Word up! - John 1:1

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. John 1:1 (NKJV)

It amazes me how many Christians don’t read the Bible on a regular basis.  I mean sure, it isn’t some important book or anything. It’s not like it gives us insight on who God is and what He has done for us and what we should do in return.  Oh wait, it does; the Bible gives us all that and much more. It is full of answers, examples, love, hope, etc. etc. etc.  It is a timeless book that is just as relevant today as it was a thousand years ago. 

I hear all kinds of reasons for why people aren’t reading it.  “I don’t have time”, “It’s boring”, “I just can’t get into it”, etc.  One excuse is as good as another I suppose.  Let’s think of it this way if there was a book about how you could be given a million dollars for free and it wasn’t a scam, would you read it? What if this book could help everyone you care about also obtain a million dollars?  I bet you would not only read it, you would know it by heart, quote it often and probably make sure all your friends had a copy! 

A relationship with God and an eternal home in Heaven is far more valuable than a million dollars; it is priceless.  The Bible teaches us about God and His gospel, HIS-story!  It is a map to guide us through life’s ups and downs, and it contains truths that will save men to the utmost.  Trust me it is worth the read; it is worth the time, it is worth the bother.

 You know I really have days when I just don’t want to get up and go to work, but I do anyway.  You may not want to pick up your Bible and read it, do it anyway; you won’t regret it!

Don’t give up when you mess up – 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

I know several people who are smokers and they all hate the fact that they smoke.  Several have them have come to me and told me, “I quit smoking!” and I’m excited for them; after all I’m the one that aggravates them all the time about smoking and how they need to quit. However, smoking is a strong addiction and this is what I usually see happen; everything is going good for a while as they resist the urge to smoke.  Then something happens that stresses them out and they reach for a cigarette, and they’re back to smoking just like they were.   The problem is not that they can’t quit smoking, not that they don’t want to, and not even that one cigarette.  The problem is that when they mess up and smoke that one cigarette, they give up trying to quit. 

Now hopefully most of you reading this aren’t smokers, if you are quit now! But whether you smoke or not I can guarantee you have been through a similar ordeal. You have decided you were going to stop or start doing something.  You start off sailing along and doing great, sure there is temptation to give in but you are stronger then that so you just pick up the intensity. Then the unavoidable happens, you make a mistake, you put your guard down and WHAM! Your perfect plans have been smashed to bits, so you do the noble thing and bow out gracefully; when what you really should do is pick up the pieces, get back on track and keep trucking along toward the goal.

I promise you this; you will never be perfect on this side of Heaven.  So, when you mess up, and you will, give it to God and go on. Stop letting a little (or big) mistake stop you from doing what you should do.  Let God have your mistakes and He will not only forgive you of them, but completely and utterly cleanse you of them.  We all mess up, so the question is: Will you give up too?

Just do it – Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NLT)

It seems like to me that as a society we are turning more and more to the idea of only doing what we feel like doing. Marriages are ending in divorce like never before, parents are giving up their children (or neglecting them), our work ethic is non-existent; we just want things to be handed to us and we want them to be easy and all packaged up and tied with a pretty bow.  When we get tired of it we want to move on to something bigger and better; something that makes us feel good and makes us happy.

We are so consumed with ourselves and our own wants and desires that we have lost sight of true commitment.  We want to pseudo-commit: committing as long as it is convenient to us, otherwise count us out.  One of my favorite examples of this is a scene from Shrek 2.  Shrek has just finished robbing some men because he needs their cloths. He looks at the men standing there in their underwear and says, “Thank you, gentlemen! Someday, I will repay you. Unless, of course, I can't find you or if I forget.”. He has just freed himself from any obligation of ever fulfilling his pseudo-commitment. 

It is funny how we want to pseudo-commit to everything we do, yet we get upset when people fail to come through on their pseudo-commitments to us.  I think it is way past time that we suck it up and start sticking by our commitments.  If you are in a marriage and it is getting rocky, by golly fight for it with all you’ve got.  If someone needs you and it is inconvenient to you, stuff your selfish egocentric nature back in the closet and just go help them.  If you are at your job or school and there is something you have to do that you don’t want to, do it anyway. Life is too short and eternity is too long to be so selfish and uncaring. 

If we are going to claim to follow Jesus, maybe we should start acting like it. 

Are you selling yourself short? – Psalm 139:14

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

Seems like more and more these days I hear people putting themselves down. “I can’t”, “I’m not good enough”, “I shouldn’t have even tried”, are phrases that have worked their way into our everyday vocabulary. We start to believe that if we were only smarter, prettier, skinnier, more talented, etc, that we would be happy. Our glass is always half, no two-thirds empty. We can’t see any hope of anything ever being any different; after all we are just useless and good for nothing: failures.

We look in the mirror and we notice all of our imperfections and we start to think about how much we have messed up.  We listen to the voices all around us that tell us we need to be perfect, that we just aren’t trying hard enough, and that we will never win. We try so hard to change who we are that we forget that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and we are special.

No one else, ever has been exactly like the unique and wonderful design called, you!  God very purposefully designed you to be who you are, so you need to embrace you. 

So what you aren’t a naturally gifted at some things, you are at others. Maybe you will never be a great _______ (fill in the blank), maybe God has other plans.  Find your niche, seek your purpose in God’s plan for your life; I assure you it is great!

So STOP, that’s right S-T-O-P, right now belittling yourself, beating yourself up for what you are not, what you have or haven’t done, or for what you never will be.  God has made you for greatness, not your greatness, His greatness, and He loves you.  You are unique, special, and important in the eyes of the creator God.  Sure you fail, and fail, and fail, but if you are Christ’s you will never be a failure. Satan will try to tear you down, and others will help him; don’t start believing their lies.

I’ll leave you with two quotes from two very intelligent women that help me through my day-to-day struggles of self-confidence and self-esteem.  Take these quotes to heart and they will help you as well!

“Never put yourself down; the whole world will do that for you.” My Mom

and

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” Eleanor Roosevelt

Are you defeated? – Genesis 40:23 and 41:1a

Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him. Genesis 40:23

Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; Genesis 41:1a

Are you walking around defeated? Do you hate your job, you school, your home life?  No matter what you try to do and no matter how close you try to walk with God, you just find yourself stuck in the same old rut.  Day after day, night after night you are dealing with the same problems and frustrations. You have tried for so long and hard to make things better with no avail and now you feel like giving up and throwing in the towel.  You start thinking, “I must be worthless” and “God must not care about my situation or else He has forgotten me”.  If you find yourself in a place of defeat and hopelessness, remember Joseph. 

God had plans to make Joseph a great leader. He used him to save his family and assure the founding of the great nation of Israel. Yet God did not just place Joseph in a high ranking position from a birthright or by political ties.  Instead God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery, falsely accused and then thrown into prison. There God blessed him to interpret a dream and hope renewed inside of him; surely now he would be freed from this prison, this life of constant setbacks! But two years went by and not another word or hope of freedom much less prosperity.  Although Joseph continued to honor and follow God, he must have surely felt defeated and forgotten. 

Through all of the turmoil God was molding Joseph.  He had put him in the right place and at the right time, so that he could use him to do great things; he was given favor, power and authority to do what God had sent him to do.  At which time Joseph looked back over all he had been through and it made perfect sense; God had been diligently piecing together a puzzle far too big for him to do on his own. He was ready to face the challenge ahead because God had equipped him through his circumstances with all the tools he needed.

God too has great plans for your life. Although following Christ is not always easy and we may find ourselves in situations that make us feel defeated and forgotten, we are neither.  Take heart in knowing that as a child of God we are constantly being molded and directed by Him for His purpose. One day we will look back on our current state and realize that we were never defeated or forgotten; not even close.

Don’t Quit- Genesis 6:22

So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him. Genesis 6:22

It is easy to decide you are going to do something; it is another thing altogether to stick with it.  I have met a lot of people who are full of good intentions; they are ready to change the world no matter what it takes.  Then things get hard and the newness of the project wears off and most people start jumping ship.  Everyone is ready for the fun, the excitement and the glory, but when things start to get difficult and monotonous they lose energy and give it up; off to the next life changing venture.

If our intentions are ever to become worthwhile in practical application we must learn to endure and persevere.  There is joy and feasting at the time of harvest, but much toil and work must be done first to get there.  Somehow we forget this concept, we think that changing the world should be easy; if the task is God given surely He would make the path smooth right? Wrong.  I would venture to say that if what you are doing is not saturated in adversity then it is probably not worthwhile. I once heard a preacher say in a sermon, “If everything is going your way, you better make sure you are in the correct lane!”.  God does not make our tasks easy; instead He equips us with the power and ability to overcome.

Have you started something that God has put upon your heart?  Were you enthusiastic and now as time has passed you have lost vision and steam?  I urge you to stick it out.  When the nights are long and the way is tedious, stick with it.  When the goal seems unattainable and discouragement is beating down on every side, ask God for strength and press on through. It may be of the utmost importance that you do.  What would have happened if Noah had slacked off or given up the task of building the Ark? Thankfully he endured the daunting task!

I am reminded of a poem that meant so much to my mom and dad that they framed it and placed it in the family room of our house; it goes like this:

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

He is not here, He is risen! – Mark 16:6

But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. Mark 16:6

Around two thousand years ago a man named Jesus walked the Earth.  He made many haughty promises; He even claimed to be God. He made wild statements about His ability to forgive sins, and spoke of Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He was killed by crucifixion on a cross at a place called “Calvary”, and buried in a borrowed tomb.  His followers and friends, especially the eleven who were called apostles, mourned greatly His death. There lives had been turned upside down by this man and now they had nowhere to go, nowhere to turn. They had seen him die, they had placed Him in the tomb; He was dead. 

If this was the end of the story, it would be nothing more than the end of another man’s futile life.  However, down to the grave where He was buried they traveled with heavy hearts; they were expecting to anoint Him with burial spices, to honor the life that was now taken from them.  They were very surprised to find that He wasn’t there. He had risen!

Jesus Christ came down from Heaven; God became man.  He gave His life on the Cross to pay the debt for our sins.  He then went face-to-face with death and the grave. Eternity was opened to all as He arose triumphantly, of His own power, taking away the sting of death and the victory of the grave. Once and for all He died, was buried and rose again, paving the way to Heaven and giving man the option of personal reconciliation with God.

He is alive, and alive evermore!   

To the Tomb - Mark 15:46

And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. Mark 15:46

Jesus was dead; they had seen Him die and they had placed Him in the tomb. There hopes of an earthly kingdom, freedom from Rome and a new era were dashed.  What happened? Why did He let them kill Him so easily? He didn’t even give up a fight; He just laid there and let them nail Him to the tree.  This isn’t at all how it was suppose to be, they must have thought as they mourned the loss of their Master. 

I imagine, all the while Satan danced with joy, “I’ve done it, I’ve done it, He’s dead and I will make sure He stays that way!”.  With all the power he could muster he planned to make sure the King of Kings would stay dead. He had failed to overthrow God once before and paid dearly, He would not make the same mistake again.  As the days begin to pass, he became more eager, more energized, he would be conqueror; he would defeat God’s Son.

The time between Jesus’ death and resurrection was an emotional time.  When the fate of mankind seemed to hang in the balance and as doubts and fears filled the hearts of those who followed Him, all seemed lost.  Little did they realize that everything was going precisely as God had planned. That third morning held something that neither Christ’s followers nor Satan had foreseen…

And they crucified Him – Mark 15:25

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. Mark 15:25

As we lift our hearts toward God today to celebrate “Good Friday”, let us ponder the cross.  The death by which our Savior, our God chose to take upon Himself so that you and I could be free from the unbreakable bonds of our sin.  The cross is not a pretty place; there are no fluffy little Easter bunnies there. No, if we could peer back in time to the crucifixion we would find a beaten, bruised and nearly unrecognizable Jesus.  God in fleshly form suffering, hurting, heartbroken and dying; not for wrongs that He had done, no He the spotless Lamb had never sinned, but for our sins; all of our sins.

Jesus took upon Him no simple earthly death. He took upon Him the sorrows and failings, the sins of the whole world from start to finish.  He took upon Him what no other living man has ever experienced: Hell on Earth.  As the father God turned His head from His Son, the weight and shame of all our sins were laid upon Him; our penalty, our debt was being measured upon Holy God. As He gasped with His final breath, “It is finished!” and He died, all debts were paid, all penalties taken by the death of Jesus Christ.

The veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, opening view to the Holy of Holies from the Holy place; signifying that once again man could become holy and enter into the presence of the Most Holy God. Jesus Christ, God incarnate made way for man to live in harmony with Him forever in the paradise of Heaven.  He paid a debt He did no owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.  He loves us so deeply that He gave everything so that we could be with Him. 

Reflect and dwell today on the magnitude of what God has done for us through the Cross!

If you have never accepted the forgiveness of your sins which Jesus suffered and died to pay on the cross, let today be the day.  What better day to enter into the family of God then on the celebration of His gracious gift to you.  He loves you so much that He conquered death, Hell and the grave so that you could have the choice of redemption. Will you love Him back?

I want to leave everyone with this poem that is so dear to me.  It appeared many years ago in a church bulletin and has since been permanently affixed to the inside front cover of my Bible.  The author is unknown.

The Cross

The cross was never dear to me,

Until I knew His grace –

Taking my sin and shame, on Him,

Dying there in my place.

How long I failed to realize

He died that I might be

The righteousness of God in Him,

Since He was sin for me.

I cannot understand it yet,

No matter how I try –

But to the cross I go to live,

Since He went there to die.  

Thank you Jesus for Calvary’s Cross! For now I am free!

There is a way – Nehemiah 4:17

Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Nehemiah 4:17 (NKJV)

I’ve often thought myself that helping others would be so easy if I didn’t have to worry about money, time and people getting angry.  Unfortunately all of those things, as well as many other obstacles, are a part of everyday life.  They are factors that throw wrenches in the works and make every step difficult, add that to Satan’s temptations and his manipulation of the factors, as well as our sin problem and you’ve got a big mess.  Paul summed it all up with, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7:21). 

When God brings us to a task, when He puts something upon our hearts we can be assured we will have victory if we follow Him. Having said that we are seldom led to the victory without adversity; this is where we get in trouble.  We are willing to believe God and follow God, as long as He does all the work.  We are fine with living daily our comfy cozy Christianity.  We have forgotten that it was Jesus who promised us that by following Him we would face many obstacles and fight many battles and be victorious through His might and power.

We in ourselves are not overcomers, we are instead giveupers. However, God has called us through the power of His might and His sacrifice to stand, fight, give it all we’ve got and be victorious.  If there is a task that God has commanded us or laid upon our heart to do, then we should trust His power and trust that He has equipped us to be successful.  We should pick up our tools and start building the wall, and if we must with our other hand pick up the sword and fight with everything in us to accomplish the task. 

If it is important to God then it should be important to us.  I promise you that when you seek to do God’s will and when you are walking close to Him, you will face many battles; the roads will get hard and bumpy and the days will be long, the sun will be hot, and at times the obstacles will seem impassible and hopeless. There at the impossible, when we have fought with all we have, when every last ounce of us has been exhausted, and we have nothing left, God will show His power and greatness.  Mountains will be moved, not because we moved them, but because we were obedient. The fight may be long and brutal but when we put our faith in God and start standing on His promises, all Hell cannot prevail against us.  

Remember the Lord – Nehemiah 4:14

And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, "Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." Nehemiah 4:14 (NKJV)

When we are faced with an overwhelming obstacle and we are tempted to utter those words of forfeiter, “I can’t”, we need to remember the Lord. We need to remember where we find the power to overcome; it is not found in our strength or our courage. No the power to overcome and overpower the obstacles and trials in our life is found in Christ alone.

No matter how small or great the obstacles are or may seem to be, they are important to God.  We as His followers have been adopted as His children.  He loves us; everything that we face, every obstacle is important to Him.  He is using every situation to mold us into who He wants us to be.  Furthermore He wishes to help us conquer every one of the daily difficulties that we face.  All we have to do is remember His power, trust His will and seek His guidance.

We can’t! – Nehemiah 4:8-10

And all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night. Then Judah said, "The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall."  Nehemiah 4:8-10 (NKJV)

It never ceases to amaze me our willingness to just give up and say, “I can’t”.  We come across a problem and instead of putting our heads down and tackling it we give up.  We want to sit around making excuses for why the task is impossible.  We come up with some pretty convincing arguments to why we shouldn’t even try; so we don’t.  What happened to the idea I was ingrained with growing up, “where there is a will, there is a way!”?  It goes right along with another quote I was reminded of over and over, “With God all things are possible!” (Mark 10:27).

Have we lost our deep down desire to overcome adversity?  Do we live in such a society that everything has been handed to us so much, that we have lost the ability to do things for ourselves?  Sometimes we are faced with obstacles in our way that are bigger than us, obstacles that can only be overcome through God’s intervention. I’m not just talking about those times!  It seems to me that when any little complication arises, when life isn’t easy, and things start to get a little messy we are ready to jump ship; we are all too ready to just give up and give in. 

In the Bible we are given many examples of men and women who showed true grit.  When things got tough, they turned to God and got tougher.  When things got “impossible” they turned to God, fasted, prayed through sweat and tears and saw the impossible made possible by God.  We can’t even seem to overcome inconvenient, and there is something terribly wrong with that. God never changes, we know from His word He is the same always and forever (Heb. 13:8). It seems the only things that have changed are the attitudes and the faith of His people.

So what will it be? Will you overcome? Or will you just go with the flow and say, “I can’t”?

Are you are branch or a stick? – John 15:5-6

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15: 5-6

Growing up I loved to climb trees; the higher I could get the better.  It didn’t take long for me to learn that I needed to test the branches before I placed all my weight on them.  Some old and strong looking branches are notorious for being dead. They are still part of the tree but they stopped drawing nutrients from it a long time ago.  They are hanging on there going through the motions of being a living branch; put a little weight on them and you will soon find out they are nothing but a stick.  They break under the pressure and fall to the ground. 

Jesus is the tree and we as Christians are the branches.  When we are abiding in Him, drawing from His power we are strong and sturdy.  When the winds blow and the pressures of life press upon us, we may bend and moan but we will remain steadfast and strong through Christ’s power. We are branches and we are alive and exuberant!

At times in our lives we start leaning on our own power, our own thoughts, and our own abilities.  We think we really have it all figured out; we have a plan and we are fired up and ready to conquer the world.  Then the winds come and the storm presses upon us and we realize, through our own power we are only a stick.  Sure sticks make great pretend swords or baseball bats and they have many practical uses; the problem with sticks is, well they’re dead.

So in your walk with Christ right now, are you a branch or a stick?  Are you leaning on the power of God to supply your strength and your needs?  Or have you taken matter into your own feeble hands?  If you do a self review and find, “golly gee, I’ve become a stick!”, don’t panic; turn to Jesus and He will renew you once again. He loves to restore dead sticks back into living branches!

Hurry up and slow down! – John 11: 5-7

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." John 11:5-7 (NKJV)

One day a deacon walked into the pastor’s office and found the pastor furiously pacing back and forth.  With deep concern he asked the pastor, “Brother, what is the matter?”. To which the pastor replied, “Friend I am in a terrible hurry.”. The deacon looked at the pastor and asked again, “But brother, what is the matter?”.   Sighing deeply the pastor replied “God isn’t!”.

In today’s world, everyone seems to be in a hurry. We rush and rush trying to get to the next event, and when we get there we rush right on through. We have lost touch with meaningful relationships, conversations and the overall enjoyment of life.  We’re stuck in such a high gear that even our “Rest and Relaxation” has to punch a clock.  We look around and see life blurring by and we thing that means we aren’t keeping up; we thing life is passing us by, when it is really the other way around. 

Satan is a tricky old devil; he knows he cannot stop us from following God and trying to live good lives that reflect Christ.  So he whispers ever so gently in our ears, “You are not doing enough, there is so much that needs to be done, and you are so far behind.” So we crowd our life with so many things to do that we give our heart to nothing and we just rush, rush, rush.    We build stress and make poor choices causing us to end up burned out, on the verge of a heart attack. We get so caught up trying to achieve “important” goals that we have lost sight of what is truly important: spending quality time with God, our families and our friends.  All the while Satan is, ROFL (for those who aren’t familiar with txt lingo that’s: Rolling on the floor laughing). 

I am just as guilty as the next guy when it comes to the “hurry disease”.  So I for one think it is time that we look at Christ’s example; when Jesus received news of His dear friend Lazarus’ sickness everyone expected him to hurry to the rescue.  Instead He waited two days to start on the journey.  By the time Jesus got to Lazarus, he had been dead for four days; Jesus was four days late, or so they thought.  Then God worked a miracle and revived a dead man. He was right on time.

Let me try to break down my logic really briefly.  God doesn’t change, He still isn’t in a hurry, and He still works in “His” time and not our time. Therefore, we need to “Hurry up and slow down”. We need to stop trying to fix it all and stop trying to fit everything into our schedules.  We need to take our time enjoy life and be who we are meant to be, little children of God. We need to stop trying to run the show, and let God be God; He does a much better job at it anyway.

Stand together – Ecclesiastes 4:12

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12

There were a few times in football where we faced running backs that were just beasts.  No matter how fast or hard you came at these guys they refused to go down. They were good at getting the ball to the end zone and they didn’t care to take you with them.  If you wanted to stop them from scoring it had to be a group effort. 

In life Satan is a beast of a player; he will go for our weakness and try and run us down so that he can triumph.  If we are to overcome his plots of our destruction we must hold close to Jesus. However, Satan will try and tear us apart from God’s plans. Sometimes He will come so hard and strong that we get confused and emotional; we get spiritually disoriented.  When we try and stand alone it is easy for him to overpower us and make us feel defeated, useless and not good enough. It is then that it becomes vitally important for us to have a support system of mature Christians. 

No matter how long you have been in the fight, no matter how strong you are, it is foolish to try and stand alone.  Solid Christian friends and mentors are a must if you are to stand against spiritual attacks.  We need to share with our spiritual support system what we are going through, our thoughts, our sins, emotions, etc.  They will help by sharing spiritual insight, their own experiences, prayer, encouragement and by directing us back to God and His truths. 

Alone we can easily be overpowered by Satan, but with Christ we can withstand him. A close Christian friend/mentor will help us by both reminding us to stay close to Christ and redirecting us to Him. 

Proverbs 31

Great words to live by!


Proverbs 31 (NKJV) 


1 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: 2 What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? 3 Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5 Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7 Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more. 8 Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy. 10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. 19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29 "Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." 30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

But I was just joking – Proverbs 26:18-19

Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, "I was only joking!" Prov. 26:18-19 (NKJV)

If you can drive a car then you have probably been told the age old accident advice, “Never admit guilt”. We tend to carry this adage over to our everyday lives.  We will do and say awful things to or about others and hide behind phrases like, “I was just joking”, or “bless their heart”.  We tend to think that this makes everything alright; after all we didn’t really mean to hurt anyone.  We want to go along and do and say whatever we feel like, without any personal repercussions.

The truth is our words and actions carry powerful, sometimes deadly consequences. We may walk away and never give it another thought, while we have done some serious damage to someone else.  We seldom stop to think that our little joke that made everyone laugh may be inflicting serious pain on the receiver.  Life is tough and you never know when what you do will affect someone forever. When you called her fat, you may not know she throws up everyday because of her self image. When you told him he was stupid you didn’t realize that he thinks he is worthless and unlovable. You never thought that practical joke you pulled on the kid everyone laughs at and makes fun of would be what pushed him over that last edge. Satan isn’t the only one who can throw fiery darts.   

As Christians we need to be especially mindful of our words and actions. Men and women, boys and girls are teetering on the very thin line of life and death. We never know when our harsh words and actions may push them away from the God who loves them so dearly. As Christians we are representatives of Jesus Christ; when we are harsh and cruel people will view Him the same.  With the eternal state of lost souls hanging in the balance, the weight of the world  pressing down on them, and Satan whispering lies into their ears, it is crucial that we stand in the gap and shine as true examples of Christ’s love. They are far too valuable to God for us to be uncaring with our words and actions; after all Hell is no joke.

What will you do with your words and actions?  Will you lead others closer to Jesus Christ who gave His life to save theirs?  Or will you push them away with your “jokes”?

The house of the Lord – Psalm 23:6b

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psalm 23:6b

The sheep have been blessed by the Shepherd immensely; every need has been met and they are surrounded by goodness and mercy on all sides. Their troughs are overflowing as they feast before their enemies. They are protected from harm and devastation because they dwell daily with the Shepherd.  The sheep have it made.  So we sit back with our Earthly mentality and we say, “They better enjoy it while it lasts”, after all we have always been taught that, “All good things must come to an end”.  However, it is not so with these sheep; they belong to no ordinary shepherd.  The Good Shepherd’s sheep will dwell with Him forever.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and those who have accepted a relationship with Him are His sheep. He has good plans for us that are beyond our comprehension and imagination. Although, we go through many ups and downs in life and eventually find our self at the end of our Earthly stay, we can be assured it is not the end.  Those who would follow Jesus Christ will not only be embodied by His Spirit here and now, but will live forever with Him in the paradise of Heaven.  

Goodness and Mercy – Psalm 23:6a

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: Psalm 23:6a

The sheep of the Good Shepherd do not have to worry about seeking goodness.  All they have to do is live their lives in honor of the Shepherd.  They do not have to burden themselves down with winning sheep contests or being the best at being “sheepy”. No, goodness follows them.  Everything they do seems to somehow just turn out for good because the Shepherd is always guiding, encouraging and correcting.  Even when they go astray and intentionally disobey, mercy is always quick to find them.  The Shepherd is there to pick them back up off their faces, put them back on their feet and lead them back to fold.  Follow the Good Shepherd and you can be assured that goodness and mercy will always be close at hand.

Many times in the scriptures we are reminded of God’s infinite goodness and His loving mercy. As His followers He has good plans for us, and He is always working things out for our good and the benefit of His kingdom.  Even when we think we have messed up so dreadfully that no good could ever come from it, God swoops in full of mercy and goodness and makes right what we have wronged.  God takes terrible circumstances and sins, then he refines, repairs and rebuilds; once God has gotten His hands on any situation, you can guarantee that it will shine as a beautiful reflection of His goodness and mercy.

My cup runs over – Psalm 23:5c

My cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5c

Across the land a great drought has devastated the land. The only grass that is left is dead and brown.  There is no water and no food anywhere to be seen. Yet day after day the Shepherd comes out with an abundance of water, hay and grains.  He places so much food before the sheep that when they have finished eating, He gathers again the excess.  There is so much water in the trough that when they go to drink, water spills over onto the ground.  They are blessed beyond measure; they not only do not lack for anything, they have more than they need.

God knows how to give good gifts to His children.  He loves us so much and He blesses us, and fulfills our needs.  Then He goes even further and gives us far more than we can even fathom to ask Him for. My wife sings a song, “Count Your Blessings”; the song directs you to count your blessings and name them one by one, so they you may see what the Lord has done.  Many times in life we look around and see the devastation around us and we forget to count our blessings.  If we would take time to think about what God has done fore us in our lives, we would find out that truly our cup too is overflowing!

Anointed – Psalm 23:5b

Thou anointest my head with oil; Psalm 23:5b

Now the Shepherd comes out with a cruise of oil in His hand.  He gets down on His knees and He begins to do something very strange. He places some oil on His hands and one by one He anoints the heads of each and every one of His sheep.  No shepherd has ever done such a thing before, it is unheard of.  The Shepherd has esteemed His sheep higher then sheep, He has exalted them.  They do not deserve such honor, but because He loves them He has anointed them; declaring them forever His.

The Good Shepherd is different from the other shepherds.  His care for the sheep is not an occupation; He truly and deeply loves His sheep. They are not livestock to Him, they are family; they will never be sold, and they will never face the slaughter.  His sheep are set apart from the other shepherds’ sheep, they are no longer mere dumb sheep, they are His children and He has declared them thus.

As Children of God we have been adopted into His family.  We are no longer vile, putrid sinners.  We are anointed heirs of God Himself.  We do not deserve the honor, but because He loves us, He has set us apart as His.  Everyone that looks upon us, or comes near us, every angel of Heaven and every demon of Hell, even Satan himself now knows we are His; we cannot be taken away from Him, and He will never give us up.  Though all Hell stand against us, though we are beaten and weak, we shall prevail because Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep.

Preparing the table – Psalm 23:5a

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies Psalm 23:5a

The sheep are safely wondering in the fold, when up to the fence prowls a pack of hungry wolves.  They dig at the fence desperately trying to make a way to the tender sheep.  They make a terrible ruckus as they howl and growl. The sheep are in panache; where is the Shepherd? A moment ago He was here and now they cannot see Him.  He must have ran off, maybe He is asleep and He does not see the danger.  It is only a matter of time before the wolves break through and sheep will be lost.  The sheep continue to quake in fear as the wolves carry on their prowling around and scratching at the fence.   

Then out walks the Shepherd. He pays the wolves no mind; He built the fence and He knows the wolves haven’t a chance of breaking through.  Even if they did, He has never let the sheep out of His sight and He is swift with His rod!  The Shepherd walks to the water trough and fills it carefully.  Then He takes his bag from off His shoulder and lays out hay and grains.  All the while the wolves are stirring up dust around the fold; they seem to go unnoticed by the Shepherd.  When He is done He calls His sheep and they come running to feast. As they eat, He turns to the wolves, glaring into their hungry eyes and lifts His rod.  Some have felt the power of its blow before and they run off with a whimper. The rest soon follow tired of watching the sheep feast while they quarrel hungrily on.   

Sometimes life brings us a lot of bad situations. It seems like no matter which way we turn or how hard we try something is going wrong.  You have heard the old saying “when it rains, it pours”, my mom would always add, “and it floods at our house!”.  It is in these deep, dark times that we tend to feel like we have been forgotten, disowned by the Shepherd. However in these tough times the Shepherd is preparing a table of goodness for us. His eyes are always upon us and He is always in complete control.  He has good plans for us and despite the enemies camped about us set on our destruction, He has prepared us a banquet.  When it is time to feast our enemies will have no choice but to sit and watch jealously or turn tail and run. 

Hold steadfast to Christ.  Although your situation may feel like you are trapped and certain to fall to your enemies, He is there making sure that everything works together for your good and His glory. 

Rod and Staff – Psalm 23:4b

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4b

Sometimes late at night my daughter will wake up scared. She will come toward our bedroom screaming and crying.  We have to take her in our arms, lead her back to her bed and assure her everything is ok.  She then normally lays back down and falls fast asleep.  She trusts us to protect her from harm; she just needs a gentle nudge to reassure her we are still watching over her.

The Shepherd walks with his sheep with His staff and His rod in hand.  With the one He directs His sheep; nudging them gently yet firm, stinging them slightly if He must to keep them on the right path.  With the other He protects them from any incoming dangers.  Should a savage wolf become brave enough to launch toward one of the sheep, he will find himself face-to-face with the Shepherds rod.  The wolf will run off moaning and weeping if he can run off at all.  The Shepherd is gentle and caring to His sheep, while brutal and unrelenting to those who would do them harm.

As Christians we know both our Shepherd’s rod and His staff.  We have felt the loving sting of His staff; chastising us and redirecting our path. With love He guides us and corrects us as needs be; and while not immediate, we are grateful. At the same time we take comfort in knowing we are protected by the unwavering and unfathomable power of His rod.  His promises are sure not only because He does not change, but because no one can change Him.  No enemy can stand against the power of the Shepherds rod. No one can take even a single sheep from His fold, He is always on guard and His power is steadfast.

Will you wonder aimlessly and defenseless to those who would do you harm? Will you choose to go your own way that will ultimately lead to your demise?  Or will you accept the invitation to come under the power and protection of the Shepherd? Jesus Christ has paid all the fees and taken care of all the fine print needed to take you into His fold. Accept or deny; the choice is up to you.

The Valley of the Shadow of Death - Psalm 23:4a

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Psalm 23:4a

The sheep have now come over many obstacles with the Shepherd.  He has brought them safely through rough terrains and peaceful lands.  Now up ahead is something new, a deep dark valley known for only one thing: death.  Sheep that wonder foolishly into this valley never return.  The Shepherd doesn’t flinch but continues to lead His sheep right into the valley of the shadow of death.

Ordinarily a sheep surrounded by such threats of death would be trembling with fear; not these sheep they bravely walk through the valley without alarm.  The howls of the ravenous wolves are all around, the light is nearly non-existent, yet they travel on without worry or care.  The sheep fully trust in their Shepherd. He is their comfort and their protection.  They know Him well; He loves His sheep and would never leave or forsake them.  He is with them always.

At times in life we face deep dark valleys. We may find our self in danger of even losing our life.  Yet no matter the danger the Good Shepherd is always with us. He will never forsake or abandon His sheep.  He will see us through valley after valley of the shadow death.  We will arise safe and sound as we continue to follow the Shepherd.

Then one day we will face our final valley: death.  The very word strikes fear into the hearts of many. It is a valley that must be faced by all, but it does not have to be faced alone.  Those who follow the Shepherd can be comforted to know that the Shepherd will see us through our valley of Death and bring us through unto life everlasting.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55

Leader and Guide – Psalm 23:3b

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3b

I grew up in the foothills of the Appalachians so it is no wonder that I like to hike.  There is nothing like taking off on a warm day, finding a path and exploring.  The problem with this philosophy is I never really know where I am going to end up.  Now this intrigues my sense of adventure and I always make sure I can find my way back.  This is easy to do in the hills; however it would be a lot more dangerous if I were to blindly try to take off deep into some unfamiliar woods.  I could become very lost and unable to find my way back home.  I would never attempt to go several days into the depths of the Rocky Mountains without a guide, or at least a good map and compass. 

All too often we treat life like my hill climbing adventures.  We go out find an interesting path and we barrel fool heartedly down it.  We have no idea where it leads, what we will find there, or what pitfalls lay before us.  We are so caught up in the adventure that we often find our self far from anywhere we should or want to be.  Worse yet we can’t find our way back.  Now I gave you the solution yesterday when you come to your senses and find yourself in such a predicament; cry out for the Shepherd and He will lead you back home.

However, wouldn’t it be better if we decided to follow the Shepherd in the first place? After all He knows all the paths and where they lead.  He wishes for us to shun the paths that lead us to injury and certain death, and instead follow Him down the righteous paths. Don’t get me wrong the righteous paths are not “safe” paths, sometimes they lead through dangerous and terrible places.  To venture down these paths alone would ultimately bring the same deadly consequences as going down the wrong paths. The Shepherd however cares about His sheep, and will guide them safely past every pitfall and hidden danger. 

So why not follow Him?  The Shepherd gives us purpose; follow Him so that we may bring Him glory. Follow His paths, they may be grown over, they may at times lack a pretty view, but they will always lead to abundant life!

Restorer of my soul – Psalm 23:3a

He restoreth my soul: Psalm 23:3a

Last time we talked about green pastures and still waters.  We discussed how at times in our life, often the roughest, that the Shepherd leads us to a place of serenity and peace.  He uses these places in our life to aide in the restoring of our soul.  The Shepherd is concerned with our well being so He brings us to a place of healing, a place where our spiritual needs are fulfilled and our spirit is rejuvenated.

So why do we need to be restored?  Well there are physical strains of life; just going through the day to day motions of life will bring us to a place of weariness. Maybe we have followed the Shepherd close and tried diligently to follow His every command. Still yet we find our self just worn out.  We haven’t strayed beyond the fold, we haven’t done any great act of disobedience, but we still have a need for restoration.

On the other hand we are sheep and we have a bad habit of wondering away.  We see a little patch of green grass just on the other side of the fence and we must get to it.  Surely the Shepherd won’t mind.  We end up in a large and dangerous mess because we have strayed from the protection and guidance of the Shepherd. We have gone out on our own and we have been injured by the wolves waiting just outside the fold.  Thankfully the Shepherds eye does not stray from His sheep and He has rushed in just in time to save us from our mistake. Now He has pulled us aside to His green pastures, beside His still waters.  Now He begins to restore us, to make us whole once again. 

Are you in need of restoration? Have you gone so far your own way that you can’t even see the fold anymore?  Cry out like a lost little sheep; the Shepherd is waiting to hear you cry out to Him.  He knows where you are, His eyes are always upon you, but He is patiently waiting for you to cry out to Him so that He can truly restore your soul.  

Are you wondering alone in the wilderness? Have you spent all your life wondering if there is more, if true peace and serenity exist?  It does; you too can cry out to the Good Shepherd.  He will bring you into His fold, doctor your wounds and for the first time He will restore your soul to the state He intended it to be.  You will experience a life full of ups and downs as you travel with the Shepherd. Never fear, no matter how rough the road there is always green pastures and still waters just ahead. 

Green pastures and still waters- Psalm 23:2

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2

Now this verse paints a pretty picture.  I can almost feel the warm sunshine as I am laid back half napping on the soft green grass.  To really make the picture complete I have a fishing pole in my hand fishing in the crystal clear pond. What a picture of serenity and peace.  

David was a man who lived a life of war and hostility.  He was not really the first person in the Bible that would come to mind when you think of peace and serenity.  Yet he wrote so vividly of green pastures and still waters.  David had something in his life that outranked all the turmoil. He had a relationship with God that came with peace that passes understanding.  David understood a peace not always free from storms, but in the very midst of them. 

As Christians we often live in the mist of life’s hurricanes.  The world around us is falling apart from the effects of sin. We feel it in our own lives and even get caught up in the storm.  It seems like it is when we are at wits end, when we think we can’t go another step and we are ready to just lay down and give up, that the Shepherd leads us to a comfortable patch of peace and rest.

Are you going through a rough storm?  Hang in there, the Shepherd will bring you to green pastures and still waters.  He will give you the rest that you need to continue through life’s journey.  

Not want? - Psalm 23:1b

 I shall not want. Psalm 23:1b

When I was younger I had to memorize the 23^rd Psalm.  I have to admit that I was really confused why I was supposed to be so happy about a shepherd that I did not want.  I got really confused when the rest of the Psalm sounded pretty nice.  Why wouldn’t I want the shepherd if He is so nice? It wasn’t until I got older that I realized I was misunderstanding what the Psalmist meant. Truly English can be a confusing language.

The Psalmist was simply saying that he would have no lack of what he needed; that he would always be taken care of.   We can stand and say today that as Christians we have everything that we need, we do not want for anything.   Now some would say they disagree, there are a lot of things that I want that I do not have.  Some would even say there are things that we need that we do not have, clean water for example.  We as people tend to think in terms of all things physical/temporal. While God cares about our physical well being He is more concerned with the spiritual/eternal state of our soul. 

A Christian in China for example may have all his earthly possessions taken away, he may be refused food and water, and even be beaten severely; all because he will not stop following his Shepherd. All his physical needs have been taken away. With our mindset this man should be depressed and disheartened; he has want of everything. However, I am confident that the same Christian would be uplifted by Psalm 23, and would proudly and joyfully tell you, “I do not want for anything!”.

When we get in a spiritual mindset we start to understand that no matter what life brings our way, as followers of Christ we will always have what we need.  When we turn our eyes on Heaven we realize that though we may be physically starving, we have been given the “bread of life” (John 6:51), and although we may be in desperate need of water we have been given access to the “living water” in which we never thirst again. Our physical bodies will falter and die, but our soul will live and flourish forever with “The Good Shepherd”.   

Now don’t be confused, God does care and provide for our physical needs.  I personally know several people who God has caused to be very passionate about bringing clean water to countries where it is not readily available.  I do not want you to think that God does not take care of our physical needs, because He does.  I just want you to understand that He is more concerned with the eternal state of our soul.   A man in a great mansion with all luxuries and amenities without Jesus is a man in great want.  While a man who has nothing, no home, no food, and no clothes but has a relationship with the Shepherd has no want.