Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

May 15th Working Behind the Scenes

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 26 – 27

Second Milers also read – John 21, Acts 1; Psalm 71 – 75; Proverbs 15

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

In today’s passage we see the list of countless names of people who labored behind the scenes in the temple, and in the kingdom during the reign of David. When we think of the temple, we think of Solomon primarily, because it was he whom God chose to assemble it; or we may think of David, because he was the one who made most of the preparations for it. However, we can see from these passages that there were literally thousands of people laboring behind the scenes that made the ministry that went on in the temple possible, as well as in the rest of the kingdom.

The picture above is of my wife Cindy. She was working the visitor center during the “Are You Happy?” campaign last year. Her labor helped make that big day possible. There were many other people who labored that day as well. There people who greeted, and there were ushers. There were people who worked the sound booth, and people who controlled the screens in the front of the church. There were people who sang in the choir, and peple who played the instruments of music. There were people who passed out invitations all over town, and people who invited their friends and neighbors. There were people who cleaned the building, and people who made sure the grounds and parking lot were just right. These people all labored behind the scenes that day, and without their effort, none of it would have been possible. We may not notice all of the people who labor behind the scenes, but as we can see from this passage, God doesn’t forget them.

May 14th The Hope of the Future

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 23 – 25

Second Milers also read – John 19 – 20; Psalms 66 – 70; Proverbs 14

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1

In today’s passage (and yesterday’s) we read about David making the preparations for the building of the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the worshipping of God in the temple.   If you will recall, David was forbidden of God to actually build the temple himself because God said that he was a man of war; and that he had shed much blood while delivering Israel from the hands of her enemies.  God said that Solomon, David’s son, would be the man that would build the temple as he would be a man of peace.  However, this did not prevent David from doing all that he could to help gather the materials, and to make the necessary preparations, so that Solomon would have all that he needed to fulfill God’s will for his life.

I have been saved now for twenty years.  I have learned that God will not allow me to do all of the things that I have dreamed of doing for Him; but that does not stop me from doing all that I can do to help pave the way for those that He will call later to fulfil His will (and some of my dreams).  I have a lot of dreams: I dream of seeing multitudes of people saved and serving God here in south Jersey.  I dream of seeing hundreds of young men and women being trained here to go forth throughout the world serving God.  I dream of planting dozens of churches here in our area.  I dream of running dozens of buses all over Atlantic County, picking up boys and girls and bringing them to the house of God.  It is in my heart to do all of these things; but God will very likely not allow me to do all that I dream of.  But maybe I can help train and prepare the next generation so that they can take what we have started and build upon it.  I have to be content with being just a part of the process.  I can maybe help give the next generation a strong foundation so that they can continue to do what I could not do.

How about you?  What are you doing today to help prepare for the next generation.  Sometimes people don’t want to be involved in the process at all if they personally can’t be there for the final product; or if they won’t receive the praise of men for the final product.  We need to forget about who gets the credit;  do all that God will allow us to do ourselves today; and then give and train and prepare so that the next generation will be able to finish what we have started and even do “greater works than these”.

We need to be concerned about the next generation. I am reminded of Hezekiah who was not at all disturbed when God told him that judgment would come in future generations, as long as things were going well in his day. I believe we have a great responsibility to provide for the next generation. I want to see those who follow behind me succeed, and to build upon the foundation that was laid by the folks who came before them.

One final note – 3 times in chapters 23 – 25, David mentions folks that would be positioned in the temple just to praise the Lord. It seems that David took his worship of God seriously. We need to make ure that the next generaltion of Christians will not be ashamed to lift up the Lord in praise.

May 13th The Threshingfloor of Ornan

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 19 – 22

Second Milers also read – John 17 – 18; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6

In chapter 21 of 1 Chronicles we read of a very serious error in judgment made by David. This is as bad in God’s eyes as his adultery with Bathsheeba, and his murder of Uriah. What was this great sin? He numbered the people of Israel. You might be thinking to yourself, as I did, as to why God would be so upset about that. Because God didn’t want David trusting in the number of soldiers that he had in his army, He wanted David to trust in God. Even Joab knew better. In verse 2 he told David that God would multiply Israel’s strength against any army. There is a good lesson to be learned here for us today. We need to learn to trust God to take care of us. We live in a day when we want insurance for everything, and I am not against having insurance; but the greatest insurance policy we can have is our faith in God. God will always take care of those who place their trust in Him.

My main thought for today’s post, however, is the place where David set up the altar in order to appease God’s wrath for what he had done. God commanded David to purchase the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and erect an altar there. This is the same piece of ground that Abraham was called to offer up his son, Isaac in Genesis 22. It is the same place where the temple would be built later by Solomon; and it is the same place that the Lord Jesus would be crucified. It is the place of sacrifice; it is the place where we can find forgiveness. David blew it. God’s judgment was warranted for the sin, but David found forgiveness at the place of sacrifice, and so can we.

Have you blown it also? Well you can lay that sin down at the foot of the cross and watch the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, our Sacrifice, wash the sin away completely. Praise the Lord for forgiveness. Praise the Lord for the place of sacrifice.

May 11th God’s Will, God’s Way

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 13 – 15

(Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11)

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34

Read “Subversion of Marriage” by Pastor Paul Chappell

Read last years post from this passage – “Obededom – A Doorkeeper for the Lord”

“And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:” – (1 Chronicles 13:2)

“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.” – (1 Chronicles 13:10)

A quick glance at 1 Chronicles 13 will leave the reader puzzled as to why God killed Uzza, and also as to why God stopped the transport of the ark to Jerusalem. Let’s carefully look at what took place in this passage and see if we can figure out how we can prevent this type of thing from happening in our lives and ministries.

First of all I want to say that David’s heart was right in wanting to bring the ark to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was going to be the place where God was going to build His temple through David’s son Solomon. Jerusalem was going to be the capitol city of the people of God. David wanted to do the right thing, and David wanted to be sure that the thing that he wanted was also the thing that God wanted. He said in v 2, “and that it be of the Lord our God”, meaning that he was careful to point out to the people that God had the right to close the door on this move. So, was it not God’s will to bring back the ark?. Did God close the door on the project by killing Uzza? I don’t think so. God removed His hand of blessing from the transport of the ark because David and the people of Israel were not doing it God’s way. The Bible had given clear instructions as to how the ark was to be transported. It was supposed to be carried on staves (poles); not on a cart pulled by oxen. What happened to Uzza was certainly unfortunate, but it could have been avoided had David and the leaders of Israel looked into the Word of God to see how this particular job was to be done.

In this passage, we see a threefold formula for fulfilling our purpose in life. First, God puts the desire in our hearts. The verse says, “if it seem good unto you”. I believe if God wants you to do something, He will put the desire in your heart to do it:

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – (Philippians 2:13)

“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” – (1 Timothy 3:1)

Secondly, we must determine that the thing we “desire” to do, or “seem good unto [us]”, is, in fact, the will of God. If it is, it will be in agreement with the Word of God, and will be reassured through prayer and godly counsel.

The third thing is that once we determine to that the thing we want to do is God’s will, we must do it God’s way. We need to search the Word of God and see what He says about the process of completing the task at hand. This is where I believe many churches and leaders are failing today. We are attempting to what God wants us to do, but we are not doing it His way. God’s will must be done, God’s way. I realize that everything that God wants us to do today, including every minute detail in the process will not be covered completely by the Word of God; but I believe the foundational principles contained in the Bible, coupled with the leadership of the Holy Spirit, will guide us through the process.

May 10th God Spotted Him First

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 11 – 12

Second Milers also read – John 11 – 12; Psalms 46 – 50; Proverbs 10

“Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel. Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.” – (1 Chronicles 11:1-3)

In this morning’s passage we see the people of Israel anointing David to be their king. You may remember that God had already anointed David to be king over Israel 20 years prior, through the prophet Samuel, back in 1 Samuel 16:13. When God had chosen David he was still a very young man. God knew what David would be, but it took a long time for the people to recognize the hand of God upon David. Don’t quote me on this, but I am pretty sure twenty years had transpired from the time that God anointed him until the time that people made him their king. During those years a lot of things took place. First, we will see that God became fed up with the first king of Israel, Saul. Saul was a great choice for the first king. He was head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd, but he was initially a very humble man. He trusted in the Lord, and he did what God told him to do. But as the years went on, he became very insecure, especially when it cane to David. For many years he spent all of his energy, and the resources of Israel, trying to put David to death. Somewhere along the way Saul stopped doing things God’s way, and started calling his own shots. However, even though God recognized that Saul was no longer the man for the job, it took the people many years to see it for themselves.

God may be calling you to do something for him as well, but don’t be surprised if it takes a while for other people to recognize God’s calling on you. I remember that shortly after I was saved I went forward at an invitation at Ocean County Baptist Church. The preacher that night was a visiting missionary. He asked us that night, “If God were to call you to do something, would you do it?” To me that was a “no brainer” I remember thinking to myself that if I knew for sure that God wanted me to do something I would obey the call. I went forward. I thought there would be a hundred people alongside of me, but to my surprise, when I got up, there was only one other man that was standing with me. I had no idea at that moment what God was going to do with my life, but I was willing to let Him use me. I knew at that moment that God was calling me, but it took many years for all of the people around me to see it for themselves.

I have concluded that God’s anointing is really a two-fold process. The first step is when God lets you know that He wants to do something with you, and the next step is when the people in your local church recognize the genuineness of that call, and put their stamp of approval on you as well.

May 9th Too Big For His Britches

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 9 – 10

Second Milers also read – John 9 – 10; Psalms 41 – 45; Proverbs 9

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 19

Read last year’s post from this passage – “Nethinims”

“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.” – (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)

“And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” – (1 Samuel 15:17)

In 1 Chronicles, chapter 10, God tells us about the death of King Saul and his sons. God tells us in this passage the reasons that He took His hand of protection and blessing from the life of Saul; and when we compare this passage to some of the other passages in 1 Samuel that reveal the events of Saul’s life and reign as king, the picture gets a little bit clearer. Saul simply became “too big for his britches”. You’ve heard that expression before, haven’t you. My grandmother used to say that about me when I was a young boy. It simply means that your opinion of yourself is greater than reality.

King Saul started out very well. He was always insecure, but in the early days he was a very humble man. When chosen by God to be the king of Israel, Saul’s life was dramatically changed, and though he was head and shoulders above the rest, he did not see himself as anything special. He was right to think that way because he really wasn’t special, and neither are we. However, in these early years of his reign as king, Saul trusted in God. As time went on, however, Saul became concerned with the opinion polls, and he was especially nervous about a young man in his kingdom by the name of David that was gaining popularity. Saul’s insecurity and pride caused him to make a lot of decisions completely independent of God; and he eventually got to the point where he was doing everything he could just to hold on to his power and throne: everything except humble himself before God.

The story of Saul serves a good example to all of us who are in God’s service. God chooses us to serve Him, not because of anything we have to offer him. We have no intrinsic value, but God chooses to use us for his glory. The danger comes when we start wanting to steal a little bit of that glory for ourselves. We get too big for our britches just like Saul did. It is really a vicious cycle: we start out humbling depending on God to use us; God begins to use us and bless us in tremendous ways; we then begin to subconsciously think that those blessings were due to our own merit; then we begin to openly display our pride; then God has to pull away those blessings; and finally we fall on our faces back to the place of humility again.

Would to God we could just stay humble, realizing “it is God which worketh in[us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – (Philippians 2:13) God is the One who butters our bread, and we had better not forget it. Is God using you? – Praise God! But don’t get cocky, because God can pull away His hand of blessing from your life whenever He chooses.

May 8th Valiant Men of Might

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 7 – 8

Second Milers also read – John 7 – 8; Psalms 36 – 40; Proverbs 8

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 18:3 & 46

Watch “How To Help People Who Don’t Want To Be Helped” by Pastor Paul Chappell

“And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father’s house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred.” – (1 Chronicles 7:2)

1 Chronicles 7 contains the genealogies of several of the tribes of Israel, and lists many of the heads of the families that were alive when the Israelites were moving into the Promised Land during and after the time of Joshua. As you will recall, this land was full of the enemies of God’s people, and they all had to be removed from the land. In addition to the above verse, four times in this passage of Scripture the phrase “men of valour” is used to describe these men. I looked up the word “valour” in the dictionary, and it defines it as great courage in the face of danger. Some of the synonyms listed in the thesaurus for the word “valour” are bravery, courage, pluck, nerve, and fearlessness. I admire men who rise to the challenge and are willing to risk their lives for a greater cause than their own personal safety. God raised up these “men of valour” in Israel at a time when the people of God were facing incredible obstacles while claiming the inheritance that God had given them.

I remember last year the daring assault by the US Navy Seals in Pakistan which resulted in the removal of Usama bin Laden. These Seals are incredibly brave men, who are often asked to put their lives in great danger for the cause of liberty. I am very thankful for men who will lay their own safety on the line so that my family is kept safe. In a few weeks we will be observing Memorial Day. For many years this holiday meant little to me. For the most part it was a day for hamburgers, hot dogs, and potato salad; and a time to have barbecues or picnics with friends and family. But as I get older, and I look at my children and the opportunities they have here in this great nation, my mind is forced to think about the brave men and women who made it all possible for us. I would like to thank all of you who might be reading this thought this morning, who may have served our nation in the armed forces. You are truly men and women of valour.

As I was reflecting on my admiration of the men from this passage, and my appreciation for the men and women in America who keep us free, I was also challenged to consider what my contributions have been to make our country a better place. What sacrifices have I been willing to make so that life could be better for my family and neighbors? I want my life to make a difference as well. I don’t think that I will ever be called upon to go into a physical battle against some opposing army, but perhaps I can do some spiritual battle with the forces of darkness. I can also sacrifice some of my time, talent, and treasures to help people in a tangible way. Maybe there is something that you can do as well.

May 6th The Prayer of Jabez

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 3 – 5

Second Milers also read – John 3 – 4; Psalms 26 – 30; Proverbs 6

“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested”. (1Chronicles 4:10)

I have got to admit that these first few chapters of 1 Chronicles are not my favorite portions of Scripture to read.  Oh, don’t misunderstand, these genealogical passages are very important, and God has good reason to include them in the Bible; but they don’t make for very interesting reading.  However, nestled in the midst of this rather dry recollection of families and names is a prayer request made by a man named Jabez.  Now we don’t know anything about this man except for this prayer which is recorded here; but we also know that God granted him that which he requested.  Let’s take a look at the prayer:

1  He prayed that God would prosper him.  He depended on God for that prosperity.  He recognized that God was the source of all blessing.  His prayer required a great deal of faith which we know is pleasing to God.

2  He prayed for protection.  Again, he knew that anything could happen to him; but he also knew that nothing could happen to him without God’s permission.  He asked God to put an hedge of protection about him.

3  He prayed for peace of mind (happiness).  Not every situation we face in life will be pleasant to us; but God’s people should be a very happy people.  We have a lot to be happy about.

I have often thought that this prayer was selfish.  He didn’t pray for others; he didn’t pray for the glory of God; he didn’t pray for the salvation of the world; he prayed for himself; yet God answered him.  Maybe God likes it when we come to him in childlike faith.  I guess God enjoys blessing us.  Don’t misunderstand, I don’t think that God appreciates a spoiled brat, always begging for things they want; and always griping about what they don’t get; but I bet He enjoys blessing us.  I know I enjoy doing things for my kids, just because I love them.  Maybe, we should try praying a prayer like Jabez.