Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

May 20th Clear the Land … by Chaniece Clark

Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 13 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – Acts 13 – 15; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Read the “0520 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read previous posts from this passage – “Asa – He Started Well But Finished Poorly“;  “Don’t Shoot the Messenger”; and “Trust in the Lord”

“And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh, and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance, when they saw that the LORD his God was with him.” (2 Chronicles 15:8-9)

I’m sure Asa had thoughts in the back of his mind of how the people would react to him removing the altars of the idols and renewing the altar of God. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 15:8, “…he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land…” We’ve seen it before. The people of Asa’s day could have had an uproar just as the people did when Gideon tore down the idols of his day in the Book of Judges. Yet, Asa, without hesitation, took upon himself to redirect the people’s hearts back to God. But in this chapter, we see a different outcome. Asa’s bold move proved to impress all he ruled over, for verse 9 states that the people, “fell to him out of Israel in abundance…” Why did the people suddenly fall into submission of their king’s sudden changes? The end of verse 9 gives the answer, “when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.”

That poses the question I want to bring forth. Who wants to follow God because of our relationship with him? The people did not just begin to believe God. The Bible says in verse 12, “And they entered into a covenant to seek the God of their fathers with all their heart and all their soul;” Are others not just believing in God, but are they wanting to fall into complete submission to our God because they see him all over us? In what ways are we trying to “clear the land” of our lives from idols so that we are strong leaders for the Lord?

May 19th A True Report … by Paul Meyer

Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 9 – 12 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – Acts 10 – 12; Psalms 91 – 95; Proverbs 19)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121

Read the “0519 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “No Longer Happy“

“And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom:” (2 Chronicles 9:5)

Reading through this passage this morning, this particular verse caught my eye. By trade I am an analyst. Specifically I am tasked with compiling, building and delivering reports to an audit team, board of directors, and governmental regulators. In the business world there are many kinds of reports. Some are straight-forward, fact based and objectively inarguable. Others are skewed, manipulated and used to illicit a desired response, or even better – funding. Our life is filled with data; human’s are constantly compiling statistics – how many times our heart beats, how many steps we take, how often we take a breath. Think about the millions of minute decisions you make on a daily basis – now think about those decisions being compiled into a report. Our report, wether good or bad, should always be a true report. A true report is about being real, being genuine, being vulnerable. A true report is willing to show your strengths and weaknesses.

In this passage the Queen of Sheba has heard of the splendor of Solomon, she’s heard of his wisdom, his riches, his glory. Despite hearing all of these good reports, she could not believe it, she had to see it for herself. In our life, even the good reports are met with doubt, we must confront doubt with truth. Not only do we see the compilation of a report in this passage but we also see the reception of the report. Notice how in this recollection there is no mention of confrontation from Solomon, in fact the Queen states that the reports she had heard were conservative at best! “Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.” Solomon not only was wise, but he was humble. He understood the importance of being genuine with those around him. In Proverbs 27:2 he writes: “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.” Solomon had the proof, that the Queen of Sheba’s preconceived notions were wrong, but instead of confronting her about them, he chose to build a true report with her.

In our lives each of us creates a report with those around us, our relationship with these individuals is based on the data we collectively share and produce. Pride always correlates with image – Nebuchadnezzars pride was shown in his buildings, Absalom’s pride was in his hair, Samson’s in his strength, The Pharisees in their religiosity. The truth is, regardless of the decadence of our pride externally, God see’s the true report “for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” The Lord has many things to say about outward appearances – Matthew 23:27 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” So why does the Lord care about our true self, our true report so much? Because who we truly are reflects in our worship – John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” 

During this time of quarantine I’ve tried to take time to self reflect – Am I creating a true report with my family? With my friends? With my church family? With my coworkers? Or am I masking my vulnerabilities with pride? God already knows my true report and it is this – I am a sinner in need of a savior. No matter how well I dress, how often I go to church, how much I read my Bible or how long I pray. I need the same amount of grace and mercy every day, not a day goes by where I need less of God. May we spend our days embracing these truths and may it reflect in how we worship the true God! 

May 16th Praise His Glorious Name – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 28 – 29 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – Acts 1 – 3; Psalms 76 – 80; Proverbs 16)

Read the “0516 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” (1Chronicles 29:11-13)

Good morning. Our God has all the greatness. Our God has all the power. Our God has all the glory. Our God has the victory, all of them. And Our God has all the majesty. And He is the Creator. He created us in His image for a specific purpose. And He gave us a specific expiration date…

“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Heaven is forever, our life on earth is not. Now the LORD may be merciful to you if you ask Him to save your life…

“In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.” (Isaiah 38:1-8)

So the LORD added fifteen years to king Hezekia’s life. Others He did not and they died at their appointed time. What would you say to the LORD? How about Tyndale not crying out with pain, but crying out boldly as the flames consumed his body…

At last, after much reasoning, when no reason would serve, although he deserved no death, he was condemned by virtue of the emperor’s decree, made in the assembly at Augsburg. Brought forth to the place of execution, he was tied to the stake, strangled by the hangman, and afterwards consumed with fire, at the town of Vilvorde, A.D. 1536; crying at the stake with a fervent zeal, and a loud voice, “Lord! open the king of England’s eyes.” (John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)

God gave Tyndale the grace to come home to Heaven. I can’t speculate on whether or not Tyndale felt pain; Peter walked on water, but when he saw the wind and waves, he started to sink. But just as Peter was sinking, Jesus pulled him up and set him in the boat. I’d like to think, and I do think, that as Tyndale was burning, God’s amazing grace, and marvelous mercy protected him, as the LORD picked him up and set him in Heaven. What about you? Many today have a great fear of the Corvid19 virus. Is not your God greater than this virus? As Jesus would not jump off the temple and tempt His Father, so we should take proper precautions in dealing with the virus. So you have to wear a mask. So you have to stand in line six feet apart. When it’s your time, it’s your time. The LORD will give you the same grace He gave to Tyndale.

“Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” (1Chronicles 29:11-13)

One day we will all be together with one task to do…

“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)

Praise His glorious name! Heaven is going to be great. I pray that God uses this to comfort you and ease your worry. He is the Almighty. Remember His words…

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

Have you come to Jesus? The Bible says…

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Then you can praise His glorious name!

Peace!

May 14th To Thank and Praise the Lord … by Rachel Rice

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 23 – 25 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 19 – 20; Psalms 66 – 70; Proverbs 14)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3

Read the “0514 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “The Hope of the Future.”

“For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above: Because their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts, and in the chambers, and in the purifying of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God; Both for the shewbread, and for the fine flour for meat offering, and for the unleavened cakes, and for that which is baked in the pan, and for that which is fried, and for all manner of measure and size; And to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at even; And to offer all burnt sacrifices unto the LORD in the sabbaths, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded unto them, continually before the LORD: And that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the holy place, and the charge of the sons of Aaron their brethren, in the service of the house of the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 23:27-32)

In the weeks leading up to this blog post I’ve read these scriptures over and over. As many of us probably do, I skimmed over the generations of who bore who and didn’t care nearly enough for the attention to detail that God placed in His Word. The reminder echoed through my heart with the conviction that brought me to the realization once again that every single word in this blessed Book is here for a reason, given by inspiration and preserved throughout the ages for us. We stumble through the chapters of generations mispronouncing names and often wondering why God even put this in the Bible, but I would ask you to put aside these preconceived notions that these chapters hold little value. Jump into them with a spirit ready to receive truth from God. Stand in awe at God’s amazing attention to detail and marvel at his accuracy. Don’t shrink from it, go to it with a desire to learn more about God and his word. Find the verses that speak directly to your heart and dwell on them, letting them seep into your soul with their truth.

With that in mind I wanted to share just a little of the truth that God placed on my heart when I read these passages. I read striving to learn and understand and I admired the organization of how each family had their place, and at the order in which things were conducted. Then my eyes fell to chapter 23 and verse 30 “ and to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at even;”. Among all the details in this passage this verse jumped out at me. Praise: one of the most prominent commands in the Bible. The phrase resonated in my heart with the Holy Spirit in that calm still voice asking me if I had been praising and thanking the Lord? Not only in the morning but in the evening as well. Asking if I had been giving God the glory that He is due.

My twofold challenge is simple, but I hope it will bless you and help you as you go throughout your day, do you go to your bible each day with a heart open to His word? Secondly, do you praise him? Praise him like the Levite’s who were skilled and cunning singers and those who sang in worship to their almighty creator. Learn to see each word in the Bible as a gift from God and let His spirit speak to you.

May 13th Did You Even Ask God? … by Melissa Clayton

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 19 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 17 – 18; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17

Read the “0513 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read previous posts from this passage – “The Place of Sacrifice“; and “Get Busy.“

“Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead. And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him. But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land? Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.” (1 Chronicles 19:1-4)

It didn’t take very long into chapter 19 for the Lord to speak to me. In this chapter David’s friend Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, has died. He was a good friend to David and David goes to Ammon to comfort his son Hanun. Hanun has this group of friends or advisors, the princes, and they start speculating over the true nature of David’s visit. They start sowing seeds of doubt in Hanun’s ears by saying that David wasn’t there to comfort, but rather to spy out the goods of the land, and soon Hanun starts to believe the things they are saying. This series of gossip, followed by speculation and doubt, set in motion a series of events that wind up costing the children of Ammon dearly. They wind up losing their allies and becoming servants to David.

There are a couple of lessons here. The first one is gossip: these princes think they knew something, and they began to whisper in Hanun’s ear about it. The second is speculation: Hanun listened to these whispers and started this battle in his own mind of doubt. The first thing he should have done is gather the facts. I suspect if he had prayed about this and asked God to give him clarity over the situation, God very well could have said “Well go ask David instead of just sitting here wondering about it.” But, he didn’t ask God; he just chose to act.

But, then I realized that I am just like Hanun. I have been Hanun over and over again in my life. A situation arises with a friend or family member, or within the church, and I gossip, or listen to gossip, I speculate and doubt instead of praying for wisdom. I battle in my mind and then act, and then consequences arise. How many relationships have been broken because of situations like this? Probably a ton. I can do better. We as Christians can do better than that. We need God’s wisdom in our relationships, don’t forget to include Him. 

May 12th The importance of Praise … by Rebekah Rice

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 15 – 16; Psalms 56 – 60; Proverbs 12)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 51

Read the “0512 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read previous posts from this passage – “Check With God First;” and “Taking Time to Rejoice.”

“Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 16:9-10)

How many times I sat down to read the entirety of these three chapters but was instead left in complete awe at chapter 16 had to have been more times than I care to count. Although I did get to chapters 17 and 18 as well, and they only served to enrichen it even more. How passionately these chapters demonstrate the subject of praise and the goodness of God is enough to write a book on, but I’ll spare you the time and keep it concise.

I’ve been reading through Psalms separately from this, and I find it as no coincidence that this chapter coincided perfectly with the Psalms I read this week. Psalm 96 is parallel to 1 Chronicle 16:23-36 and it is the Psalm that David writes to praise and thank God for their victory in war and the retrieving of the ark that symbolizes God’s presence with them. It’s also the Psalm that brought revival to my spirit last year, when my walk with God began to feel dry and it seemed like I had forgotten how to praise. It served as a powerful reminder that God really was always with me, which in and of itself is always a reason to praise Him.

The difference between praising God in your personal walk, in comparison to the way that David praised God in the Old Testament, is that ours is a spiritual war while David was fighting literal wars. David praised in an elaborate and awesome way for an earthly victory, but God won when He died on the cross and that is the ultimate victory that we should celebrate through our praise today. That has unfortunately almost become a cliche statement, but it should never become routine. Praise is an intentional acknowledgment of God’s victory over our lives.

Chapter 17 and 18 are a great ending to the vignette of the story as it shows David’s promises from God, and his victories as the king, both of which I’m confident are direct results of His praise to God. Praise and victory go hand in hand, so to have victory in your walk with God, start by simply praising Him.

May 9th The Death Of Saul And The Death Of America – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 9 – 10 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 9 – 10; Psalm 41 – 45; Proverbs 9)

Read the “0509 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together. And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.” (1Chronicles 10:1-14)

Good morning. King Saul is dead. Why? For his transgression against the Lord, even against the Word of the Lord which he kept not, and also asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; and enquired not of the Lord. What bothers me is that the Bible says, right here in black and white, that Saul not only transgressed the Law (Saul did what he shouldn’t do), but he also did not keep the Law (Saul didn’t do what he should have done).

Election time will be coming up: watch the campaigning. Does the candidate support Israel?

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 3:1-3)

Does your candidate support killing babies: abortion? There have been over 61 million innocent babies killed since Roe vs. Wade (1973).

“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  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.” (Jermiah 1:4-5)

Have you lost a loved one to cancer, or some other disease? Maybe God had ordained one of those 61 million with a cure?

What does the candidate think about God’s Law? Should he get the Bible back into schools, government offices and courts? Do you feel the same way as David?

“It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.” (Psalm 119:126)

“Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.” (Psalm 119:136)

We need the True Living God, not some idol of stone that has ears, but can’t hear; eyes, but can’t see; a mouth, but can’t speak. Thus saith the LORD…

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:22)

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me…” (Isaiah 46:9)

And God made it easy for us to be happy and blessed again…

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14)

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 32:12)

“Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.” (Psalm 144:15)

The government is going broke, affordable health care is a joke. The Communists are trying to kill us with germ warfare. But…

“When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7)

Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.” (Psalm 28:3)

Peace!

May 7th Got Talent … by Micah Rice

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 6 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 5 – 6; Psalms 31 – 35; Proverbs 7)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25

Read the “0507 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest. … Their brethren also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God. But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.” (1 Chronicles 6:31, 48-49)

Ezra, the believed author of Chronicles, is educating us on who certain people are and what their jobs are. He mentions many different jobs and tasks ​and I couldn’t help but realize that there’s different people in the whole nation of Israel and not everyone does the same thing. And even in the tribe of Levi were there different roles and tasks to do that certain people were better at than others.

1. Singers (v. 31) – I am sure that the ones appointed to sing were people who had a musical ability. Who were well trained in their position.

2. Servers (v.48) – Men who were highly skilled in serving. Men who could sweep or carry out ashes. Men who knew their job. Obviously not any lesser than musicians but played a different role.

3. Sacrifices (v.49) – These men had to have a specific skill. They had to know how to kill the animal. They had to know how to cut it. They had to know how to dissect it. And they had to know how to burn it. Such a delicate task required a skilled set of hands.

Everyone in the church has their own particular set of skills. Their own speciality that has been honed. A skill set that has been tested and tried. God has given each and every one of us a talent we must use. Whether it be singing, fixing, serving or teaching we should use it all for the glory of God.

 ​“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.​ (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Because we are all gifted with talents from God we must all strive together to learn how to use our talents together for the best possible outcome. A church is composed of many people that have many different talents and it is essential that we learn to adjust and accommodate everyone in areas that they can most efficiently use their gifts.

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit​” (1 Corinthians 12:4).

For example I have personally found out that I am not the best at comforting and counseling. So to put me in a position where I need to counsel people would be, for a lack of better terms, futile. To put a person who is not musically inclined leading a choir would be not the wisest decision. To put someone who does not know how to work in a kitchen to be in charge of a church dinner would not be the best. All these are examples of people without talents not in their area of expertise.

And we must not get confused by comparing talents or gifts. To think highly of yourself because God gifted you with a certain talent would be impractical .​

“Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?​” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

We need to understand that everyone has a different gift and no one has a gift that is more important than another. All talents are to be used for the honor of Christ and not the honor of man. If we stop using our talents to lift ourselves up and start using our talents to uplift the Lord then foolish irrational comparings would cease to exist.

 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…​”(Romans 12:3​)

Many people think they have a very powerful gift that helps the church but when they constantly uplift themselves and never use their talent in the church the only gift they have is the gift of grievance. We must learn to start thinking about how smooth the church runs and not about our self-image.

If you are a Pastor of a church or in a position of leadership at a church I hope as you read this it helps you to analyze how your church / classroom / bus route is set up and see if you can make some changes or adjustments in order to maximize your effectiveness in reaching the lost world with the Gospel. If you’re a church member I hope that you are encouraged by this to find out what your talents are (if you do not know) and use them for the honor and the glory of Christ.

“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” ​(1 Peter 4:11​)

May 6th Everybody Matters … by Moriah Rice

Today’s Reading – 1 Chronicles 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – John 3 – 4; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19

Read the “0506 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea, And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things. These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.” (1 Chronicles 4:21-23)

We can see in 1 Chronicles 3-4 that it goes through the genealogy of David’s sons and successors. We often read through these passages of Scripture in order to just get through the list of names and check it off of our reading list, but as I was reading through those difficult to pronounce names this thought struck my mind, “God put every name here for a purpose.” It seems like a simple thought, but I correlated it with “God put every person on this earth for a purpose.”

We so often look at the big picture, per say. We see people and names and faces, but we don’t often recognize who they are and why God placed specific talents and abilities in certain people for a reason, including ourselves. We can see in 1 Chronicles 4:23, after it goes on to list all the names. It says, “These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.” We know that they are talking about the king that reigned during that time frame, but the thought is that we are all here on this earth ultimately to do the King’s work. We are all, when it comes to those who are saved, simply potters for the Lord’s use and if we personally choose to count that as an honor then there will be an automatic response of humility that follows. To be a potter for the Lord should be counted as a privilege and we should be able to find purpose in that.

We can see in chapter 5 where it talks about the sons of Reuben and in verse 1 it says: “Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.” We see the importance of genealogy and birthright. God had a purpose for every single person He created for the time and purpose He created them. We can see in verse 1 when Reuben had sinned that it not only messed his life up, but also the genealogy that followed him. May it be a small reminder to be Christ-like in the way that we live, because in the end it does matter. God has a purpose; He has a plan and His ultimate desire is for us to follow and obey that which He has already put in place. Our heartbeat should be to find purpose in what He has called us to do, and then to live out His purpose in our lives all for His honor and glory.