The Making I
Ps.63:1 “O True God, You are my God, the One whom I trust. I seek You with every fiber of my being. In this dry and weary land with no water in sight, my soul is dry and longs for You. My body aches for You, for Your presence.” (The Voice)
Have you ever called a customer care line and got put on hold for fifteen minutes, and for the duration you are told that your call matters? How did that make you feel? We have similar experiences very often, even in our own lives, it feels like things have been put on hold. Read the rest of this entry
Oil Check
Isa.40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (KJV, with emphasis).
When is the last time you serviced your car? Do you keep regular car servicing appointments or are you one of those that does not even know that the car should be serviced? Read the rest of this entry
Soul Refresh
Ps.23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul… (NRSV, with emphasis)
If the Lord is your shepherd and if you will be His sheep, He will take care of everything; your spiritual needs, your directional needs, your emotional needs, your physical needs and your eternal needs. Ps.23:3 “he restores my soul… (NRSV, with emphasis). Read the rest of this entry
Lacking Nothing
Ps.23:1 (NKJV) “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 5 …You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over” [with emphasis]
When the Lord is your shepherd, He will not only meet all your needs, you will discover you have no want. The second reason you will have no want is because God actually gives us more than enough. Read the rest of this entry
God Tends
Eze.34:2 “…Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep… 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost…” [with emphasis].
If anyone understood how vulnerable and defenseless sheep are, it was David. When a lion came against his sheep, he rose against the lion and killed it. Read the rest of this entry
Present & Future Defense
Jer.23:4 “Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
The story is told about a missionary in Africa who needed to get to a particular village, but it was on the other side of a jungle. As he walked behind the local that had been assigned to get him to the village, Read the rest of this entry
Sheep 101
Jn.10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” [with emphasis]
The presence of the shepherd brings real freedom to the sheep. However, in order for Jesus to be your shepherd and for you to experience real freedom, you must first be a sheep. Read the rest of this entry
His Responsibility
Eze.34:2 “…Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep… 4 You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost…” [with emphasis].
Two people are only as intimate as what exists between them. What exists between you and God is what makes your relationship personal and intimate. There should be things that exist only between you and God. Read the rest of this entry
Present & Personal
Ps.23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” [NKJV, with emphasis]
In this scripture alone, David points out so many things to us. David says, the Lord is my shepherd. He did not say the Lord was my shepherd and that is so instructive. Read the rest of this entry
All-in-All
Ex.3:2 (NKJV) “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
Fire usually needs wood to keep burning, but when God appeared in the burning bush, the bush did not burn up. God was making a statement that He does not need anything outside Himself to exist. Read the rest of this entry
