WHEN THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 10, 2022. 

SUBJECT : WHEN THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD! 

Memory verse: "The Lord is our shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 23 vs 1 - 6:

23:1: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

23:2: He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.

23:3: He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

23:4: Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

23:5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of My enemies: You anointed my head with oil; my cup runs over.

23:6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

INTIMATION:

The passage we read today is the most quoted of all the psalms simply because in a few words it portrays the life of the righteous. Though the righteous must live in a world that is plagued with suffering and turmoil, they must put their faith in God as they struggle through life. The psalm is a sublime utterance of those who are focused on staying close to God. 

Sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd for provision, guidance, and protection. The New Testament calls Jesus the good shepherd (John 10 vs 11), the great Shepherd (Hebrews 13 vs 20), and the Chief Shepherd (First Peter 5 vs 4). As the Lord is a good shepherd, so we are His sheep—not frightened, passive animals, but dependent followers, wise enough to follow one who will lead us in the right places and in right ways. 

When we allow God, our shepherd, to guide us, we have contentment. When we choose to sin and go our own way, however, we cannot blame God for the environment we create for ourselves. Our shepherd knows the “green pasture” and “still waters” that will restore us. We will reach these places only by following Him obediently. Rebelling against the shepherd’s leading is actually rebelling against our own best interests.

The psalm listed seven specific things that the Lord provides as He watches over His sheep. Green pastures: When sheep are filled, they lie down. Because of the Lord’s care over us, we are satisfied with the spiritual food that comes from Him, and thus we take our rest in the shadow of His care.

He leads us: Because the sheep know their shepherd, they are willingly led by Him. We know our Lord, and thus He is able to lead us according to His will to places of security. As calm waters naturally soothe one’s mind in times of trouble, so God takes us to places where the turmoil of life can be endured. 

He restores my soul: By the calm waters our inner man is renewed and refreshed. 

He leads us in the “paths of righteousness”: Because of sheep’s trust in the leadership of the shepherd, the sheep will follow the shepherd in going to where he desires that they should go. He thus leads them down paths that take them to that which is good for them. The Lord takes us to His righteousness. He does this in order that His name be glorified among the nations. He is holy and desires that His people be holy. 

We will “fear no evil”: The sheep have confidence in the leadership of the shepherd. Since we have faith that God is head over all things, and that all is under His control, then we are confident that all things will work for our good. For “you are with me”: In God is our faith. He will not forsake those who are His. The assurance of the believer is his faith that God will never turn His back on His people. 

He “comforts me”: The shepherd’s staff (rod) is for the protection of the sheep when they are under attack. The staff is hooked at the end in order to be used to deliver fallen sheep out of pits into which they may stumble. Knowing that the Lord is in our lives for both protection and deliverance reassures us and gives us great comfort. He “prepares a table”: In the case of God’s people, by His provision for their needs, He openly manifests to the nations that they are His people. Anointed my head: The anointing manifests hospitality. 

My cup overflows: God’s provision is not limited. His “Goodness and mercy”: Since God has done so much to and for His people, they are motivated to do good to others and show mercy. Then the sheep “will dwell”: Not only do the righteous dwell in the house of God on earth, they will also be in the security of this house when it is taken into heaven. Believers will dwell with the Lord. God, the perfect shepherd and host, promises to guide and protect us through out our life and bring us into His house forever.

Death casts a frightening shadow over us because we are entirely helpless in its presence. We can struggle with other enemies—pain, suffering, disease, injury—but strength and courage cannot overcome death. It has the final word. Only one person can walk with us through death’s dark valley and bring us safely to the other side—the God of life, our Shepherd. Because life is uncertain, we should follow this shepherd who offers us eternal comfort, and bears the responsibility of guarding the sheep from the perils of life. When one submits to the shepherding of God, he trusts that God will provide all that is necessary for survival. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my shepherd and I am Your sheep. In You I live, and move, and have my being. My complete and unwavering trust is in You. Do with me as is pleasing to You. You are my only hope. May nothing take my attention off You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Talk to God, Not Just About Him

 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)

The form of the 23rd psalm is instructive.

In Psalm 23:1–3 David refers to God as “he”:

The Lord is my shepherd . . .
he makes me lie down . . .
he leads me . . .
he restores my soul.

Then in verses 4 and 5 David refers to God as “you”:

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me.
You anoint my head with oil.

Then in verse 6 he switches back:

I shall dwell in the house of the Lord.

The lesson we can learn from this form is that it is good not to talk very long about God without talking to God.

Every Christian is at least an amateur theologian — that is, a person who tries to understand the character and ways of God and then put that into words. If we aren’t little theologians, then we won’t ever say anything to each other, or to God, about God, and will be of very little real help to each other’s faith.

But what I have learned from David in Psalm 23 and other psalms is that I should interweave my theology with prayer. I should frequently interrupt my talking about God by talking to God.

Not far behind the theological sentence, “God is generous,” should come the prayerful sentence, “Thank you, God, for your generosity.”

On the heels of, “God is glorious,” should come, “I adore your glory.”

This is the way it must be, if we are feeling God’s reality in our hearts as well as thinking it in our heads and describing it with our lips.

THE NEED OF GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 09, 2022. 

SUBJECT : THE NEED OF GRACE IN OUR FAITH WALK! 

Memory verse: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." (Galatians 2 vs 16.)

READ: Galatians 3 vs 2 - 7:

3:2: This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:3: Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

3:4: Have you suffered so many things in vain - if indeed it was in vain?

3:5: Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

3:6: Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness."

3:7: Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

INTIMATION:

The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of grace) gives Christians great power to live for God. People still feel insecure in their faith because faith alone seems too easy. Some Christians want more than this. They want to live in a state of perpetual excitement. They still try to get closer to God by following rules. While certain Christian disciplines may help us grow, they must not take the place of the Holy Spirit in us or become ends in themselves. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul is asking the Galatian believers, "Did you receive the Lord through your own works and efforts or by hearing the Gospel message and saying, 'I believe that?'" He further asked them, "Are you really so foolish and senseless and silly as to begin your new life by the Spirit and then try to reach perfection by depending on your own weak human flesh?" Then finally he concludes in asking them, "Does God supply your every need and work miracles among you because you keep the law perfectly or because you put your entire faith and trust in the message you heard?"

The believers in Galatia received the Lord by faith, but were trying to perfect themselves by depending on their own flesh, trying to change themselves and their lives by human effort rather than by trusting in God, and His grace to live a changed life.

Now, effort has a place in the Christian life. It does have a part to play. But even then, anything done outside the grace of God will have no real lasting effect. The law is not bad in itself. Even the Scripture says, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Romans 7 vs 12). The law can make us acceptable to God. 

Yes, the law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian. The law (1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior; (2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God's forgiveness; and (3) drives us to trust the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the Ten Commandments perfectly. The law cannot possibly save us. But after we become Christians, it can guide us to live as God requires.

Are you struggling with changes that need to be made in your personality? Do you ever get frustrated and confused, trying to believe and have faith and confess and do all the right things to bring about change in yourself and your life, yet it never seems to happen? You wanted to change everything you saw wrong about yourself and life, but for some reason you just couldn't do it. 

Most believers will blame the devil. They will spend better part of their time binding and casting the devil away, instead of turning to the Lord for help. I have learned that the Lord constantly requires us to turn to Him. Why? Because when we do anything apart from Him, we take the credit and glory that rightfully belong to Him. For this reason He will frustrate any of our own efforts to do things outside of Him. Jesus said, "....For without Me, you can do nothing." (John 15 vs 5).

We are saved by grace (unmerited favor) from God, and only the grace we receive that empowers us to meet specific situations in life. In Luke 11 vs 2 - 4, Jesus thought His disciples how to pray: "Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one."

Our Lord's Prayer clearly shows three things; (1) God our giver, (2) our leader, (3) our deliverer. Our duty then is to ask so that we can receive. (See Matthew 7 vs 7 - 8). We are to the asking and God Himself does the work. Therefore, turn to God in prayer, because only God could bring about changes that you desire in your life. But our duty is to ask in faith. Get your face before the Lord on a regular basis and say the prayer below. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I can't help myself. I am coming to You like a little child. I am totally helpless. I lay this whole situation before You, asking for Your grace. I don't deserve Your help, Father, but You are my only hope. Please do for me what I can't do for myself, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE SECRET OF ULTIMATE JOY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY APRIL 08, 2022.

SUBJECT : THE SECRET OF ULTIMATE JOY!

Memory verse: "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” (John 17 vs 13.)

READ: John 15 vs 5 - 11:

15:5: 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.

15:6: 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.

15:7: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

15:8: By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

15:9: As the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you: abide in My love.

15:10: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

15:11: These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

INTIMATION:

Joy is intense gladness; rapture, delight, rejoicing. It is emotion evoked by well-being, success or good fortune; characterized by gladness or delight. It is a fruit of the Spirit. The secret of joy is God’s presence within us. As we contemplate His daily presence, we will find contentment. As we understand the future He has for us, we will experience joy. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God.

Joy is a common theme in Christ’s teachings—He wants us to be joyful. The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate contact with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God’s special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. The Christian life is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in a man or a woman (Galatians 2 vs 20 and Colossians 3 vs 4). Christian joy is Christ’s joy in a Christian, and this means that this deep-down, abiding joy is not found anywhere else except in Him. There are other kinds of joy found in other places, but His joy is found in Him alone. 

In the passage we read today, notice the word “abide” (the same as “remain.”) in these verses – 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 & 11. By “abiding or remaining” in Him and His “abiding or remaining” in us means that His joy will always be in us. Our joy is not an intermittent experience, but a permanent one. It is a joy which is unaffected by circumstances. These first followers of our Lord whom He was addressing, were to pass through many trials and testings, but He told them that nothing could rob them of their joy—His joy in them (see John 16 vs 22). True joy transcends the rolling waves of circumstance, and that joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. 

When our lives are intertwined with His, He will help us walk through adversity without sinking into debilitating lows and manage prosperity without moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus Christ daily will keep us levelheaded, no matter how high or low our circumstances. Ultimate joy comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ is near, and at His second coming we will fully realize this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfill His purposes for us. 

We can only have the ultimate by having Him. When we read the Bible and receive the truth, we experience great joy as the result of fellowship with the Lord as He speaks to us. His joy was the joy of complete and continual submission to the will of His Father in Heaven. Joy results from knowing that one pleases his father by obedience to the father’s will. The joy that Jesus received by keeping the Father’s word would be transferred to the disciples if they would also keep the Will of the Father.

There is a great difference between joy and fullness of joy. The vessel may be partly filled or completely filled. Our Lord’s desire for us is that we should experience fullness of joy continually (Psalm 16 can 11; John 17 vs 13 and First Peter 1 vs 8). It is a remarkable and a wonderful thing that true Christian joy is not only unaffected by adverse circumstances, but it is actually promoted by such trials and testings (James 1 vs 2).

His desire is that His joy should be complete in us. How can this be, for He is there in heaven and we are here on earth? The answer is by the Holy Spirit. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit. 

Prayer: Abba Father, the secret of joy in Christ is knowing the joy is available to me and I can rejoice in Him at all times. Endue me with the spirit of joy and give me the grace to continually experience the fullness of joy in Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Make Satan Know His Defeat

 

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

The more real Satan appears in our day — the more obviously active — the more precious the victory of Christ will become to those who trust him.

The New Testament teaches that when Christ died and rose again, Satan was decisively defeated. A time of limited freedom is granted to him, but his power against God’s people is broken and his destruction is sure.

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)“[Christ] himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood], that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)“[God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)

In other words, the decisive blow was struck at Calvary. And one day, when Satan’s time of limited freedom is over, Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil . . . [will be] thrown into the lake of fire . . . and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

What does this mean for those of us who follow Jesus Christ?

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies!” (Romans 8:33)“[Neither] angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)“He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)“They [the saints] have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)

Therefore, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you!” He has been defeated, and we have been given victory. Our task now is to live in that victory and make Satan know his defeat.

What It Means to Pray for Your Enemy

 “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

Prayer for your enemies is one of the deepest forms of love, because it means that you have to really want that something good happen to them.

You might do nice things for your enemies without any genuine desire that things go well with them. But prayer for them is in the presence of God who knows your heart, and prayer is interceding with God on their behalf.

It may be for their conversion. It may be for their repentance. It may be that they would be awakened to the enmity in their hearts. It may be that they will be stopped in their downward spiral of sin, even if it takes disease or calamity to do it. But the prayer Jesus has in mind here is always for their good.

This is what Jesus did as he hung on the cross:

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)

And it’s what Stephen did as he was being stoned:

Falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60)

Jesus is calling us not just to do good things for our enemy, like greeting them and helping supply their needs (Matthew 5:47); he is also calling us to desire their best, and to express those desires in prayers, even when the enemy is nowhere around.

Our hearts should desire their salvation and desire their presence in heaven with us and desire their eternal happiness. May God give us grace to pray like the apostle Paul for the Jewish people, many of whom made life very hard for Paul:

My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

DO NOT ENVY THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY APRIL 07, 2022.

SUBJECT : DO NOT ENVY THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED!

Memory verse: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37 vs 7.)

READ: Psalm 73 vs 3 - 9; 13 - 20:

73:3: For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

73:4: For there are no pangs in their death: but their strength is firm.

73:5: They are not in trouble as other men; nor are they plagued like other men.

73:6: Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.

73:7: Their eyes bulge with abundance: they have more than heart could wish.

73:13: Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

73:14: For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

73:15: If I had said, “I will speak thus;,” behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

73:16: When I thought to understand this, it was too painful for me;

73:17: Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.

73:18: Surely You set them in slippery places: You cast them down to destruction.

73:19: Oh how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

73:20: As a dream when one awakes; so, Lord, when You awake, You shall qdespise their image.

INTIMATION:

We observe in the world that sometimes the wicked prosper, leaving all the godly people wondering why they bother to be good. We also observe that the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But these two themes or observations come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death, and the rewards for the godly suddenly takes on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever. Don’t wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth. One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth.

We should never envy evil people, even though some may be extremely popular or excessively rich. No matter how much they have, it will fade and varnish like grass that withers and dies. Those who follow God live differently from the wicked and, in the end, will have treasures in heaven. What an unbeliever gets on earth may last a lifetime, but what the believer gets from following God lasts forever. 

At a point, in the passage we read today, the psalmist wondered why he had sought to walk righteously in his life, because the result was his oppression. He complained until he went to the sanctuary of God. It was there that he understood that the end of the wicked was doom. Though their lives seemed glorious, their end was destruction.Thus the psalmist was willing to sacrifice the seemingly glorious life of the unrighteous in order to avoid their end.

Many people have asked, “Why does the wicked prosper?” One may question the prosperity of the wicked, while the righteous suffer, but our questioning should not turn into envy of what the wealthy possess. The righteous must content themselves with God who is in control and working all things together for good for His people (Romans 8 vs 28). In God’s long-range plans and purposes, we should realize that God is doing right, even when you don’t understand why He works as He does. 

The nature and life of the wicked who prosper is full of arrogance because they are well fed, having a life without trouble. They go unchecked with their oppressive conduct and unscrupulous dealings. They have more than one could desire. And because they are arrogant in their speech, people often turn to them for leadership and counsel. They continue to prosper regardless of their unrighteous behavior. All these make the righteous worry.

Worry, envy, and impatience are tools of the devil to ensnare the righteous. The righteous must keep in mind that the wealth of the wicked is only temporary in the sense that in death the wicked will lose all their wealth. Therefore, one should not sacrifice his contentment by envying those things that will eventually pass away, both at the time of death and at the end of the world (See Second Peter 3 vs 10 - 16).

It is obvious that all those who call upon God in their need will be answered, sometimes in unexpected ways. Remember God knows what we need and our deepest needs are spiritual. Even though many Christians face unbeatable poverty and hardship, they still have enough spiritual nourishment to live for God. If you have God, you have all you really need. God is enough.

If you feel you don’t have everything you need, then ask yourself: (1) Is this really a need? (2) Is this really good for me? (3) Is this the best time for me to have what I desire? Even if you answer yes to all three questions, God may allow you to go without to help you grow more dependent on Him. He may want you to learn that you need Him more than having your immediate desires met. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I know Your thoughts for me is of good and not of evil to give me a future and a hope. In You I live, move, and have my being. Endue me with the spirit of contentment with all You do for me and have allowed me to have, that I will never envy the wicked and evil doers and their wealth, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!