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.

Dance Before the Lord

Dance before the Lord!

David danced.

He danced with abandon.

He praised and worshiped God with a joyful heart.

2 Samuel 6:14

Then David danced before the Lord with all his might....

It was David's way of expressing his joy for the return

of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark contained the Ten Commandments

and on it, the mercy seat where God would speak.

We should, in the same way, dance, sing 

and worship with all our heart.

For we have something better and greater than the Ark.

We are the living container for God.

We hold the Holy Spirit inside of us.

We have the Spirit of God dwelling within us.

Rejoice!

Sing and dance for the joy of the Lord.

Psalm 149:3-4

Let them praise Him with dance;

let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.

More than dynamite!!!

Dunamis Power

Jesus upon completion of the cross was given

‘the name above all names’. Phil 2:9

And with that name came power.

Dunamis power!

Our word dynamite comes from this word.

Dynamite is a high explosive with the ability to blow things up.

It is very powerful stuff.

Strong’s Greek Concordance describes Dunamis as

“might, power, marvelous works”. 

It is a physical power, force, might, ability, and energy.

“For the believer, it is the power to achieve by applying

theLord’s inherent abilities.”  

In other words, Dunamis means a miraculous power, might and strength that we have to use through Christ. 

When times get tough, we have Dunamis power to do more

than we thought or could possibly conceive.

No one can stand against us! 

Romans 8:31 AMP 

Life is an Example

The way you live your life is an example to others.

Live in such a way that gives glory to God.

Do good deeds because it’s right and not for an earthly reward.

God sees what you do in secret and He will reward you.

Matthew 6:4 AMP

So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father

Who sees in secret will reward you openly.

A Shining Light

Be a shining light in a dark world!

Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus was speaking to 1st century people when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount, however, what He said is still true today.

How we live effects the people around us.

As we go about our daily lives, let the light of God shine through you.

Be a blessing to others !

2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV

⁶ For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Light swallows up darkness!

It Is Finished!

On the cross, Jesus said, "it is finished".

What Jesus was referring to was that the price of our sin was paid in full.

There would be no more need to sacrifice bulls and goats.

No scapegoat would ever be sent into the desert for the sins of man. Lev 16:10

Jesus sacrificed His life for man and His blood was the ultimate covering of sin.

He took ALL of man's sin, pain, and sickness on Himself.

Jesus knew before He allowed Himself to be arrested the pain He would endure 

and the loss of communion with God.

So full of anxiety that He cried tears of blood. Luke 22:24

And yet He did it anyway.
So great is His love for us!

Jesus accomplished what He set out to do and fulfilled prophecy.
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, 
Smitten by  God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

Receive all that Jesus did for us on the cross and rejoice!

God's Hold Never Fails

As we hold on to God's hand our grip may fail,

But God, Who holds on to us never fails.

He is holding onto our wrist with a tight hold and His grip is strong.

John 10:28

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;

neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand.

Though we sin, there is no sin that God will not forgive or 

make Him relinquish His hold on us.

His grace is new every morning and He gives us an inexhaustible supply of His goodness!

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, 

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning.

Do Not Harden Your Heart

There will come a time of no return.

Just as there was with Pharaoh against Moses.

Moses went to Pharaoh five times and each time Pharaoh hardened is own heart against Moses and the Israelite's.

Exodus 8:15  But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief,

he hardened his heart and did not heed them,

as the Lord had said.

On the six time, God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 9:12  But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh;

and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

God hardened Pharaoh's heart until there was no turning back.

When you hear Jesus calling you, do not harden your heart.

Hebrews 3:12-15  Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.  For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: 

"Today, if you will hear His voice,

Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

He wants to have a relationship with you.

He wants to live and make a home with us for eternity.

It's more than a religion, it's a relationship

God knows your heart!

Psalm 146:1-2  Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord, O my soul!  

 (2)- While I live I will praise the Lord;  I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Our daily pursuits may provide moments of joy, fun, pleasure or love, but the cry of our hearts goes unheard to those around us.  It is only when we give ourselves over to God that we find total peace, joy and contentment. God hears us and knows our hearts. His happiness is an everlasting one! Spend time with Him, pursue a relationship. Talk to Him about your needs. God already knows but He wants a deep, personal relationship with you.

Psalm 139:1-3 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 

(2) You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.  

(3) You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding 

(6) In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.