The 23rd Psalm
(KJV) 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
When ministering to folks in Assisted Living facilities, hospitals, or those who were housebound, I would often ask if the person had a favorite Bible verse. The response was generally either The Lord’s Prayer or The 23rd Psalm. Both scriptures offer us a level of comfort and security unparalleled by any other source. When we do not know what to pray or even how to pray, we can always turn to Matt 6 or Psalm 23 for guidance.
Psalm 23 was written by David, and as one who had spent his younger years tending his father’s sheep, he understood the implications of being a shepherd. David addressed the Lord as a shepherd, his shepherd, and he went on to define just what that means.
The Lord Who shepherded David was Jehovah Jireh, the God of provision, and David experienced no unfulfilled need while under His watchcare. David’s shepherd offered rest, and just as the shepherd found fresh water for his sheep, our Father invites us to drink of the Living Water that is Jesus Christ.
Jesus does not leave us without hope but renews our spirit. When we have lost our way, we can depend on the Good Shepherd to lead us back to the place of right standing with God. And when we face death, whether figuratively or literally, we do not have to experience it alone.
As hurricanes, tornadoes and floods devastate portions of our country, and we witness never ending wars in the Middle East, and now in Ukraine, we need to turn to the Good Shepherd for the security that only He can provide.
May we seek God not as our last resort but let us turn to Him first.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Playing vs Winning
(NIV) 1 Cor 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
My father-in-law asked if I knew how to play checkers. I’m sure I looked at him incredulously. Of course I knew how to play checkers. I played it with my brother when we were children.
Well, after several games with my losing each time, I realized I knew how to play checkers, but I certainly did not know how to win checkers.
In today’s scripture, Paul uses the metaphor of running a race in order to win. He was trying to teach the Corinthians to seek after God just as diligently as athletes preparing for the Olympic races. Paul says that he himself runs not aimlessly but with a goal in mind.
My question today is this: do each of us have a clear goal as we go through our day? Do we understand as Paul did that the crown we seek is heavenly? If not, then we need to realign our purpose with the Holy Scriptures, seeking to win the only prize that matters—2 Timothy 4:7-8
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.”
May we as intentional disciples keep our eyes on the prize, and may we be faithful in sharing Jesus with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wee little Man
(NIV) Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Being raised in church, I have known the story of Zacchaeus from childhood. Being short, I can identify with one who could not see what was happening in a crowd. I understand the desperation that would drive a man to climb a tree, and I am elated when I see the quick response of Zacchaeus to Jesus. Not only was Zacchaeus eager to have Jesus spend time in his home, he was also ready for salvation. And this little man, hated by everyone, immediately repented and offered restitution.
You see, Zacchaeus recognized Jesus not only as Savior, he saw that Jesus was his Lord. And that is the problem, isn’t it? We want Jesus to save us, but many of us do not want Him to direct our lives. When we become intentional in our discipleship, we, too, will be willing to climb a tree, just to get a glimpse of Jesus. We will welcome him into our home and into our hearts and we will turn our life around.
May we, like Zacchaeus, become so desperate in our desire to see Jesus that no obstacle will stand in our way. And if we are part of the crowd eager to point out another’s sin while being blind to our own, open our eyes that we might see—Jesus came to seek and save the lost—that is us, too.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
(NIV) The Parable of the Lost Coin
Luke 15:8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
When I was a little girl, my mother took my twin and me to the bank. The purpose of the visit was to open accounts for me and my sister. As I handed over my precious possession of a small collection of silver dollars, I was assured my money would be safe. In exchange for my coins, I received a brand new book which contained an accounting of the money that Worthen Bank was holding for me.
Sometime later I returned to the bank to make a withdrawal. To my horror, the teller counted out ten crisp, clean one dollar bills. But where were my coins? Sadly, that was the day I learned a little about the way banks functioned. The cost? My coins were lost to me forever.
In the parable, a woman lost one of 10 coins. We do not know the denomination. We do not know if any sentimental value was attached to the coin. But we do know her coin was restored.
Of course the point of the story is not the loss of the coin, or burning oil, a precious commodity, when the coin would likely have been found in the light of the day. The story is not about loss at all, but instead it is about the rejoicing that accompanies being found.
The extent to which the Father will go to find one lost sinner is beyond our comprehension. He does not wait for us to realize we are lost and begin searching for Him. No, we are far too valuable to be languishing in our sinful state. Instead, our Father seeks, finds and delivers us from all unrighteousness, and when we repent all of heaven rejoices.
May we understand our true value to God and begin to live up to our worth.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hope and Trust
(NRSV) Ps 33:18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
There’s a saying in Arkansas concerning man-made plans—we’ll be there, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise. My brother and his family spent ten hours driving to Florida, only to be turned back after two days due to a late season hurricane. When our plans are thwarted, we may suffer a momentary disappointment, but as verse 21 says, “ Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.”
Have you noticed how closely aligned trusting is with waiting? “Trust” at one time was an integral part of our lexicon. We would say, “ I trust you are feeling well,” or “I trust you had safe travels.” Today we tend to use the word “hope” to express our thoughts and well wishes.
Today’s scripture includes both trust and hope. I am reminded of Elisha asking God for a double portion as Elijah was taken away, and God affirmed it was so by opening up the sea. Sometimes we have to walk through the troubles ahead of us, knowing God walks by our side, and at other times the sea opens up and we walk through on dry land.
May we remember that, regardless of the circumstances, God’s love is steadfast and true. I remember preaching a sermon on the steadfast love of God, and I ended with the statement, “We can never outrun the love of God, or outsin the mercy of God.” David knew this to be true, and I trust you will know it, too.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
