My Shepherd
Psalms 23 1-3 GOD, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of GOD
for the rest of my life.
How many of you have read “The 23 Psalm” in The Message, a paraphrase of the original document? I thought today we would look at Psalm 23 through the lens of The Message.
David addresses God directly, calling Him “my Shepherd.” Even today we understand a shepherd to be someone who tends for and protects sheep. Sheep require a great deal of care and man, their counterpart, may seem self-sufficient, but the closer we look, the more we see the analogy. The sheep relies on the shepherd for everything—if man waited on God for everything, how much better off would we be?
Lush meadows indicates God gives us more than we will ever need. Isn’t that comforting? Quiet pools from which to drink shows the concern God has for us. He is aware that sheep are timid, and they would drink from muddy, bug infested ponds rather than drink from a bubbling brook. Man can become so busy that if we did not rely upon God, the chaos of this world would drown us.
God offers to walk beside us, He protects us, He refreshes us and like the man said ears ago, “I’m drinkin’ from the saucer ‘cause my cup has overflowed.” And the best yet is the assurance that His beauty and His love chase after me!
May we know, understand and believe just how blessed we are to have a Father who shepherds us through this life.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Renewing our Minds
Romans 12:2-3 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 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; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
2 Corinthians 4:13-16 13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound (overflow) to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Have any of you ever refinished wooden furniture? There is no quick fix to the scars and blemishes that can damage your wood. The rough places must be sanded, cleaned, and sometimes sanded again to get beyond the impairment. Or, sometimes it is necessary to fill in deep gouges or scars with wood putty.
Likewise, renewing our minds is no quick fix. For this reason, it is far better to renew our minds daily, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. In doing so we build up our character, we recreate our inner man to become more Christ-like, and we receive a whole new strength based upon His glory and not upon our efforts.
May we develop a habit of renewing our minds daily, knowing that the transformation into discipleship is not necessarily easy but it is altogether necessary.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Who May Ascend
Psalms 24:1-6 1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.,
Today we take a glimpse into the sovereignty of God and who is able to approach Him. The King James Translation says, “The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof—there is nothing on this earth that does not belong to God.
Are we foolish enough to believe we are actually self-made and that everything we have is from our own efforts? That kind of thinking leads to idol worship, with the idol being ourselves.
If we truly desire to ascend to the holy place of God, we must have clean hands and a pure heart. In other words, God requires a heart that has no sin or evil intentions, and hands that have been free from actions that are harmful to others and steals God’s glory.
How do we accomplish such requirements? By placing everything before God and by giving Him all praise and honor.
May we today and everyday focus our attention on the One, True and Living God, so that we may approach Him freely and without hesitation.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wake Up, Christians!
Romans 13:8 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:11-12 11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Ephesians 5:14-20 “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”
When I read the book of Romans, I am getting a lesson on the history of Christianity. Paul recounts what life was like before Christ, and he instructs the converts that they are no longer under the law, but under grace. But grace does not free them to continue in their sin. As Paul says, God forbid. Rather, grace frees them to live in victory over their sin.
Our scripture today begins by telling us love does no wrong to a neighbor, love is the fulfilling of the law. Amen and amen. When the love of God begins to permeate our beings, then we will know we’ve moved beyond mere Christianity and into kingdom living.
Loving people who are like you is easy, but loving those who are different is not. Have you ever known someone who is just plain contentious? If you say black, they say white, if you say straight, they say crooked. As disciples, how do we react?
1 John2: 5 But if anyone obeys his Word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him. 6 Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.
The key to loving all people is obedience to God’s Word. Is it easy to love all people? No. But it is necessary. When we move into kingdom living, we are not made perfect but we are perfected in love. Our humanity is covered by Christ’s divinity, and because of Christ we are able to choose love.
Paul says to wake up from sleep. What does that mean to us? We must stop playing church and be the church wherever we are. When we serve at a soup kitchen, do we perform such service as an obligation, or do we throw ourselves into what we are doing with a spirit of joy? When we see someone in need, do we hope someone else will stop and help so that we don’t have to, or do we give of ourselves, even if it is inconvenient?
May we wake up, Christians, not to a new way of doing church but to a new way of being church.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do What is Right
1Pe 1:8-9 (NIV) 8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Romans 12:17-18 (NIV) 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Have you ever known someone who just must have the last word? That was me! When I was a child, my mother said I didn’t start a fight with my twin, Cheryl, but I was going to finish it. After years of prayer and some amount of perseverance I finally am able to hold my tongue. Let things go. And, if it is possible live at peace.
Some might call this behavior being a people pleaser. But you know I am much more interested in pleasing God. And when we please God, we are on the pathway to holiness.
May we seek God’s guidance as we go through each day, knowing, believing and understanding that when we honor our fellow man, we honor God. And that is a blessing to all.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 