God Can Change a Leopard’s Spots – and Yours too
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 10 – 13; Proverbs 17
(Second Milers also read – Acts 9 – 11; Memorize John 15:7)
Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 10 – 13
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23)
The context of this passage, and the Book of Jeremiah as a whole, is the impending judgment that is facing Judah and Jerusalem because of their sin. They had gotten totally out of control: God had sent prophets to them; God had sent judgment to them; but they did not get the message. They were too far gone. God was about to do something very big in and to Jerusalem. The Babylonians were about to invade. It would be perhaps the worst calamity to hit the people of God. However, the good news is that the judgment that would come would be the very thing that would cause the people of God to repent: to change their spots. The people seemed powerless to change on their own; but through the loving hand of judgment from God, the leopard would indeed have his spots changed.
Sometimes, I get so very frustrated with myself, particularly my inability to get victory over some of the recurring sins in my life. I am utterly powerless, it seems, to win the battle. However, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”; and through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, and through the loving correction of my Heavenly Father, my spots can also be removed. I can’t change my spots, but God can. Do you need a spot remover? God can do it. Yield to Him. Open your heart up and be willing to allow God to make the necessary changes in your life.
God can and will remove our spots, but there are some things that we can do to help God as He cleanses away the stain of sin from our life:
1 We first must acknowledge the fact that we have spots. We need to allow God to completely examine us and show us where the spots are in our life. We cannot withhold any area of our life. He must be able to thoroughly inspect us, and we must agree with His assessment. If He sees a spot, we must agree that it is indeed a spot.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – (1 John 1:9)
2 We must next be willing to submit ourselves to God’s cure for our spot problem. God may bring us through an uncomfortable process in order to accomplish His will. Trust Him. He knows what He is doing. He is the Great Physician. He knows just how deep to cut. He knows just how much we can handle. He may bring in some people to help Him. He may use a pastor or other counselor to help you as He works on you.
3 We must also be willing to continue down a prescribed path that will keep the spots from coming back in the future. We must stay in fellowship with God. We must daily spend time with Him through His Word and through prayer. He will keep His eye on us, and He will be able to quickly “spot” any new blemishes that may be coming to the surface.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
To God Be the Glory!
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 7 -9; Proverbs 16
(Second Milers also read – Acts 6 – 8; Memorize John 15:7)
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” – (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
These verses jumped out at me while I was doing my devotions this morning. God says that we are not to glory in our own wisdom, strength, or wealth; but rather, we are to glory in the fact that we know God, and, more importantly, that He knows and loves us. The three assets that God mentions in verse 23 are the three things that can make a person swell up with pride. I remember when I was growing up in school that it seemed that kids that were popular were either very smart, very strong and athletic, or very rich. I always envied people that was blessed in one or more of these areas. Every once in a while there would be somebody that possessed all three. At the time I thought that those people were very lucky. However, if you think about it, being gifted or blessed in one of these areas can be a real stumbling-block. Think about it. People who seem to have it all when it comes to gifts and abilities tend to rely upon themselves rather than trust in God.
God wants us to depend and glory in Him. All that we have we have received from Him. We brought nothing with us when we entered the world. Everything that we possess was given to us, including our talents and abilities. Why should we be proud of them? What we should be excited about, however, is that we are the children of God.
I am reminded of a passage in the New Testament that carries with it the same thought as this one in Jeremiah:
“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” – (Luke 10:20)
In this passage Jesus tells the disciples to not get too excited about what God may do through you, but rather get excited about the fact that you are God’s child, and that you have a relationship with Him. We are really just tools in the hands of and awesome God. When we see a beautiful house, we don’t get excited about the hammer or saw that may have been used in the process; but we do give honor to the builder. God is the One who gives us our gifts, and He is the one that places us in positions where we can be used of Him. If you are rich, use your money for the Lord’s work. If you are strong, get in the Lord’s army and serve Him as a soul winner. If you are wise, use your wisdom to counsel God’s people or to teach the Word of God. But remember, don’t glory in the gifts that God gives you, glory in Him. Don’t steal any of God’s glory.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Old Paths
Today’s Passages – Jeremiah 4 – 6; Proverbs 15
(Second Milers also read – Acts 3 – 5; Memorize – John 15:7)
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” – (Jeremiah 6:16)
Independent Baptist preachers can often be heard using the phrase “old-fashioned”. We refer to our churches, our congregational singing, our method of soul winning, and even our King James Bible as being old-fashioned. We consider it a complement to be considered old-fashioned in many aspects of our worship and service for the Lord. But I want to clarify a few things about the why I like being old-fashioned about a lot of things. First of all, I do not believe that just because something is old that it is necessarily good, and I do not think that all new things are necessarily bad. I enjoy using all of the latest technological gizmos that make our lives easier and more enjoyable today. When I refer to something being old-fashioned I am usually referring to the wholesome, Biblical traditions and methods of our past that do not need to be changed. I like our old-fashioned Bible. I enjoy singing the old-fashioned hymns from the hymnbook. I have seen many people get saved through the old-fashioned method of soul winning. I am glad my wife and daughters are old-fashioned in their modest dress. The old paths didn’t need to be changed. I have often said, “if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it”.
In our passage, God is telling the people of Judah, through the prophet Jeremiah, to return to a time when they were closer to the Lord. In the old days they were a nation that refused the evil that surrounded them on every side, and they stood for the truth of the Word of God. They worshipped the Lord in spirit and in truth, and they obeyed the precepts of the Law. As a result of their relationship with God they were a greatly blessed nation, and God prospered them mightily, and protected them against any nation that would seek to harm them. But the prosperity that they enjoyed caused them to stray away from their God. They had become a very idolatrous and immoral nation. God wanted back on the old path.
The same thing can be said about our nation. We were once a nation that stood for the Truth. Our culture was filled with people that worshipped and served the Lord. God blessed our nation with a prosperity unequalled in the history of the world; but as it was with Israel, so it is with us. Our prosperity has spoiled us, and we have become an ungrateful people who have bitten the Hand that was feeding us. We need to get back on the old path.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Turn Around
Today’s Passages are – Jeremiah 1 – 3; Proverbs 14
(Second Milers also read – John 21 – Acts 2; Memorize – John 15:7)
Before I share the my main thought from the Scripture this morning, I just wanted to point out from the passage that the writer, Jeremiah, was a hand made child of God that was uniquely designed by Him to be a prophet to Israel and Judah. (see Jeremiah 1:4 – 6) God has also made you and and I, and wants to use us in a special way to fellowship with Him, glorify Him, and fulfill His plan for the ages. We are not here by accident. We were specially created the way we are on purpose, and for a purpose.
Now for today’s main thought:
“They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:1)
Throughout the history of Israel, the people of God have gone through periods where they would fall away from God. Here in this passage the word “backsliding” is used seven times. Here in this passage Jeremiah is pleading with the backsliding people of Israel to come back to the Lord. Our God is awesome! Who else but God would love these people and keep taking them back, even though they would turn against Him over and over. He never gives up on His children. I must confess that I have a tough time forgiving people in the same way that God has forgiven me. I want to write people off; but God is not like me. He continues to reach out to those who have forsaken Him. Notice what God required of the people in order for them to come back into a right relationship with Him:
“Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:13)
“Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:” (Jeremiah 3:14)
God says that if the people would acknowledge their sin, and then turn, He would take them back. Turning means that they would put away all of the things that they were doing that God was displeased with. This is a pretty good definition of repentance, which involves more than just acknowledging.
The people of God today could follow this same simple formula in order to come back to their God. We must acknowledge where we have gone wrong. It may not be some deep sin or rebellion. It may be just apathy, coldness, or laziness. Then we have to confess it to God and turn away from it. God loves us deeply and wants more than anything for us to be in love with Him. If you have “slidden” away from God, return again to the Lord.
Posted in Thoughts from Jeremiah by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Peace – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 63-66, Proverbs 13, and John 19-20
Today’s Passage: John 20:21: “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
Good morning! I want to give you some thoughts from John 20:21. When we preach this verse, it is usually used as the Great Commission verse from John, but it is much more than that. Jesus said, “Peace be unto you:”, and the colon after ‘you’ explains what our Lord meant by that: “as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” And Jesus further explains in Luke 19:10: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That was what the Father had sent Jesus to do. God Almighty was humbled as a man putting on flesh. He grew, and went to work as a carpenter. At 30 years of age, allowing Himself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, He began to seek others to share the good news of the kingdom of God. Some loved Him, some hated Him. Sounds like a normal life doesn’t it.
We need to seek the lost like Jesus did. Mathew 28:18-20 tells us: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” And also Mark 16:15: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Also in Luke 24:47-49: “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” The Power they needed to wait for was the Holy Spirit. Just like Jesus allowed Himself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, we need to humble ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to control us. Jesus told us in Acts 1:8: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Seek people to give the gospel to.
But Jesus said He came to seek AND to save that which was lost. How do we save someone who is lost? How did Jesus save us? By dying. He shed His precious blood and gave His life for us. Jesus said, “…If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24). We need to die: die to self. If we die to ourselves, there is nothing to keep us from doing what we should. The Holy Spirit is free to do His work. We will have no problem telling others about Jesus, and receiving His peace.
Peace. (John 20:21)
Posted in Guest Posts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Keep Not Silent
Today’s Passages – Isaiah 58 – 62; Proverbs 12
(Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Memorize Mark 11:24)
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem,which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,”(Isaiah 62:6)
The context of this chapter and many of the concluding chapters of the Book of Isaiah is the Millennial Reign of Christ on the earth. Things will be radically different in Jerusalem and on the entire planet during this period. There will be a new sheriff in town: one that will reign in righteousness and holiness. The people of God will no longer be a persecuted and oppressed people; and the land itself will be completely safe from any kind of danger.
The above verse tells us that the watchmen that God has placed upon the walls should keep not silence concerning the Lord. Verse 7 says, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The day is coming when the earth will be devoid of evil and filled with the presence and holiness of the Lord; but until that day comes God’s watchmen are to be shouting His praises and His principles from the walls.
I don’t think that I am doing the Scripture injustice by stating that we ought also to be telling everyone that we can about the Lord until He comes back to bring His bride (the Church) up to Heaven with Him. We are often guilty of keeping silent when God wants us to speak. We should not be ashamed of our Lord. This lost world needs to hear about our wonderful Saviour. The Scripture admonishes us,”Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”. Let’s open up our mouths boldly and proclaim the goodness of the Lord to the world around us.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Look Beyond the Cross
Today’s Passages – Isaiah 53 – 57; Proverbs 11
(Second Milers also read – John 15 – 16; Memorize – Mark 11:24)
“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.” – (Isaiah 53:6)
“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.” – (Isaiah 53:10)
This passage in Isaiah has always amazed me for a number of reasons. First, I am always in awe of the accuracy of the Word of God. Here the prophet Isaiah is writing several hundred years prior to the birth of Christ, and yet paints such an accurate picture of the events surrounding Christ’s death. No wonder the Jewish people have removed this passage from their Scripture. It proves perfectly that Jesus is their Messiah.
Secondly, I have often thought about the phrase from verse 10: “it pleased the Lord to bruise him”; and then in verse 11: “he shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:” I can’t completely wrap my head around these verses. How could the horrible, agonizing death of His Son please and satisfy God? On a human level, I look at these verses and think to myself that there is no possible way that anything could be worth putting my son through the agony that Christ faced on the cross. But God saw something that made it all worthwhile. He saw you and me; and He saw a way that your sins and mine could be atoned for. He saw a way for fellowship to be restored between us and Him. To be sure, God was not pleased with the Cross in itself. I am sure it was the hardest thing for Him to endure; but beyond the Cross was salvation for you and I; and that pleased and satisfied God greatly. Thank you Father for being willing to watch your Son die for me. Thank you Jesus for being a willing participant in my redemption.
On a practical level, I want to offer one additional thought about the cross that you may be bearing right now in your life. You may be going through a difficult time in your life that is anything but pleasing or satisfying. By faith, look beyond the cross to what God is going to ultimately accomplish through your trial. God may be using you to help bring about the eternal redemption of somebody else, which makes all of the temporary suffering worth it. He may be refining you a little through the process; or He may be just glorifying Himself somehow. I know that He has a wonderful plan, and the cross that you are bearing today is part of it, and will be used by Him to “work all thing together for good.” You may not be able to see it now, but someday God will reveal something beautiful; something very pleasing and satisfying. All because you carried the cross that God placed in your life.
I just thought of another verse:
“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)
Jesus looked beyond the cross too.
Posted in Thoughts from Isaiah by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Stick With It
Today’s Passages – Isaiah 48 – 52; Proverbs 10
(Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14; Memorize – Mark 11:24)
“The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” (Isaiah 50:5-7)
The passage referenced above speaks of Christ, and what He endured when He went to the cross. Of course it is important to remember that Isaiah penned these words over 700 years before the time that Christ would suffer for our sins. When I read these verses I can’t help but be astonished at the determination of our Lord. Knowing full well what He would face, He determined to stay the course. He didn’t deviate to the right or to the left: He set [His] face like a flint. You could say that He was “bullheaded” when it came to the will of God.
I am embarrassed at how often I have wanted to quit the will of God. There have been many times that I have made decisions for the Lord; and then have turned back from fulfilling them. I am often only faithful to the will of God when the skies are clear and the weather is fair. I desire to be the type of person that first discovers what God wants from my life; and then determines to follow the course that God has charted, no matter what circumstances may arise. I have heard it said that every decision we make for the Lord will be tested. Now we need to be very careful about these decisions. Make sure that it is, in fact, God that is telling you to do it. Don’t get caught up with the emotional pressure that men can put on you; but once you know that it is God, obey Him and stay the course. Don’t quit when times get tough! It is my desire to pass the test; It is my desire to stick it out even when it makes no human sense to do so.
How about you? Have you gone back on anything that you determined at one time to be the will of God. The Bible tells us that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29) God hasn’t changed His mind. Have you?
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Ordained Works
Today’s Passages – Isaiah 44 – 47; Proverbs 9
(Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Memorize – Mark 11:24)
“Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;” (Isaiah 45:1)
“For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.” (Isaiah 45:4)
“I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.”(Isaiah 45:13)
The prophecies of God are amazing. Isaiah wrote this book about 750 BC, which was during the reign of the Assyrian Empire. We know from history that Assyria would be conquered by the Babylonians; and then later the Babylonians would be overtaken by the Medes and Persians. Cyrus, was a Persian king that was “raised up” by God to release the Hebrew captives and make a proclamation to re-build the temple in Jerusalem. The fascinating thing about this is that Isaiah was writing about Cyrus, by name, hundreds of years before he was born. Consider this verse referring to Jeremiah:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
According to this verse and the verses from Isaiah, God knows us before we are even born, and ordains us for a specific purpose. Better than that though is the fact that God actually “forms” us for a specific purpose. God created Jeremiah to be a prophet. God created Cyrus to deliver the captives from Persia and to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God created me to be the husband of Cindy Erickson; the father of my four children; and to be the pastor of Jersey Shore Baptist Church. These are a partial list of what I was hand made and hand picked to do. God chose me before I was born to fulfill a purpose for Him.
God has chosen you for a purpose as well. He has created you and custom designed you to fulfill His will. What is that purpose? Have you discovered it yet? Max Lucado calls this purpose your “sweet spot”; it’s the thing that you were made for. God formed you, and ordained you; and He even knew your name before you were even born. Amazing! Happy people are the people who have found God’s will for their lives and are fulfilling it.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – (Ephesians 2:10)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
God Forgives and Forgets – Do You?
Today’s Passages – Isaiah 41 – 43; Proverbs 8
(Second Milers also read – John 9 – 10; Memorize – Mark 11:24)
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” – (Isaiah 43:25)
“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.” – (Isaiah 1:18)
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” – (Psalm 103:12)
The verses listed above are very encouraging to me. Each of these Scriptures speak of God’s forgiveness primarily to the people of Israel; but in a broader context, they apply to all who have “called upon the name of the Lord”. It is certainly a wonderful truth that God forgives our sin. Of course, 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” 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 does not only forgive sin, and erase 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 oh how 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.
“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 no comments yet.