Finding comfort

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoints my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

-Psalm 23

I saw a post on Facebook the other day that said “the Lord is not my shepherd, I’m not a _________ sheep”

This really bothered me.

I know that the person that posted it is not a believer, but this is an example of not understanding (or wanting to understand) the way things are written.

It is the job of the shepherd to encourage – or instill courage – into the sheep to go down paths that seem treacherous.

Unlike the cattle driver, the shepherd leads from the front, going before his flock to assure them that they can make it. This is the type of leadership that inspires people and even empowers them to go places they would not go to on their own.

The imagery of God’s leadership contains green pastures and quiet waters.

Even if those pastures are located in the shadow of the valley of death, true leadership can give peace even in overwhelming circumstances.

The stunning language of Psalm twenty-three resonates with all of us.

We have all known the place of despair; the place where we wonder how will survive another day.

Notice the mention of the rod and the staff. This continues the imagery of the Lord as our shepherd, but the rod and staff were tools to keep the sheep in the fold and the common result of their use was pain.

Yet even the pain of God’s guidance gives us comfort in the place of despair, for it is a reminder that God is with us.

He is present in the midst of our darkest hours and is active in bringing us through the valleys of our soul.

When we are under the guidance of God, we can be at peace and eat even when our enemies are around us.

There is no situation that God’s goodness and love is not able to guide us.

This is a perspective that will restore our souls.

God offers us a refuge in this world.

David, the person who wrote this Psalm, would become the future king of Israel, but the story of David’s life is not one of ease. He is persecuted, hunted like an animal, and even betrayed by his own son, but David does not just see his physical circumstances. He sees God’s presence to guide and comfort him in a world of pain.

May we be able to say with David that goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives—even when those days can be hard.

Have a blessed day!

I am NOT ashamed!

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.

—Romans 1:16

Something is telling me that this message needs to get out. 

Don’t be ashamed of your faith!

For the rich and poor, young and old, weak and strong, thin and heavy, there is still just one message and one name and one story that makes the eternal difference.

That one message, story, and name are announced in the gospel — God's good news to the world in Jesus Christ.

God's good news of life in the story of Jesus Christ is The Story and The Message and The Hope for all.

Have a blessed day! 

Who is in control?

Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to His anointed. He answers him from His heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

– Psalm 20:6-7

As much as we pledge our trust in the LORD, it often takes challenging events to take our trust off of our abilities and put them upon God.

This is extremely uncomfortable for those of us who live under the myth of that we can control our circumstances, but God is faithful to shake off our self-sustaining illusions to a place of beautiful surrender.

Note to self: stop being a control freak!

Have a blessed day! 

no worries!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

– Matthew 6:25-27 

Yes, this is a repeat, but when it pops up on my feed I feel that God is telling me “Don’t worry child, I got this.”

God will provide for us; we are valuable to Him.

So we need to stop worrying.

Our Heavenly Father has promised to watch over us in all situations.

Have a blessed day! 

Tell everyone!

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.

—Psalm 9:1

Song reference!! 

This one is an oldie but goodie . . . “Will you not tell it today?”

The words of Jessie Brown Pound's old hymn say it best: "If the light of his presence has brightened your way, O will you not tell it today?"

I don’t hide my faith nor do I hide behind it.

There is always, ALWAYS someone who needs to know of the goodness and graciousness of God.

And that, my friends, is why you get these daily emails or read this daily blog.

A heart filled with praise to God will not only praise Him, but will lead others to do so as well!

Have a blessed day! 

The Simple Truth

He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

—Luke 8:21

I love the simple truth that Jesus taught His first disciples. 

You want to be recognized as a part of Jesus' family? 

Obey His Father's word and live His Father's will!

Have a blessed day! 

Faithfulness

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

—Romans 8:28

The real issue in our lives is not God's faithfulness, but ours - it isn't God who turns away from us. 

The whole history of God's faithfulness to Israel and to His promises is found in the Bible. 

We truly can depend and rely on Him to do what He promises, despite the apparent circumstances of our lives. 

Now, whether or not we choose to truly love Him and live for His purposes when life becomes unbearable and faith becomes hard - that is the question. 

we need hope  and faith and we need to choose to persevere when there is no easy reason for doing so. 

Faith is rooted in a Savior who triumphed over death.

Have a blessed day!