Wednesday, September 2, 2020

 “THE GOODS”


Jack Davis


Who has the Goods? Hint, “And the servant took ten of the camels…of his master, and departed; for all of the goods of his master were in his hand” – Gen. 24:10.


In this Chapter we find a most beautiful pen picture, of the mission of the Holy Spirit being sent forth to bring a bride to the heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. This servant, representing the Holy Spirit has the camels, picturing the providences of God, and the goods, speaking of His gracious giving, in His control.


I would invite you to consider with me, by direction from God’s Holy Word, what our attitude should be in relation to the goods mentioned in Scripture, both perishable and non-perishable. By goods we might think of possessions, property, valuables, treasures, substance and sustenance.


Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven…For where your treasure is there will your heart be also” – Mt. 6:19-21.


Paul told Timothy; “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy…” I Tim. 6:17.


Thank God for such comforting admonishment as Hebrews 10:34-37. “For ye had compassion of me in my bounds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Glory, glory, glory to God! Do you believe His promise? Are we looking for Him? Are we loving His appearing? What manner of persons ought we to be? II Pet. 3:11-14.


What manner of persons were these in Hebrews Ten? How could they have such an attitude, to take joyfully, bare cheerfully the plundering of their property? The confiscation of their belongings? Evidently their affections were set on things above. Praise God they were not just pretending, playing games, whistling in the dark, they were not saying of well, I don’t care, these things mean nothing to me. They manifested this attitude because they really knew something worth knowing. This knowledge wasn’t just theory with them, but rather possessed with treasure of everlasting value. They had something that the world could not take it away.


“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” – II Cor. 5:1. As we move on in God’s will, being led by the Spirit, we lay hold by faith on that which He has laid up for us in heaven.


“And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath” – Gen. 24:34-36.


The Servant not only told Rebekah of Isaac’s wealth but also gave her earring and bracelets of gold, Vs. 22. In type we understand also from scripture that the Holy Spirit has the “goods” for our ears and hands. He divinely opens our ears, as channels to our hearts, and also otherwise equips us for service.


“The servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things” – Gen. 24:53. Do you know the Holy Spirit? He has gifts for all the family of God. The Holy Spirit is indeed the distributor of all God’s great giving. I Cor. 12:4,11, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit…But all these (gifts) worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” He, and not man determines who gets what gifts. The Holy Spirit Himself is God the Father’s gift to His family, and no one else. But our Father does have one main stipulation, we must ask. Read Mt. 7:6-11. He would make us to know that everything that our Father has given to us is good, thus everything that the Holy Spirit has brought with Him is also good. James 1:16-17. 


He not only convicts our hearts of our need of a Savior, and that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, but was also sent to bring us into our Lord’s eternal wealth. What a delight to meditate on I Cor. 2:9-12. Is He making you know the “goods” that the Father has freely given? Is He revealing to your heart, the good that our God has prepared for them that love Him? If not, Why not? 


Jesus said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father” John 16:12-16.


God has also sent our guide to make us realize that our adversary would use material goods (stuff) to blind us to our deeper spiritual needs. “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you” I Cor. 4:7-8. Read also Rev. 3:17-18.


Paul wrote, that they which receive an abundance of grace shall reign in life by one Christ Jesus – Rom. 5:17. Jesus said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, in other words we are blessed when we know, or have a deep awareness of our spiritual lack. He also said that we are blessed when we hunger or have a real appetite for that which pertains to divine righteousness, Mt. 5:3,6.


 COMMUNION WITH SOLOMON



The queen of Sheba came,

Having heard of Solomon’s fame,

Concerning the dear Lord’s name.

She came to view for her self,

His glory, wisdom, and wealth.

With a great train, she came,

Laden with spices and very much gold.

To prove him with hard questions she was bold.

And right from the start,

She communed with him all of her heart.

Now from all that she learned,

She was breathless, and cried;

The half I never was told.


Now a greater than Solomon is here,

And in His sweet name we draw near,

To appropriate His marvelous grace,

And to commune with him face to face.

For He invites us to be bold,

To search out the wealth of His wisdom untold.

He calls us to make the excellent choice,

To let Him see our face, and let Him hear our voice.

– Jack Davis


 PEACE IN THE DAY OF CHAOS


Anita Clark – Pastor 
Grace Chapel – Carbondale, Kansas



“And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries.” (II Chronicles 15:5.)


We are going through terrible conditions in the world today. “All the inhabitants of the countries” are affected. The virus is not giving up easily. It has certainly brought the U.S.A. trouble and death.  Also, rioting in various countries continues to go on and on.  We know that we are living in the last days of the age. Can you imagine what life will be like in the Tribulation spoken of in the book of  Revelation, which is soon coming upon the earth?  In Luke 21:26, Jesus speaking of that coming time, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth...”.  


Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid.” There are many trials and tests to us who are Christians - hindering us in various ways.  Why?  God is testing us. I believe that He is trying wake people up.


Ephesians 2:14 says, “For He is our peace.”  I want to especially emphasize “For He is our peace.”  It matters not what you are going through, where you live, and etc. all that matters is that peace comes into your life because of the Peace Maker, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Trials are hard, and it may seem like they will never end, but “HE IS OUR PEACE.” Vs. 17 tells us, “And (Jesus) came and preached peace to them which were afar off, and to them that are nigh.”  This message of peace is still going out today.


PEACE - in the Bible has three aspects.  Many have taught this truth in the past. It is not a new thought, but a very peaceful teaching.  


First - The Peace With God - Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified [Means - “to be made righteous”] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We were sinners, having no place with God, far from God, but He saved us through giving His Beloved Son to die for us.  Our part is to believe and ask Him to come into our lives.  Then we are “justified” or “made righteous” in God’s sight, becoming His children, giving us a wonderful standing in His family. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.” Verse 14 says, “For He is our peace.” When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we experience profound peace, the Peace With God.  Colossians 1:20-21 says, “Having made peace through the blood of His cross...And you who were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works...yet now hath He reconciled.”


Second: Peace of God - This is what God wants to work in our lives after we have received salvation and the Peace with God.  This is peace that settles the worried mind.  Jesus said to His disciples, just before He went to the cross in John 16:32-33, “These things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace.  In this world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The word “overcome” in the Greek means to: “conquer, prevail and get victory.”  Our lack of peace in our daily living is a lack of faith in God.


Peace  means “quietness and rest.” There’s nothing like this peace that He gives.  So many times in trials and tests, we don’t know where to turn, but then, we pray and suddenly the peace comes.  Right now in the midst of this chaos of the pandemic, and the election and unrest, Jesus gives sweet peace for He is the Peace Maker.  Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And (the result) the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Note what peace does it “passes all understanding” (thought or feeling).


Third: The God of Peace - Philippians 4:8-9, tells of a way to gain peace of mind. Paul says, “Think on Spiritual things.”  Have you ever been in a trial of faith that you just couldn’t get your mind off of the trying situation?  The enemy, Satan, loves to get us to think on defeating things. The more we think on those awful discouraging things, the more defeated we become. 


Paul tells us here to think on “honest, just, pure, lovely,  things of good report – virtue...worthy of praise.” I have found there’s a struggle, when in trial, to stop thinking about the upsetting circumstance. Satan will bring those defeating thoughts back again and again.  But, the results of guarding our mind is found in verse 9, “Those things which you have learned, and received and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” The word “do” means “to practice.”  


In our daily life, practice thinking on all those good things.  The results is sure.  The God, our God will be with us. That is what it tells us in II Cor. 13:11, “Finally, brethren, farewell (Greek - full of cheer, calmly happy, glad, joyful, rejoice), be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” 


A battle goes on in our minds.  II Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The results - “Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above, Sweep over my spirit forever I pray in bountiful billows of love.”


Remember Isaiah 9:6, speaking of Jesus, which was to come, He is “The Prince of Peace.”  So, pray, read God’s Word, and believe it.  God is on your side.


 Delight



“But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate  day and night.” Psalms 1:2


“Praise  ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth  the LORD, that delighteth  greatly in his commandments.” Psalms 112:1


The word “delight” means “pleasure”, “desire.” This verse refers to the “blessed” man. The “happy” man. Not just happy over something that has occurred, but an indwelling happiness. This seems to me like something we should consider. There is a lot of unhappiness in today’s world, but we have been given an option for true happiness.


Notice the object of the delight: God’s Word. What could this possibly do for my happiness? There are lots of books about how to be happy, how to get more enjoyment out of life. However, they never seem to work very well. At best you might find some temporary happiness. 


God’s Word is different because it is a living book about a living Savior. The happiness does not come from just reading the book, or just trying to do some things that are stated in the book. True happiness comes from knowing the One the book is about. Studying God’s Word is not about learning some secret formula or magic incantation. It is about coming into a deeper relationship with the God of the universe. 


The Psalmist knew this very well, because he had a relationship with God and it was deepening all the time. He had come to understand the value of being under God’s care. And, this caused him to seek more.


“I delight  to do  thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8


For those that have found pleasure in God’s Word, they soon find that they also find pleasure in God’s will, which we learn from the study of God’s Word. Being in God’s will is the safest, most complete place to be. Everything else will lead to disappointment. 


I really want to notice the thought about “delight.” This is not about doing God’s will because it is a “requirement,”  but really taking pleasure in doing God’s will. When we take the approach of “requirement,” we will find ways to rationalize that anything we are doing is God’s will. When we truly take pleasure in doing God’s will, we will continually be searching to understand His will in our lives.


This is why the Psalmist mentions that God’s Word is in his heart. While we may not find direct, specific details about God’s will in our lives, knowing His Word will allow us to understand if we are walking in His will or simply choosing our own.


Why should we “delight” in God’s Will and God’s Word? Because it is the only way to be truly happy (blessed). And, it is the one thing we can choose to do that we will never regret; not now, and not in eternity. Don’t just do God’s Will, take pleasure in it. Don’t just read God’s Word, take pleasure in it.

Gordon Crook


 Prophecy 


Earlene Davis
CHRIST’S RETURN TO EARTH


Matthew 24:36-39, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”


Jesus is emphasizing the suddenness of His coming. It will be a surprise to the world and as unwelcome as a thief, even as the flood was. It came suddenly sweeping upon the ungodly and took them away in judgment – Gen. 6. This is not the rapture of the church as some preach. This is when He shall come in judgment. The flood was judgment. Who were saved when the flood came? Only those who enter into the ark of safety. Many were not saved and taken away in judgment. “So shall also the coming of the  Son of man be.”


Vs. 40-41, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” It will be separative and selective. Today, is a time of separation spiritually. The Lord is separating us unto Himself. When this judgment comes there will be actual separation between saint and sinner. The one taken will be taken in judgment and the other left. That is the way it was in the flood. Those left were in the ark, they were safe. That day will show plainly who is a believer and who is not. Those who believe will be left for blessing in the earth, as was the case with Noah and his family.


Vs. 42-43, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.” Watchfulness is the admonition. 


When did the watches occur? It was at night. They would watch the city so no danger would come to them. Six o’clock at night unto six o’clock in the morning were divided into four night watches. Mt. 14:25, Jesus came to them in the fourth watch of the night walking on the sea. Tribulation will be the night time that is coming to this world. In the fourth watch He will come to Israel, the Day Star will arise – II Pet. 1:19. 


We are not in that time. We are not of the night, we are of the day - I Thess. 5:5-6,24. In Acts 1:6-8 the disciples asked Jesus, Will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? He said, It is not for you to know, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.


Vs. 44-47, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” This message is primarily to Israel, but verse 45 is an example to us that God loves faithfulness. Let us be wise in what the Lord has given to us, and may we feed others the Word of God.


Vs. 48-51, “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder (cut off), and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”


The principle of this can apply to us also. We read of two kinds of servants here, The wise and faithful servant is one that watches for the Lord and expects Him to come any day. There is also the unfaithful servants, who are only professors. They are known as servants, yet they serve themselves not others.

 JONAH


Debra Isenbletter, Pastor
Springfield, Missouri


Ch. 1:10 - “Then were the men exceedingly afraid and said unto him; Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.”


“Then were the men exceedingly afraid”—Jonah has given his answer to their questions and now we see the strong emotional response to what Jonah has said.  They were “exceedingly afraid”, they were “intensely” afraid; they were “terribly” afraid. They were “terrified”. The reason given for their fear is not just because of what Jonah said about his God, He was “the God of heaven” and the God that “made the sea”. The reason for their terror is because of what Jonah did. He ran from God.  They seemed to be more afraid of Jonah’s God than Jonah was. These ungodly, pagan men have a degree of fear and a degree of faith. Both give them a revelation concerning Jonah’s God. They were afraid of God’s power; afraid of judgment, afraid of dying, even a little afraid of Jonah.  Where was Jonah’s fear? We do not a hint of it in this narrative. Jonah did not seem to be afraid and he should have been. Their fear is the foundation for the Lord’s salvation and His mercy. “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him” (Psa. 85:9) and “great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” (Psa. 103:11).  


 “Why hast thou done this?”—These men ask Jonah a question. Their question is an accusation that demands an explanation. It can be translated: “What is this you have done?” or “How could you do this?”. They are shocked. They are astonished. You get the idea that they would never do this if they knew this. What has Jonah done? Jonah has run!  Their accusation is very personal because their lives are at risk. Everything God did was to Get Jonah’s attention and it affected them. They were caught in the middle, they stood between God and Jonah, innocent bystanders. Jonah’s disobedience put their lives in danger. Jonah cannot answer this question and he does not seem to answer it because he cannot justify himself and he would have to face himself, would have to take responsibility for his actions. The lesson is that everything we do or do not do has consequences. We are not the only ones affected, others are affected.  


Abram’s fear of the famine led him to Egypt (Gen. 12:10). Abram’s fear of the Egyptians led him to tell a half-truth concerning his wife (Gen 12:13). Where was Abram’s faith? All we see is his fear.  Because of a lack of faith and because of his fear, he caused Pharaoh and his household to suffer. Pharaoh took Abram’s wife into his household and God was angry. “And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues…” (Gen. 12:17-18). Pharaoh questioned Abram, accused him, “Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife” (Gen. 12:180. He suffered because of Abram’s actions, because of his fear, here his fear was a lack of faith in God.


Samson’s anger over his wife being given to another led him to take action that brought the anger of the Philistines upon all of Judah. (Judges 15:1-11). He acted apart from God’s will. He married a Philistine, his companion, his friend was a Philistine. (Judges 14:20). What was he doing in fellowship with those that were the enemies of his people? When he compromised it brought consequences? Her father thought he had just cause to give her to another but Samson took action that brought down the wrath of the Philistines and they asked him, “What is this that thou hast done unto us?” (Judg. 15:11). His actions affected them.  


Jonah’s actions affected those around him.  Our actions affect those around us. We are not the only ones affected if we are disobedient to God’s Will or God’s Word. Like Jonah, there are others caught up in the judgment that was directed against Jonah. 


“For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord.” At the end of this verse we find out that at some point, Jonah had told them that he had “fled” and that he had flesh “from the presence of the Lord.”  That must have told them that Jonah was a prophet of God, who else would stand in the “presence of the Lord?” This fleeing is the real issue. It is what Jonah can no longer deny, it is what he can no longer hide, it is what he must face and see the consequences of. Somehow these men knew that the “presence of the Lord” showed that Jonah had a relationship with God, he had fellowship with God, he had a responsibility to God. The Amplified Bible translates this as “he fled from the presence [face] of the Lord [as his prophet and servant].” This is what was so shocking to these men. After hearing Jonah describe Who his God was and His Power they were stunned.  They, in their knowledge of their gods and their limited knowledge of Jonah’s God understood the importance of responsibility to the god you served. This must have been humbling for Jonah. They knew because “he had told them.”  Jonah’s conscience had forced him to tell the truth, he did not lie. The telling of this truth is the beginning of Jonah’s recovery and restoration as God’s prophet. Their next question in vs. 11, is a question for the prophet and not the man.


 To Everything a Season
(from Ecc. 3:1-8)


By Vicky Moots


To everything there is a season,

A time, a purpose and a reason.

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to laugh and a time to cry,

A time to till and plant the ground, 

Another time to mow it down,

A time to heal, a time to kill,

A time to speak, a time to be still,

A time to tear down, a time to build,

A time to cast the stones away,

A time to gather another day,

A time to embrace and be held tight,

A time when embracing isn’t right,

A time to rend, a time to sew,

A time to keep, a time to let go,

A time to get, a time to lose,

A time to let go and let God choose,

A time of peace, a time of war,

A time when hate will be no more.

 THE LORD’S PRAYER


A Pattern Prayer
Part 1
By Vicky Moots


“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” Matt. 6:9-13 is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer” and is given by our Lord solely as a pattern of the manner in which we should pray. It was never intended to be simply memorized and repeated in place of a personal prayer.  Jesus strictly told us in v. 7, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do”. “Vain” means “empty, having no value.”  A prayer that is memorized and repeated frequently is worthless to the soul and has no spiritual meaning, serving no purpose to the individual or to God. Prayer must come from the heart and is intended to be direct communication between us and the Lord, even as Jesus communicated with his Father. We are given a heartfelt example of that in John 17 which is Jesus’ personal intercessory prayer for all believers prior to his going to the cross.

Most people who have memorized and repeat the prayer given in Matthew 6 have no real understanding of its meaning and application to us as Christians. In this study, I am going to break it down phrase by phrase in detail in the same manner as if we were chewing our food prior to swallowing, so that we may be spiritually nourished thereby.

V. 9: “Our Father:” shows our personal relationship with God as sons, as members of his family.  Only his children have the right to call him “Father.”  So how do we have the right to do that? The answer is found in John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power [ability] to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh [not an earthly, fleshly birth], nor of the will of man, but of God.”  It requires a spiritual birth to enter the family of God.  Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:7, “…Ye must be born again.” You were born once in the natural, but you need a new birth, to be born of the spirit.  Just as the birth of Jesus was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, so is our new birth when we accept Christ as Savior by believing on his name.  When we are born again, then God is our Father.

In the Old Testament God was not known as Father in the sense of a family relationship. The term Father that was used, as in Isa. 64:8, refers to God as creator. “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”  Under the Law the relationship was that of a master to servant.  Blessings were based strictly on obedience, and therefore disobedience resulted in the curse of the Law.  But after we are born again then God is no longer just the creator of the universe who is way out there somewhere, but he becomes our loving Father who cares for us and about us as individuals.

I John 3:1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God…”.  After we are born again he considers us his sons just as much as he does Jesus. The term “adoption” is used in Gal. 4:4 which means “son placing,” referring to our relationship and privileges as mature sons rather than merely children. The full understanding of this term would require a separate Bible study. But basically, it means that not only did we choose him and accept him, but God chose us and accepted us. Just like his Son, Jesus, we have the same rights and privileges to call him “Father.”  He places us alongside his Son.

In addition, we are informed in Gal. 4:6-7 “And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” “Abba” is a term of endearment like “Daddy” and shows a loving personal relationship.  Only children, not servants, could use that term. What is your relationship with the Lord today? Are you a son or a servant? A son who loves the Father will gladly serve him out of love, not out of fear.  Only grace not law, gives us the privilege of calling God our Father; we cannot earn that relationship by our good works. It is by grace that we are saved and become sons of God by accepting God’s Son, Jesus, as the sacrifice for our sins. May the Holy Spirit help us to fully comprehend and accept our relationship with God and our position in his family as sons and not servants.

To be Continued


 Psalm 23



“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”


In both the Old and New Testaments, God uses shepherding to illustrate His loving care of His sheep (His people). When we say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” we acknowledge that we are His sheep, but saying it is not enough; our lives must reflect it. 


The problem is very few have any idea about the actual role of a shepherd. What it means for the Lord Himself to be willing to be our caring shepherd. 


May we acknowledge we belong to Him and everything we have and everything we have ever worked for belongs to God? We are His stewards, managing things for Him. The world tempts us to say, “it is all mine,” but God owns us and we must acknowledge that. 


Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” God bought us with a price, He has redeemed us. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.


In Acts 20:28, Paul gave a charge to the elders saying, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” 


Scripture teaches that true wholeness is achieved by surrendering to  God’s control of everything in our lives. Everything we have is His; He is in charge. However, Psychologists and psychiatrists tell us to assert ourselves and be subject to no one, that self-reliance is the road to wholeness.


If we cannot submit to God’s authority, we will never have true peace and contentment. Everything would depend upon our circumstances, which are continually changing. By acknowledging that the Lord is our shepherd and by accepting His authority in our lives. We can find true freedom and fulfillment. 


With genuine gratitude and exaltation, we can proclaim as David did, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” I lack nothing and have everything that I need because the Lord provides it all.


 The Encouraging Word



“Set your affection (mind) on

the things above, not on the

things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:2


“Blessed is the man that trusteth

in the Lord and whose hope

the Lord is.”

Jeremiah 17:7


“You drew near when I called

on you; You said, “Do

not fear.”

Lamentations 3:57


“O GOD the LORD, the strength

of my Salvation, you have 

covered my head in the day

of battle.”

Psalm 140:7


“Rejoice always; pray

without ceasing; in everything

give thanks; for this is God’s

will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I Thessalonians 5:16-18


Martha Wainright