bridegroom says of the bride, there is no spot in thee. This is an amazing statement, because in reality there certainly are many flaws in any person; but the amazing thing is that this Man sees no flaw at all in His bride.
When I think about the unconditional love that Christ has for His Church (the Bride), and me in particular, I am blown away. How can he possibly love me? When I think about how spotted and flawed I am, I recognize my complete and total unworthiness. The only thing that I deserve is judgment: yet He loves me; and more than that: He does not see any flaw in me at all. Mind boggling! I guess that is what Romans 3:22 meant when it said that believers receive the righteousness of God. He sees me as completely righteous; flawless. Amazing!
God has given me two practical thoughts while I contemplated this passage:
1 Do I appreciate Him – I know I am totally undeserving, yet He treats as if I am. This should cause me to live my life in surrender to whatever He wants from me. This should completely humble me. The Bible tells us that the love of Christ constrains us. I have often thought that was speaking about our love for Him, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that it is His love for us that constrains us.
2 Do I appreciate others – If I am undeserving, yet accepted unconditionally; why then do I have such a hard time unconditionally accepting others, especially those that are a part of His bride as I am? Why do I see everyone else’s flaws. Should not I try to see others as Christ sees me?
Posted in Thoughts from Song of Solomon by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
A Wonderful Story of Love
Today’s Passage – Song of Solomon 1 – 4 (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 – Luke 11 – 12; Psalms 131 – 135; Proverbs 28)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10
Read the “0728 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” – (Song of Songs 2:4)
I must confess that I would rather write about a subject this morning that I have a better understanding of. The Song of Solomon is a wonderful account of love and marriage, but I really do not comprehend all that is contained in this beautiful story. I know that there is a literal, earthly story here about the love between a husband and a wife. It is clear from the passage that Solomon is the husband; but trying to figure out the identity of the wife with certainty is rather difficult as we know that Solomon had 700 of them (and 300 additional concubines). It is thought by some that this beautiful woman is Abishag, the woman who ministered to Solomon’s father in the last days of his life. We know that she was a Shulamite woman (6:13). At any rate, she is obviously Solomon’s first wife, before he had sinned by marrying so many other women.
The broader implication of this book is that Solomon is a type or picture of the Lord Jesus Christ; and his bride is a picture of the Church. It was a strange thought for me when I first learned that I was part of the Bride of Christ. I guess the man in me rebels against the feminine identity; but as I have grown through the years I have learned to accept and even somewhat understand the meaning of it all. I do love my Lord Jesus. I want to grow and learn to love Him more, but in order to do so I must learn to love myself a lot less.
As I said in the beginning of this thought, I don’t understand all that this love story has to tell us; but I love the story nonetheless from both an earthly perspective, and from the spiritual picture that it represents.
Posted in Thoughts from Song of Solomon by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Sharpen Your Ax
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 9 – 12 (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 – Luke 9 – 10; Psalms 126 – 130; Proverbs 27)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 Timothy 1:17
Read the “0727 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.” – (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
I have been enjoying this devotional reading of the Book of Ecclesiastes as there are so many nuggets of truth. I actually had a hard time deciding what to post this this morning. I had considered doing something on Ecclesiastes 9:11, or 10:1. A couple of years back, I wrote “The Bottom Line”, from chapter 12. The verse above, however, is one of the most helpful truths in the Bible for me. You see, I am not the sharpest ax in the shed, and I need to be sharpened constantly in order to do what God has called me to do.
Solomon says that if a man does not “whet the edge”, he will have to add a little strength in order to be able to accomplish the goal. Whetting (or sharpening) the edge allowed the blade to penetrate deeper into the wood with less strength. It helps accomplish the goal without as much effort. Solomon is using this illustration to teach us about life. At the end of the verse he says that wisdom is profitable to direct. Acquiring wisdom is like sharpening the axe or whetting the edge. It will help you do the job with less difficulty.
God has given us a lot of things to do in life. In order to accomplish the things that the Lord has for us, we will need to acquire some wisdom. Wisdom makes us more proficient and helps us to accomplish the tasks at hand. God says that He will give us the wisdom that we need if we simply ask for it in faith.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” – (James 1:5)
We can get God’s wisdom from the Word of God, through prayer, and from the counsel of those who are wise.
I do not think that God is minimizing or belittling the value of hard work, either. There are a lot of things that I find myself doing where I am perhaps not as wise as someone else. In these situations I will have to work a little harder than that person but I can still accomplish the goal. However, if I am going to be the best that I can be at all that God has given me to do, I will need to ask for wisdom. I need His wisdom to be a good husband and father. I need wisdom in order to pastor the people of God at the church. I need wisdom for every task that I perform, and so do you. Work hard, but if you want to get the most out of each swing, you will want to sharpen your axe.
Posted in Thoughts from Ecclesiastes by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
The Saturday Morning Post – Don’t Lose Your Head
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 5 – 8 (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 – Luke 7 – 8; Psalms 120 – 125; Proverbs 26)
Read the “0726 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13)
“And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34-35)
“For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ecclesiastes 12:25)
Good morning. Did you wake up this morning? Good. It’s all part of God’s perfect plan. Everything goes according to God’s plan. If He wants something to be crooked, it is crooked; and remains crooked until He makes it straight again: but we ourselves cannot make the crooked straight (see Ecclesiastes 7:13). God is sovereign: He does everything according to His will (see Daniel 4:34-35). And whatever He says He will do, He will do (see Ecclesiastes 12:25). This is why we can trust in God’s Word: He will perform it.
There are may prophecies given in the Word of God. One in particular, I got from NBC news. Back in 2014 there were two executions that took place within two weeks of each other. The first was a convict in Ohio. The doctors shot the two deadly chemicals into the man’s arm. Halfway through the procedure, he woke up screaming in agony. It took that convicted murderer a half-hour to die. A few days later, another execution was about to take place in Arizona. The convict was injected with the same two drugs used in the Ohio execution. after a few minutes, his body started to convulse. This time it took over two hours for that man to die. People protested the use of lethal drugs for executions, other’s were glad he suffered and suggested that Drano be used. As I read through the article, I clicked on a link. There in big bold letters was the headline I knew we would see one day…
Appeals Judge Says Guillotine ‘Probably Best’ for Executions By Tracy Connor
When you think of all the ways we have to execute people, the Guillotine seems to be the most humane. It would also fit in with God’s plan for those saved during the tribulation period…
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)
God’s plan, and purpose: He will preform it.
Peace.
Posted in Devotions by Pastor Ted Stahl with no comments yet.
All Is Vanity
Today’s Passage – Ecclesiastes 1 – 4 (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 – Luke 5 – 6; Psalm 119; Proverbs 25)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32
Read the “0725 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” – (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
A few years back I preached a series of messages through the Book of Ecclesiastes at our church, so I have had the advantage of giving these passages a little more thought than perhaps I would normally give one of our morning devotions. As I have told our church many times, there are three keys to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes:
1 There is a key word – “vanity” – It literally means vapor or breath. It means emptiness. James said that our lives were like a vapour.
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” – (James 4:14)
This key word appears 27 times in the Book. It carries with it the idea that much of what this life has to offer ultimately is empty in itself, or will lead to emptiness. God wants us to have an abundant, fulfilling life.
2 There is a key phrase – “under the sun” – This phrase appears 33 times in the Book. It speaks of the things that are of this earth. Things that are temporary in nature, not eternal. Things that are “under the sun” are not necesarily evil things, they are just things that will be forgotten, and are without eternal value.
3 There is a key verse:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” – (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
Solomon came to the conclusion that much of what is done by man “under the sun” are things that are in themselves “vanity”: they produce emptiness. Therefore, we should devote as much time and energy as possible to the things that are eternal: things that will last forever. Fearing God and keeping His commandments are the highest order of business for the child of God today. Though it is certainly not wrong to enjoy the lawful things of this earth, it is important for us to keep in mind that they are temporary, not eternal; so our primary focus should be on eternity – living for the Lord.
One more thing. It might help us to remember that the human author of this book is Solomon, a man who experienced everything that this world had to offer. He had wisdom, wealth, works, and lots of women; but none of those things brought any lasting value. Only the things that were done for the Lord followed him into eternity.
Posted in Thoughts from Ecclesiastes by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Get the Vision
Today’s Passage – Proverbs 28 – 31 (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 – Luke 3 – 4; Psalms 116 – 118; Proverbs 24)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “0724 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18)
“And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” (1Samuel 3:1)
If you have been a Christian for any length of time then you have most likely heard a sermon preached on vision. Most of the time the preacher will use Proverbs 29:18 to prove that the pastor and people need to have some type of plan for the future in order for the church to survive and thrive in the next generation. For instance, I have heard this verse used by a preacher who was trying to convince the congregation regarding a new building. He was trying to get the people to “see” the new building, to get a vision for it. While I do believe it is wise for the pastor to know where he is going in the future, and I also think that He is responsible for casting the “vision” for the church, I do not believe this verse is teaching that. This verse and the verse in 1 Samuel 3 both connect the term, “vision,” with the Word of God. God is not saying that the preacher or church need to have their own vision, but rather that they need to have God’s vision, which comes from the Bible.
Christians often speak too flippantly about what “God told them.” I always ask them about the book, chapter, and verse that God used to tell them the thing that He supposedly said. You see, God does not speak to us with audible voices anymore; He gave us His Word. God uses the revealed Word of God to “direct our paths,” etc. Now I am not saying that God does not lead us down particular paths and into specific areas of service. He does reveal His will to us through a combination of means, but it all starts with the Word of God, and is confirmed by the Word of God. It is the Word of God that is God’s “open vision” today.
Christians need to look to the Bible for direction in life. Preachers, we need to faithfully study, learn, and teach the Word and Words of God that He has given to instruct His people today. It is the Bible that will guide; it is the Bible that will encourage; it is the Bible that will give comfort; it is the Bible that will correct; it is the Bible that will reveal the future; and so much more. All we need is the Bible and the Holy Ghost of God Who will help us to understand it. So, get a vision, but get it from the Bible.
Posted in Thoughts from Proverbs by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.