The Good Shephard

Psalm 135:5

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

Sing praises to His Name, for it is pleasant.

The Lord is good.  He is tenderhearted.

His mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:23

They are new every morning

Great is your faithfulness

He will watch our coming and going.

It is the Lord Who cares for us.

Psalm 121:8

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your 

coming in from this time forth,

and even forevermore.

Even through the night He is with us. As we sleep and rest,

the Lord does not.  He remains vigilant, ever watchful.

We can trust in Him to be with us and give us

sweet sleep.

Psalm 121:3-4

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Proverbs 3:24

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

Get Your Free Gift Here-->God

Get your free gift.

Just send in your info, no purchase necessary.

Simply pay for postage and handling.

You can enter just about every type of sweepstakes

or contest you could think of.

You can buy a lottery ticket (or more)

every time you go to the neighborhood store.

Every one of these sweepstakes, contests, 

& lotteries will cost you something.

Either time, personal information (which can be sold)

or money.

Yet the greatest gift is free!

It is the gift of salvation.

Romans 5:18

Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment

came to all men, resulting in condemnation,

even so through one Man's righteous

act the free gift came to all men, resulting

in justification of life.

What do we have to do to get it?

Not much---just receive it!

God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, as a free gift.

It is up to us to receive His free 

and unmerited gift of salvation.

By accepting this free gift we become a "whosoever".

Romans 10:13 ASV

for, whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord

shall be saved.

Not all can become a "whosoever".

Claim your free gift today!

Do Yourself A Favor

As we hold on to grudges and resentment

they tend to gain control over our lives.

Also, they grow out of proportion.

Resentment can materialize physically and emotionally.

Resentment makes us ill.

Psalm 37:8

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

do not fret, it only causes harm.

Ecclesiastes 7:9

The Message

Don't be quick to fly off the handle

Anger boomerangs.

You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.

Resentment leads to communication being cut off

and isolation from others.

Do yourself a favor and forgive.

Let go of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness.

Do this for yourself.

It may seem impossible, but nothing is impossible for God.

Luke 1:37

For with God, nothing will be impossible.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:31-32 to put away

all bitterness, wrath, and anger.

Forgive just as our Father God forgave us.

Beyond Description

God told Adam to name all the creatures in the Garden

Genesis 2:19

so He brought each one to Adam,

to see what he would name them.

Since that time, man has put a name on everything he sees.

Once named we can visualize it by the description.

It is hard to visualize someone who is invisible.

Which is why God is beyond our ability to describe Him---

or is He?

Even though the Bible does not give a physical

description of God, it does tell us about Who He is.

Isaiah tells us in chapter 55 verse 9,

His ways and thoughts are higher than ours.

Jesus told Phillip "he who has seen Me has seen the Father"

John 14:9

So when we look at Jesus we see a man who loved,

felt compassion, taught, healed the sick, and fed crowds.

He went out of His way to serve others.

He was not boastful or prideful.

Jesus lived as a man, using His divine nature to glorify God the Father.

Acts 10:38; Matt. 9:35; Matt. 20:34; Mark 1:41;

Mark 8:2; Lam. 3:22; Romans 5:8; Proverbs 8:17

God is beyond our human understanding 

and description.

But through the Holy Spirit, we can see Him.

He is love at the highest level and magnitude.

Just Waiting For The Parade

A victory parade is held to celebrate victory over the enemy.

The United States did it with the allies after WWI and II.

In ancient times the parade was lead by the conquerors

followed by the spoils of war.

Next came the leader of the defeated army

and the captives

and finally, the victorious army.

The defeating army held this procession to make a 

public spectacle of the captives.

The Bible lets us know Jesus has already won the battle.

He accomplished this on the cross.

Jesus took our captivity captive.  Ephesians 4:8

Colossians 2:15

He has freed us from the destruction of sin.

Having disarmed principalities

and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,

triumphing over them in it.

Jesus now leads us in victory.

2 Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be to God who always leads us

in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the

fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The battle has been won.

The parade is getting ready to start.

Don't sit on the sidelines watching.

Join the victorious in Christ!

You Already Have It!

You already have it.

What?

I already have it?

YES!

You already have power and authority which is given

through adoption by God into His family.

Once saved, we are adopted and become joint heirs with Christ.

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear,

but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,

"Abba Father".

As an adopted child of God, we have been given

the same rights as the Son.

We have been given a new name and a new identity in Christ.

Most importantly through adoption,

we have been given power and authority to overcome

"all the power of the enemy", Luke 10:19

Jesus had:

authority over everything, Matt 28:18

authority to cast out demons, Mark 1:27

authority to heal the sick, Luke 7:7

As joint heirs with Him, we inherit all that He is.

Every person is from God, but not all have been adopted into the family.

To receive your inheritance you must be adopted into 

God's family by receiving Jesus 

as Lord and Savior. 

Then all that He has is yours!

Take Thoughts Captive

Our thoughts can determine what kind of day we will have.

The effects of negative thinking are both

emotional and physical.

Negative thinking can cause anger, anxiety, depression,

lack of energy and illness.

On the other hand, the effects of positive thinking

lead to peace, joy, happiness, increased

energy and improved health.

The Message Bible tells us in 

2 Corinthians 10:5

that we are to, "use our powerful God tools

for smashing warped philosophies, tearing

down barriers erected against the truth of God,

fitting every loose thought and emotion

and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ"

It is our responsibility to take every negative thought

captive and set our mind 

"on things above". Colossians 3:2

Set your mind today on Christ!

Down and Out

Down and out is not what you think.

It is not a lack of money or resources.

It is not a hard luck situation.

Rather it is receiving down from God

and then sending it out to touch the lives of others.

God's grace, mercy, and love.

1 Corinthians 1:3-4 AMP

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of sympathy

(pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source]

of every comfort (consolation and encouragement)

Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us

in every trouble (calamity and affliction)

so that we may also be able to comfort

(console and encourage)

those who are in any kind of trouble or distress,

with comfort (consolation and encouragement)

with which we ourselves are comforted

(consoled and encouraged) by God.

God pours down on us His love until

we are overflowing.

Send out the overflow.

Be a blessing to others just as you are blessed.

Set Your Mind

Colossians 3:2

Set your mind on things above,

not on things on earth.

Our mind is very powerful.

What we think about determines how we act.

The mind is the collective conscious and unconscious

thought processes which directly influence behavior.

When we direct those thoughts towards heavenly places, 

we see Jesus.

We see ourselves seated next to Him.

Ephesians 2:6 NIV

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him

in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Even though we are seated in heaven, we still have

one foot here on earth and things here can still affect us.

As we focus our thoughts on worldly things,

our actions are influenced and sin abounds.

By setting on mind towards heaven, we are

influenced by Jesus.

So look up!

Philippians 4:8 NIV

Finally, brothers (& sisters), whatever is true, whatever is noble,

whatever is right, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--

think about such things.

What Song Do You Sing?

Psalm 40:3

He has put a new song in my mouth.

Every day we are bombarded with noise.

Most of us start the day out with loud alarm clocks,

followed by the noise of traffic

or maybe its the kids screaming and yelling during play.

The dog is barking.

The phone is constantly ringing.

Teenage kids are driving up and down the street with their 10"

woofers and you feel your heart with every beat of bass.

We listen to the radio and what comes out is not gratifying.

Or the tune gets stuck in our head.

So do we let the noise around us become our song?

Do we let it get stuck into our head?

Music has been around since the beginning of time.

It is powerful.

It shapes our mood.

Sing to the Lord.

Sing from your heart.

The Bible is full of scripture about singing to the Lord.

The book of Psalms are all songs.

So it doesn't matter if its a hymn, Christian rock, or made up.

Today, sing a new song.

One which affects the spirit.

One that glorifies God.

And God will listen!

Psalm 96:1

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord

all the earth.

Give Up Or Let Go

There is a difference between giving up and letting go.

To give up means to forfeit, lose the right to by some error,

offense or crime.  To abandon.

To let go means release, as from ones grip.

So many times we give up.

We let life's circumstances gang up on us to the point

we give up our hopes and dreams.

Things like depression, sickness, lack and hopelessness

become our normal.

But God wants to give life.

And life abundantly.

In John 10:10, Jesus tells us He came so that 

we may have this abundant life.

When we let go, we relinquish our hold, releasing

our faith, which allows God to go to work in our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not

for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

We may not understand everything we go through,

but He is working everything out for our benefit.

Romans 8:26-28

........And we know that all things work together

for good to those who love God, to those who are

called according to His purpose.

God has good plans for you, let go and let Him direct your ways.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on

your own understanding. In all your ways

acknowledge Him and He will make straight

your paths.

Power of Words

There is power in the words we speak.

Speak out loud for what we say is very important. 

Words affect our emotions and state of mind.

Words can bring about spiritual, emotional, 

and physical changes.

There is life or death in the words we speak.

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Basically, what we say can change us.

We can ultimately speak things into or out of existence.

When speaking in a negative way, feelings of anxiousness,

fear, rejection, physical sickness and depression can

become our normal.

Hearing hurtful and negative words from others

can cause a lifetime of pain.

God knew this.

He knew we could build up or tear down ourselves

and one another with simple words.

That is why He commanded us to control our tongue.

Psalms 34:13

Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

James 3:9-10 AMP

With it we bless the Lord and Father,

and with it we curse men who were made in God's likeness!

Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing.

These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.

The power is in you.

The Holy Spirit will guide you

and by faith your words can be powerful

and life giving!

By The Grace Of God

There by the grace of God goes John Bradford  (go I)

This is a phrase attributed to John Bradford--an English reformer

He was awaiting death in the tower of London 

for his religious beliefs in the mid 1500's

and as he watched others being hanged made this statement.

Whether he ever stated this or not, the meaning is clear.

It is because of God's grace we can endure persecutions.

One could say, "I too might suffer the same fate".

Unfortunately, Bradford was later burned at the stake,

but he never wavered from his beliefs. 

Thank God we do not suffer this type of persecution in most countries.

But we do go through trials and tribulations daily.

We have money troubles, health problems, grief and loss.

We suffer at the hands of loved ones.

Friends disappoint.

We disappoint ourselves.

We endure pressure and suppression for our religious beliefs.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:10, 

"But by the grace of God, I am what I am...."

In other words, 

God's favor pours out on us giving a special ability

to go through the day to day trials and tribulations.

This ability results in a peace like no other.

We cannot earn grace, we simply receive it.

Today make a decision to receive God's grace.

God will empower you to go through whatever it is

you are in the midst of.

2 Corinthians 12:9 The Message

My grace is enough; it's all you need,

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Let Your Life Be A Living Sermon

Or use words when necessary.

God uses people.

And He wants to use each one of us to spread His word.

Mark 16:15 AMP

And He said to them,

Go into all the world and preach and publish

openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature

(of the whole human race).

A quote attributed but not verified by Francis Assisi is:

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

Well, we do need to use words to share to the Gospel of Christ

and we need to know God's word to do this accurately.

However,

how we live our lives is an example to others.

Are we outwardly showing others the love of God?

Or do we live one way at church and another at home?

Jesus gives a principal commandment,

"Love each other in the same way I have loved you,"

John 15:12 NIV

He was the same in private as He was in public.

Jesus didn't walk on the other side of the street 

to avoid the downtrodden.

He met them face to face and loved them.

We must combine our words with our actions

and in both reflect Jesus.

Your Best Friend

We all have friends.

Some are lucky enough to have a special friend...

A best friend.

We look for certain characteristics in a best friend.

Honesty--someone who will tell you the truth.

Numbers 23:19 AMP

God is not a man that He should tell or act a lie.

Unconditional Love--someone to love without judgement.

Romans 5:8

God demonstrates His own love toward us,

in that while we were still sinners, 

Christ died for us.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son.

Help-- someone willing to go out of their way to help.

Psalm 46:1

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Matthew 20:28 AMP

Just as the Son of Man came not to be waited on but 

to serve and to give His life as a reason for many 

(the price paid to set them free)

Loyalty--someone who is true to their word.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful, by whom you were called into 

fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus is my best friend.

Is He yours?