A Psalm of David.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


January 1, 2024

Dear Student of the Word,

Last year I attended a Bible conference where the life and testimony of Robert T. Ketcham was discussed.  Pastor Ketcham was an interesting guy born in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, in 1889 (not too far from where I grew up!) and who died in 1978.  He had some challenges in life, including very limited education and a severe vision disability, but once he trusted in Jesus Christ as his Savior, he became a serious student of the Word of God—and never stopped studying and sharing what he had learned with others.  God used him greatly as a pastor, as a speaker, and a key player in establishing the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches.  Pastor Ketcham also authored several books. One of his works, I Shall Not Want, impacted me so greatly that I wanted to dedicate this year’s Daily Bible Study Questions (DBSQs) to Psalm 23.

I suspect I will be quoting and referring to I Shall Not Want (Moody Press, 1953) often, because there are so many excellent points in the book that I wanted to share with you.

Psalm 23 has been a favorite Psalm of literally thousands, if not millions, of Christians since Bibles became available to the common man—and for good reason!  It’s filled with rich treasures concerning God’s perfect care of His children and what this means to us not only today, but throughout eternity. 

Will you pray with me for these studies this year?  Oh, how we need God’s help, direction, and wisdom to understand and apply His Word to the minute-to-minute things we think about and then act on!  It’s my heart’s great desire to be used of God in some small way so that by year’s end, we all not only love Psalm 23 even more, but have a richer, deeper, and more precious understanding of Who our Shepherd truly is—and His absolutely perfect care of us every single second of every single day.

These Bible studies are a ministry of the First Baptist Church, North Conway, New Hampshire (firstbaptistnorthconway.org) and are available via email (they will be sent through MailChimp.com), online on our website, and as hard copies (in the back of the auditorium).  Feel free to share them with whomever the Lord lays on your heart.  I would also highly encourage taking the time to review your work with another person at least once a month, but more if you can.  This is nicest in person, but can be done via email as well.  For those who are in the North Conway area, we will be reviewing the first several days of this study on Monday, January 8, 6:30pm, at the Parsonage.  You are welcome and encouraged to come!

Scripture used is in the ESV courtesy of BibleGateway.com.

By His Grace,
Lorie Brown











Monday, January 1, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
I asked my son, Stephen (a pastor and a Hebrew scholar), to give me his take on Psalm 23. I felt that what he summarized of it would be a great introduction to this study (and I’ll be using it all this week).

The theme of Psalm 23 is God’s sufficient, persistent, and insistent goodness.  Two basic metaphors are used: (1) God’s care is like that of a shepherd for his sheep (v.1-4), and (2) God’s presence is like a king throwing a banquet.  The Hebrew original is full of rhymes, assonances, and the like that do not come through in translation (though there have been many attempts to translate or paraphrase it into song in English).

Psalm 23:1 “I have what I need” (CSB).  The ESV indirectly echoing the KJV, renders “I shall not want,” but this is misleading because the verb “want” in earlier stages of the English language meant not “to desire,” but, “to have a lack of something.”  The CSB paraphrases slightly by turning a negative statement into a positive one (“I have what I need.”).  NASB is somewhat more literal in translating it, “I will not be in need.”  God’s goodness is always adequate.

On a Personal Note:
The truth that what God does, He does exactly right, is surely a precious truth, but one, I believe, that we have to learn and re-learn our entire lives.  You see, what we think we “need” varies tremendously during different times in our lives.  We start out wanting pretty basic “things” as children (toys, snacks, fun), then move on to desiring friends, a job we like, and a nice place to live.  Later, it’s perhaps, a family of our own, security, and “enough” income.  Eventually, we focus a lot on health needs and concerns about the future.

The parade of desires can be daunting, scary, and elusive – if we put too much focus on them.  However, if we’re staying close to God’s side through personal devotions, regular prayer time, and faithful church attendance and involvement, we come to realize the sometimes big and sometimes subtle difference between needs and wants.  We come to appreciate that what we “want” needs to line up with what God knows we need—or it’s not something worthy to pursue.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we learn contentment and trust in the goodness of our Good Shepherd.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Tuesday, January 2, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
(more thoughts on Psalm 23 from Pastor Stephen Brown)

Psalm 23:3, “He renews my life” (CSB).  ESV has, “he restores my soul,” and comparing these two translations sums up the ambiguity in Hebrew.  This is one of at least three similar ambiguities in the psalm.  I suspect that this is an intentional strategy on David’s part, succinctly expressing two different (though related) ideas that are both true.

Psalm 23:3 “He leads me along right paths” (CSB).  ESV has “He leads me in paths of righteousness.”  Is this the idea that the paths are the correct ones (being safe and endowed with natural resources) or that they are the moral ones?  Perhaps both.

Psalm 23:3, “for His name’s sake.”  God’s goodness does not come to God’s saint because he or she deserves it, but because God has chosen to display His character in this way.

On a Personal Note:
Do you struggle with thoughts that you are not good enough?  That what you do with your day and in your life isn’t ever “enough”?  That, despite your very best efforts, you fall short of the expectations of others?

I do.  And I expect, to some degree or another, we all do.  The good (and important!) news, though, is that our thoughts along these lines aren’t even valid!  When we read what God says about His children (those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior from their sin), we are JUST RIGHT.  How?  Who we are, what we are, and what we do is all seen by God through the lens of His perfectly righteous, perfectly holy, perfectly obedient Son.  Did you get that?  In God’s view, we ARE righteous, holy, and pleasing to Him right now.

In addition, something we need to drill into our leaky brains is this:  God’s love is not dependent on our obedience to Him at any given moment.  He CHOSE to love us unconditionally—and His very character, Who He is, means that He will never, ever, EVER not love us wholeheartedly—despite anything we say or do.  His love is eternal and perfect—and it is fully pointed at YOU.  Always.

So, what is our part then?  God chose to love us, save us, and welcome us into His family eternally.  If none of that can ever change, what should be our response?  How can we show God our undying gratitude?

In how we live. 

In how we think.

In the decisions we make—both big picture ones, but also the moment to moment ones.

By obeying what we know He has asked of us (as found in Scripture).

By maintaining a close relationship to Him through frequent prayer and keeping sin confessed.

By obediently joining with a Bible-teaching church and investing ourselves in it, serving however and wherever we can.

By seeking to please Him, honor Him, and bring Him glory.

By loving Him with all our heart, soul, might, and mind and by loving others as He loves them, looking to help, encourage, edify, bless, and otherwise build them up in the things of the Lord.

Prayerfully consider how you are doing in these areas.  Ask His help to excel still more.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, January 3, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
(more thoughts on Psalm 23 from Pastor Stephen Brown)

Psalm 23:4 “Even when I go through the darkest valley.”  More literally, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”  It is a bit unclear whether in the context of the psalm David means “even if I die” or “even if I face the threat of death.”  Perhaps both, and both are true.

Psalm 23:4 “Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.”  Because these shepherd’s tools ward off predators and provide guidance.

On a Personal Note:
There’s not anything in this life we need to go through alone or in terror of.  Because it is the LORD Himself Who shepherds every step of our journey, we have no real reason to fear.  His care is perfect and perfectly timed.

That is not to say, however, that we won’t have trouble—and probably a goodly amount of it!  This world is indeed filled with a lot of evil (and I don’t use that word as a generic term for bad things.  There is literal evil all around us every day.).   But God has given us many promises that make all the difference in the world.

-He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
-He will be with us right to the end of this age (Matthew 28:20).
-He has already overcome the evil of this world (John 16:33).
-He is our refuge, our strength, and is readily available to us any time (Psalm 46:1).
-His perfect care leaves us with no reason for anxiety or fear (I Peter 5:7; John 14:27; II Timothy 1:7).
-No matter how serious our sin, God forgives us every time we ask (I John 1:9).
-He helps us say “no!” to sin (I Corinthians 10:13).
-He helps us to do what He asks of us (Philippians 4:13).
-He guides us in the right way to go (Proverbs 3:5-6).
-He provides peace beyond understanding and joy that is full (Philippians 4:6-7; John 15:11).
-He works all things for our spiritual good (Romans 8:28).
-He will guard us from the evil one (II Thessalonians 3:3).
-He will supply all our true needs (Philippians 4:19).

And these, dear one, are just the tip of the iceberg!  The Bible is LOADED with amazing promises from God, the Faithful Promise Fulfiller!

Challenge #1:  Find some more of these promises on your own!  Keep a journal of them and review them often.
Challenge #2:  Look at least a few of these passages up, make some notes about them, then thank God for how He has fulfilled them in your life in some specific way.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Thursday, January 4, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
(more thoughts on Psalm 23 from Pastor Stephen Brown)

Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me.”  The meaning is as the NLT renders, “You prepare a feast for me.”

Psalm 23:5  “In the presence of my enemies.”  The train of thought found in verse 4 is repeated here:  God’s saint is in this life often surrounded by foes, and yet through it all, God is with him or her.

Psalm 23:5  “My cup overflows.”  The Hebrew might actually read, “Your cup overflows,” that is, the cup God gives to David at the banquet overflows.  Either way, the point is that God is exceedingly generous.

On a Personal Note:
Do you like the picture here of someone relaxing with a feast and an overflowing cup—even though they are surrounded by enemies?  I suspect that this is kind of a hard thing to imagine for most of us.  We tend to equate a peaceful meal with people we like and circumstances that are just right.  On the other hand, imagining eating a meal with people who hate us and are doing their dead level best to cause us trouble, is not conducive to much more than heartburn!

BUT, that is a scenario that is leaving God out of the picture.  Without His presence, life is hard, demanding, chaotic, and utterly sad.  With Him, however, no matter the circumstance, we can be at peace, we can experience great joy, and we can have utmost confidence in the future.  Why?  Because it is GOD Who is our Shepherd.  As the psalmist said in Psalm 118:6, “If God is for me, who can be against me?”  The answer?  NO ONE.

See also:
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 56:4 “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?”

Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Challenge #1:  Find some more verses about fear on your own!  Keep a journal of them and review them often.
Challenge #2:  Look at least a few of these passages up, make some notes about them, then thank God for how He has fulfilled them in your life in some specific way.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Friday, January 5, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
(more thoughts on Psalm 23 from Pastor Stephen Brown)

Psalm 23:6  “Only goodness and mercy.”  If David, who faced countless dangers and tremendous heartbreak, can say this with the Holy Spirit’s help, so can any Christian helped by God (Romans 8:18)!

Psalm 23:6  “Will pursue me” (CSB).  I had this line in mind when I earlier called God’s goodness “insistent.”  The Hebrew verb is a strong one, often meaning something like “persecute.”

On a Personal Note:
I looked up Romans 8:18, as referenced in the comments on verse 6.  Here it is:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 

Paul, the author of Romans, like David, faced incredible dangers and heartbreak, and yet he too focused his life on praising God, giving God glory, and thanking God over and over again for His goodness, grace, and mercy.

Have you known Christians like that?  Christians who have gone through some incredible hardships, yet have faces shining with joy as they recount the wonderful grace of Jesus?  What an encouragement it is to be around this kind of triumphant child of God!  It lifts your spirits and reminds you once again that the LORD is our Shepherd and His care is perfect and full of goodness and mercy.

Say, what kind of testimony do you have to strangers?  What do they see when they look at your face in the grocery store line?  What kinds of things do they hear come out of your mouth?

How about co-workers, healthcare providers, or others who see you on a fairly regular basis?  Do they know that you are a child of God?  Are they aware that God is meeting your every need?  Do your words reflect the tremendous comfort in knowing that God provides all your true needs?

How about those living in your own house?  Do you let your guard down with them?  Show your true colors?  What ARE your true colors?  Are you a joyful, obedient, grateful child of God in all circumstances and in all places?  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be!  We can slowly, day by day, learn to have the same attitude as David in Psalm 23 and exclaim to one and all, The LORD is MY Shepherd and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

Challenge:  Choosing one day a week to go someplace quiet to prayerfully evaluate the previous week before God is a great habit to develop.  Ask Him to help you remember what you said and did so that you can ask for forgiveness for times when you didn’t represent Him well and to give you help and ideas how to act and react the next time you are in a similar situation.  Remember, faithfulness isn’t perfection, it’s in not giving up; it is continuing to try to honor and please God a bit better with time.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________






Saturday, January 6, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.  “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
(more thoughts on Psalm 23 from Pastor Stephen Brown)

Psalm 23:6  “I will dwell in.”  Scholars debate the text and meaning here.  To  my mind, the evidence is understood most naturally as meaning, “I will return to.”  That is to say, David is not talking here about his eternal home, but about his repeated return during his earthly life to the place where God’s presence is manifested.

Psalm 23:6  “As long as I live” (CSB).  The CSB captures the sense of the Hebrew.  Many translations have “forever,” but in that case, the wording probably would have been different, and in any case throughout this psalm, David focuses his thoughts on God’s presence with him NOW, in the midst of life’s difficulties.

On a Personal Note:
Don’t you just love how much David loved God and loved spending time worshiping Him!

One thought I had when considering this, is that the Christian who maintains a close relationship with God will WANT to not only maintain that relationship, but see it grow closer and more intimate.  How does that happen?  By spending MORE time with God in prayer and in reading Scripture (including being in church to hear it being taught in Sunday School, sermons, Bible studies, and fellowships). 

It is AS we do what God commands us to do that we develop a greater love for doing it.

I was just speaking with someone recently about something like this.  A Christian who has taken the time to REALLY dig into God’s Word WILL develop a love for it and a desire to know more, live it out better, and be becoming more like Christ than they currently are.  BUT, it takes doing it in order to understand the joy and fulfillment good quality Bible study produces.  You can listen to a mature believer tell you the wonders of Bible study—and you may even believe them (and see it in their lives), BUT it won’t be until you personally actually do it, that you “get it,” and realize fully what was meant.

Challenge:  Have YOU learned the joys of being a serious student of the Word of God?  If yes, what can you do to grow even more?  If not, what can you do to start the process?  EVERYONE has a starting point!  Consider what, when, and how yours will be.  (TIP:  both Pastor Brown and I have all sorts of different Bible study method ideas for you to try if you want some ideas.  Ask us!)

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.


Monday, January 8, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1
Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

-Who is the author of this psalm? ___________________________________________________________
-v.1 Who is the Shepherd mentioned? ________________________________________________________
-Can you say with truth that He is YOUR Shepherd? ____________________________________________
-Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________
-When the Lord is our Shepherd, what isn’t a problem? __________________________________________

Something to Think About:
All by itself, this one verse is loaded with huge and important truths!

-The LORD is the Shepherd of all who have trusted in Him as their Savior.  That is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the One Who is the Shepherd in this psalm, the Shepherd who provides all that His “sheep” truly need.

-The LORD is MY Shepherd.  This is as personal as it gets!  When someone acknowledges that they were born a sinner and believes that Jesus Christ came to earth as a Baby to pay the price for sin that they could not, by allowing Himself to be crucified on the cross of Calvary, then rose to life again in three days, defeating forever both sin and death, they become an adopted child of God.  They belong in the family of God immediately—and for forever!  AND Jesus Christ becomes their personal Shepherd, taking care of each need perfectly and with perfect timing.

-Because the LORD is our Shepherd, all our true needs will be met (“I will not be in need.”).  When we grasp the truth of this, we no longer need to be anxious, worried, angry, depressed, or stressed.  Instead, we can enjoy the peace that is beyond understanding.

How about you?  Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are a child of God?  That the LORD is YOUR Shepherd?  If not, talk to your pastor or someone you know is a believer and get this settled TODAY!

If you are confident that you are a child of God because you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior from your sin, have you thanked God lately for providing His Son as your perfect Shepherd?  Have you thanked Him for providing all your true needs?

On a Personal Note:
I have given my testimony of salvation before (if you haven’t heard it and want to, email me and I’ll gladly share it with you), but have YOU?  Have you shared with someone how and when you became a child of God?

It SOUNDS like a big and scary thing to do, but it doesn’t need to be.  It can be as simple as the testimony of the blind man of John 9.  He said simply, “I was blind, but now I see.”  We can tell others that we didn’t used to be part of God’s family, but now we are.  We were bound for Hell, but now we will spend eternity in the presence of God. 

By the way, a GREAT place to give your testimony for the first time is in the middle of some of the people who love you the most, your church family!  The next time the Pastor asks for a testimony, pop that hand right up and share what glorious things God did for YOU in naming you as His child!

(P.S.  You can further eliminate some of your fear of giving your salvation testimony by writing out a few key points on a card to refer to if necessary.  Be sure to include at least one Bible verse that speaks about salvation, such as John 3:16, Acts 16:31, John 1:12, etc.)

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Tuesday, January 9, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:2
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

-Describe the pasture. ____________________________________________________________________
-Does it sound like the sheep goes there of its own accord? ______________________________________
-What is the sheep doing at the pasture? _____________________________________________________
-How does the sheep get to the water? ______________________________________________________
-Describe the water. _____________________________________________________________________

Something to Think About:
I don’t think anyone could argue that this scene is anything but peaceful, scenic, and relaxing.  And yet, it does sort of hint that the shepherd has to work a bit to get his sheep to go there. . .   Why do you suppose that is true?  Who wouldn’t want to flock (pardon the pun!) to a peaceful, scenic, and relaxing location?

Us, that’s who.

Why?  Sin.

Even though we often try to soften what sin is like and make it out to be something more akin to bad judgment rather than the utterly vile and evil and horrifically dangerous thing it is, sin is the very thing that causes someone to fight against going to a peaceful, scenic, and relaxing location.  Sin is what causes us to rebel against our Creator Whose love for us is absolute.  Sin is what created an impenetrable gulf between us and God. If we could see the full reality of our choosing sin rather than trusting God, it would actually be the choice of the horrors of the Lake of Fire throughout eternity, rather than in the presence of God where there are no tears, no sorrow, and NO SIN.

THANK GOD, He wasn’t willing that all should perish. So He created a way for you and me to be reconciled to God.  He asked His Son, Jesus Christ, to become Human (the only Human without sin—ever) with the purpose of dying as the payment for sin that no other human could pay.  Simply believing in His work on the cross on our behalf is all that is needed for us to change our destiny from Hell to Heaven, to transfer us from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of Light, to turn us from enemies of God to fellow heirs of Jesus Christ.

WOW.  Amen!  Praise His name!

And, yet, children of God STILL choose sometimes to fight the Good Shepherd when He is bringing us to green pastures and still waters.  Oh, how I look forward to the day when sin will no longer be part of my nature and have no part whatsoever in where I will spend eternity! 

On a Personal Note:
Did you know that no Christian HAS to sin?  That we can, most definitely, choose to joyfully follow our Shepherd anywhere and everywhere?  God not only saved us from Hell, not only made us His child forever, not only provided a permanent home by His side throughout eternity, He gave us the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to permanently indwell us to help us to choose to do right and to say “no!’ to sin.  He also gave us His Written Word, the Bible, to not only tell us all about Himself, but to clearly delineate what pleases Him and what displeases Him so that we can spend our days bringing Him praise and glory through attitude and action.  Third, He gave us local churches to join to learn about God’s Word, to belong to as fellow family members of God, and to have a place to serve Him and other Christians.

Perhaps now is a good time to prayerfully evaluate what sort of sheep you are to the Good Shepherd and if you have thanked Him lately for all He has saved you from—and for.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Wednesday, January 10, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:3
“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

-What does the Good Shepherd restore? ___________________________________________________
-What sort of path does He lead us in? _____________________________________________________
-Why? ______________________________________________________________________________

Something to Think About:
“Paths of righteousness.”  What is righteousness?

A good way to answer a question like that is to look up other Bible verses that use the same word in question.  Then, summarizing what those verses say, we will have a bigger picture of what the word is about.  Here are a few from the Old Testament:

-Leviticus 19:36 “You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” 

-Deuteronomy 16:20 “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

-Deuteronomy 25:15 “A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

-Psalm 7:17 “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”

-Psalm 15:2 “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;”

-Psalm 45:7 “you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;”

-Psalm 89:14 “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”

A few synonyms used include “just,” “fair,” and “right.”  Basically, righteousness is what is right—and what is right is always going to be what GOD defines right to be.  He DEFINES righteousness in His very character, so all He does, thinks, and says will be part of that definition.

We can see from this small sample that honesty is part of it, that justice is tied closely with it, that God is pleased with the Christian who loves righteousness (and whose life demonstrates this), and that it is something to give great praise and glory to God because of His perfect righteousness.

On a Personal Note:
I like to say that “right is what God says is right.”  I’m a simple kind of gal!  Though not particularly profound, this basic truth can help us know how to live righteously as a child of God in today’s difficult world.  What is the God-honoring way to respond to someone’s rudeness?  What is the right thing to do when someone asks us to do something, but we don’t really want to and don’t really have much spare time anyway?  What would God be pleased with when we are faced with choosing between personal devotions and finishing an exciting movie?  What would be the righteous response when we got all the way back to our car after checking out at Walmart only to realize that we had something in our cart that we missed paying for (and it didn’t cost very much anyway. . . )?  What is the right response when we are faced with a sink full of dishes at bedtime that “someone” should have done, but didn’t?

There are CONSTANT decisions we make each and every day that either mark as us being “just like” our righteous Father in heaven, or not.  Commit in prayer your desire to willingly and joyfully walk the paths of righteousness, leaning on the Shepherd’s perfect guidance and care.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Thursday, January 11, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:4
“Even 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.”

-Does a child of God need to fear death? ____________________________________________________
– “for ___________ are with me.”
-What two things comfort the psalmist? _____________________________________________________

Something to Think About:
Death is a tough topic.  While it’s perfectly true that there is tremendous comfort in knowing that the child of God who dies is immediately in the presence of God the very second their soul leaves its earthly body, it is still a difficult thing to consider for that person and for all who love them.  It’s a huge and permanent change—and change is sometimes extremely difficult to adjust to.

This, too, however, is something the Good Shepherd can (and will) help us with.  He never, ever leaves our side and He will provide comfort on a level un-understandable until we are in the place where we need it.

Turning to our Father for comfort, consolation, and encouragement will help us trust His perfect timing and will as we adjust to the changes a death brings.  Spending long hours in God’s Word will be of tremendous help as will spending time with brothers and sisters in Christ who have faced a similar loss and have matured in their faith because of it.

It is really, really nice to be reminded that our separation from Christians in the here and now is merely a temporary blip in the eons of eternity.  How joyful reunions in heaven will be!

I Thessalonians 4:13-18
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

A verse I have long loved and appreciated is Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

I’ve also appreciated the reminder of Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

On a Personal Note:
I confess freely that I cry at every death scene of any kind in movies, books, and even commercials.  I just look at the pain in someone’s eyes—and lose it.  I have tremendous empathy for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and the mere THOUGHT of losing someone very close to me is pretty difficult to deal with.

Why?  Why do you suppose we get so upset—even when know that Christians are in Heaven WITH GOD?  I think that part of it might well be the realization that death was not a part of God’s original plan for the world. Death is NOT “how it’s supposed to be”!  It was the entrance of sin (rebellion against God) that brought pain, darkness, sorrow, depression, heartache, and death.  This should cause us all to have an even greater hatred for sin and a stronger desire to stay far away from it; to have nothing to do with anything that drives a wedge between us and the Lord.  It should make us appreciate even more that God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him and that we, as children of God, have a sin-free eternity to look forward to.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Friday, January 12, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:5
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

-What does the Shepherd prepare? ____________________________________________________________
-Who else is there? ________________________________________________________________________
-What does He anoint with oil? ______________________________________________________________
-How full is the cup? ______________________________________________________________________

Something to Think About:
This is the verse that turns the psalm from a shepherd taking care of his sheep to a king throwing a lavish banquet.  The protection of the king is so strong, that even the presence of enemies poses no threat.

The idea of the oil is a middle eastern tradition done to show honor to a guest and rejoicing at their presence.  Pastor Stephen noted that the Hebrew wording indicates that David might be saying that it is the cup which the Lord gives him that is so full that it is overflowing.

This, of course, makes me think of God’s many blessings, which are, of course, way too numerous to even count (although we would be wise to try on a very frequent basis!).

It seems like this verse is pointing out our extremely generous and lavish Father.  He gives and gives and gives!  He created us—and without Him we could not stay alive for a second, let alone do things, think things, and enjoy our lives.  He created us physically and He made a way for us to come to life spiritually.  Once He caused us to be alive spiritually, He gave us the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us learn about Him, read and apply Scripture, be able to understand some of the riches of Scripture, help us to WANT to obey Him, then to actually do it. He helps us think right so that we can act right—EVERYTHING is from His loving and wise hand.  There is absolutely nothing was have or can do that is not directly from God.

Pretty staggering truth—and definitely a reason to count our blessings and name them one by one!

On a Personal Note:
Are you a generous person?  I try to be.  In and of myself, I may not always WANT to be, but when I consider the constant and incredible ways God is generous to me, I cannot help but be generous with the people He has placed into my life.  I think this pleases Him.  Really, ANY attribute we see in our Father and in our Savior is one we ought to be incorporating into our own lives.  This can be anything, but if we’re sticking with Psalm 23:5, we might ask ourselves if we are generous to our guests (maybe we need to FIRST ask ourselves if we are even having guests in our home!).  How might we be generous?  Our first thoughts might be thinking we need to buy expensive food or provide expensive gifts, but I don’t think that’s really it.  I think it’s more about giving them our best—and part of our best is simply our time and our attention. 

Let’s say you have invited someone over for coffee.  You don’t have to provide gourmet coffee in china cups and crisp linen napkins for their laps (although, if that’s something you have and love, then go for it!).  You should, however, sacrifice a bit of your time and energy to provide a clean table to sit at, a clutter-free floor for their feet, a pet hair free surface where their food and drink will sit, and YOU.  Take the time to have these things all prepped so that when your guest arrives, you can give them your whole attention.  Turn your phone off, set aside other distractions, simply enjoy fellowship with the one the Lord laid on your heart to spend time with.

Don’t forget, too, to listen to what the other person is saying without interrupting with your opinion, your own funny story, or things you think would be good to share.  Let them talk.  Really listen.  If there is a right time for you to share, then go ahead.  Simply remember that godly relationships are about giving, not getting.  Our enjoyment of guests should be that they feel comfortable, welcome, and wanted.

And, of course, NOTHING we EVER do should be done apart from the Lord!  Be sure to share prayer requests and praises together.  Talk about what you’ve been learning in Bible study.  Share testimony of some of the ways God has blessed you in recent days.  Start the time with prayer and end the time with prayer.

THIS sort of fellowship will leave both of you with cups that are overflowing!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Saturday, January 13, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

-___________ and ___________ will follow us ________ the days of our lives.
-Where will we one day live? _______________________________________________________________
-How long? _____________________________________________________________________________


Something to Think About:
In the end, which is really the beginning, all those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior will spend eternity in His presence.

Wow.  Just wow.

Take a minute to just sit quietly and think about that.  Not only are we surrounded with God’s goodness and mercy today (and every day of our life), but we will get to see Him face to face throughout eternity.  We will get to join the angelic multitudes who praise Him night and day.  We will get to serve God in far bigger and better ways than our time here on earth now can offer.

Thank Him!

Revelation 21:1-4
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:1-5
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

On a Personal Note:
Can you picture life in heaven?  I can’t.  Not really.  Oh, I have wisps of little pictures of this and that, but the reality is that (to me, anyway), heaven and being in the presence of God is so far out of what I know in the here and now, that I find it difficult to grasp.

Does that stop me from yearning for it?  Not on your life!

Does that hinder my pleasure at considering what it might be like?  No way!

Does not knowing make it harder to live my best for God today—in my current circumstances with my ongoing limitations?  No.  I think the opposite is true, though I believe ALL right thinking is entirely thanks to the work of God in my life and has nothing to do with my own wisdom, ability, or strength (because I have none!).

I believe with all my being that heaven, the new heaven and earth, and eternity will be 100% without disappointment of any kind or at any time.  What all that means and how it will “look,” I have no idea, but my Father does.  My Good Shepherd does.  And that’s enough for me.  My cup overflows.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



















Sunday, January 14, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.


Monday, January 15, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Something to Think About:
(We will be summarizing a few thoughts from I Shall Not Want by Pastor Robert Ketcham this week.)

There is perhaps no more familiar passage of Scripture than the Twenty-third Psalm.  It is one of the earliest extended portions committed to memory in childhood.  Verse 1 of the psalm presents a very present help in time of trouble when, on prayer meeting night, the pastor suddenly asks his congregation for a verse of Scripture.  Immediately someone will spring up and say, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want,” before someone else can get to it.  It is this very familiarity with the psalm which constitutes its peril.  Someone has said, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”  I assume that this is intended to indicate that either appreciation of or dislike for certain situations may be gradually modified by constant association.  Certainly long familiarity with a passage of Scripture, such as the Twenty-third Psalm, may cause one to lose the keen edge of appreciation and just take it for granted.  This has been the fate of this wonderful portion of Scripture at the hands of thousands of born-again believers.  During my sixty years in the ministry I have heard hundreds of people quote the first verse of Psalm 23 even though it was obvious that the verse had almost no application to their daily experience.  They could quote the words, “the LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want,” but I knew their life was a wilderness of “want.”  What they really meant was, “The Lord is my SAVIOR, and I am glad He is.”  They had failed utterly to realize that there is a vast difference between the saviorhood of Jesus Christ and the shepherdhood of Jesus Christ.  One may know the Lord as Savior and know almost nothing of Him as Shepherd, as revealed in this marvelous psalm. (p.9-10).

On a Personal Note:
I agree completely that it’s super hard to not get overly familiar with Scripture and lose the wonder, appreciation, and even meaning of it.  This is one reason why I have often suggested that we take the time to look up Scripture in other translations (which is super easy to do on sites like BibleGateway.com—much of which is free).  There’s something about a slightly different wording that can help us see a Bible verse in a new light.  This may then lead us to some pretty awesome, meaningful, and fun meditations of it that day and in the days to come!

I also appreciated Pastor Ketcham’s clarification between what Psalm 23:1 says (and means) versus how it is often understood to mean.  One follow-up to that is a reminder that God chose each and every word of Scripture to be exactly what He wanted it to be.  Now, it’s true that this was the case for the original manuscripts, and we know that we are reading and studying English translations. The point I want to make, however, is that we should still be sure that we are being as accurate as possible when reading Scripture with the intent of obeying it and growing biblical convictions.  In other words, we need to be absolutely certain that our convictions are from the Bible and are not mere human opinion.  These are the kinds of things that are wise to check with our pastors on.

P.S.  The idea of becoming too familiar with Bible verses is also very true of hymns we sing on Sunday.  It may take quite a bit of intentional focus to sing what you mean and mean what you sing!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, January 16, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1-2
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”

Something to Think About:
(We will be summarizing a few thoughts from I Shall Not Want by Pastor Robert Ketcham this week.)

We are living in a day of extreme weariness.  Our minds are tired.  Our bodies are tired.  Our hearts are tired.  Our nerves are tired.  Everything about us is tired and exhausted.  We live in the constant and ceaseless whirl of things as they are.  A thousand eddies in this stream of life seem to catch us every day and whirl us about until we hardly know where we are or why we are there. . .  Furthermore, there is no time to rest.  Everything moves with such lightning-like rapidity.  If we should stop and relax a moment, the parade would be so far ahead of us that we would feel we could never catch up. . . Yes, tired enough to drop.  Tired in our souls.  Tired in our spirits.  Tired in our minds.  Tired in our hearts.  Tired in our nerves. And no time to rest!  Now, into this situation, the Lord Jesus comes and offers Himself to the Christian as a Shepherd Who is able to lead every one of His sheep into quiet places where they may lie down and rest.  He keeps not only our hearts, but also our minds.

There can be no real rest without peace.  One must have peace if one is to rest.  This requisite for rest the Shepherd provides, for indeed He Himself is that peace.  Ephesians 2:14 says, “For He is our peace.”  . . . Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is the peace every born-again believer has with God. . . He has peace about his sins and the consequent guilt.  But in Philippians 4:7 (“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”), we are to have the peace OF God, a vastly different thing.  The peace of Romans 5:1 saves the soul.  The peace of Philippians 4:7 keeps the heart and mind.  It keeps us from worry, fear, and unbelief in the loving daily care of a heavenly Father Who is too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes.  It is THIS peace that most born-again believers know little or nothing about and therefore know little or nothing about the green pasture rest of Psalm 23.  They have met the Savior from sin’s guilt, but they need to meet Him as the Shepherd of Psalm 23 (p.27-30).

On a Personal Note:
I can TOTALLY relate to feelings of extreme weariness and the concern that there is simply no time for rest, so the reminder that our Savior is also our Shepherd, ready and ABLE to provide the peace and rest that we need, is a most welcome reminder to me.  I cannot keep up with life’s incredible pace, but my Shepherd can bring me to green pastures and still waters.  I kind of think the choice is mine!  I can rest in Him—or maintain a frantic pace of go-go-go, that might not actually lead anywhere.

I also love, love, LOVE the reminder that “God is too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes”!  Don’t you think keeping this little ditty in the front of your mind will help you to see situations in a more realistic way; that it will remind you that what may SEEM bad and horrible and undesirable, may well be a gift from the Father’s good hand to draw us closer to Him in trust and appreciation?

I suspect that most Christians at some time in their life feel like God may have been unkind or unfair in some way.  Oh, I would guess that most people don’t actually SAY it, but don’t we sometimes think it maybe a teeny tiny bit way back in our heart of hearts?  Choosing to BELIEVE that God is too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes will help us think straight—and as a result, be at peace.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, January 17, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1-3
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Something to Think About:
(We will be summarizing a few thoughts from I Shall Not Want by Pastor Robert Ketcham this week.)

Here the picture of the Oriental shepherd beautifully illustrates the spiritual truth of the psalm.  Often the shepherd will be bothered with one or two sheep in the flock which insist upon straying.  The sheep gets its head down into a juicy tuft of grass and from there moves to another and yet another and never looks up to see where the shepherd and the flock might be.  Suddenly, it raises its head only to discover that the shepherd and the flock are nowhere in sight.  There it stands alone and afraid.  But over the brow of yonder knoll comes the faithful shepherd and leads it back to the flock.  The sheep is restored.

Sometimes the sheep gets the miserable habit of straying thus from the flock and it is always the business of the shepherd to restore it.  However, he has two ways of accomplishing this.  One is the gentle process just described.  But if the sheep insists upon straying time after time and will not stay close to the shepherd and to the flock, then more drastic measures must be used. . .

Here again the Lord Jesus is our faithful Shepherd, and because He is, “I will not want for restoration.”  He will restore our souls.  How tempting the tufts of green grass seem to us sometimes!  We get our hearts set upon something we want, and that in turn leads to something else we want, and from there on to still something more we want, until one day we pause a  moment to discover that we have not only estranged ourselves from the flock of God, but we have lost the conscious presence of the Shepherd.  Then it is we stand alone and afraid.  But, blessed be God, then it is, too, that the Shepherd restores our soul by His infinite mercy.  Sometimes He succeeds in doing this by His work of chastening.  Many a hospital bed, automobile wreck, lost job, ruined business, or bereaved life has been the “broken leg” method by which the Shepherd restores the soul.  But in either case, whether it be by patience or by chastening, it is mercy – boundless, infinite mercy. (p.50-52)

On a Personal Note:
I’ve been both the sheep that was kindly and patiently led back to the flock—and the one who needed a serious reminder that I belonged to Him and not to myself (or anyone else, for that matter).  I’ve appreciated the mercy and grace that I’ve been shown time and time again when I totally deserved the chastisement, but I have to say that I have ALSO appreciated the times of chastisement.  No, they’re not pleasant at the time AT ALL, however returning to the Good Shepherd’s side and back among the sheep of His pasture is so, so much better than the loneliness, guilt, anxiety, and depression that is found away from Him.

Of course, how much better it is when we don’t wander from His side in the first place!  I’ve heard some people make claims that people should “experiment” with as many different things as they can in the course of their lives before “settling down,” but those people are NOT thinking biblically, which means they are not thinking right (righteously).  The Bible is all about the peace, joy, and rewards of drawing close to our Father and Savior—and the horrors of wandering away and acting in our own wisdom.  I choose my Good Shepherd!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Thursday, January 18, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1-4
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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.”

Something to Think About:
(We will be summarizing a few thoughts from I Shall Not Want by Pastor Robert Ketcham this week.)

If there is one thing above another that a sheep needs, it is courage – but not courage to fight.  A sheep cannot fight.  She has nothing to fight with.  In fact, she is about the most helpless animal in the domestic world.  Why, then, does the sheep need courage?  It could have all the courage of a lion and still be utterly helpless in the face of a little sheep-killing dog.  The sheep needs courage, not to fight the lion, but to trust the shepherd.  And we may say to you most emphatically that it takes more courage to trust the Shepherd than it does to fight the lion.

If we only have a sense of “doing something” to defend ourselves; if we can only feel that we, in our own strength, have delivered a knockout blow to Satan at some point in our life, how good we feel!  But we have nothing within ourselves with which to deliver knockout blows to Satan.  We are not equipped with a single solitary thing with which to fight; we are just helpless sheep.  And unless the Shepherd can take care of the enemies, we are sure to be found somewhere on the desert of life torn and bleeding.

Now, into this situation comes the Lord Jesus Christ and offers Himself to every believer as a Shepherd who is sufficient for every emergency and danger of life.  When the flock is feeding and a sheep has its nose down in a tender juicy tuft of grass and it hears the roar of the lion as it comes pouncing down out of the mountainside, all the sheep needs to do is to lift his head to make sure that the shepherd is standing close by; then put its nose back into the green tuft of grass and continue eating, leaving the lion to the shepherd.  And that takes courage!

How often we allow the frightening things of life to interrupt our feeding in the green pastures!  We get so afraid, and we roll up our sleeves and square off for action.  Don’t do it!  You are whipped before you begin.  Go ahead and eat and drink and let the Shepherd do the fighting. (p.67-68)

On a Personal Note:
I think Americans may well have a harder time learning that, in and of ourselves, we simply have no capacity whatsoever to defeat sin, satan, temptation—anything.  We WANT to say that we stood tall and chased away our enemies with our fierceness of superior mind, but it’s not true.  It’s a lie that the world encourages us all to tell because deep down in their hearts, EVERYONE recognizes that we really don’t have the ability to fight against evil.

BUT, as Pastor Ketcham points out, our Shepherd does!  God’s power is without limit.  His wisdom is bottomless.  His knowledge is complete.  Put all that together along with His love for His children—and we have no reason to fear, to be anxious, to be stressed.  God’s got this—and Who better to trust than Him!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Friday, January 19, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1-5
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

Something to Think About:
(We will be summarizing a few thoughts from I Shall Not Want by Pastor Robert Ketcham this week.)

It is the responsibility of the Oriental shepherd to see that the sheep are led into places where there is plenty of food and water.  The shepherd who frequently leads his sheep into places where he can “prepare no table before them” will soon be without a flock or a job.  The sheep are incapable of finding pasture for themselves.  The pasture must be prepared by the shepherd. How like us in this barren world!

And yet again, into this situation comes the Lord Jesus and offers Himself to the believer as a Shepherd who knows where the supply is and how to prepare it.  Our Shepherd bears across His breast these wonderful words of assurance, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Truly the name of our God is El Shaddai, which  means “the breasted one.”  He is the one from whom we draw our nourishment.  He is the one who Himself is the source of all our supply.

We will go a long way when we come to understand that it is not so much a lot of “things” which the dear Savior provides for us, as it is Himself.  He is the great I AM.  It is His blank check handed to every believing child of God, and all we do is fill it in.  Do we need peace?  Then He says, “I am thy peace.”  Do we need salvation?  He says, “I am thy salvation.”  Do we need comfort?  He says, “I am thy comfort.”  Do we need joy?  He says “I am thy joy.”  No, it is not a lot of “things” which the Lord gives us out of His infinite storehouse, but it is Himself.  (p.84-85)

On a Personal Note:
Here is yet another concept in Scripture that is pretty nearly impossible to fully grasp:  Our Good Shepherd gives Himself to us!  He is, in fact, our all-in-all.  We need nothing in the world besides Him.

Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” is definitely a great verse to have written on a 3X5 card, posted on your fridge, or framed on your wall.  It’s a wonderful (and necessary) reminder that God has promised to meet ALL our needs—and that the storehouse He is using to fill these needs isn’t a small stash in a back closet, but all His riches in glory!

P.S.  The context of Philippians 4:19 is actually a church family who had given very generously financially to support Paul’s ministry.  Paul thanks them, then reminds them that God blesses those who give sacrificially to His work; that we need not fear that God doesn’t see and reward faithful acts of love and sacrifice.   In other words, we cannot out give God!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Saturday, January 20, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Read Psalm 23:1-6
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Something to Think About:
(We will be summarizing a few thoughts from I Shall Not Want by Pastor Robert Ketcham this week.)

We live on such a poverty-stricken plane—while at the same time goodness and mercy are following us with outstretched hands to give us every blessing which God has stored up for us in the Person of our blessed Shepherd, even the Lord Jesus Christ.  The blessed truth that the cup of the Christian may be constantly overflowing with the goodness and mercy of God is one of the outstanding revelations of Scripture. . .

We learned that we would not want for any good thing here and now, that goodness and mercy were following us all the days of our lives.  Now, for a little while, let us consider together the comforting thought that eternity itself will never hold for us a single moment of need of any kind, except that which is already supplied by the Savior-Shepherd.

Eternity is an awfully long time!  The human mind is utterly incapable of even starting to comprehend its immensity.  We are so accustomed to looking for the end of everything.  No sooner is the baby born than it begins its march toward the end of its life.  No sooner do we hang up the calendar for the new year than we begin to look for the end of the first week.  And then before we know it, it’s time to tear off the first page.  The first month has ended. And almost before we are aware of it we are down to December and the end of another year.

Everything with which we have to do is measured by time.  It is extremely difficult for us to think in terms of eternity.  It is, however, a comforting thought to know that our Shepherd is the God Who inhabiteth eternity.  That is, this thing that we call “time” down here is just part of eternity with Him. . .   There are no surprises in it for Him.  There may be for you, but there are none for Him.  So, again, trust the Shepherd. 

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow.
Strength for today is mine always and all I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow.

Psalm 23 begins and ends with the Lord—and occupies all the space in between. (p.117-126)

On a Personal Note:
I love the simple plea to “trust the Shepherd,” that we can have utmost confidence that He knows the way through the wilderness—and that all we need to do is follow Him. What a tremendous encouragement and comfort!

I guess the question at this point is, “What am I going to change about how I think and act in order to trust my Good Shepherd and follow Him through the wilderness of my daily life?”   Perhaps a time of quiet, prayerful contemplation is in order—with your Guidebook for living, your Bible—close at hand.  Prayerfully seek the Father’s direction for specific areas of your life where you could obey Him better, love Him more deeply, and trust Him more fully. 

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





























Sunday, January 21, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.



Monday, January 22, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-There are many words and concepts to explore in the Bible from Psalm 23.  Let’s begin by looking at some examples of shepherds in the Bible to discover some of what God wants us to know based on these various passages.

-Read Genesis 4:1-12
“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Something to Think About:
First up, Genesis 4, where we are introduced to the first shepherd mentioned, Abel.  Abel was one of the first two sons born to Adam and Eve, the very first man and woman created by God.  Abel grew up to be a shepherd, while Abel was a farmer. 

We really aren’t given any information at all before we are told that they each gave an offering to the Lord.  Remember, this was a really long time before the giving of the Law.  It would appear that man knew from the beginning of creation the concept of the tithe and giving back to God some of the abundance He provides for us.

Some teach that the reason why God was pleased with Abel’s offering and not Cain’s is because Abel offered an animal while Cain offered produce.  This doesn’t really make sense, however, and if we were to look at the Hebrew words used here, we recognize that the problem wasn’t with WHAT was offered to God, but the quality and/or quantity.  In a nutshell, Able did what all those who belong to God should desire to do:  he gave his best.  It appears that Cain, however, did not.  Maybe he only set aside a small amount of produce for God.  Maybe what he set aside was the not-so-nice pieces of fruits and vegetables.  We don’t know other than to note that God wasn’t pleased with it.  And something else interesting happens here:  Cain’s countenance SHOWED that he knew he was in the wrong and the Lord calls him out on it.  He says, “If you are doing your best, what you know you should be doing, then there’s no reason to feel or look angry or sad” (obviously, my own paraphrase there!).  In other words, when we’re giving God less than our best, our face and demeanor will show it! The opposite is true.  When we simply trust and obey, we will have peace and joy in our hearts, which definitely shows itself in our expression and in how we handle ourselves.

On a Personal Note:
The first shepherd’s example was a good one.  Abel gave his best to God.  This is a great reminder to us that God DOES care what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.

This is also a really good reminder for us to use to pause and reflect on exactly WHY we might be feeling grumpy, impatient, angry, or sad.  Sometimes this can be hormone overload (which is still not an excuse to sin), sometimes it’s due to fatigue or sickness (neither of which are an excuse to sin either), sometimes it’s due to some sort of burden on our heart (which should be entrusted to our Father in prayer), but sometimes it’s because we have ignored something we know God wanted us to do, or have neglected our Bible reading or prayer time, or have not been in church enough, or have allowed some sin to go unconfessed.  The solution is simple and fast:  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).  Simply make whatever it is right with God (and with people if you have hurt or offended anyone).  Simple, but something that can change a rotten-no-good-horrible day into one of joy in our hearts and on our faces. 

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, January 23, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Genesis 13
“So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.
2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.
8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.”

Something to Think About:
There is a lot to learn about Abraham from this chapter.

-He was a shepherd—and a wealthy shepherd.
-He had taken his nephew, Lot, under his wing, including him in his family, teaching him about shepherding, and pointing him to God.
-He had a personal relationship with God that was very important to him.
-He was a wise leader.
-He was a generous man.
-He trusted God that whatever land he ended up with once Lot chose would be exactly the right land for him.
-He was contacted by God personally—and, in fact, chosen to be the head of a brand new nation.
-He thanked God for His goodness by worshiping Him and obeying Him.

On a Personal Note:
There’s obviously a lot more to Abraham’s story (and I encourage you to read all of it if it’s been a while since you’ve done so).  He sinned, of course (we all do), he made foolish decisions (we do that too!), but one of the reasons why God considered Abraham His friend is that Abraham trusted God and showed it in his obedience.

Did you know that we can SAY we love God, but if we deliberately choose to do something we know displeases God (or not do something we know He wants us to do), that the Bible says that we do NOT love Him? 

 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. . .  Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”  Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”  Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.” (John 14:15, 21-24)

I want to be like Abraham in the areas that pleased and honored God!  I want to nurture those younger than me (physically or spiritually) to help them learn what a delight and joy it is to walk closely with the Lord. I want to have a close relationship to God personally—and have it affect every single thought, action, and word.  I want to be well versed in Scripture so I can use it to know how to live in a God-honoring way, to be generous with my time, talents, and treasures, to trust God in all the questions and concerns of life, and to be a woman of gratitude, thanking God morning, noon, and night!

(I don’t really want to be a shepherd, though!)  =)

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, January 24, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Genesis 29:1-9
Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well’s mouth was large, and when all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place over the mouth of the well.  Jacob said to them, “My brothers, where do you come from?” They said, “We are from Haran.”  He said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” They said, “We know him.”  He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!” He said, “Behold, it is still high day; it is not time for the livestock to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go, pasture them.”  But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together and the stone is rolled from the mouth of the well; then we water the sheep.” While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess.” 

Something to Think About:
Rachel was a shepherdess!  (The Bible also mentions Moses’ future wife and sisters as shepherdesses in Exodus 2 as well as the Shulamite woman in Song of Solomon, chapter 1.)

I’ve read that it was pretty common for girls to take care of the family’s animals up until the time they got married (mid teens or so).  They would take care of the animals during the day, but come back home for overnight.  They were also taught how to spin wool and make things with it (Walmarts were few and far between in those days!). 

If you think about it, caring for the flock was not a small or unimportant task.  The family depended on their animals to survive, so the work that the girls of the family did as shepherdesses was important.

On a Personal Note:
I’m sure there are lots of lessons to learn from Rachel’s life (and you can check out last year’s DBSQs for some of them!), but I thought it was interesting to consider what Rachel might have missed had she not taken her sheep to the well that day.  If she had feigned sickness and not gone, would she have still met her future husband? 

Those are kind of tricky questions to know how to answer, because it’s crystal clear that God created Jacob to be her husband and her to be his wife, but I think you get the point.  When we choose to miss things—such as church services, Bible studies, and fellowships—we are also choosing to both miss out on a blessing God intended to give us AND we are missing out on the opportunity to BE a blessing to the others who are there.

As a pastor’s wife and someone who hosts many such Bible studies and fellowships, let me tell you frankly—and from a heart of love—that YOU are missed when you don’t come.  You might think that your attendance doesn’t matter, but it most definitely does.  I notice, the other ladies notice, and the Lord notices. Every single person matters and is important—for sure!  BUT, consider again what I already said:  what might you be missing by choosing not to come?  (Thomas missed seeing Jesus by not being with the other disciples that Sunday evening after Jesus was resurrected from the dead!)  AND, who could you have possibly blessed, encouraged, or helped in some way?  We might not know this side of eternity, but I promise you that simply being there IS a blessing and well worth the sacrifices made to come.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________








Thursday, January 25, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Genesis 48:8-16
 “When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”  Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.  And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn).  And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

Something to Think About:
This is an interesting and touching scene.  Jacob (now known as Israel) is old and preparing to die.  He has been, after many painful years, reunited with his treasured son, Joseph, and now is meeting the two grandsons that he never knew he had. Furthermore, Jacob claims these two boys as his own and from this time forward, there will not be a twelve whole tribes of Israel, but eleven plus two halves.

That aside, I was intrigued to read what Jacob says in verse 15 about God as his Shepherd his entire life.  I wonder if this is the first reference to God as Shepherd?

On a Personal Note:
Jacob, just a short time before his death, recognizes that it was God Who guarded and guided him his entire life.  Sometimes it takes time and experience to help us recognize something that is critically important and which is TRUTH.  What Jacob noted is ALSO true for you and me, that is, for all who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin:  God is guiding and guarding us every second of every day.  His wisdom in doing so is infinite, His might to work everything out according to His perfect will is absolute, His love for us and focus on our spiritual growth and well-being is PERFECT.

We could fight against God today—or—we could choose to see Him as the perfect and Good Shepherd RIGHT NOW, to trust Him, obey Him, honor Him, and bring Him glory.  To speak and sing of Him in praise and wonder, and to thank Him morning, noon, and night for His goodness, grace, and mercy.

When and how do you intend to start fully appreciating God as the One Who has been your Shepherd all your life?

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Friday, January 26, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Exodus 3:1-6
“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”

Something to Think About:
When we think of Moses, the fact that he was a shepherd at one time probably isn’t our first thought.  However, picturing him standing in front of a bush that is burning, but not burning up, is definitely one of the many important scenes in Moses’ life (and he was shepherding at the time).  This is the day that God revealed to Moses that He had huge plans for him (although if you read his story from the beginning, you already knew it!).

Some days start out pretty normal and we have no idea that something will happen that will change the course of our lives forever.  This was one such day for Moses.  He had already had quite an interesting life with many twists and turns in the plot of his life, but that day would set the course for a new kind of shepherding.  Moses would turn from shepherding animals to people—God’s people.

On a Personal Note:
Did you know that pastors are men who have been tapped on the shoulder by God to shepherd His people too?  Being a pastor isn’t actually a job, it’s a calling; a calling FROM GOD.  It’s a pretty huge deal (and one they cannot say “no” to!).

In the Old Testament, we can read about different men who God singled out to be an important part of the nation He had chosen to belong solely to Himself:  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (mentioned in this passage by God), and later, David, to name a few biggies.  Within this category, there are also those God handpicked to be in the line of the Messiah, His own Son, Jesus Christ.  And now, in the time period you and I live in, God is still picking a few men for special tasks.  He is picking men who He has chosen to be under-shepherds of Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd. 

This makes the job these men do pretty important, wouldn’t you say?  Are you praying for them?  Are you praying for YOUR pastor?  In this current evil age, you can imagine the pressures they are under, the difficulties they deal with trying to teach, encourage, and help Christians and witness to the unsaved.  Their task is not a 9-5 job.  They are, in fact, never off duty.  Even on “vacation,” if you were to contact them with a need, they would fly to your side to help.

Thank God for the men He is using today as pastors.  Thank God for YOUR pastor.  Be an encouragement to him by praying for him—and telling him so, by listening to his sermons and Bible studies—and taking notes and sharing what you’ve learned with him, by jumping in and helping with tasks and ministries in the church building and among the people, by notes, texts, and emails loaded with Scripture and specific words of appreciation.

P.S.  I’m going to be brutally honest here and let you know that monetary gifts are definitely appreciated (though not looked for), but so is acknowledging the role his wife and children play in his ministry.  I’m not sure I know any pastor’s wives who do not put several hours a week into ministry-related activities—while what she does for her local church shouldn’t really be any different from, say, you, hers are often expected of her.   She needs your prayers too!  Additionally, she’s sharing her husband and the father of her children with all of you!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Saturday, January 27, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Numbers 14:26-35
 “And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,  “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.  Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you:  your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me,  not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.  But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected.  But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness.  And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.  According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’  I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

Something to Think About:
The background of this passage is the results of the twelve spies sent out by Moses to check out the land of Canaan, the land God had promised to the nation of Israel.  All the spies came back with the same basic report that the land was INCREDIBLE—just chockful of bounty and hope for a bright future.  But as you also know, only two of the spies saw the challenges of claiming the land as a mere blip (because of their trust in God), while the other ten painted a horrific picture that scared the rest of the people enough to refuse to trust that God would bring them safely into the land.

Now, it’s true that each person is responsible for their own choice to obey God or disobey Him (which is, of course, still true!), but I have to wonder if the ten men who raised hysteria in the others don’t bear special blame?  Their report brought about some pretty severe consequences for the entire nation: the ten men died of a plague pretty quickly, I think, but the adults who remained were forbidden entry into the Promised Land and died without seeing the land, and those who were younger, under twenty, had to wander aimlessly (without a home to call their own) – for FORTY YEARS.

(Just for the record, being shepherds for forty years was not the punishment!)

On a Personal Note:
There are several applications we could consider from this passage, the sin of not believing/trusting God among the biggest, but let’s focus for a minute on the danger of negative words and bad attitudes.

Have you ever considered that negative words and bad attitudes affect and infect others?  It’s true—and extremely dangerous.  Think for a second of a benign example.  Several people are standing in the church foyer having a nice time chit-chatting and catching up, but then someone enters the conversation by saying, “What a horrible weather day!  I almost slipped and fell in the back parking lot!  Will spring never come?” 

What’s the reaction to that?  Almost certainly, a bunch of comments talking about “bad” weather, harrowing experiences, and “wishes” for something better or different.  Does that sound like what a bunch of redeemed, justified, holy children OF GOD should be saying (and thinking)?  Negative talk begets negative talk.  Criticizing the weather God gave begets criticizing other things God allowed.

What if the conversation went more along the lines, “It’s sure a dark day out there, but it reminds me about all the sunny, warm, and lovely days God blesses us with.  In the meantime, I am so thankful that God has kept anyone from falling and getting hurt on that slippery surface!  Though, if someone did, I know that God will help them with that challenge—and we can be a blessing to them too, praise His name.”

I won’t ask you which conversation sounds more “real” than the other, but I would ask all of us to prayerfully consider praying BEFORE we open our mouths, asking God to help us be the kind of reporters of God’s goodness that Joshua and Caleb were! 

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


























Sunday, January 28, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.


Monday, January 29, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read I Samuel 16
“The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’  And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”  Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?”  And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”  Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”  And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”  Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”  And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.  And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.  Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.”  So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”  One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.”  Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.  And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.  And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.”  And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.”

Something to Think About:
As the author of Psalm 23, it’s interesting to read the Bible passage that introduces David. 

-David was the youngest of 8 brothers.
-David lived in Bethlehem.
-David was a shepherd.
-David’s heart pleased God.
-David was handsome.
-David was skilled at playing the lyre.
-David had a great reputation as a man of valor, prudent in speech, and a man of “good presence.”
-David was well liked.
-David was chosen by King Saul to be his armor bearer.  Saul loved him.

Most importantly, David was chosen by God to be the second king of Israel—and the one in whom His own Son would one day come, the true and permanent King.

On a Personal Note:
David is a pretty neat fellow on several levels.  One of the biggies, in my opinion, is his servant’s heart.  When we meet him, he’s the youngest of the family with the menial job of taking care of the family’s flock.  Yet, he seems to do it joyfully and with excellence.  Later, he is called into service to the King of Israel, but he simply humbly serves however he can to the best of his ability. 

There are a lot of challenges David faced in his life—and we know all too well about some major failures, but in the end, he is STILL identified as a man after God’s own heart.  Doesn’t that give you hope!  When we refuse to stop trying to live faithfully and obediently according to God’s Word, seeking to bring Him praise and glory, God is honored and pleased with us and our eternity in His presence will be entirely wonderful in every possible way.

David both chose to lean on the Lord as HIS Shepherd, to believe that his Shepherd was completely and always GOOD, and to be an obedient sheep to wherever the Shepherd led—a delightful goal for each and every one of us!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Tuesday, January 30, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read I Samuel 17:32-49
“And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”  And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”  But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,  I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.  Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”  And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,  and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.  Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.  And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.  And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”  Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,  and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”  When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.  And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.”

Something to Think About:
We learn a bit more about David, the author of Psalm 23 in this passage.

-David considered himself a servant.
-David was an encourager, pointing others to God.
-David had committed to a life of excellence as a very young man.
-David was a man of action.
-David did what was necessary to take care of the sheep in his care, including fighting very dangerous predators himself.
-David refused to allow anyone to speak against his God.
-David knew the LORD was the living God; that it was He Who delivered him from dangers in the past.
-David practiced with the defense weapons he had at his disposal well before actually needing them.
-David understood that what truly mattered was what GOD could (and would) do, not his size, age, or abilities.
-David continued to uphold the holy name of his God—even in the face of a terrifying situation.

On a Personal Note:
In essence, David pointed out to Goliath (and the hundreds of soldiers listening in) that God will do what He wants and He can even use the tiniest and most impotent of boys to do so.  Humans tend to want credit, so some work hard to become incredibly strong or impressively smart, but in the end, it is always God’s will that is going to prevail.  How much wiser and enjoyable to be on His team from the get-go!  To trust in His ability and will!

Again, there are a lot of applications we could make.  One is to appreciate that David prepared for the battle with Goliath long before it took place.  How?  First and foremost, by choosing to trust and obey God from his youth.  Second, by taking seriously the responsibility he had been given as shepherd by finding tools and weapons to use against predators—and learning how to use them well.

How does this translate to you and me?  We, too, can prepare for challenges and adversities well before we face them.  How?  By spending time in God’s Word learning all about our mighty God, by putting into practice the things we are learning in our day to day activities, and by “practicing” our trust in God with the little challenges that come on just a regular day.  Things like a sudden sickness, an unexpected bill, an unpleasant email from a friend. . . As we consider what the Bible says pleases God in these situations, trusting Him for the outcome that is in keeping with His perfect will for us, we will be growing spiritual muscles that will help us respond in a God-honoring way when the bigger and harder things happen (because they will). 

We need not fear the future, our Good Shepherd is already there—and there is nothing He cannot handle with perfection.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, January 31, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Review Time!

-Because this month was kind of divided into weeks as far as focus, look back at each week in turn and note at least one thing that was a blessing to you or which the Holy Spirit pointed out to you as important:

Week 1 (January 1-7):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 2 (January 8-14):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


Week 3 (January 15-21):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 4 (January 22-31):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


-A Few of My Review Thoughts:
Week 1 (based on Pastor Stephen Brown’s translation).
I appreciated the reminder right off the bat that we, as children of God, have what we need.  Our first thoughts are often towards physical needs such as food, health, etc., but it’s equally true that God has provided all that we need to survive and thrive spiritually.  He has given us His written Word, the indwelling Holy Spirit, pastors to teach us and lead us in local churches, and fellow believers to encourage and help us (and for us to help, encourage, and be a blessing to).  With this help, we CAN live obediently before God and bring Him much glory!

Week 2 (a verse by verse look at Psalm 23).
Even though it’s perfectly true that our Shepherd provides all our true needs, we, as sheep, need to keep in mind that our cooperation is important.  God has given us the free will to follow Him—or not.  Of course, as the people He has created and brought to life both physically and spiritually, He doubly owns us and could force us to act and react a certain way, but it gives Him joy and brings Him glory when we CHOOSE to and DELIGHT in following Him, obeying Him, and praising Him. 

Week 3 (a look at Psalm 23 based on I Shall Not Want by R. Ketcham).
I was reminded to try a bit harder to not hate being corrected or have my failures pointed out.  Why?  Because these are the very things needed to be becoming more like Christ, to learn the heinousness of ALL sin, to remember that what I do, say, and think is either glorifying and pleasing God—or bringing Him sorrow and dishonor.  As a sheep of the Good Shepherd, I should want to reflect how wonderful He is to those I interact with so they can, in turn, want to become part of the fold too.

Week 4 (a brief study of the shepherds and shepherding referenced in the Bible).
I’ve always  loved to look for applications relevant to you and me in Bible passages, maybe especially well-known ones where just one lesson is often pointed out.  The Bible is COMPLETELY relevant to all of us, and though Bible accounts have only one truth from God, there are often many applications.  The Holy Spirit may use a person or a story to remind you of something that will help you better honor God, but use something different for me and where I am with the Lord.  It’s a pretty nifty thing, our amazing Word of God, written by our Good Shepherd!  We would be foolish to neglect it for even one day, let alone from Sunday to Sunday!

A Psalm of David.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.


February 1, 2024
Dear Student of the Word,
We have dedicated 2024 to the rich treasure that is Psalm 23.  In January, we went through the six verses three different times each, then began a word study of “shepherd.”  A word study in Scripture is simply a search of other Scripture that uses the same word in order to add understanding, color, richness and detail to our knowledge.  Since Psalm 23 speaks of the Lord being our Shepherd, it can be valuable and useful to research what else the Bible says about shepherds.  We will continue that search this month.

Provided Scripture is from the ESV (courtesy of BibleGateway.com), but any English translation will do.

These Bible studies are a ministry of the First Baptist Church, North Conway, New Hampshire (firstbaptistnorthconway.org) and are available via email (they will be sent through MailChimp.com), online on our website, and as hard copies (in the back of the auditorium).  Feel free to share them with whomever the Lord lays on your heart.  I would also highly encourage taking the time to review your work with another person at least once a month, but more if you can.  This is nicest in person, but can be done via email or video-chat as well.  For those who are in the North Conway area, we will be reviewing the first several days of this study on Monday, February 12, 6:30pm, at the Parsonage.  You are welcome and encouraged to come!

Please pray for not only your own Bible study this month, but for all who are joining us—for spiritual growth and insight, and that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ receive great glory and honor.

By His Grace,
Lorie Brown

P.S.  Feel free to contact me with questions or comments!  I enjoy hearing from you.



Thursday, February 1, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read I Samuel 25:1-24
“Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. 10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. 13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.”

Something to Think About:
What do we learn about sheep and shepherding from this passage?

-Flocks of sheep were sometimes numbered in the thousands.
-Sheep were often herded with goats.
-Sheep often grazed “out in the wilderness.”
-Not all animal owners acted as their own shepherds.  Some shepherds were paid laborers.
-Sheep need to be sheared (annually in the spring).  If one sheep produced 2 pounds of wool, Nabal was looking at something like 3 tons of wool to sell!
-Ownership of animals equated to wealth.  Nabal was a very wealthy man.
-In Bible times, sheep shearing was a time of celebrating great bounty.  Animals would be slaughtered to provide a great feast (meat was not a common day-to-day meal item and was used for special celebrations).
-Those who sheared the sheep may not be the same men who shepherded the sheep (though if the herd was a small one, they probably were).
-Shepherds were in danger not only from wild animals and dangerous terrain, robbers and thieves were also a concern.  Sometimes strangers would help keep the shepherds and animals from harm (and it would have only been right for the owners to compensate these men in some way).  This was the “right” way to do things in that time and place.  David knew it and Nabal knew it.

On a Personal Note:
What do we learn about people from this passage?

-It’s likely that all of Israel knew who David was by this time, but only those living near Carmel knew Nabal and Abigail.  Our reputations are important when we are children of God.  Everything we say and do, even our appearance, either supports who we say we are or opposes it.  Nabal’s testimony was so bad that people referred to him as “Fool” (the meaning of “Nabal,” so this probably was not his given name).  Furthermore, all these centuries later, Abigail’s name is associated with wisdom, clear thinking, generosity, and an understanding of what pleased and displeased God.  Would that we all had great testimonies like her among our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors!

-David had some honorable actions when hiding from Saul and some not-so-honorable ones.  Here, we find him making good use of his time. He had several hundred men with him who needed to be fed and cared for.  I expect that they also needed to be kept busy (since humans tend to get into trouble when not engaged in useful activities!).  Having his men guard Nabal’s shepherds and animals was both a useful occupation for his men—and it was useful to Nabal—which should have been compensated with food, something this large group of people would have needed.

I am a firm believer in being a good steward of my time.  It’s also true, however, that I love to read, craft, and do other “fun” things.  Over the years, I have developed a policy of making my work list my priority, but also enjoying and appreciating free time once the essentials are done.  Working 24/7 and having no free time whatsoever might not be the best plan, but if we’re honest, if there’s an imbalance in how we spend our time, it’s more likely to be in spending too much time doing things that are of little or no value (such as surfing the internet!).  Enjoy down time, but be sure that you are, first and foremost, using your time and talents to the best of your ability.

-David’s instruction to the ten young men who were sent to Nabal was to be polite, humble, and not greedy or filled with expectation.  Sadly, Nabal’s response was arrogant, rude, and dismissive. 

More and more, we find the people in our country primarily concerned about themselves and (maybe) those in their closest circle.  Others are ignored, put down, and often made fun of.  This is not how the child of God should EVER be.  I Corinthians 13 has an amazing list of the right way to think, act, and respond to others.  In fact, several books of the Bible address God honoring actions and reactions—as well as the ones that dishonor Him.  Learning to reset our auto-default in the area of actions and reactions isn’t easy, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we most definitely can do it!

-Although there are other examples we can observe in this chapter, let’s stop after looking at the slave who came to Abigail to relate the conversation between the ten men and Nabal.  I think he was wise because he knew that the problem he was aware of was way beyond his ability to “fix.”  He knew that he needed to bring it to the highest authority in his life (well, at least the wisest authority in his life).  We, too, need to remember that God has placed people in our lives to help us when we’re not sure what to do or how to deal with something.  Of course, our very first thought and action should be to take the burden to God in prayer, but God’s given us some other helps too.  I think first and foremost of the pastors of our churches.  God placed them there to teach and lead, but also to help, to encourage, to edify, and to show us from Scripture what God wants and doesn’t want.  We’re often also given mature Christian friends, family members, and church family members—all whom would be happy to pray with us and share our burdens.  And, of course, we are privileged to return the favor when our loved ones need a shoulder to cry on, a tender hug, and then some delightful time spent together in the throne room of God in prayer.

-A few challenges to consider:  Look up other Scripture that speaks to God-honoring actions and reactions to others; read the rest of I Samuel 25 to assess a few more people mentioned; spend a week or so recording how you use your time.  Prayerfully evaluate how you could be an even better steward of it.


You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Friday, February 2, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read II Samuel 5:1-5
“Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.”

Something to Think About:
This is the moment David had waited for from the time he was still quite young, when the High Priest Samuel had him retrieved from the fields where he was watching his father’s sheep to be anointed as Israel’s second king.  It took roughly 15 years to be completely fulfilled, but now he was officially king over all of Israel.

Did you notice that the representatives of the twelve tribes were aware that God has chosen David to be their leader? That God called him to be His “shepherd” of His people?  This phrase is not something we would use to describe our leaders today, but it was a common way to describe a king in those days.

You may have recognized part of this verse.  It’s quoted pretty much every Christmas in church.  Micah 5:2 says, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”  (The word “ruler” is the same word as “shepherd.”) 

God had far bigger plans for David than “just” being the king of Israel. God was going to have His own Son, Jesus Christ, descend from the line of David.  In this manner, then, David’s line would never end, because when Jesus Christ finally sits on the throne as King of the world, His reign will be eternal.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

On a Personal Note:
Ever since I was 8 years old and the eye doctor told me that the next time I came to see him, he would have a special prize for me, I’ve hated waiting for things.  Of course, there are different levels of waiting, some more frustrating than others (waiting for a call about a concerning doctor referral, waiting to hear if your loved one made it safely to their destination, waiting to find a bathroom while traveling—and things are getting dire. . . ).

One thing is for certain, we are called to deal with waiting at some point or other.

And like everything else in life, how we respond to being forced to wait will reveal our maturity.  Not just maturity in general (think of Violet in Willy Wonka, “I want it NOW!!!!!), but spiritually (although a spiritually mature person should definitely NOT come across as a Violet!). 

So, what does a spiritually mature person do and not do?  This is kind of a trick question—and the “real” answer I’m looking for will be something along the lines of finding out what GOD says.  In other words, get out that Bible and find GOD’S wishes in the area of patience, waiting, etc.  Here are a few verses to get you started:

Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

James 1:2-5 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . patience.”

A few others to try: Psalm 5:3; 25:5; 27:14; 31:24; 62:5;  Isaiah 40:31;  Lamentations 3:24

(P.S.  I’m still waiting for that prize from the eye doctor!)

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Saturday, February 3, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read II Samuel 7:1-16
“Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

Something to Think About:
I’ve highlighted the direct references to shepherding in this passage, but this passage is important for a much bigger reason.  This passage is part of the Davidic Covenant, the promise that God made to David that it would be from his line that the Eternal King would come.  I don’t know if David realized in his lifetime that God would miraculously cause His own Son, Jesus Christ, to become Man to not only become the Perfect Righteous King, but the Savior of all mankind or not (he sure knows it now!).  David wanted to build a special building for God to reside in—and God wanted to use David as the forefather of Christ!  Wow!  When our requests are turned down by God, He’s always got something a million times better in mind!

On a Personal Note:
I’m positive that there is no one on earth who doesn’t have disappointments.  Depending on age and circumstances, it might be sadness over denied candy—or a loved one dying “too young.”  It might be a deep desire for more beauty, more friends, or more money—or simply a later bedtime.

There are some disappointments that simply are what they are—and must be entrusted to God, the perfect Gift-Giver. Others, however, might be something we CAN do something about.  For example, maybe the last time your church had a Bible knowledge quiz, you were disappointed that you didn’t know more answers.  What can you do about it?  Open your Bible and learn the details of Bible accounts!  Buy Bible quiz books and study the answers!  Arrange a Bible knowledge fellowship with a friend or two!  And, of course, get yourself to Sunday School—or better yet, TEACH Sunday School. 

What about the disappointment over lack of friends?  The Bible has the answer to that, too!  To have friends, BE a friend (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24).  Think of others before self (Philippians 2:3-5; Luke 6:31).  Do all things with love (I Corinthians 16:14; I John 4:7).  Be kind, tenderhearted, patient, forgiving (Colossians 3:12-14; Ephesians 4:32). Decide to encourage and befriend someone who may not be exactly like you.

When we develop the habit (and joy!) of bringing every single thing to the Lord in prayer, we will come to view disappointments in a more “right” way.  We will come to see that God’s timing is perfect, that His answers are the best ones, and that we sometimes need to make some changes in our thoughts and actions to better honor God, which will also always bless us (and the people in our lives!).

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________























Sunday, February 4, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.



Monday, February 5, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Psalm 28:6-9
“Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.”

Something to Think About:
The first five verses of this Psalm are a plea for God’s help (look it up!), but once David has asked God for His help, before the help actually came, David thanked God for His answer—and he does so by praising Him!  David expresses gratitude to God for being his strength and shield,  He acknowledges that God is utterly trustworthy.  David also expresses praise and gratitude that God helps those who belong to Him and that He is a Refuge and the Shepherd Who will never stop caring for and leading His people on the right paths.

On a Personal Note:
Have you ever noticed just how many Psalms start out as a heartfelt cry for immediate help, expressing deep sorrow and pain, but how, once the burden has been entrusted to God, the psalm changes from a plea to praise?  To a prayer of gratitude?

You know, this can be our pattern of prayer too!  God WANTS us to bring our praises AND our burdens to Him, big and little, little and big.  And when we do, when we pour our hearts out to Him in trust and a desire to know His will so that we can obey it, He does this most marvelous thing.  He calms our hearts, He helps us to see the situation a bit clearer, and He gives us direction concerning what to do (which is often simply to wait on Him).  Our response should definitely be to praise Him and thank Him—even if, like David, the answer isn’t yet apparent.  Simply knowing God is in charge and is too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes is all that we NEED to know!

P.S.  Don’t miss that David often literally sang to God when sad and when praising and thanking Him!  Have you considered going online and ordering a copy of the hymn book your church uses so that you can sing to God from home?  Even if you don’t feel like singing out loud, simply reviewing the words of the hymns can be a tremendous blessing.  Give it a try!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, February 6, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Psalm 37:1-5
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”

Something to Think About:
Did you have trouble finding the word shepherd or shepherding in this passage? I did!  Turns out, it’s the word “befriend,” and in this case it means to feed on faithfulness or find safe pasture in faithfulness.  So interesting!

Backing up a bit, David begins this Psalm by reminding us that there is no need to be envious of those who appear to be prospering while doing what is clearly wrong.  All that kind of nonsense will soon be dealt with and righteousness will rule (beginning in the Millennium when Jesus Christ sits on the throne).  RATHER, focus on trusting God, doing good (that is, obeying what the Bible says to do), being faithful to God (and never forgetting for a second His perfect faithfulness directed at us!), delighting in Who God is and who we are because He adopted us into His family. Finally, stay committed to Him by trusting Him wholeheartedly.

In fact, when we are living in a God-honoring way and focusing on pleasing Him in all we say, do, and think, then the Lord will give us the desires of our heart—because they will be lined up with His desires!  So amazing!

On a Personal Note:
One commentator noted (based on these verses) that the antidote to irritability and envy is trusting in the Lord (NLT Study Bible).  I like that!  I’m pretty fond, in fact, of looking for what I like to call “biblical remedies” in the Bible.  These are the God-honoring attitudes and actions that replace the satan-pleasing ones.

Colossians 3:1-17 is one of many passages that lists out in clear terms what displeases God followed by what pleases Him.   Take a few minutes to read over this passage, then spend a few minutes in prayer asking God to show you if there is something in your life that needs to be replaced with something that is more pleasing to Him—and which would help you better imitate His Son.

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, February 7, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Proverbs 10:19-21
“When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.”

Something to Think About:
The Book of Proverbs is LOADED with the do’s and don’ts of words: what to say and not say, WHY to say things (or avoid saying them), who to talk to, how—all of it.  Chapter 10 actually has several other verses that address our words that are worth checking out (hint! hint!), but since we are addressing verses that have the word “shepherd” them, we are looking at verse 21.  And, isn’t it interesting!  “the lips of the righteous FEED many.”  What in the world does that even mean?

If we look at the other two verses next to verse 10 that have a similar topic, we find that what we say matters to God.  We are warned that if we allow words to just keep tumbling out of our mouths, willy nilly, we’ll almost certainly say something wrong, offensive, unkind, or just plain foolish.  BUT, Solomon advises, if we keep our lips zipped and prayerfully consider how God would have us respond, we will do much better.

Solomon also reminds us that it is what’s in our hearts that will come out of our mouths.  Ain’t that the truth! (Lots of New Testament Bible verses warn about this too!)  And then, verse 10 says that when our hearts are right with God (righteous), our words can actually “feed” others.  That is, our words, when they are reflecting God’s Word and God’s character, can bless, uplift, encourage, advise, and otherwise help those who hear what we have to say.  Quite the exciting thought, wouldn’t you say!

On a Personal Note:
I’ve confessed more than once over the years how my words tend to be “many” and definitely sometimes show a lack of restraint, I am so very thankful to report that God hasn’t given up on me and I have learned many lessons in this area over the course of my lifetime as a child of God.  Some lessons are through the school of hard knocks (very effective, but not fun!), while others are from exactly what Proverbs 10:21 is saying.  It is the kind, patient, edifying words of different Christians that God has brought into my life that have helped me want to be a little more “slow to speak” – and I am so thankful for these folks!  I have deeply appreciated people who have been patient with me, showing biblical love and forgiveness, and I yearn to follow their example in my own life with others.

P.S.  These verses (and many others) hint rather strongly that our words can cause quite a bit of pain, confusion, and trouble.  How we need to commit our days, hours, and minutes to the Lord, seeking His help to honor Him in all areas, including what we say and how we say it!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Thursday, February 8, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Proverbs 13:20
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Something to Think About:
This one was so interesting to me!  The word “companion” is the same word also translated as shepherd in other passages! 

How?  Why?  I believe that is has something to do with how close the sheep and shepherd are to each other all day, every day.  Sheep are a herd animal and hang out with the other members of their herd—and people aren’t much different.  I think a fairly recent way to describe this is to identify with a person (or type of person) and say, “They are my tribe.”  By that, we mean that the ideals, goals, and even quirky behavior is similar to your own.  You are “companions” with them.

On a Personal Note:
Proverbs 13:20 provides both the good outcome of hanging out with people as well as the bad outcome.  The good results (that is, what GOD defines as good) happen when believers who want to live in a God honoring way and remain faithful to God their whole lives find other believers who ALSO want to live with excellence as children of God and spend time together.  While not everyone who attends church faithfully is necessarily going to fit this description, I believe you will be hard pressed to find this OUTSIDE of faithful church attendance (for the simple reason that the local church is God’s current focus of blessing and is what He is using to teach and bless His children in this current age).

The flip side of becoming wise (learning how to apply God’s Word to the circumstances of our days), is to become foolish—and suffer as a result.  The Bible defines fools as those who deliberately turn their back on God, on God’s Word, and who live life on their own terms.  In other words, they fit perfectly with everyone else in this world who is out to serve #1, fighting to get out of life what they think is best.

There are plenty of other verses that address this topic, several in Proverbs (1:10,18; 2:12,20; 12:26; 16:29, 22:24-25; 28:7; 29:3), and I would even argue for Psalm 1 being helpful to read and heed.  Two New Testament passages that address both sides include:

I Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

II Timothy 2:1-2 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

Included are the warning that we WILL be influenced negatively when we hang out with those who do not love God wholeheartedly (and live like it) and the encouragement that we can (and should) tell others all about the wonderful things we have learned from God’s Word and the many ways He has blessed us from day to day because it will encourage them in their own walk with the Lord, resulting in a better and better testimony in their own lives.

Who we hang out with is VERY important!

P.S.  This is probably addressing those we physically spend time with, but in this time of modern technology, use extra caution what sorts of websites you return often to, the people you follow on social media, and all areas where you are spending your precious time.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Friday, February 9, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Isaiah 11:1-10
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. 6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.


Something to Think About:
Our word, shepherd, is translated as “graze” in verse 7.

Perhaps you’re wondering what in the world this snippet from Isaiah is all about.  For one thing, it’s additional prophecy about Jesus Christ, the Righteous King, that was introduced to us in II Samuel 7 (February 3rd).  Jesse is the father of King David—and Jesus Christ was a descendent of David.

This passage is one of encouragement and wonder.  Although Israel had wandered far from the Lord and was punished most severely, God had not forgotten them, nor had He forgotten His promise to make of them a great nation.  All that WILL yet happen. 

Secondly, this passage is also a huge encouragement in its reminder that when Jesus Christ sits on the throne, wickedness, injustice, and foolish government actions will be a thing of the past.  Third, this passage points out that there will be some pretty incredible changes in nature during the thousand year reign of King Jesus (and this is where our word “shepherd” comes into play).  In that most incredible millennium, wolves and lambs will no longer be enemies.  Wild animals will hang out with animals that were once their prey in peace and comfort (it looks like they will all be vegetarians).  In fact, children will be in no danger from them either. What a delightful picture this builds in our minds!

On a Personal Note:
I doubt I am alone in easily getting caught up in the cares and worries of TODAY, easily losing sight that this too shall pass.  Not just my personal challenges, or those of our country, or those of our entire messed up world—all the hardships and evil, the destruction and pain will come to a screeching halt when Jesus returns to earth a second time at the end of the Tribulation Period.  At that point, satan and his followers will be locked up in a pit for 1,000 years and Jesus Christ Himself will rule and reign over the entire world.  It will be a time of never-before-known peace, prosperity, and joy.  And even though this will be interrupted briefly at the end of those thousand years, not long after, satan and all who have aligned with him will be cast in the Lake of Fire for all of eternity. God will remake the heavens and the earth where we will live alongside Him forever and ever.  Never again will there be sin or any of its horrible consequences.

This is reality.  This is what we need to keep in the front of our minds at all times so that we don’t give up or give in.  This is what will encourage us to pore over Scriptures to be reminded of what is true and right and good and praiseworthy.  This is what will lead us to joyfully fall on our knees in prayer thanking God for His direction, help, and perfect will.

We may live during hard times now, but God is on His throne and He is in constant and complete charge.  All is well.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Saturday, February 10, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Isaiah 40:1-11
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

Something to Think About:
Old Testament prophecy is interesting!  It’s sometimes talking about current events, but sometimes it is ALSO speaking about something or someone in the future.  It may be talking about a human at some point, but also be speaking about the Son of God. 

It’s probably also wise to point out that the lion’s share of Old Testament prophecy is directed to Israel—and not those of us living in the Church Age.  That being true, because God chose to graft Gentiles into His plan of redemption, the glories and wonders concerning the coming Messiah and His righteous rule will definitely impact us, too!

This specific chapter of Isaiah is mainly addressed to the people of Israel and is discussing when their time of captivity in Babylon will be over and they can return home.  Their captivity wouldn’t happen for another 100 years or so, so they may not have gotten the full message of comfort and rejoicing given to them here for a good long while. 

On a Personal Note:
A few more things to observe:
-When a word is repeated in Hebrew, it should be noted that more than average emphasis is being shown (Jesus did this often too, saying “verily, verily” – or  – “truly, truly.”).  The promise of comfort mentioned here was (and is) a huge and magnificent gift from God.
-Although verse 3 is a call to Israel to be prepared to do whatever they need to do to make their hearts and lives ready for God (to restore a right relationship to Him), you may recall hearing these same words in the gospels in relation to John the Baptist calling out to the Jews around 30A.D. to be ready for the Messiah to show up any day.  That is, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
-One day God will right all wrongs.  The “hills and uneven ground” in our life is simply a temporary thing meant to remind us that our trust must be in God, not in people or things around us.
-Though people and things fail and are untrustworthy, every single thing that God ever said or will ever say, WILL happen exactly as He said.  He is utterly faithful and trustworthy.
-Whenever a child of God tells others about our marvelous Father and Savior, that is “good news,” news that is worth spreading to one and all.  (The word “gospel” literally means “good news.”)
-While Jesus has all power and will rule with a rod of iron, He is also OUR tender Shepherd, watching out for us, caring for the big things and the little ones in our lives, gathering us up in His loving arms, and leading us in the right paths, the ones that have green pastures and still waters.

Like Israel of long ago, we have tremendously marvelous things to look forward to when we are at last in the presence of our God and Savior!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Sunday, February 11, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.



Monday, February 12, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Jeremiah 23:1-8
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. 3 Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. 5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ 7 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

Something to Think About:
This interesting passage is addressing several things.  First, God is warning all leaders of Israel (“shepherds”), civic and religious, that He knows the evil things they are doing and they will be severely punished.  They were given an important job to do and they failed Him.  Next, God will personally take care of His people, blessing them with great abundance and providing the One True Righteous King.  This is obviously another Messianic prophecy, specifically telling the people that the Messiah would be their ultimate Righteous King one day (though it’s likely few people at the time understood this amazing revealed truth).  And finally, along with the promise of THE Righteous King and many awesome blessings, it is revealed that there is coming a returning to the land that far exceeds the exodus out of Egypt, the return after the Babylonian exile, or any other return to the land God promised Israel.  This is almost certainly referencing the Millennium, where the whole world enjoys one thousand years of peace with Jesus sitting on the throne in Jerusalem.

On a Personal Note:
I was impressed by the seriousness of the warning to the leaders in the beginning of this passage.  It made me recognize that when God calls any of us to be leaders, it’s a very sobering undertaking and one we need to do wholeheartedly—and exactly as His Word tells us to do.

Obviously, our first thought might be that the relevance is to our pastors, which would get us off the hook. While it’s certainly true that God expects the men He calls to shepherd His people to do so biblically and well, there are a whole lot more leadership positions in our lives than just that one example!

Are you a mother, a supervisor at work?  Do you teach Sunday School, lead a Bible study, or direct choir?  Are you the head of a committee, a police officer, or in charge of some organization?  There are many, many areas we get called upon to lead—and we MUST take these roles (given to us by God) seriously, doing our dead-level best to honor God and reflect Jesus Christ in attitude and action.

I was also thinking about spiritual leaders in kind of a different scenario.  I was thinking that we have a responsibility to follow the spiritual counsel and direction of our pastors and spiritual leaders who ARE living in a God honoring way and teaching biblical truth accurately. But what if we realize that the people we are listening to are NOT living and teaching the way God says to?  Shouldn’t we turn from them and find those who are?  It’s not impossible that this describes your current pastor, but I think it’s far more likely that it could describe people you are listening to on Christian radio, following on the internet, and reading on Kindle.  The challenge, I think, is that we equate liking someone personally with them being accurate biblically.  Sadly, a whole lot of really likable people are not teaching God’s Word fully and/or accurately.  Like the Bereans in Acts 17, all Christians should be searching Scripture every time they hear it taught to be certain that what was said is what GOD said.  What God says absolutely MUST be the final word we live our lives based on.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, February 13, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Ezekiel 34
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.
25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. 30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. 31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

Something to Think About:
This prophecy, given by God through Ezekiel goes well with the one we read yesterday given through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23).  God had been watching every single thing the leaders of Israel had been doing—and He was disgusted with their negligence, their greed, their selfishness, their corruption, their evil behavior and horrible attitudes.  This WILL stop—because He will hold them accountable!

On a Personal Note:
BUT, beginning in verse 11, we are reminded forcefully (and joyfully!) of Psalm 23.  God declares that HE Himself will gather His sheep, seeking them out and returning them to where they belong.  HE will feed them with “good pasture” and they can rest easy.  HE will shepherd His sheep, providing all that is needed (and with abundance!), fixing all that is broken, weary, and sick.  Then, in the ultimate grace and mercy, God will send His own Son to be the Great Shepherd, the Perfect Shepherd, the One Who will provide true and lasting peace.

I LOVE verse 24, “I am the Lord; I have spoken” and verse 31, “And you are My sheep, human sheep of My pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

Dear fellow child of God, the corrupt and evil world we currently live in will not last forever.  God has chosen the perfect time to call all who belong to Him to meet His Son, our Redeemer, in the air so that we can forever be with Him and forever be done with sin and sorrow!  When that blessed day comes, YOU AND I will be the sheep of His pasture forever and ever!

Amen!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Wednesday, February 14, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Jonah 3:1-10
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”

Something to Think About:
Jonah’s story is pretty well known—especially the whole swallowed-by-a-great-fish thing!  But, perhaps, a little less known, is what happened in chapter 3.  For you see, this exceedingly huge and very wicked city BELIEVED GOD (v.5).  They then proved that they believed God by calling for a period of mourning consisting of dressing in sackcloth, sitting in ashes, and fasting—including not feeding the animals (which is how we got to this passage since “feed” in v.7 is our word for shepherd). 

They also called out to God for mercy—and our Promise-Keeping God kept His Word by not destroying Nineveh because they repented of their wickedness.

On a Personal Note:
Sometimes I think Christians are guilty of saving their repentance for “big” things, things that REALLY need forgiving, forgetting, perhaps, that ANY sin is grievous to God.  That even one teeny-tiny sin still would have necessitated that the Perfect Lamb of God die in our place.

What sorts of things do we disregard?  Prayerfully consider the following list, spending time with the Father in prayer at the end for whatever the Holy Spirit might have brought to mind (including any additional items brought to mind that are not found on the list).

-a thoughtless word
-a selfish act
-a prideful thought
-a moment of envy
-a flash of lust
-a willing act of disobedience
-an attitude of vengeance
-a minor moment of thievery
-wanting glory for self more than for God
-failing to give grace where grace is needed
-bending the truth
-giving in to addiction*

*The above list was taken from January 16th of New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp, Published by Crossway, 2014

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Thursday, February 15, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Luke 2:1-20
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Something to Think About:
There are about eight New Testament passages that have the word “shepherd” in them.  This familiar passage in Luke 2 is a great place to start looking at the New Testament usages.

Luke 2 is pretty famous (and rightly so!) because it describes the birth of the Son of God in human flesh, something I hope we never, ever feel blasé about, no matter how familiar the story becomes!  Part of that once-ever event included the scene with the shepherds—and what a glorious scene it is!  These hardworking men, simply doing what they were supposed to do, were blessed beyond measure that one night with news that I’m confident they never ever forgot.  All these centuries later, we too, are blessed by this account of shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night.

On a Personal Note:
In my many long decades as a member of fundamental Baptist churches, I have been a part of many choirs, and as part of these many choirs, I have sung many Christmas cantatas.  I have mentioned in previous studies some of the cantatas that impacted me greatly over the course of my life, and today’s passage reminded me of one more.  I don’t remember the cantata very well or all the words to this particular song, but I remember the author questioning why God Almighty, the Creator and Ruler of all, would choose lowly shepherds as the very first people to hear the good news of great joy, the arrival of the One Who would pay the price for all of mankind’s sin, the Messiah, the Son of God. 

And this is a valid question!  We often hear people speak about Jesus’ lowly parents, the humble town He was born in, the fact that He was placed in an animal feed trough rather than a kingly bed, but it’s less common to wonder about those first few people who heard such incredible news that even the angelic host couldn’t help but show up in droves to exult and praise God!

The author of the song suggests that shepherds were chosen—because Jesus Christ would also be a Shepherd, the Shepherd of human sheep. . . OUR Shepherd.  We, too, have reason to express great exultation over the coming of God’s Son to save mankind, but our rejoicing should be that much greater because we live on this side of it.  He DID come, He DID die, He WAS raised again, and sin and death WERE defeated!  In addition (as if there could be anything greater), our Good Shepherd is with us every second of every day, leading, guiding, helping—and He will be so for all of eternity.

Besides what ought to be daily praise and gratitude to God, maybe we too could “make known” to others these wonders as we live our daily lives.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Friday, February 16, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Matthew 9:35-37
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Something to Think About:
Having just finished studying several Old Testament passages using the word “shepherd,” we know that Jesus recognized the harm that selfish, greedy, sinful religious leaders had caused to the Jews.  In what almost certainly was considered offensive by any priests or Pharisees present, Jesus noted that the people were “harassed and helpless” – forced to try to figure out life without the spiritual guidance they were supposed to be getting from their leaders.  Jesus then charges His disciples, twelve men who WERE receiving accurate teaching from God’s Word (and God Himself!), to get out there and tell others all that they needed to hear.  First and foremost, every single man, woman, and child, needs to trust in Jesus as their personal Savior, but a close second is learning more about God and what pleases Him so that we can bring Him honor and glory and so that we can learn to think in a right manner; that is, what the Bible says. 

Obviously, Jesus was commanding His disciples to pray earnestly for more laborers, but this is clearly something we could and should do too as Christians today.

On a Personal Note:
Don’t you just love this picture of the compassion our Lord had for people?  It shows itself over and over in His dealings with people.  Oh, sometimes He was definitely harsh and very blunt with the truth people needed to hear, but have you noticed that these incidents were directed solely to those who refused to listen to Him and who were determined to live life apart from Him?  Those who had tender hearts, who wanted to change, who looked to Him for hope and help, were always given the truth and help that they needed with great gentleness and patience.

I wonder: Do you and I look at people with compassion like Jesus did?  Are we so busy with our own agenda that we don’t even see the hurt, pain, confusion, and loneliness around us?  Do we “see” people, but only look at them through eyes of impatience, annoyance, or disinterest?  Perhaps this is an area where we would benefit from some prayerful soul searching.  Perhaps we should be still for a bit in order to allow the Holy Spirit to bring to mind some folks who could use our prayers, or a note of encouragement, or a hug.  Will you take the time to do this right now?

P.S.  When I was a teenager, I was privileged to attend Christian camp a time or two as a camper and to work one summer as a “snack shack” worker.  Being at camp full time meant we were privileged to hear a lot of great Bible studies and services.  We also got to hear (and sing!) some great songs.  Here’s one I learned as a teen that blesses and challenges my heart to this day:

“Looking Through His Eyes” – Words and music by Mike Otto arranged by David T. Clydesdale;
copyright 1979 by John T. Benson Publishing Company

Let me see this world, dear Lord, as though I were looking through Your eyes.
A world of men who don’t want You Lord, but a world for which You died.
Let me kneel with You in the garden, Blur my eyes with tears of agony;
For if once I could see this world the way You see, I just know I’d serve You more faithfully.

Let me see this world, dear Lord, through Your eyes when men mock Your holy name.
When they beat You and spat upon You, Lord, let me love them
as You loved them just the same.
Let me stand high above my petty problems, and grieve for men, hell bound eternally;
For if once I could see this world the way You see, I just know I’d serve You more faithfully.

Listen at this web address:  https://youtu.be/GGqXX7P6YCA?si=pTvBGLGgQaW70BP6

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Saturday, February 17, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Matthew 25:31-46
 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Something to Think About:
First, you should know that this passage is not directed to Church Age believers.  It is addressing those who survived the 7-year Tribulation Period (and we have been in heaven that whole time).  This is a judgment that will be made just before the Millennial Kingdom begins, the thousand-year rule of Jesus Christ over the entire world from the capital of Jerusalem.

So, what’s happening here?  Jesus is the One speaking and He is informing those listening that every single  person who is alive at that time will come before Him so He can separate those who have believed in Him from those who haven’t (as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats when it’s time to shear them).  The sheep are those who belong to Him and the goats are those who do not (you should know that in Israel, sheep and goats look a whole lot more alike than they do here in the U.S.).  Sheep will be allowed to enter the Millennial Kingdom, but all goats will begin their eternal punishment as unbelievers – those who have rejected Jesus as Savior.

This passage teaches that every single person entering the Millennial Kingdom is a believer.  However, we know from Bible passages describing the other end of the Millennium that not all those born to these believing parents will trust in Jesus as their Savior (which sure demonstrates the total depravity of man!).

On a Personal Note:
A really interesting part of this passage is the whole “when I was hungry you gave Me food and when I was thirsty, you gave Me drink” thing.  It would seem that Jesus may be addressing believers who helped other believers during the Tribulation, maybe specifically Jews.  Basically put, what they did for God’s people, they were ALSO doing for Him.  And while this isn’t addressing you and me, I’m sure you will agree that there are many other passages that DO address Church Age believers that command compassion, kindness, patience, grace, mercy, and treating others with the same care and attention that we personally appreciate and desire.

In other words, all we say, do, and think should reflect Jesus Christ well and bring God honor and glory.  What we do matters (which kind of dovetails nicely with yesterday’s study!).

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, February 18, 2024
Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.


Monday, February 19, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Mark 14:26-31
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’  But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”  Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.”  And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.”


Something to Think About:
The setting, of course, is right after the Last Supper and right before Jesus’ arrest and ultimate crucifixion (the hymn sang, by the way, was probably Psalm 118.  Look it up!).

Jesus quoted for His disciples Zechariah 13:7 (one of the Old Testament passages with the word “shepherd” that we did NOT look up).

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.”

This prophecy is about to be fulfilled when Jesus is arrested.  When He is, His “sheep” will scatter for fear of their personal safety.  Jesus didn’t mean that they would lose their salvation (which is impossible) or that they would abandon Him forever, just that they would flee out of fear. 

Did you notice that immediately after delivering some bad news, that Jesus provides hope and comfort?  Even though He is about to die, He instructs them that He will see them in Galilee.  Even though they didn’t understand AT ALL, He is once again telling them that death has no power over Him; that after some pretty horrific things, they will experience great joy and peace (because of His presence).

On a Personal Note:
I’ve always felt bad for Peter when I read about his adamant denial that he would ever, ever, EVER deny Christ—only to do so THREE TIMES in just a few short hours.  It was heartbreaking enough to have happen, but to have it recorded for millions of people to read for the next two thousand years must have been a bit disheartening.  I like my utter failures to be as private as possible!

Of course, as the Author of Scripture, God has a reason for every single word that He placed in the Bible, so Peter’s denial is important.  I’m sure there are a bunch of applications that the Holy Spirit can show us, but maybe one of the biggies is to recognize that Peter’s failure was in claiming something he could not possibly do—apart from God’s help.

Aren’t we super prone to that too?  Making great exclamations of things we’ll do or not do, but then failing utterly because it was entirely our idea and we’ve left God out of it entirely.  I think we would all be wise to remember every single morning to ask the Lord for His help to trust Him and obey Him, to not jump ahead of Him, nor lag behind.  And maybe to just try to keep “I” out of the conversation as much as possible, focusing more on what the LORD wills.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, February 20, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read John 10:1-18
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Something to Think About:
This is such a rich passage we are going to take a few days to look it over.  Today we will look at verses 1-3:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” 

Jesus described a flock of “sheep” in a “fold” or pen that had solid walls and only one “door” (gate). Evidently the “fold” in view was a large enclosure some distance from any human dwelling place. Customarily, several families who owned sheep would feed their sheep in nearby pastures, and hire a watchman to guard the gate to such an exposed enclosure. The watchman would admit authorized individuals, but would exclude the unauthorized ones who might want to steal or kill some of the sheep. The words “thief” (Gr. kleptes, stressing trickery) and “robber” (Gr. lestes, stressing violence) are quite close in meaning. (from Constable’s Expository Notes, Dr. Thomas Constable)

Once again we find that our study of Old Testament references to shepherds helpful (of course, the Jews listening would have understood shepherding illustrations well since there were sheep everywhere in Israel.  They may have also heard most, if not all, of the Bible references, though that’s not the same as understanding them.)

Jesus is identifying Himself as the TRUE Shepherd of the sheep (the Jews) – and He is identifying Jewish religious leaders who did not teach and lead the people as they should have the thieves and robbers.  God takes very seriously those who abuse, mislead, and otherwise take advantage of His chosen ones!

On a Personal Note:
Don’t you love the sense of belonging here!  Jesus belongs.  His sheep belong.  The sheep recognize the Shepherd’s voice and follow Him—and He, no matter how many sheep He might have, knows each and every one of them BY NAME.

God the Father and God the Son know YOUR name.  God knows every single thing about you—and He loves you unconditionally and for all of eternity.  He, in fact, CHOSE YOU to join His family even before the foundations of the world were formed.  Through the creation of the world, through the centuries of world history that has happened, through whatever eternity brings, and right now, TODAY, He is with you every second, always working for your spiritual good, always delighting to be your Shepherd.

Let the words to “All the Way My Savior Lead Me” (by Rich Mullins) encourage you, bless you, and give you reason to pause and spend some time praising the Good Shepherd.

All the way my Savior leads me
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His faithful mercies?
Who through life has been my guide
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort
Ere by faith in Him to dwell
For I know whate’er fall me
Jesus doeth all things well

All of the way my Savior leads me
And He cheers each winding path I tread
Gives me strength for every trial
And He feeds me with the living bread
And though my weary steps may falter
And my soul a-thirst may be
Gushing from a rock before me
Though a spirit joy I see

And all the way my Savior leads me
Oh, the fullness of His love
Perfect rest in me is promised
In my Father’s house above
When my spirit clothed immortal
Wings it’s flight through the realms of the day
This my song through endless ages
Jesus led me all the way

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Wednesday, February 21, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read John 10:1-18
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Something to Think About:
John 10:4-6  “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.”

The author of this gospel writes several unique things that are not found in the other three gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke) and the phrase “this figure of speech” is one of them. It is a compressed thought rather than a simple illustration (in other words, there are a lot of important things packed into short sentences!).

Many shepherds choose to drive their sheep ahead of them.  Many use dogs to force the sheep to go where they want them to go.  Some have special whistles, clicking devices, or other sound triggers so that their sheep know that this is their shepherd and they’re supposed to do what he wants.  Jesus, however, leads His flock.  They know His voice and they follow Him.

On a Personal Note:
How can we know the voice of Jesus?  The people living during Jesus’ earthly ministry were privileged to literally hear His voice so they could listen to their heart’s content.  Those of us living in the Church Age, however, cannot literally hear God.  That’s not how He operates at this time in history.

We “hear” God through His Written Word, the Bible.  God used 66 books, dozens of authors, and 2,000 years of human time to provide for us EVERYTHING we need to live lives that please and honor Him.  We, as English speaking individuals, are doubly blessed because we have the Bible in our language and getting a copy is as easy as driving to Walmart to pick one up or going online and opening an app.  We are blessed to have the Bible in several versions so we can study and appreciate the different wording, and meditate on the glorious truth presented.  We can buy study books and/or use Bible apps to read dictionaries, encyclopedias, commentaries, books of maps, charts, and illustrations—all to further our understanding of our Bibles.

We are blessed BIG TIME because God hand picks men to be His under-shepherds (pastors) to teach us, to build us up in the things of the Word, to encourage us in our walk with God, to direct us in God honoring areas of service, and sometimes even to train up other men for the ministry.

We are blessed hugely to have local churches where we can not only learn from God’s Word, but enjoy fellowship with other Christians, serve God in and through, and to be a help and blessing to other believers in a multitude of ways.

These are a few ways we are blessed as sheep of the Good Shepherd.  What did I miss?  What others come to mind?

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Thursday, February 22, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read John 10:1-18
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Something to Think About:
John 10:7-10  “So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” 

Verse 7 contains one of the great “I Ams” of the Son of God!  He is The Door.  He is the ONLY Door, as a matter of fact.  There is no other way to the Father except through Him; through trusting in Him as the Savior from your sin.  All other “options” aren’t options at all.  They are lies, deceit, and evil.  Anyone who tries to tell someone that they can belong to God by any means other than faith in Jesus Christ is a thief and a robber who has come to kill and destroy.

On a Personal Note:
I hope that John 10:10 (“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”) is one of those verses that you have highlighted in your Bible—and perhaps written on a post-it, or framed on your wall.  Jesus isn’t satisfied for us to just be happy, to simply survive, to be “okay.”  He took upon Himself a permanent human body so that He could pay the price for sin that no one else could, so that He could “show us” what God is like, so that He could be an example for us to follow—and so that we could live an ABUNDANT LIFE.  He wants us to have excellence!  Joy!  Exultation!  Victory!  Fulfillment!  A purpose!  A secure hope!  An excitement about what’s to come—not even just for eternity, but today, today’s blessings!

Oh, Christian, are you living a defeated, sad, lonely life?  Your Good Shepherd has so much more for you!  Spend some time in prayer, asking Him for a renewed walk with Him, seeking His direction how to best go about it.  Perhaps He would remind you that He has given you a pastor who delights in helping His sheep know Him better and learn how to live the full life that He wants you to have.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Friday, February 23, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read John 10:1-18
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Something to Think About:
John 10:11-13  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” 

Verse 11 contains another “I AM,”  Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd.  This, of course, helps identify Who the Shepherd of Psalm 23 is.

What is a chief characteristic of the Good Shepherd as opposed to the hired hand?  He will voluntarily die for His sheep while others abandon the sheep to their fate, caring more for self than those under their charge.

On a Personal Note:
As a wife of a pastor, I can tell you with great authority that when we hear of a pastor (an under-shepherd to the Good Shepherd) who has abandoned his sheep for reasons other than clear direction from God (that clear direction would nearly always be extremely poor health reasons or old age), it breaks our hearts and makes us sick.  It is certain that God never intended ANY of His children to wander away from Him or the local church which is accurately teaching God’s Word and conducting itself biblically.  We have witnessed a whole lot of lost, sad sheep who have been abandoned by the one who should have been guarding the gate.

We need to pray for our pastors and church leaders!  These men should be in our daily prayers—that they maintain their own Bible study and prayer time, that they stay true to the Word, that they don’t get overwhelmed and discouraged, that they keep their eyes on Jesus (and off everything else), that they don’t grow weary spiritually—or physically, that they get the rest they need at night, that they take good care of their bodies, that they have time alone with their wives, that they have good quality family time. . . a  million things that we don’t need to necessarily tick off on by one, but certainly entrust to God (Who knows all the things that your pastor needs).

Are you aware that, unlike God, satan cannot be everywhere?  That he does not have “all power” or omniscience?  That is not to say, however, that he’s not incredibly smart and powerful.  And if he cannot be everywhere, doesn’t it make sense that he would want to target those who are doing the job of the pastor with excellence and who are influencing other believers to also live with excellence?  Pray for our God-honoring pastors to be protected from the evil one!  Pray for God-honoring church families to stay true to God, to not give up or give in, to continue to follow the Good Shepherd until the day He calls us to be with Him in glory!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Saturday, February 24, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read John 10:1-18
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Something to Think About:
John 10:14-18  “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Jesus here repeats several blessed truths already mentioned—plus one new truth meant for you and me.
-He is THE Good Shepherd.  There is nothing about His shepherding that could cause want of any kind.
-He knows each and every one who belongs to Him.  It’s impossible for Him to forget even one for even one second.
-He shows His sheep how to know Him.  Not just knowledge about it (which is a rich, wonderful treasure!), but “know” as in Who He is, what’s important to Him, what makes Him smile—everything.
-The sheep of the Good Shepherd have been given the opportunity of knowing Him in a similar way to the relationship He shares with the Father (what an astonishing thought!).
-He HAS laid down His life for us—for you!
-He has chosen “other” sheep to join His flock to create a new, unified flock.
-He has obeyed all the Father asked of Him—and the Father loves Him.

On a Personal Note:
You and I—and all those who were not born Jewish, are the “other sheep” Jesus was speaking about.  When we first heard that God was creating a people for His own possession in Genesis 12 (beginning with Abraham), there are centuries that are all about the Jewish people, but almost nothing about those born outside this group (known collectively as Gentiles).  That is, until now.  In John 10, Jesus is sharing some brand new information:  God’s plan to include Gentiles into His permanent family is about to begin (just 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection), and now ALL who trust in Jesus as their Savior, Jew and Gentile, become the Good Shepherd’s sheep for all of eternity.  We, too, enjoy all the incredible benefits listed in John 10.  We, too, can have life that is abundant!

Spend some time in prayer to thank God for bringing in those other sheep, especially you!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:
-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.
-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.
-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.
-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!
-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.
-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.
-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.
Monday, February 26, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read  Ephesians 4:11-16
 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

Something to Think About:
Upon setting up this new organism, the church, after His return to the Father’s side, Jesus gave certain gifts to help the process.  His gifts are these people (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor/teachers).  It isn’t that they are “gifted,” but that they ARE the gift.  Some of these designations died out once the Church Age was established (apostles and prophets, though prophets will make a comeback during the Tribulation Period).  Today’s main gift from God to His children are pastors -”shepherds” – who were given to lead the flock and teach them about God’s Word.  In fact, in the Greek text in today’s passage, the pastors ARE the teachers.  They are to shepherd the flock and teach the flock.

What is the job of the New Testament shepherd?  He is to equip, that is, give the people the tools they need, to do the work of the ministry and to build up the body of Christ.  In a nutshell, the pastor-teacher is to help the congregation be becoming more like Jesus Christ, to help them grow to be stable in their faith, not easily deceived or waylaid in their faith, and to grow closer together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

On a Personal Note:
Have you ever tried to fix something that is totally uncooperative?  Maybe it’s tightening a screw that has a slot too damaged for the screwdriver to grip onto.  Maybe it’s trying to put the lid back on the shampoo bottle when your hands are all soapy.  Maybe it’s trying to hold onto a cat who does NOT want to be held.  Are we ever that kind of church member to the shepherd God gave us?  Do we make his job harder by not listening to what he’s saying (or, perhaps, not even being in church to hear him!)?  Do we question his every decision, challenge his every conclusion?  Do we never let him catch our eye or hide from shaking his hand?  Do we never volunteer for anything and refuse if asked point blank?

This does not sound like the kind of sheep that pleases the Good Shepherd.  Remember, God has ordained certain sets of authorities over us, and to obey them is to obey God; to disobey them is to disobey God.  On the other hand, picture the joy of the man whom God has commanded to be His under-shepherd when the sheep eagerly listen to his teaching and preaching, who are always first in line to volunteer to help on some project, who go out of their way to encourage and bless the other sheep, who want more than anything, to be mature to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!

What kind of sheep are you to YOUR shepherd?  What could you do to excel still more?

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Tuesday, February 27, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read Hebrews 13:20-21
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Something to Think About:
In this benediction from the author of Hebrews, Jesus is recognized as the Great Shepherd.  Psalm 23 and John 10 name Him the Good Shepherd and I Peter 2 names Him the Chief Shepherd.  What an incredible Savior we have!

On a Personal Note:
There are a whole lot of pretty amazing things in these two short verses! 
-Our God is a God of peace.  Because of His plan of redemption, all those who trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior from their sins have peace with God.  We are no longer His enemies, and in fact, have been adopted as His children.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  Never.

-Jesus is our Great Shepherd.  He simply cannot be improved upon in any way or at any time.  And this Great Shepherd is guarding and guiding YOU today—right this very minute.

-God is able to equip His children with “everything good” so that we are able to do His will and live in such a way as to be pleasing in His sight.  We CAN live lives that please and honor God!  He is constantly available to us to provide the wisdom, strength, and ability that we need.  We need but ask.

-It is because of the work of Jesus Christ that we are able to learn how to “excel still more” in our Christian walk and to learn more about our awesome God and Father.  Jesus’ sacrifice provided EVERYTHING we would ever need, so why wouldn’t we praise Him?  Praise the Father?  Praise, obey, delight in, spend time with in prayer, study in Scripture, trust—more and more and more every single year we are given to live!

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________





Wednesday, February 28, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are currently looking at shepherds and shepherding referenced in Scripture.)

-Read I Peter 5:1-4
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” 

Something to Think About:
This passage was written by Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, but also a pastor in the first years after the church was born on Pentecost (Acts 2).  He is addressing other pastors, encouraging them to lead in a God honoring way.  Elder, pastor, and shepherd are all the same office, just perhaps showing a variety of functions (“bishop” is another such word) within the singular office.

-Pastors are encouraged here to shepherd the flock, that is guide and lead—similar to the shepherd with his flock of sheep, caring for their needs, feeding them, keeping them safe from harm.
-Pastors should have the right attitude about what they do.  They should recognize the privilege it is to serve God in this extra special calling.  (ALL Christians should serve God willingly and with great joy!)
-Pastors shouldn’t be in it for the money (your mind might go to TV personalities and other famous pastors).  That is not to say that the congregation shouldn’t take as good care of them as they possibly can.  (ALL Christians should serve in order to give, not to get.  That being true, our great God ALWAYS blesses all that is done for Him!)
-Pastors aren’t to be dictators, though they have been given special authority as the under-shepherds of Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd. (ALL Christians are called on to be humble, thinking of others as more important than themselves).
-Pastors should live lives that honor and please God and are in keeping with Scripture.  Their lives should be an excellent example to their congregations and an excellent witness to others. (ALL Christians are called on to be lights; shining testimonies of our God and Savior at all times.)

On a Personal Note:
Did you notice that pastors who do their best for the Lord will receive a special reward?  It’s called the unfading crown of glory.  What that means isn’t known for certain, except to say that when God promises rewards, they will be SPECTACULAR.

Say, did you know that you can help your pastor be a good pastor?  Really, we can do this for anyone who has leadership over us.  We can, first, decide to not be a troublemaker and cause their job to be harder.  We can listen carefully to what they say (and take notes!), we can DO what they say (allow their sermons and Bible studies to change how we think and act to better reflect Christ). We can speak to them about what they said, perhaps asking questions to learn more. We can tell them how God’s Word through their ministry impacted us. We can study more about what they’re teaching so we can talk to them even more about these important things, we can thank them for the time they spend in God’s Word and the effort they put into sharing it with us.  And, as mentioned, we can make sure that we, as their church family, are taking care of physical and financial needs so that he has more time to spend in God’s Word and with God’s people.

You & the Lord:
-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Thursday, February 29, 2024
-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

-Review Time!

-Look back at each week in turn and note at least one thing that was a blessing to you or which the Holy Spirit pointed out to you as important:

Week 1 (February 1-10):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 2 (February 11-17):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


Week 3 (February 18-24):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Week 4 (February 25-29):
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________


-A Few of My Review Thoughts:
The first half of this study was looking up Bible passages that used the word “shepherd” in the Old Testament.  I will confess right here and now that this isn’t my strong suite at all (especially the prophecy passages!).  However, in the end, I was blessed to read the do’s and don’ts of shepherding so that I could better appreciate the contrast of the Good Shepherd.  I appreciated, too, how much the background information of the Old Testament helped me better understand what we studied in the New Testament.

I was blessed, also, to read all the promises of a coming Messiah – because I  know how the story turned out!  I’ve been privileged to live in a time period on the other side of Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension.  It’s pretty awesome to read how God fulfilled all His promises.  And, of course, because you and I can see how He perfectly fulfilled all the promises to this point in history, we can be 100% sure that He will fulfill all the promises that are yet in our future!  What a joy!

One other thought before moving to New Testament passages:  there was an awful lot represented in these verses about God honoring lives versus those who displeased and dishonored God, both in the position of leadership and among regular people.  Here are a few summary thoughts:

-Obey God wholeheartedly and always.
-Treat others to the very best of your ability, looking out for them even before looking out for yourself.  This is doubly true for leaders.
-Honor your leaders as those who have been given the task BY GOD.  Never forget that it is always God we are serving first and foremost.
-Don’t give evildoers undue attention.  God will one day right all wrongs, you be one of the faithful ones He says “well done” to.
-When we love God and God’s Word, the “desires of our heart” will be given to us—because they line up with what God wants for us and from us.
-Don’t give up or give in!  Astonishingly marvelous things are coming our way from our Good Shepherd!

The New Testament passages were also interesting and beneficial.  I especially LOVED the time spent in John 10!  It was full of encouragement and hope, not just for the future, but for today.  The Good Shepherd wants me to have life that is abundant TODAY. 

I appreciated, too, the practical do’s and don’t of both godly leadership and godly response to leadership—perfect information for those of us living in the Church Age.

And a BIGGIE from everything we studied this month is the reminder that the evil, sorrow, and heartbreak that is all around us today has a very definite end-point.  Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, will be returning at any moment—and when He does, EVERYTHING changes forever!

With the encouragement of Who our Shepherd is, how He’s blessing us moment by moment right now, and the anticipation of the glories yet to come throughout eternity, let us all, like the lowly shepherds of Luke 2, go out and tell everyone what wonderful things the Lord has done!

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Dear Student of the Word,

Welcome to the third month of study of words, phrases, and concepts found in Psalm 23.  I hope that the study thus far has been a blessing and a means for growth in greater godliness, not because of anything I might have said, but because of the glorious Word of God!

Last month we began researching what the Bible has to say about shepherds, finding some interesting facts and information, and also some relevant do’s and don’ts for God’s children who are seeking to please God in their lives and bring Him glory.  That study, as well as many older Daily Bible Study Questions, can be found on our church website (firstbaptistnorthconway.org).

This month’s study isn’t on the shepherd, but the sheep.  We will be looking at Bible references that use the word sheep, flock, and lamb.  Ultimately, we will find ourselves learning more about THE Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.  He is not only our Good Shepherd, He is the perfect Lamb of God!

Scripture used is from the ESV courtesy of BibleGateway.com, but any English translation will work.

Feel free to share this study with whomever the Lord lays on your heart and consider reviewing your work with a friend or two.  If you would like to join the ladies here at FBC North Conway, we will review the first week or so of this study on Monday, March 11th, at 6:30pm.

You are in my prayers—and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping me in yours!

By His Grace,

Lorie

Friday, March 1, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Exodus 12:1-28

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,  “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.  Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.  And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,  and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.  They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.  Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.  And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.  In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.  For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.  The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.  On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.  And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.  In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.  For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.  You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.” Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.  Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.  For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.  You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.  And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.  And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’  you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.”

Something to Think About:

This passage is super important for the Jewish people.  It was the beginning of several really critical things, including a new official beginning to their year, a new feast that was to be observed yearly forever (they should STILL be observing it), it was the final straw that caused Pharaoh to release them from bondage, it demonstrated the might of God and just how seriously He takes obedience to His word—and it is noteworthy because it was a critically important foreshadowing of what His own Son, Jesus Christ, would do some 1400 years later for not only the Jewish nation, but you and me.  The death of the perfect Lamb of God paid the price for your sin and mine once and for all time!

On a Personal Note:

While Christians are not required to observe the Passover, there are some important principles we can glean from this passage to help us better honor God and thank Him for our eternal salvation.

-The night of the first Passover became the new “January 1st” for the Jewish nation.  When someone trusts in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior in our day and time, something brand new happens for them too.  They become new creatures in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) and they are no longer under bondage to sin.  They have the ability (through the power of the Holy Spirit) to not give in to sin; choosing instead to think, act, and speak in a way that is obedient to God’s Word and in keeping with His holy character.  Furthermore, each day we are given here on earth is a brand new day in which we get to leave the failures of yesterday behind and begin anew in our goal to be becoming like Jesus Christ and to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1).  His mercies are new every single morning to help us in this glorious commitment (Lamentations 3:23).

-Besides the fact that the lamb chosen to be sacrificed had to be perfect (pointing to the Perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ), a lot of direction is given as to the removal of all leaven in the home.  Leaven, of course, represents sin in the Bible.  The application for you and me is pretty straightforward:  ALL believers should have a kill-on-sight policy against sin.  We should actively look for it and ruthlessly get rid of it—whatever it takes.

-One other application I thought of when reading this passage was the reminder that our relationship with God is not just when we’re in church or just in our homes.  The Israelites were instructed to keep the Passover all their lives, including when they finally reached the Promised Land.  As children of God and citizens of heaven, our drive to be holy as God is holy and give sin no quarter ought to be true wherever we are, whoever we are with, and whatever time of day or night it is.  Christians should be clothed in light 24/7.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, March 2, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Psalm 95

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.”

Something to Think About:

Did you know that often the simplest way to answer Bible questions is simply to regurgitate what it says?  For example:

-Who should God’s people sing to?  The Lord!

-What kind of singing is mentioned in this Psalm? Joyful—with thanksgiving and songs of praise!

-Why?  Because our God is THE GREAT GOD—the ONLY God.  He is King of all, He is the Creator, He is the Sustainer, and He is the Shepherd of His people!

-Worship seems to involve praise and rejoicing, but what other posture is listed?  Kneeling.

On a Personal Note:

So, making a list of Bible facts and information is a wonderful use of our time, but do you think that we should stop there?  No!  The Bible definition of wisdom is APPLYING God’s Word to every aspect of our lives.  With that in mind, what might be some applications based on the above questions and answers?

-Who are YOU singing to and about?  To praise and honor God and point others to Him—or, perhaps, for men’s applause and approval?  When you do sing to God (say in a church service), are you singing with your mind and heart engaged, or simply singing while your mind is a million miles away?  Here’s a secret from someone who loves to sing for the Lord:  pay attention to what the words are saying.  If they’re honoring and praising God, your heart should be uplifted—and your facial expression should follow.  It’s got to be mighty discouraging for the song leader to look out at a bunch of redeemed children of God singing “Praise Him! Praise Him!” with expressions of boredom or disinterest!  Imagine how God feels!

-Not all worship is jubilant songs of praise, sometimes the Holy Spirit points out to us the wonder of all God did for us in sending His Son to become sin on our behalf—and just how often we “thank” Him by being selfish, ornery, and unthankful.  Worship is sometimes kneeling before God seeking His forgiveness and asking Him for help to honor Him better and please Him more wholeheartedly.    Sometimes worship is thanking God with tears on our face that He is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of HIS pasture!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, March 4, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Psalm 100

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Something to Think About:

This is another (beloved) psalm of praise similar to Saturday (Psalm 95).   God’s people are reminded that we have everything to rejoice about—because God is GOOD (there is nothing bad or wrong about Him in any way or at any time), His steadfast love (Hebrew, chesed) endures FOREVER, and His faithfulness is ETERNAL.  When we pause to consider Who our God is, all He’s done, and all He will yet do, making a joyful noise and serving Him with great gladness is not only easy, but our delight!

On a Personal Note:

Did you notice the phrase “all the earth” in verse 1?  The nation of Israel was to be so exuberant in their praise of God that the whole world would hear of it and want to also learn more about Him and belong to Him.

We are not Jews, but as those who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are part of God’s family.  He is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture.  Are we making a joyful noise to the Lord wherever we are, whatever the circumstances?  Are we serving the Lord with gladness (and not out of compunction, out of mere habit, or accompanied by grumbling and mumbling)?  Do we rejoice to be able to come into His presence in prayer and through our study of His Word?  Do we remember and rejoice in the sovereignty of our Father in heaven?  Do we live to do His will without fighting for our “rights” or simply disregarding His plan because we already decided on using our own?  Are we thankful?  Does gratitude cover our speech habits?  Do we pause frequently to praise God for His goodness, steadfast love, and faithfulness?

Prayerfully consider how you could excel still more in these areas.  Jot down some concrete steps to take.

BONUS:

Here are some Scripture passages that support and/or further explain Psalm 100:

-v.1 Psalm 66:1;  95:1-2;  98:4

-v.2 Deuteronomy 28:47

-v.3 Deuteronomy 6:4-9;  Ezekiel 34:30-31;  Ephesians 2:10

-v.4 Psalm 96:2;  107:22;  109:30

-v.5 Exodus 34:6-7;  Psalm 25:8-10;  119:90

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Psalm 107

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble  and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.  Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;  hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.  Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.  Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons,  for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.  So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help.  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.  Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron.  Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;  they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.  Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!  Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters;  they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep.  For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight;  they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.  Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.  He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.  Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.  He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,  a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants.  He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.  And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;  they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield.  By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.  When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow,  he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;  but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.  The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.  Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”

Something to Think About:

Although this Psalm is a reminder to the Jewish nation to stop and thank God for the many ways He rescued them, it’s definitely applicable to His beloved children today, too. As noted here, sometimes our trouble is due to circumstances beyond our control, but other times the trouble is of our own making.  Nonetheless, when God’s children call on Him for help, He always answers!  And even though His response isn’t always what we  imagined it would be, our response should always be to thank Him—sincerely, specifically, and with great exuberance and appreciation.  Our response to His deliverance should also be to talk about it near and far, telling everyone the wonderful things our Father did for us (and does for us daily). 

Note the repeated refrain (v.8, 15, 21, 31), “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”  As we have noted before, when something is repeated in Scripture, it’s a very big deal.  Giving thanks to the Lord for His steadfast love and the wonderful things He does for us ought to be part of our daily conversation, our daily thoughts, and our daily prayers.  It should ALSO be what we pop up to say when the pastor asks for testimonies!

On a Personal Note:

Did you catch the not-that-hidden application at the end?  The psalmist says, “Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”  In other words, PAY ATTENTION!  If we have even a tiny bit of intelligence, we will consciously meditate on the steadfast love of the Lord, demonstrated in the literally countless ways He helps, blesses, rewards, deals with, and otherwise rules with perfection—and not just with perfection, but with holiness, mercy, grace, and righteousness.

One might also make the argument that paying attention to the point of this psalm might include learning our lesson.  (a) when in a tight spot, call on the Lord for wisdom, direction, and help, and (b) obey God’s Word so that there are less tight spots of our own making.  God will rescue us from those, too, but how much nicer to get to the end of the day and thank Him for the victories He enables us to have versus asking forgiveness for going off on our own (which is, by definition, going against His will and way).

P.S.  Sheep don’t come into play in this psalm until the end (v.41), where we are reminded that God is always watching out for those who belong to Him. Always.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Psalm 114

“When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,  Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.  The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.  The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.  What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?  O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?  Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,  who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.”

Something to Think About:

Psalm 114, along with 113, was traditionally sung before Passover, which means that Jesus almost certainly sang it when He was on earth.  Pretty cool! (Psalm 116-118 were sung after Passover and may have been the hymn mentioned in the gospel that was sung before Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane).

This short psalm reminded the nation of Israel (also referred to here as Jacob) of four huge ways God helped them and protected them.  They include His rescuing them from Egypt, referencing both the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and the crossing of the Jordan River (Joshua 3 & 4).  There also seems to be reference to the giving of the Law (Exodus 19) and God’s power to provide water out of rock (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:8-13).

On a Personal Note:

Mountains are personified here to become rams and hills become lambs in order to demonstrate that creation recognizes the power and might of God.  Verse 7 goes on to say that the earth trembles at the presence of the Lord.  The logical question might be, then, that if stones recognize God’s authority and strength, shouldn’t we, His people, also stand in awe of Him?  Shouldn’t we have a proper fear of Him, determining to obey Him and please Him—and stop defying Him, disregarding Him, blaspheming Him by taking His name lightly, and not taking sin seriously enough?  These are pretty heavy thoughts!

I remember when I was a teenager that our youth group had a guest speaker come in once who was also a song writer and musician.  I enjoyed his music so much and still remember some of the songs he wrote and sang!  One of the songs asked a series of questions based on nature.  Something about birds singing God’s praises, bees buzzing their song, butterflies displaying their beauty, and the trees joining along.  The question in the chorus was how and when do you and I—those chosen by God, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, adopted into God’s forever-family—express OUR praise?  Do we, too, sing His praise and display His glories wherever we go?  Good question!  Let’s each prayerfully ponder how we are and aren’t showcasing the glory of our God.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, March 7, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Psalm 144

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;  he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.  O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him?  Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.  Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke!  Flash forth the lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them!  Stretch out your hand from on high; rescue me and deliver me from the many waters, from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.  I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,  who gives victory to kings, who rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.  Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, whose mouths speak lies and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.  May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace;  may our granaries be full, providing all kinds of produce; may our sheep bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our fields;  may our cattle be heavy with young, suffering no mishap or failure in bearing; may there be no cry of distress in our streets!  Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”

Something to Think About:

David is the author of this psalm and simply knowing a little bit about what his adult life was like, we can clearly recognize a bit of the troubles that often plagued him, but we can also see his clear love for God and his trust in God’s plan for his life and for all of Israel.  He sums up his thoughts nicely by declaring, “Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”

On a Personal Note:

All these centuries later, those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior from their sin are also blessed in countless and almost unexplainable ways because it is God Almighty Who is their Lord.  We, too, like David, find ourselves being blown out of the water that the Creator takes any note of us at all! (v.3).  When we take the time to consider how and when God has been OUR Rock, how He helps us fight the spiritual battles we face every day, how His love is steadfast, how He is our Fortress, Stronghold, Deliverer, Shield, and Refuge, we are just as amazed as David was when writing this.

What did David do when he was overcome with joy and peace because of God’s perfect care (in his past—and in his future)?  He wrote a “new song.”  He stopped his crazy-busy day to meditate on God’s goodness and to pen a few words to try to express what was on his heart.  I’m sure that he also literally sang his praises as well as his concern, his pain, his trust, and ultimately, his trust in God’s perfect plan for his life.

Did you know that we can do this too?  Oh, we don’t have to write literal songs or sing them out loud (but it’s a great idea!).  We can, first, CHOOSE to pause our busy day of dashing around physically (and in our head!) and deliberately list the specific ways God has aided us, blessed us, directed our steps, prevented us from sinning or making some foolish decision—big things and little things.  We can consider a verse of Scripture and praise Him for how wonderfully it relates to today and our circumstances.  We can spend some time in prayer, thanking Him for all He’s done in the last hour, day, month, and year.  We can make note of a few things in a journal or on a post-it.  We can share something precious to us with a family member or church family member.  And, yes, we can write a love poem to God—which doesn’t even have to rhyme.  In the end, what we’re saying is simple, “Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, March 8, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read John 1:29-34

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’  I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”  And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Something to Think About:

Luke 3, Mark 1, and Matthew 3 all record Jesus being baptized by John the Baptizer.  Matthew 3:13-17, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;  and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Jewish nation would have been very familiar with the concept of a lamb being the sacrificial substitute for sin.  A lamb was sacrificed twice a day in the Temple and they all celebrated Passover once a year.  John, however, was pointing to Jesus as completely unique.  As the Lamb of God, His death would pay for the sin of the entire world (including you and me too!).  Jesus Christ was unique as well because the Holy Spirit was upon Him constantly—and He was the Son of God (of Whom the Father said He was well pleased with).  These were all jaw-dropping, earth shattering facts, but ones which very few people understood.  In their shortsightedness, the nation was excited to think that Jesus might save them from Roman oppression and they missed the much, much bigger picture of eternal salvation.

FYI: 

-John “knew” Jesus because they were related, but God revealed to him that Jesus was the Son of God by telling him that the One Who the Holy Spirit descended on was the Messiah.  I wonder how huge of a surprise this was to John on the day he baptized Jesus!

-John’s baptism with water wasn’t baptism leading to spiritual salvation.  It couldn’t be because the Bible is crystal clear that it is faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from the penalty of our sin that saves us.  Faith and nothing else.  John’s baptism was an opportunity for the Jewish nation to show that they had decided to begin to obey God in their lives (they had, as a nation, gotten quite far from where they should have been as far as their obedience to the Law).  The baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus would do is a reference to Pentecost (Acts 2).  It was at this time that the Holy Spirit began indwelling all Christians upon salvation.

On a Personal Note:

I’ve always loved the scenes in the New Testament where God the Father audibly expressed His love for His Son.  These occasions always had something to do with Jesus’ willing obedience to the will of the Father.  Jesus’s reason for what He did was simply and straightforward to “do what the Father tells Me.”  And you know, dear fellow child of God, we too can make it our life’s goal to do the things that please God, to choose His will over our own.  When we do, you can be 100% confident that our Father in heaven is exclaiming over us, “This is My child in whom I am well pleased!”  What a thought!  What a tremendous life goal! 

There’s a little chorus I learned as a teenager.  It says, “There is no peace, no joy, no thrill, like walking in His will!”  Amen!  Hallelujah!  Now, let’s get out there and DO IT!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, March 9, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read John 1:35-42

“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).  He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).”

Something to Think About:

John the Baptizer again identified Jesus as the Lamb of God.  This time, though, two men who had already made the decision to get serious for God (we know this because they had been hanging around John the Baptizer to learn more about God from him) began following Jesus. This was a very good thing! The two men, Andrew and John (the author of this gospel), became two of Jesus’ apostles and from that day onward, their lives were never the same again.

On a Personal Note:

When we belong to God, the relationships that we form have one goal:  to bring each other closer to God; to help each other be becoming more like Christ.  Obviously, the first and essential step is for the other person to trust in Christ as their Savior if they haven’t already done this.  We cannot help ANYONE grow as a Christian if they aren’t a Christian, so evangelism is the necessary first step.  Once someone is saved, however, like John the Baptizer did for Andrew and John, we can point people to Jesus as the perfect example of what a God-honoring believer looks like.  And like Andrew did, we can begin with family and others who are close to us. AND like John the Baptizer, Andrew, John, and Peter, we can all stay close to the Lamb of God, learning from Him, seeking to please Him, honoring Him with all we say, do, and think, and thanking God for Him.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, March 11, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read John 2:13-17

“The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.  And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”  His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  

Something to Think About:

The Temple during the time of Christ was not one simple building.  It was actually a complex with several courtyards for different purposes and all sorts of rooms in addition to the main three rooms built in the tented Tabernacle in the wilderness (the courtyard for cleansing and sacrificing, the holy place where the table of shewbread, altar of incense, and lampstand were located, and the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was kept).

One of the outermost courtyards was as far as woman and any Gentiles could go into the temple compound.  It was in this location that several people had set up booths to sell animals to travelers for their sacrifice (so they wouldn’t have to transport them many miles).  I don’t think all vendors were cheating the people (though many were), this simply was not the place for a market.  It was part of the location people came to worship God.

By the way, Jesus’ action is an example of the difference between righteous anger and unrighteous anger.  Jesus was not out of control in his anger.  It would have taken time and deliberation to create a whip. Furthermore, His anger was directed at people who were disrespecting God. Anger at sin is not sinful.  Selfish anger is.

On a Personal Note:

It was Passover, so Jesus, an obedient Jew, was in Jerusalem to observe it.  I find it interesting to consider that The Perfect Lamb of God was present to observe the people He created sacrifice lambs to God meant to be a picture of what He Himself would do for them in just a few short years. 

How often it takes hindsight for us to see how God was working in some situation or how He took what seemed impossible odds and brought about something miraculous and good!  If we are looking out for the ways God is working in our lives and the lives of our loved ones, I believe He will show us even more what He is doing, providing for us even more reasons to trust Him and rejoice in His perfect will.

Prayerfully consider something from your past that you later realized was actually God working in some way.  Thank Him for it.  Ask Him to help you see what He might be doing with some difficult situation in the present.  Express your trust in His perfect timing and will.  Thank Him for what He’s going to do today, even though nothing is currently resolved.  Whatever God promises is the same thing as already being accomplished!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read John 21:15-19

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”  He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.  Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”  (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Something to Think About:

This interesting and important passage occurs after Jesus’ resurrection and shortly before His ascension.  Even from the beginning, Jesus had chosen Peter to be a leader, not just among his fellow disciples, but in the brand new church that was about to begin on Pentecost (Acts 2). 

As a pastor (and shepherd!), there are responsibilities God gives.  They are to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, and feed the sheep.  Feeding the lambs has to do with teaching new believers and those who are still immature in their faith the basics about God, about how to please Him, and about what’s involved in being faithful to Him.  Tending the sheep is a more general term for all the Christians in the flock (in the local church in which the pastor shepherds).  He is to see to their spiritual needs (and sometimes physical ones too).  Finally, the under-shepherd (the pastor) under the authority of the Good Shepherd, must also feed the adult sheep, that is, those who have been Christians for a good while and who are spiritually mature.  They, too, need to be challenged to greater godliness and encouraged to excel still more.  Pastors have important jobs!  We need to be praying for them every day!

On a Personal Note:

Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. The first two times Jesus uses the Greek word agape, but Peter answers with the Greek word phileo (both of which are translated as “love” in English).  When Jesus asks Peter a third time about his love, He switches to the word phileo.  Why?  What was going on?

In English, we are fond of synonyms and may use any number of words that, in our heads, mean the same thing—even if this is not exactly accurate. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit chose every single word to be in the exact place He wanted it—because words (even words that overlap a great deal in concept) mean something. Very specific words were chosen to convey what the writer wanted to say.  There are two words for “love” used in the conversation between Jesus and Peter.  “Agape” is sometimes mistakenly taught as being a higher, more divine kind of love, but that’s not really the case.  In fact, in Matthew 5:6 it is used to identify how the Pharisees love themselves.  In addition, “phileo” love is often thought of as a lesser kind of love, more a friendship kind of thing, but Jesus used it to identify His love for the Father in John 5:20, so it has to have far more significance than only friendship. 

Agape love is a love that flows naturally from a person’s heart.  I think it would be safe to say that most mothers gazing at their newborn children experience agape love for them.  Phileo love is a love that is more analytical.  It is when someone has thought it through, counted the cost, and decided to love.  A husband/wife relationship might begin as an agape kind of love, but sooner or later, both man and woman will need to DECIDE to love each other, they will need to commit to giving their best to their partner in order for the marriage to grow and mature.  They will choose to have phileo love for one another.

Jesus first asked Peter if he loved Him from his heart (agape), to which Peter responded that he had given it much thought, realizing what it would mean, and YES, he loved Jesus (phileo).  Jesus then gave him a task to do before asking Peter exactly the same question to which Peter answered again that he had counted the cost and he did love Jesus.  When Jesus asked a third time, He switched to phileo love, giving Peter the chance for a fully restored relationship with Him after his denial, and Peter again confirmed that he had made the decision to love Jesus (which he proved by serving God wholeheartedly for the rest of his life). 

I guess an obvious application is to ask what sort of love we have for God.  Do we love Him from our hearts?  There’s no reason NOT to!  He is our EVERYTHING!  He created us, loved us when we were His enemies, created a masterful plan to redeem us from the Lake of Fire, sacrificed His own beloved Son to pay the price that we could not, adopted us into His family, and intends to be with us forever and ever!  A necessary follow up question, then, is to ask just what are we doing to demonstrate our love for God?  Have we counted the cost, determined that we WILL love God, and therefore will obey Him, honor Him, please him, bring Him glory in all we do with our every waking moment to our very last breath? THAT is LOVE.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Luke 15:1-7

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Something to Think About:

Luke 15 is the account of three lost things:  a sheep, a coin, and a son.  Because these stories are often thought of as teaching about salvation, it’s important to note that each of the stories are about something that belonged to someone before it was lost.  In other words, these accounts are not about someone who is unsaved and who then gets saved, they are about believers who have strayed away from an obedient and faithful walk with the Lord.

In the verses we read today, the example is of a shepherd who cared about every single one of his sheep and would not give up until the sheep was found and returned to the rest of the flock.  God cares when one of His children wanders off into the wilderness of the world!  This is never His will and He will keep placing things in their lives until they return to a right relationship with Him.  It might be a health crisis, it might be a financial crisis, it might be a failed marriage or a ruined friendship.  The wandering sheep will almost certainly recognize that all is not well in their heart which may lead to anger, discouragement, and even depression.  The solution?  Confess sin, get rid of all that stands between you and God, and return to an obedient and faithful life, finally once again able to appreciate the joy and peace that God provides for all His children who draw close to Him.

On a Personal Note:

Isn’t the part about rejoicing in heaven over a child of God who repents of his sin and returns to the Father’s side precious and exciting?  When life is hard, it’s not uncommon for even God’s children to accuse God of not caring, of not paying any attention to them, or of not taking good care of them.  This passage proves that the truth is quite the opposite.  The Shepherd is the One Who goes in search of the missing sheep (and the sheep is the one who wandered off), the Shepherd never gives up on the sheep until it’s safely in His arms, and the Shepherd rejoices greatly when the lost sheep is restored.   And, of course, when the Great Shepherd rejoices, so do all those who are in His presence!

There’s a warning about hypocrisy in this passage too.  Those who live by their own standards of right and wrong/good and evil, are NOT pleasing the Lord, nor fooling Him about their true relationship to Him.  God  wants His sheep to eagerly, joyfully, and continually CHOOSE to stay right at His heels—because it is only there that they will find green pasture, still waters, and safe passage through the dark valleys.  Only the Good Shepherd provides all we truly need.  Stay close!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, March 14, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Matthew 7:15-20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

Something to Think About:

This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave to His disciples.  It is incredibly rich with all sorts of essential things to know about living in a manner that is God-honoring and pleasing to Him.  The entire passage is Matthew 5-7.  Take a few minutes and read it!

On a Personal Note:

Hypocrisy is simply portraying one thing with actions and words, but being something quite different on the inside.  In today’s passage, Jesus is warning His disciples about false teachers who APPEAR to be docile sheep, but are actually ravenous wolves, out to destroy.  He goes on to say that a good way to figure out who someone is in truth is to pay attention to their actions—what they do and don’t do on a daily basis.  Sooner or later, if the teacher is not teaching and preaching what God said, it will show in ugliness such as anger, impatience, a lack of grace and mercy, selfishness, arrogance, etc.

Our modern-day form of the false prophets of Bible times are preachers, teachers, and authors online and in churches.  In a nutshell, the question is, Are they teaching what GOD said in the Bible—or are they adding to it, taking away parts, or altering it in any way? People who are not teaching God’s Word accurately are NOT doing God’s will and need to be avoided. 

FYI  I’ve been attending a fundamental Bible-teaching church for close to 60 years, long enough to have observed many changes to “how things have always been done.”  There are, of course, great changes—the ones that draw people closer to the Lord and teach His Word more accurately, but sadly, many a church has turned away from the Lord in an attempt to get a larger crowd of people attending by opting to do things that are crowd-pleasers, but not necessarily Bible focused.  That aside, one of the things that has changed mostly in recent years is that many people are now willing to travel a goodly distance so they can be part of a Bible-teaching church.  At one time, people weren’t really willing to go very far for church, but solid Bible-teaching churches are becoming more rare and Christians who have determined to learn God’s Word deeper and accurately are now willing to travel 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and sometimes more than an hour, so important it is to hear God’s Word being taught by a true sheep—one whose fruit demonstrates they truly belong to God.  This is an AWESOME change in how things used to be!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, March 15, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Matthew 10:1-16

“And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.  The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;  Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;  Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,  but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.  Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts,  no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.  And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.  As you enter the house, greet it.  And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.  Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.  “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Something to Think About:

After instructing the twelve men He chose to be His apostles (“commissioned ones”), Jesus sends them into Jewish territories, among the people He defined as “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  Jesus had a great burden for His people and desired that they would individually and as a nation return to a right relationship with God the Father.  Notice that the Israelites never stopped being God’s “sheep” – and they are still His sheep to this day.  Though they’ve been set aside for a time (for the Church Age), they will rise to prominence again during the Tribulation, but especially throughout the Millennium.

The apostles were made aware that not all Jews would be willing to listen to their message about Him being the long-awaited Messiah.  They were, in essence, in as much danger as sheep who were in the middle of a bunch of wolves!

On a Personal Note:

While this passage has nothing, really, to do with you and me as members of the Church Age, we can still glean a few applications from it.

-Jesus called twelve men to be first disciples, then apostles.  A disciple is simply a student, while an apostle is someone called for a very specific reason.  Christians are commanded to be disciples too, that is, students of the Word of God, learning facts, sure, but also learning Who God is and what’s important to Him so that we can reject what doesn’t please Him and begin doing what does.  One of the biggest life goals of any believer ought to be to be becoming more like Jesus Christ.

-Christians have been called by God in that He chose us before the foundation of the world to become His children.  This had absolutely nothing to do with any worth on our part—and everything to do with His grace, mercy, and kindness.

-Christians are also given the task of telling people around us the wonderful news of what God did in sending His Son to pay the price for the sin we are all born with.  In addition to talking about salvation, our testimony (how we act, react, speak, etc.) should always be such that God is glorified and people recognize that we are light as He is light.

-Jesus chose “regular” men to be His apostles and do incredible things in His name.  He also chooses you and me, flawed, weak, impotent humans to do His will by means of the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  Because of Him, we CAN obey God, glorify God, and think and act in a manner pleasing to God.

-The apostles were instructed to allow the people they were teaching and preaching to support them physically and financially.  Today’s shepherds, our pastors, likewise should be taken excellent care of by their church family.  This honors God and pleases Him!

-Not all Jews would listen to these men sent by Jesus Christ.  No matter how sincere the apostles were, not everyone would listen or repent of their sinful behavior.  As Christians in the Twenty-first century, we cannot make people listen to what we have to say about God, nor can we make anyone respond in the right way to right teaching from God’s Word.  That’s not our job.  Our job is to be faithful.  The outcome of our faithfulness is God’s job.  Leave it to Him (not forgetting to bathe every part of every conversation in prayer).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, March 16, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Matthew 12:9-14

“He went on from there and entered their synagogue.  And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.  He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.”

Something to Think About:

There’s not a lot of nuance or mystery behind the meaning of these few verses.  Basically put, the Pharisees were placing great value on the rules that they made up—greater than that of helping someone who was suffering.  They went so far as to tell the Creator of the Sabbath that He was “doing it wrong.”  As we’ve noted before with some folks we’ve met in the Bible, once they died, they sure realized just how evil their attitudes and actions were!

On a Personal Note:

Jesus used the illustration of how even hard-hearted people would almost certainly stop what they were doing in order to aid a helpless sheep out of a pit.  This reminded me of something I find troubling in our current day and age.  People have gotten so fond of their animals and so protective of them, that they sometimes neglect or mistreat humans because their animals are more important to them.  This simply is not how God intended things to be.  It is humans who are created in God’s image.  It is humans who are given the role of ruling the planet under the headship of God.  It is humans that must be given priority over animals, even the most treasured pooch we’ve ever owned.

I’m definitely not saying that our animals aren’t special or that it’s wrong to love them deeply, I’m just cautioning the popular attitudes seen in increasing amounts in recent years to treat animals like people—and perhaps BETTER than people.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, March 18, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Matthew 15:21-28

“And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”  Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Something to Think About:

This is a pretty interesting passage!  Jesus tells the Gentile woman who is begging for help for her demon-possessed daughter that His mission is on behalf of the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  In other words, the Jewish nation.  She clearly was not His sheep to care for.  Yet, her very persistence in knowing that He could heal her daughter impressed Jesus and He healed the girl.

On a Personal Note:

The Canaanite woman expressed great faith in what Jesus could do—and this impressed Jesus.  The fact that Jesus has compassion on her and her daughter should be a blessing to you and me—because we are also Gentiles and are not members of the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Jesus’ mercy on this woman and her daughter is a delightful reminder of His great mercy to each of us in including us into the family of God!

Did you know that there were no hints at all in the Old Testament about how God would one day build the church that would make Jew and Gentile one family in Christ Jesus?  There are even New Testament verses referring to the church as a mystery.  How thankful we should be each and every day when we remember that God miraculously, graciously, mercifully, grafted us into the family of God; that He turned us into the sheep of His precious fold!

All this being true, we might also consider the take-away that great trust in God gives Him great pleasure.  Rather than panicking or getting angry when things don’t go quite as expected, perhaps we could ask for His help to immediately turn to Him in prayerful trust.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Acts 8:26-40

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.  And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship  and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.  And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”  So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.  In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”  And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?”  Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.  And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”  And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.  And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.  But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.”

Something to Think About:

What a fascinating passage!  Among other miracles, it is demonstrating how the Gospel was being spread to “the uttermost parts of the earth” per Acts 1!

Philip was sent by “an angel of the Lord” to the road that travels from Jerusalem down into Egypt.  Along the way, he heard an Ethiopian eunuch,  a man of prominent position in the queen of Ethiopia’s court, trying to figure out a portion of the book of Isaiah (chapter 53).  Philip was able to explain exactly what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had done in coming to earth to die for mankind’s sin—how He allowed Himself to be slaughtered as if a helpless lamb, all while being in truth the Creator.  Philip used the Scripture the official was reading to explain to him how to become a child of God—and he did!  The Ethiopian not only got saved, but immediately desired to be baptized in order to demonstrate his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior.  Christian tradition states that this man went home to Ethiopia and began telling everyone he knew the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

On a Personal Note:

There sure are a lot of “just happens” in this passage!  Did you notice?  The Ethiopian “just happened” to find a copy of part or all of the book of Isaiah—an extremely difficult thing to come by for a Jew, let alone a Gentile.  The Ethiopian “just happened” to work really hard to read it (there is no punctuation, sentence breaks, or spaces between words in Hebrew!).  Philip, someone who knew Jesus, knew what He had done on the cross, and knew what the prophet Isaiah was writing about, “just happened” to come alongside the Ethiopian’s chariot when he was reading the passage out loud.  The Ethiopian “just happened” to be really interested in what Isaiah was talking about and was eager to be taught. There “just happened” to be standing water just when Philip and the Ethiopian needed it (in this desert climate!).

Do you think ANYTHING “just happens”?  Of course not!  Our Loving, Gracious, Almighty Father is in control of every single thing at every single second!  We, His beloved ones, would do well to pause at the end of each day to thank Him for all the things that “just happened” in our day, things that are for His glory and our spiritual good!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Romans 8:31-39

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor 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.”

Something to Think About:

Paul, the author of the book of Romans, is summarizing some of the important doctrine he has been writing up to this point (chapters 1-8).  The main thought?  If GOD is for us (and He is!!!), then nothing and no one can thwart His plan for us at any time or in any way. There is simply no higher authority than God and no one who can challenge Him in any area—ever.  God’s will for His children WILL be accomplished—all the way to the point where our eternal salvation is realized upon the beginning of eternity.  Even the Christian himself cannot “undo” what God did through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Once a child of God, ALWAYS a child of God.

On a Personal Note:

The reason this passage came to our attention (besides the obvious truth that God allowed it), is the reference to sheep in verse 36.  The verse quotes Psalm 44:22 and the idea isn’t so much defeat as it is a reminder that those who choose to live wholeheartedly for the Lord WILL suffer as a result of it.  Is this a bad thing?  Not at all.  In fact, how we choose to respond to persecution, tribulation, and distress can bring wonderful glory to God (because we’re trusting that He’s in charge, so all is GOOD).  Our response of trust in God “what ‘ere befall” is also a strong witness to those who don’t know God, because our faith in the goodness of God points out the truth (and joy!) that NO MATTER WHAT, God’s children will never, ever, EVER be separated from His love.  This incredible truth should color every moment of every day in confidence in God’s ability to do ANYTHING, including helping us cope with the hardships of today, while seeing the joys of what’s yet to come in His presence into the ages of the ages.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, March 21, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read I Peter 1:14-21

 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”  And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,  knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you  who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Something to Think About:

The reference to a lamb in this passage is obvious and we are reminded that Jesus Christ sacrificed His own precious blood to secure our salvation—the ONLY possible way our sins could have been forgiven.  As the Lamb with no blemish or spot (no sin whatsoever), only He could take our place and pay the price God demanded.  He did so willingly, but at great personal sacrifice.  Because of this astonishing and precious truth, all believers should have very tender hearts in regard to sin.  Our daily deepest prayer should be to live life holy as God is holy.  And miracles of miracles, because of Jesus’ act on our behalf, this is entirely possible to do!

On a Personal Note:

To be holy involves two sides.  We must stop thinking and acting like the world around us, considering their goals and purposes as valid for the decisions we make.  When we became new creatures in Christ, we stopped being anything like the world around us.  We are, in fact, foreigners living in a strange land!  We are citizens of heaven and our rules for living come from that guidebook, that is, the Bible.  In order to think correctly and have the right frame of reference for our decisions and actions, we need to study God’s Word every single day so that we’re learning new things and being reminded of everything we’ve forgotten.  This is our job and responsibility, but it’s also our joy and privilege.

Being holy as God is holy involves choosing to no longer adopt the philosophies and actions of the world. In contrast, it involves choosing to strive to imitate God’s philosophies and actions in our own lives.  It is to find out what is pleasing to Him, to choose His will over our own, to do good as He defines “good,” to show biblical love, mercy, grace, and kindness in exactly the same way He shows them to us every single moment of every single day.

If you’re a parent, you understand the frustration of a child who grumbles and mumbles over every single command; who eventually does what you ask, but barely—not giving it their best at all.  But you may also understand the joy of a child who hears a command and responds with, “Okay, Mommy!” and dashes off with a smile on their face and a determination to do the very best that they can.  Let’s you and I CHOOSE to joyfully, willingly, and wholeheartedly be holy as God is holy each new day He blesses us with here on earth!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, March 22, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read I Peter 2:18-25

“Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.  For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.  For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.  For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.  He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.  When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.  For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Something to Think About:

Peter has been instructing his readers about some of the things mentioned in yesterday’s reading: the appropriate lifestyle and goals of believers and the right view of suffering.  Here, he takes it further (read all the stuff in between yesterday’s Scripture reading and today’s—it’s good stuff!).

Peter is reminding us that Christians who are living godly lives will NOT have an easy road, so don’t expect it to be so.  But he also reminds us that faithful living is very much worth it.  He reminds us that God is honored and pleased with His children who respond well to hardships and suffering.  How do we know what the right response even is?  By observing the example of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was able to endure some pretty horrific things simply by entrusting every detail of His life to His Father.  Jesus’ Father is OUR Father—and we can entrust all the details of our lives to Him too!

On a Personal Note:

The reference to sheep is at the end of today’s passage.  Peter concludes his reminders about what Jesus did and why by mentioning that members of God’s family were once wandering sheep, lost and defenseless, BUT, upon salvation, we now have a shepherd—and not any shepherd we have THE GOOD Shepherd, the One Who takes care of our every need, Who provides the nourishment we need, the rest, the wisdom, the strength, and ultimately, an eternal home in His presence.  His care, of course, should never be assumed to be only physical, He is guarding and guiding every single aspect of our lives, physical AND spiritual.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, March 23, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Revelation 5:1-14

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”  And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,  and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.  And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,  and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”  Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,  saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”  And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”  And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Something to Think About:

Up to this point in our study of the Good Shepherd, we have mostly looked at the past—what is history to us.  The book of Revelation, however, is what is yet to be.  Just as certain as every word mentioned in the past happened as recorded, every word given about what is to come will also happen.  The Lamb Who meekly allowed Himself to be slandered, abused, beaten, ridiculed, humiliated, and killed is now beginning His ultimate role, that of the Lion of Judah, the One Who punishes sin and creates an entire new world that is forever sin-free; the Eternal Righteous King!

On a Personal Note:

This Lamb, the Son of God, our Savior, is the only One worthy. Even now—even TODAY, you and I can join the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders and myriads and myriads of angels singing, worthy is the Lamb Who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! To the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!  Amen!

Do you have a “new song” you’re singing to your Savior today?  What is it?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, March 24, 2024

BONUS:  Today is Palm Sunday.  Enjoy this Scripture, then spend some time thanking God for sending His Son on our behalf!

“And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,  saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”  So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.  And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”  And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.  And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.  As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,  saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”  (Luke 19:28-40)

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, March 25, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Revelation 6:1-17

“Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”  And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.  When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”  And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.  And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”  When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”  And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.  When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.  They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”  Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.  When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,  and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.  The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.  Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,  calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,  for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Something to Think About:

It sometimes feels like sinful man will win and ugliness will always be a part of earth, but that’s simply not true.  God has a very specific timetable that is set—and nothing can thwart it.  Revelation  6 lists just a few of the horrors that will come upon the earth during the Tribulation Period.  As verses 16 and 17 say, the wrath of the Lamb is a horrible thing to witness and no one can stand up against it.  How grateful those of us who belong to the family of God should be that we will not have to witness this!  How desperate we should be to tell our family and friends how they can avoid it!

On a Personal Note:

I was thinking about Revelation 5 and 6 (and more of the book to come) last night in the middle of the night.  Personally, I have PTSD over the whole thing because of a series of movies I saw as a teenager about the Rapture and Tribulation.  The point of the movies was to warn people to not be left behind by getting saved TODAY—and they made their point for sure!  A whole generation of people have been terrified ever since!

That being true (and I was really and truly deeply traumatized by those movies—even though I was already saved at the time I saw them), in the night last night, I was taken with the thought that the same mighty and terrifying Lamb of God seen in the book of Revelation (and He is incredibly mighty and fierce), this is the same Lamb Who is the Good Shepherd.  He is the One I can call on in the middle of the night because I have a stomach ache or because there is a burden on my heart.  He is available to His sheep every second of every day and is ready and willing to shepherd us however we might need.  How amazing to consider the mighty and terrible bringer of justice in Revelation is the same God Who tenderly cares for our every need!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Revelation 7:9-17

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,  saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”  Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”  I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Something to Think About:

This passage is super interesting because it’s a snapshot of some of what is happening in heaven during the Tribulation Period on earth.  The time period is roughly halfway through the seven-year Tribulation, which is also right before the REALLY bad stuff begins to happen.

Who are these people?  They are the multitude of people who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation.  Yes, in spite of the fact that the Church has been removed from the earth at the Rapture, people will still get saved.  Amen!  Hallelujah! These people (like us!) have recognized that the blood of the Lamb is the only thing that can cleanse us from the sin we are all born with—and which separates us from God.

On a Personal Note:

I absolutely love the picture here of “great multitudes” of people near the throne of the Father and the Lamb, praising Him, worshiping Him, SERVING Him, and being served BY Him.  Such a beautiful picture!!

I remember several years ago being in the fellowship hall of our church during a big Bible conference.  There were people and noise and confusion EVERYWHERE.  There in the midst of the chaos, I saw my infant granddaughter in a highchair just crying her little heart out, lost and confused in the middle of all the strangers (her mom and dad were busy getting food for the other little children).  I scooped that little girl up and out of the chair and snuggled her into my chest and her little arms wrapped around my neck—and she was comforted and “safe.” 

What a joyful feeling that was for her—and for me!  When faced with the chaos and noise and hardships and exhaustion of this world, how I yearn for my Good Shepherd to take me in His arms, to wipe away all tears, to guide me to springs of living water!  This WILL happen, not just for me, but for all who belong to the Father eternally.  Hang in there, dear child of God!  Don’t give in, don’t give up!  God the Father and the Lamb WILL make every sacrifice, every tear, every burden very much worth it all!  Stick by His side morning, noon, and night, through pleasant pastures and through dark valleys.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Revelation 19:6-10

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;  it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.  And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Something to Think About:

These five verses are about all that we know of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  The basics are that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is taking the Church, that is, all those who trusted in Him as their Savior from His resurrection until the Rapture, as His bride.  Doing so is a time of tremendous celebration for all who are privileged to observe it and all who are participating.  This seems to be a really big deal, but what all it means is a bit uncertain.  Like almost everything yet to come, however, we can have 100% confidence that it will be incredible beyond our wildest imagination.  God does NOT do things half-heartedly!

On a Personal Note:

It is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit which causes a human to trust in Jesus as their Savior and become spiritually alive.  It’s also entirely the work of the Holy Spirit that we able to obey God, serve Him, and please Him.  And in spite of the fact that God does EVERYTHING, He still rewards us in amazing ways throughout eternity.  One example is right here:  the wedding clothes of Christians will be bright, pure, fine linen.  This linen represents righteous deeds.  In other words, every single act of obedience is seen by God and rewarded by God.  Every single one.

Child of God, while it’s true that we could never and would never do what is righteous in God’s eyes apart from His help, it’s equally true that God expects us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that the works that He planned for each of us to do actually get done.  This will include studying His Word on a daily basis so that we know what pleases and displeases Him. It will include frequent prayers asking for wisdom and help to not rebel against Him.  It will include being in church as often as humanly possible to learn, to worship, to fellowship, to edify other believers, and to serve God through serving His people.  And it will include obedience to His Word in big areas and small ones—at all times and in all places.  THEN, when we get to heaven and are seated at that incredible bridal table, oh, how are garments will sparkle and shine!  Oh, the joy that will be seen on our Savior’s face!  Oh, the praise and worship of Christ Jesus by all who are in attendance!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, March 28, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Revelation 21:9-27

“Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,  having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.  It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—  on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.  And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.  The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.  He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement.  The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,  the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.  And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,  and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.  They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.  But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Something to Think About:

Not only will the new Jerusalem be staggeringly beautiful, it will be beyond description simply because the Lamb of God will be there. NOTHING can be bigger or better than that! In fact, His mere presence is enough to outshine the sun, let alone lamps or other means for providing light, so these items that are so essential to our lives will not be needed at all!

Really, NOTHING will ever be the same again—and that is, NOTHING will ever be bad or sad or WRONG ever again.  EVER.

On a Personal Note:

There’s an absolutely essential bit of information for every single human to read at the end of this chapter: ONLY those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will be able to enter the gate of the New Jerusalem.  In other words, only those who have acknowledged that they are sinners and that it is only by trusting that Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, came to earth in the form of a Man so that He could die on the cross as the substitute for their sin, then rose to life again after three days, will be a part of the glorious eternity described in Revelation 21 & 22.  NO unbeliever will be there.  No exceptions.

Praise the Lord if you are certain that you eternally belong to God because of the blood of Christ (no, I mean it, stop and praise the Lord!), BUT what about family members?  Friends? Co-workers?  Your dentist?  The bread guy at Walmart? The gal from grade school that you still send Christmas cards to?  Do THEY know how to gain entrance into the New Jerusalem and the eternal presence of God?  Who will tell them?

BONUS:  Becoming a child of God.

Our monthly Bible studies contain a lot of material about what a child of God can and should do to live up to the name they are given upon salvation, however, it is critically important that we each know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we ARE children of God.

This is not to be confused with accepting and understanding that God made the entire world and everything in it.  God is the Creator of all of us, but He is not automatically our Father.  This distinction is the most important distinction there could be!

Indulge me by reading this bonus material so that by the end you can say with one hundred percent clarity that you ARE God’s child, chosen and beloved.  If you ARE certain, even before reading the chapter, perhaps something said will be a help to you as you share with others how they can become a child of God.  God has given us a limited amount of time to tell others the good news, which is the gospel, and we sure don’t want to waste a second!  Every person, by God’s grace, KNOW that they are a child of God and have eternal life.

I suspect most of us have heard, and even used, the phrase, “by God’s grace.”  But what does it really mean?   “Grace” simply means being given something we don’t deserve. God gave us something we didn’t deserve: salvation. What is salvation?  The word itself simply means to be rescued from something.  It could be saved from some life-threatening situation (like a firefighter saving people in a burning building), it could be saved as in being helped to escape someone who won’t stop talking even if you need to leave.

What God is saving us from has to do with where we will spend eternity.  Long ago, shortly after the creation of the world,  mankind decided to turn against God by doing something that God said not to do.  This is called sin.  Sin is as simple as choosing to do what God said not to do or not doing something He said to do.  It is choosing what we want over what God wants.  Sin is rebellion—in any form—against God’s holy character.

Why does it matter?  Because God is our Creator and He makes the rules. As His creation, we need to do what He wants. The creature cannot defy his Maker without consequences—and our God is a God of holiness. What does this mean and why does that matter?  

Being holy isn’t only an absence of sin, though it is that. It is also the pursuit of doing right.  God, though, isn’t merely holy because of the good things He does.  His very character is the definition of what holy IS. He is THE standard by which what is right and wrong is determined.  This is true in every area of life, for all people, past, present, and future – and our holy God hates sin with a hatred that I don’t think we will be able to fully understand until we stand before Him one day.  He cannot and will not allow even the smallest of sin in His presence.  Furthermore, God’s very character determines that He MUST punish sin.  Therefore, when we (mankind) chose to go our own way, we chose to turn our backs on God’s holiness.  This required punishment in the form of Hell, a place of eternal suffering, pain, and blackness. Did you know that Hell has no light?  Did you know that it is also the only place where God’s presence is never felt? Sin separates us from our holy God.

You should definitely be wondering about now what could possibly improve this nightmarish scenario! Grace. God’s grace.  You see, even though we turned our backs on God, becoming His enemies, He loved us and made a way for us to not only be reconciled to Him, but He took it a step further and granted us the legal position of becoming His very own children through adoption.

How?  Through the substitution of His own perfect, holy Son, Jesus Christ, on our behalf.  Jesus came to earth as a human Baby, grew up, and then allowed Himself to die on the cross so that He could take the punishment OUR sin deserved for us.  Because Jesus is God, He was raised to life again in three days, and became the only possible path to a personal relationship with God the Father.

How do we become His children?  Simple belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior from your sin.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

“But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name.”  John 1:12

“…believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”  Acts 16:31

Nothing else is needed besides simply believing.  You don’t have to go to church, you don’t have to give money, you don’t have to visit the elderly at the nursing home, you don’t have to support missionaries.  You don’t even have to pray, although you may want to thank God for what He has done on your behalf.  You simply need to believe that Jesus paid the price for your sins.  You can do it right now, wherever you are at this very moment.

You may ask, “Isn’t there something I can do to earn this salvation?”  The answer is a resounding, “No.”  We cannot do even one thing to work for our salvation.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 

Salvation is a free gift.  You simply believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins and that He, alone, gives you eternal life.  Won’t you do that right now? 

One last word of comfort: the gift of salvation is for keeps.  God tells us that once we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin, we become His child and nothing and no one can EVER take that away from us.  His gift of salvation is for eternity.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, March 29, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Revelation 22:1-21

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb  through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.  They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.  And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,  but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.  Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.  Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,  and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”

Something to Think About:

I have never, nor will I ever, claim to be a theologian.  My understanding of things like the book of Revelation is very rudimentary—at best.  What I do know, however, is this:  God created our world perfectly and the plans He had for it were perfect.  Mankind’s sin, however, destroyed and distorted it all in horrific ways.  In fact, the consequences of it continue to this day, making our world quite the mess. Violence, cancer, lawlessness, cruelty, death—all are a result of sin.

However, this will not always be the case.  God made a plan to reconcile man to Himself and restore a perfect relationship with us.  Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus rose again, Jesus returned to heaven—and Jesus WILL remove every last bit of sin and its consequences and create a perfect and incredible home for all who belong to Him because of their trust in Him as their Savior.

In the end, which is completely and totally the beginning of beginnings, ALL God wanted for the world and those He created to live on it will not only be restored, but made far, far better.  Why?  How?  Because He, Himself, will live with us—and we, freed forever from our sin natures, will be able to have perfect fellowship, right motives, and God-honoring actions.  Our joy will be constant and constantly overflowing simply because we will be able to serve the Father and serve the Lamb every minute of every day into the ages of the ages, eternity without end.

On a Personal Note:

Did you know that one of the biggest benefits of being a child of God in the here and now (when sin still reigns on our earth and satan continues to cause such chaos) is that we GET TO serve God right now—right where we are right this second.  All Christians will have such joy serving God throughout eternity, but we are ALSO blessed to do all we can for Him today.  Will we serve Him perfectly?  No.  Will we mess up?  Yes.  Will He still be pleased with our efforts for Him? ABSOLUTELY.  In fact, Revelation 22 quotes Jesus promising to return soon—and that He will be bringing His recompense with Him.  Do you know what that is?  It’s “payment.”  Jesus rewards ALL things done for Him and in His name.  It might be teaching a Sunday school class, but it might also be making cookies for VBS.  It might be organizing a Bible conference (for pastors!), but it might be driving an elderly church member to the store for milk.  God sees all we do for Him—and all will be rewarded in exactly the right way at exactly the right time.  Don’t give up or give in!  Jesus could return for us at literally any second!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, March 30, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are checking out references in the Bible to sheep, flocks, lambs, etc.)

-Read Isaiah 53

“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

Something to Think About:

Most of us really hate to be unjustly accused or lied about.  We don’t generally take that kind of thing lying down, but speak out loudly to proclaim our innocence.  We want the truth to be known and if possible, to be apologized to publicly.  Yet, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, The Creator and Sustainer of EVERYTHING, CHOSE to suffer more than we could possibly imagine or understand in silence—for you.  For me. 

Have you thanked Him recently?

On a Personal Note:

Because tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, I saved this chapter in the book of Isaiah for Easter-eve.  It is my earnest prayer that simply reading it would cause this Easter Sunday to be the most meaningful and blessed one yet!

BONUS

One of my favorite Easter cantatas from my youth is “Then Came Sunday.”  One of the songs is based on Isaiah 53.  Go to YouTube.com, type in Then Came Sunday cantata in the search bar, and there’s a fellow with the name romypen who has the songs on a playlist.  Isaiah 53 is #7 (there’s a bit of dialogue that you can listen to or just go to the song).

P.S.  The entire cantata would probably be a big blessing to you if you have time. . .

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, March 31, 2024

BONUS:  Today is Resurrection Sunday!  Enjoy this Scripture, then spend some time thanking God for sending His Son on our behalf!

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”  So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.  Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,  and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.  Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;  for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.  Then the disciples went back to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Dear Student of the Word,

Welcome to a new month of Daily Bible Study based on Psalm 23.    

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

So far this year we have looked at the six verses of this psalm in a few different ways, then we spent time looking at other references in the Bible to shepherds and sheep in order to help us better understand Psalm 23.  This month we are going to look at the life of David, the author of Psalm 23.  We’re going to do this by using a devotional written by my husband, Pastor Laurence Brown, entitled, “David, the Faithful Saint.”  It is my prayer that this study is as big a blessing to you as it was to me!

Scripture is provided and is from the ESV (though Pastor Brown used NASB to write his study).  Scripture is courtesy of BibleGateway.com.

Feel free to share these studies with whomever the Lord lays on your heart—and consider reviewing them with another person or in a group setting.  Talking about God’s Word with other Christians is ALWAYS a blessing!

I’ll be praying for you as you look into the life of David and apply biblical truth to your life—and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for me!

In Christ,

Lorie 

Monday, April 1, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

Introduction

“It is required of stewards that one be found faithful.” (I Corinthians 4:2) For a child of God who is concerned about pleasing his Heavenly Father, nothing stands higher in priority than faithfulness –to simply obey and love Him. What higher goal in life can there be?

But how can we fulfill this goal? At times this seems an impossible task. The Lord, however, is gracious and merciful to enable us to obey whatever commands He gives us. In the life of David we see a man who struggled, as we do, with circumstances, with sin, with his own unfaithfulness. And yet, he was God’s anointed, a man after God’s own heart, who was wholly devoted to the Lord. God helped him to be faithful.

The purpose of this devotional study guide is to systematically examine the life of David over the course of one month. In looking at both his failures and his victories, we can see God’s enduring faithfulness, and learn some valuable lessons about our faithfulness to Him.

Laurence D. Brown, Pastor July 1992

-Read I Samuel 16:1-13

“The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

Something to Think About:

In the chapter right before this one, King Saul had disobeyed God by saving what God commanded him to destroy. This was not the first time Saul had rebelled against the Lord. God used His prophet Samuel to tell Saul, “I have rejected you from being king.” (I Samuel 15:23) Now God was directing Samuel to anoint a new king.

God’s choices are not always our choices. But His plan is always good and right. Notice how Samuel learned this lesson: in verse 6, he looked at Eliab, one of Jesse’s sons. His sight told him that this man must be the one God had chosen. But the Lord corrected Samuel in verse 7. Our decisions are often made on the basis of how someone or something looks, but God is able to see into people’s hearts. This is a major principle in the Bible. God is concerned with people’s hearts, not how tall they are, nor how handsome, or beautiful.

How could a simple shepherd-boy rule a nation? Verse 13 tells us how God helps those to whom He gives a job. “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” Isn’t the Lord gracious? He always helps those who are called to serve Him. God is faithful to provide the power to be faithful to Him.

A thought from Lorie:

Have you ever judged someone by their appearance or hearsay (someone told you something about them that colored your opinion even though you had never even met them personally)?  Have you ever dismissed some invitation to do a task at church or for someone associated with a church ministry simply because you didn’t think you would be a good fit or felt it would be too hard for you, so you didn’t even try?  Have you ever rejoiced over something that you later found out was bad—or were deeply disappointed over something that ended up being a huge blessing?

All these kinds of things are reminders to us that our perception is often faulty.  So many things can color our opinion or cause us to act in a certain way out of habit.  The only One Who always sees who people really are, Who truly understands the ins and outs of a decision, Who knows what is “good” and what isn’t—is GOD.  And because ONLY God thinks straight and acts right 100% of the time, wouldn’t it be wise for you and me to go to Him in prayer at the start of every single day?  Before we open our mouths to say ANYTHING?  Before we make even the smallest of decisions?  Decide whether or not we will “like” someone?

I remember watching my children when they were very little try to dress themselves without help when they weren’t quite capable of it yet with their pudgy little fingers and lack of coordination.  I would try to help, but they stubbornly stepped aside to struggle on their own.  When they finally gave up, I was happy to help, though I often wondered how much faster and easier the job would have been if they’d turned to me first (not to mention, how much less stress!).  I wonder just how often in any given day our Heavenly Father has the same feelings about OUR lack of going to Him first?  I wonder. . . have we learned that valuable lesson YET?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 17

“Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

55 As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57 And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Something to Think About:

Why did David insist that he could stand up to Goliath, that evil superman of the Philistines? Was he foolish or stupid? No, he had a very good reason for his confidence. He gives this reason in verse 36. Goliath will be killed just like the lion and the bear, because he has “taunted the armies of the living God.”

David is so sure that God will help him to overcome the giant that he says the same thing to Goliath’s face in verses 45-47. David believed in God, not in himself. And he knew that God gives the victory to those who trust and obey Him.

We can see David’s faithfulness here: he remembered God’s promise in Deuteronomy 28:7. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you.” David fulfilled the condition of this promise—obedience in God—and now he faithfully acted upon it, believing that God would take care of him.

This was David’s confidence, that God would give the victory according to His promise – and he was willing to stake his life on it. Are you?

A thought from Lorie:

I kind of think that one of the reasons why this story is so popular is because something like 98% of us relate more to the crowd of men hiding from Goliath than to David who jumped right into battle without hesitation!

I wonder why that is?  As Christians in this century, we have far more evidence of the complete reliability and power of God Almighty than David did in 1000 BC!  We have also been given the permanent indwelling Holy Spirit to help us think straight and act right—which was not the case during Old Testament times.

Maybe some of it goes back to yesterday’s reminder that our perceptions apart from God’s help are faulty and lead to wrong thinking and actions.  The remedy?  The solution?  Follow David’s example and focus on GOD’S abilities and will, not our own.  We’re actually correct to say, “I can’t do that!”, but we can’t stop there.  We need to remember that God CAN—and when He commands us to think a certain way, to speak a certain way, to act a certain way, we simply need to trust in His strength, wisdom, and direction AND DO IT.

Let’s stop hiding with the crowd of do-nothingers and confidently trust God and obey Him in both the little and big battles of our lives (not forgetting to give Him all praise and glory during the battle and after when those giants are defeated for good!).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 18:1-16

“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Saul’s Jealousy of David

6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on. 10 The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. 11 And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

12 Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

Something to Think About:

In the passage for today, we have the ingredients of true friendship and of real personal problems. The story of David and Jonathan is a wonderful picture of loyalty and friendship. Notice in verse 1 “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.” In verse 3 “Jonathan made a covenant with David,” and in verse 4, Jonathan gave David his own robe, armor, sword, belt, and bow.

These three actions show something about real godly friendship. First, there is a spiritual connection: both David and Jonathan loved God first, so their souls could be “knit together.” Second, Jonathan made a covenant with David: he told David he would be David’s friend, no matter what. And third, Jonathan demonstrated his love by giving him what were probably his most valuable possessions: his own military equipment. Spiritual priorities, commitment, and showing love – these are the ingredients of true friendship.

Sadly, these verses also show ingredients of true personal problems. In verses 7 and 8, Saul, rather than rejoicing in David’s success and God’s blessing, becomes jealous. How many good friendships have been ruined by jealousy? Notice that the thing that made Saul “very angry” was what the women sang.  David had nothing to do with what they sang and his loyalty to Saul was unchanged, but Saul became suspicious of David from that day on.

Next, Saul blames his spiritual problem with God (jealousy, lack of obedience) on David. In verse 10, God sends a spirit of conviction to Saul. Saul, in hardness of heart and sin against the Lord, tries to kill David. What a strange reaction to have! And yet how often we blame others for our sin against God.

A thought from Lorie:

I have had both of the kinds of friends mentioned:  those who were loyal for a time before doing an about-face and saying and doing some pretty painful things, but also those who chose to love biblically, to not keep a record of wrongs, to encourage and build up—all things that God is pleased and honored with in our friendships.

Two things.  First, we cannot and should not choose to have super close friendships with anyone who is not a Christian.  A believer and an unbeliever are operating on two completely opposite foundations.  One is a child of God, one is on satan’s side of rebellion against God.  That is (most definitely!) NOT to say that we can’t have unsaved acquaintances who we enjoy chatting with and spending time with.  We just need to keep in mind that our focus with unsaved co-workers, relatives, neighbors, etc., must be sharing with them the good news of salvation.

Second, we may be unable to avoid friends who stab us in the back, who say and do unkind things, and who otherwise act a tad more worldly than saintly, BUT we can CHOOSE to not BE that kind of friend.  We can, with the power and help of the Holy Spirit, make the decision to love others at all times, despite any poor reactions or if they ever say thank you even once.  Biblical friendship is about giving (and giving and giving!).  Biblical friendship is about extending the same grace, mercy, and forgiveness God shows us each and every moment.

Prayerfully consider how you have or have not been the kind of friend that you wish others were to you.  What could you do to make some improvements?  (Hint:  look up I Corinthians 13:4-8 for a few reminders how biblical love thinks and acts.)

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, April 4, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 24:1-17

“When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. 9 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 15 May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.” 

Something to Think About:

David was faithful to the Lord even when he was given a chance to get rid of his biggest problem, Saul. Saul had chased David from one end of Israel to the other – for no reason – trying to kill him. Now Saul walked right into the cave where David and some of his men were hiding. Just one quick jab with knife, sword, or spear, and David would be free of Saul forever. And after all, hadn’t God chosen David to be king in Saul’s place?

Not only did all the circumstances seem to point to this conclusion, but David’s friends whispered to go ahead and do it, too. But David wasn’t looking at circumstances or listening to his men. Notice what he says in verse 6: “Far be it from me to do this thing to my lord… since he is the Lord’s anointed.” In fact, it bothered David’s conscience that he had even cut off the hem or tassel of Saul’s robe. (The blue tassel on an Israelite’s robe symbolized his personal loyalty to God.)

With Goliath, David had not hesitated; he had run to meet him with his sling and five stones. But with Saul, David would not touch him. Why? He was still the Lord’s anointed. David would not overturn God’s authority, even though Saul unjustly persecuted him. He would not run ahead of God’s timetable. He was faithful to the Lord, believing that God would take care of him and would remove Saul in His own way and His own time.

A thought from Lorie:

I’m afraid that this is yet another example when most of us would have sided with David’s men and encouraged him to kill Saul while he had such a great chance.  But again (as with David’s view of Goliath), David was right to leave vengeance in God’s hands.

Another thought occurred to me from this account.  The tassel that David cut off of Saul’s robe was one that all Jewish men wore to symbolize that they belonged to God.  It was a visual reminder to them every time they happened to see it.  This made me think of Christian jewelry and t-shirts.  I think there are a few things we might prayerfully consider before putting on something “religious.”

-While wearing a cross ought to be reserved for those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and are thankful for it, sadly, it has become kind of “common,” seen even on the necks of rock stars, gang members, and a whole lot of people living an extremely ungodly life.  This makes me shy away from it a bit personally, but at the same time, it makes my heart smile when I see a cross on someone who looks and acts like a true disciple of Jesus Christ. 

-Wearing a cross with Christ still hanging on it seems a wrong message to me.  What do you think if you see someone wearing a cross with Jesus since He didn’t stay on the cross?  He is risen!

-Religious t-shirts may or may not be God honoring and a good witnessing tool.  I think we need to be really careful in this area.  For one, do we really want to advertise on our chests?  For another, is advertising holy things showing proper respect?  This is another area we each need to prayerfully evaluate for ourselves.  If we are confident what we’re wearing honors and pleases God, then go ahead.  But if in doubt, don’t.

-Wearing clothing and jewelry meant to let others know we love God is one thing, but have you considered how your testimony might suffer if you are wearing items that advertise ungodly companies, philosophies, or people?  It’s super trendy to wear clothes with labels and company logos exposed, but perhaps we should know what those companies stand for before wearing them.  Wearing them IS supporting them.

-Never forget that, at the foundation, Who we love and serve and follow SHOULD impact greatly both our physical appearance and the attitudes we “wear” and the actions we take.  We want to point to Christ and bring glory to God, never dishonor or misrepresent Him.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, April 5, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 25:1-35

“Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.

“Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. 10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 

12 So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. 13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 26 Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. 29 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, 31 my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”

32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

Something to Think About:

David is living the life of an outlaw in the wilderness, trying to scrape together provisions for his band of men. He had assigned his men to guard the shepherds and flocks of Nabal, expecting some return for the favor. But Nabal is an ungrateful fool; not only does he refuse any gift of appreciation, he insults David.

David was in a cold fury and he took immediate action to deal with Nabal. His plan was to kill every male in Nabal’s household. Certainly Nabal was very deserving of a sound thrashing for his behavior and attitude. And David intends to do just that.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus was insulted, ridiculed, and abused during His mock trials, He never once lashed out or defended Himself. Isaiah 53:7 says of Him: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.” Even though He had every right to do so, Christ did not return insults, flare up, or lash out.

A good question to ask is: when should we fight and when should we keep silent? David knew the answer to this question, although he forgot it in his anger against Nabal. He himself had answered it when he faced Goliath: “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted” (I Samuel 16:45). When the name of our God is insulted, when the cause of Christ is at stake, we will stand for Him no matter what the cost. But for insults and hatred aimed at us, why not let God take care of it in His time? “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” God says in Hebrews 10:30. Don’t let anger take your eyes off Christ’s example of obeying God.

A thought from Lorie:

Many years ago a fellow in the church I was attending told my husband and me that his life would be a whole lot easier if people just left him alone.  I can’t help but blurt out a resounding “Amen!” to that sentiment, being a bit of an introvert myself.  BUT, is that what God wants of us—and for us?  There can be no serious debate that the answer is a resounding “No.”   Part of loving God wholeheartedly is loving others.  This is how He made life to be—and bucking against ANYTHING that God ordained is folly to the highest degree.  Not just folly, if we’re being completely open, it’s sin, plain and simple. 

So, like any other task we are assigned to do, we get to choose if we’re going to go “kicking and screaming” – or – choosing to not only obey, but obey WITH EXCELLENCE.  With joy.  With gratitude.

AND, because God loves us and wants us to mature and become more Christ-like, He gives us opportunities to practice our people skills every single day.  =)  Perhaps now is a good time for all of us to pause to pray for His help to display our love and gratitude to Him by treating others with the same kindness and generosity He treats us!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, April 6, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 27:1-12

“Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” 2 So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. 4 And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

8 Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. 9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 10 When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.” 11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

Something to Think About:

There often comes a point in our waiting on the Lord when we feel we have to do something. We simply cannot be patient any longer. This is apparently what happened to David when he chose to go to Gath, one of the main cities of the Philistines. Now remember that David had fought against the Philistines because they were enemies of God and of God’s people. The Philistines were wicked, evil people who worshiped a variety of false gods and goddesses, idols of many kinds. Yet David decided it was best for him to go there. Why?

David forgot two important things. First, God had anointed him. God’s choice of him was the guarantee that God had a plan for him and would protect him. Second, David had been told by the prophet Gad, to live in the land of Judah (1 Samuel 22:5). On many other occasions David had asked God what he should do, and where he should go, but he didn’t ask God this time. He took matters into his own hands.

Oh, what troubles and problems followed! All because David didn’t ask God and trust Him for help. David had to pretend to the king of Gath that he now hates his own people. And whenever Achish, the king of Gath, asks David where he has been and what he has been doing, David lies (verses 8-10). Finally David and his men very nearly were required to actually fight against Saul and Israel (28:1-2). One sin leads to another.

Whenever we think that we know better than God and fail to trust Him, we’re in for trouble. Unless God challenges us, we find ourselves sinning more and more to cover previous sins. How much easier it is simply to believe that the Lord will see us through the hard times. As one of our hymns says, “’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word.”

A thought from Lorie:

I’m going to be completely honest and open with you to say that, in my personal experience, I find that it can be super easy to lie.  In fact, lying is almost always the “easy” route and one that keeps us out of trouble (or, so we hope!).  However, lying is wrong for a child of God.  ALL lying.  So, now what?  How do we get out of tricky situations?  How do we tell the truth without hurting someone’s feelings?

Prayer.  Lots of it.

You see, if God commands us to do or not do something, there’s ALWAYS a way to obey.  When Christ died on the cross in our place (and positionally speaking, we were there with Him), He broke the power of sin in our hearts.  Christians never HAVE TO sin.  That simple (that INCREDIBLE!). 

So, if we aren’t allowed to lie (or slant the truth—or other tricks of the lying trade), what CAN we do?  Speak the truth—and speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).  We can make the commitment to REFUSE to lie—ever, forcing ourselves to just be honest (not forgetting that how we say things and what our motives are for saying things matters A LOT).

What about redirecting the conversation?  Is that a lie?  I don’t think it has to be (though it could be, so we should be careful with this one).  If we realize a tricky or hard topic is about to be introduced by someone, we might be able to redirect the conversation before that happens (this isn’t a tool to protect ourselves, but the other person).  Actually, a similar technique can be used to stop a conversation from turning into gossip.  If the chat seems like it’s going to begin to speak poorly about another person, introducing an entirely different topic can possibly keep the conversation God-honoring (if not, we’ll have to lovingly, but firmly, refuse to gossip).

And let me repeat myself: bathe all of this in prayer—not just during the sticky situation, but first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and as often as it comes to mind.  Ask the Father to help you obey Him and please Him in every area and at all times, then see what wonderful ways He answers you (because He will!).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, April 7, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 30:1-6

“Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

Something to Think About:

If we truly believe that God is in charge of our lives, we would have to agree that God allowed David’s city, Ziklag, to be raided by the Amalekites. God allows evil circumstances into our lives to teach us, to test us, and to turn us to Himself. David needed to be reminded where his help came from: God. So he and his men returned from going with the Philistines (at the last minute the Philistine nobles had not allowed David to fight with them against Israel). They found their town completely burned to the ground, every last man, woman, and child captured and carried off by the desert raiders, the Amalekites.

David has hit rock bottom. He has no security anywhere. In Israel he was hunted by Saul; in Philistia, his family is stolen by Amalekites. Perhaps for those sixteen months he had forgotten what he wrote about in his songs: “In Thee, O Lord, I have taken refuge . . .Be Thou to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; for Thy Name’s sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:1-3). Apart from God, there is no security anywhere; with Him we are secure everywhere.

And so it says in verse 6 “But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” His own men were grumbling and threatening to kill him. Where else could he turn but to the Lord? And Who but our loving heavenly Father has the strength to give to face that kind of situation? When life hits bottom, remember to turn to the One Who can strengthen you.

A thought from Lorie:

Since today is Sunday, I will leave this space for you to note one or two things you learned from Sunday School or the services. 

In addition, perhaps you could jot down a time or two when you turned to God for strength and how He helped and blessed you!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Monday, April 8, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Samuel 30:7-25

 “And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14 We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”

16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.”

Something to Think About:

After David returns to obedience and submission to the Lord, his very first action is to ask God what he should do (verses 7, 80). It was exactly this that had been David’s failure in the first place: he had forgotten to ask God sixteen months before if he should go live in Philistine territory. What a good lesson for us! So often prayer is our method of last resort; after everything else we’ve tried has failed, we finally ask God to help. If only we would pray first and act second.

God graciously grants a complete recovery of all that was stolen. Not one person has been injured, killed, or is missing. In addition, David and his men gained a tremendous amount of spoil from the Amalekites. Because David is focused upon obeying the Lord, he has the correct attitude toward his men: those that stayed behind with the baggage would share alike in the spoil. And notice what he says in verse 23, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, Who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us.” David then shared the spoil with the elders of Israel (verse 26).

He acknowledged the true source of blessings as the Lord. Trusting in God changes one’s whole outlook on life and one’s attitudes toward people and things. It all started when David returned to God and asked Him what he should do. And that is where it starts for us as well.

A thought from Lorie:

Several years ago our family took a trip and part of it was to visit the Mall of America in Minnesota.  The guys had an appointment somewhere else, so they dropped we girls off, then returned for us later in the day.  The problem with that is that after finding us, they couldn’t remember where they parked the car.  A borrowed car.  A car with Minnesota plates parked in a Minnesota parking lot.  A parking lot that holds over 12, 000 cars.  TWELVE THOUSAND.

What to do?  We returned to where they had entered the mall.  From there, we (very thankfully) found the car and headed back to where we were staying.

This, my Christian friends, is exactly what we need to do when we have gotten off track with God—in whatever way it happened.  Stopped going to church?  Go!  Allow no excuses to get in the way!  Stopped having devotions every day?  Make it the #1 priority in your day:  get up, go to the bathroom, read your Bible!  Started using coarse language?  Replace it with praise to God, words of gratitude, and Bible verses.  Had a falling out with a Christian friend?  Go to them, confess your sin, ask for forgiveness, pray together, spend time together in a Bible study. . . BE a friend (according to what the Bible says a friend is/does).

Has the Holy Spirit nudged your heart in some way?  Deal with it right this very second.  We simply CANNOT be on the outs with God for even one second!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 2:1-11

“After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6 Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.”

Something to Think About:

After waiting on the Lord for many years, after faithfully trusting God—as well as disobeying Him—God finally led David to begin his reign over Judah, the southernmost tribe of Israel. It was a long process, but God was superintending it each step of the way. God had many lessons for David to learn before he became king over God’s people. God’s will is always perfect.

Where do you think you’ll be in ten years? The answer, of course, is that like David, if we want to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ, we’ll still be waiting on Him. The process of faith and growth will still be continuing. It is exciting to consider what opportunities God may have in store for us, if we do as David did: “David inquired of the Lord” (verse 10).

Notice David’s attitude toward the death of Saul. In chapter one of II Samuel, David mourned over Saul and Jonathan and composed a song in their honor. What a gracious spirit David has toward the man who for years hunted him like an animal in the wilderness! This gracious attitude is the result of David’s recognition of God’s plan for his life. He does not gloat or rejoice in the death of his enemy, but rather he sorrows that Saul has fallen. This, incidentally, is the same kind of attitude that believers are to have, according to Galatians 6:1-2, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” 

Where are you in relation to God’s will for your life? Are you in the center of His plan, on the fringe, or a long way outside? Why not return to the Lord and inquire of Him today?

A thought from Lorie:

Part of this passage describes David sending a messenger to the people who showed respect to Saul by taking care of his body.  As Pastor Brown said, this shows class on David’s part—as well as a good heart that pleased the Lord.

Nowadays, there are quite a number of ways we can show appreciation to someone and acknowledge that something they said or did was a blessing to us.  We can phone them, text them, message them, email them, write a note and drop it in the mail, and yes, like David, we can send a message through another person.  The point is, are we doing it?  Are we sacrificing the time and effort to express gratitude, to be an encouragement, to let someone know they’ve been a blessing?  Do we not greatly appreciate it when someone does this for us?  Doesn’t a sincere compliment or expression of gratitude make us want to try harder and do even better next time?   Perhaps developing a card ministry (or a text ministry or an in-person visit ministry) is something YOU could do to bring God honor and glory AND encourage and edify your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Is God, even now, laying one or more people on your heart to contact?  Inquire of the Lord!  See where He leads.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 3:1-5

“There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. 2 And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3 and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4 and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5 and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.”

Something to Think About:

Notice that while David was made king over the tribe of Judah in Hebron (2:4), Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, was king over the other eleven tribes of Israel. In our passage for today, we see that while God had given David blessings, had granted him success, and had given him the beginning of his kingdom, the outcome is not yet in final form. There will never be any point in our Christian life when we will be mature enough to stop trusting and obeying God. We must always depend on Him for the victory.

God gave David blessings in children as well (verse 20). Children are always a blessing from God, but observe that the Scripture record does not commend David for having multiple wives. Nowhere in the Bible does God ever say that having more than one mate is pleasing to Him. His plan from the very beginning has always been one husband, one wife. In fact, heart-rending and fatal conflicts of sin and jealousy arose in later years in David’s family as the result of his failure in his home. Apparently, David simply was not sensitive to God’s will in this area. And these problems affected not only David’s family, but also the whole nation of Israel.

May God help us to be sensitive to Him in every area of life and to be alert to problems in our homes before they develop into ongoing patterns of sin.

A thought from Lorie:

Several years ago my sister-in-law presented devotions based on how God had worked in her life (and continued to work in her life).  She organized the biographical presentation as a “book”, with different parts of her life being different chapters.  I thought that this was pretty clever and spent some time considering the “chapters” of my life:  the years of childhood, the years as a teenager, before and after my salvation, before and after getting serious about living for Christ, and of course, marriage, children, etc. 

What was the “glue” that held Debbie’s story together—or mine?  God!  God’s grace that was guiding our lives from before the foundation of the world, through our birth (to whom, when, and where), to the day we trusted in Christ as Savior, to today.  Right this very second.  God has guided and directed every single second.  And while no Christian who is being honest will say that they, in and of themselves, were able to do anything good or worthy of praise, we should ALL be fully aware that GOD can do anything.  It is God Who gives us exactly what we need from moment to moment to please Him and glorify Him—whether standing before a bunch of ladies giving our testimony or scrubbing that gnarly toilet yet one more time.

Praise God for the chapters of your life completed—and thank Him for His perfect plan moving ahead!  He is utterly faithful and trustworthy.  He is the Good Shepherd Who is right next to us all the days of our lives.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, April 11, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 3:12-29

“And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.” 13 And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.

17 And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18 Now then bring it about, for the Lord has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’” 19 Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do.

20 When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21 And Abner said to David, “I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

22 Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.” 24 Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone? 25 You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

26 When Joab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it. 27 And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 28 Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!” 30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.”

Something to Think About:

God has finally worked through Abner, a former enemy of David, to bring David to the throne of Israel. Abner, who had been Ish-bosheth’s chief-of-staff, now starts bringing all the tribes of Israel into line behind David’s leadership. In the course of doing this, he is murdered by Joab, one of David’s commanders. (For the background of the story, read II Samuel 2:12-29.)

One of David’s most remarkable traits was his concern for people. Having been a warrior from his teenage years, he undoubtedly witnessed and participated in a great deal of bloodshed. But he still values human life and he values people around him. Similar to chapter one of II Samuel, when Saul and Jonathon died, David in verse 39, expresses grief at the death of Abner: “I am weak today, though anointed king.”

Though many of our problems are caused by people, yet many of God’s blessings also come through people. Never did David become so self-absorbed as to fail to value friendship and the people around him, except in the case of his sin with Bathsheba. Are you grateful to the Lord for the people He has put in your life—those that are hard to get along with as well as your friends? Don’t forget that God works through people to challenge, bless, and test you.

A thought from Lorie:

The subject of people who have hurt us is definitely not a pleasant one to contemplate for long.  In fact, it’s way too easy to begin thinking about a past hurt and find ourselves getting sad all over again (or angry!). 

Choosing to NOT think about it seldom works, but refocusing our thoughts biblically will.  Rather than dwelling on the circumstances and details of past pain, how about thanking God for the lessons He taught you as a result of that unpleasant time?  Did He show you the blessing of choosing to have compassion instead of instant judgment?  Did He remind you to not let every thought in your head spill out of your mouth, instead choosing to use your words to build up and encourage? Did He teach you how to have patience with others, remembering those who have shown you patience? The importance of refusing to join in gossip?

There are a million “good” things that can result from pain imposed on us from other people!  Some of them are lessons on what NOT to do, some of them are lessons on what TO DO (that is God honoring and biblical responses and attitudes), some are lessons on how God upholds us and sustains us—whether the pain was brought about from our own wrong behavior or was “given to us” unjustly.  Ultimately, it’s helpful to remember that only God is perfect and ALWAYS acts righteously, fairly, and with mercy and grace.  In this time period, in these bodies that still have a sin nature, people WILL fail and fall.

Lastly, let’s use our own past pain experiences to help us to choose to never treat others in the same way we’ve been hurt.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, April 12, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 4:1-12

“When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth (for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin; 3 the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day).

4 Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6 And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night, 8 and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” 12 And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.”

Something to Think About:

The two commanders in today’s passage sensed which way the political winds in Israel were blowing and thought they knew how they could earn points with the new king. Bringing in the head of Ish-bosheth, David’s rival, would surely get them appointed to some favorable position in court. They thought he wanted vengeance (verse 8).

But they misjudged David. He was not concerned with vengeance. He had learned this lesson from the Lord during his wilderness years: vengeance is the province of God alone. What is of greater concern to David is justice and righteousness. David established a reputation for himself from the very beginning that he would be a man of justice. No doubt word soon got around that the new king was less than pleased with the gift of Ish-bosheth’s head.

How about you? Do you have a reputation of a person who is able to live above personal rivalry and intrigue? Or would people think they were doing you a favor by stabbing someone else in the back? Our concern is not with revenge; that is God’s job. Our job is to live righteously before Him.

A thought from Lorie:

Have you ever been judged by someone simply because someone assumed they knew what you were thinking (without asking you first)?  Or perhaps you “knew” someone was a certain way because of something someone else told you about them—or even from something you thought you saw from a distance?  What a dangerous game to play!  The only real way we can know what someone thinks about something is to ask THEM.  And even then, we need to let them explain without coming to the conversations with preconceptions about what they did, thought, or said—and definitely not about what their motivations were.  Only God can see the heart!

Have you ever noticed how people sometimes say things about God that are untrue?  They may claim He is unfair, that He is “out to get” them, that He is incapable of fixing some difficult situation.  The solution to misconceptions about God is the same one for humans:  go and ask.  How do we do that with God?  By opening His Word, the Bible.  The Bible is a history book, a book about the future, a guide to how to become a forever child of God, an instruction book as to how to live as a Christian, AND a book that tells us all we need to know about Who God is, what’s important to Him, what He likes and dislikes, what pleases and displeases Him, and what His character is like.  The pages of Scripture tell us that God is NEVER unfair, that He not only isn’t out to get anyone, but that it is His desire that every person trust in His Son as their Savior, and that His power, knowledge, and ability are unmeasurable in their greatness.  In fact, there is nothing to condemn in God—and everything to praise and glorify! 

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, April 13, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 5:1-16

“Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. 12 And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

13 And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.”

Something to Think About:

This passage has four paragraphs. First is the official recognition of David as king over all Israel. God has sovereignty brought unity out of rivalry, and his people now have peace for the first time since the death of Joshua. Perhaps this is what David had in mind when he wrote Psalm 133: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

Verses 6-10 tell how David chose Jerusalem as his royal city and conquered the remaining Canaanite tribe that lived there, the Jebusites. (Incidentally, the water shaft [“gutter”] that is mentioned in verse 8 was discovered by British archaeologist Sir Charles Warren in the late 1860s. It has been excavated and you can walk through it today.)

In verses 11 and 12, we find David’s personal palace being constructed with help from Lebanon and his recognition of God’s blessing on his kingdom. In fact, each of the three sections we find the Lord as the Author of unique blessings upon David and upon Israel in every way. In verses 1-5, it is God Who appointed David to be shepherd to Israel and a covenant is ratified before the Lord. In verse 10 “David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.” And in verse 12, “David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel.” Truly “every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

It is interesting that the fourth paragraph (verses 13-16) mentions that David took more concubines, but it doesn’t mention the Lord’s blessing in relation to this.

How grateful we ought to be for God’s blessing on our lives in spite of ourselves!

A thought from Lorie:

Pastor Brown mentioned Psalm 133:1, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity,” and this reminded me of church business meetings and how some church business meetings in some places are horrible things to attend.  People who profess to love the Lord get angry and yell at each other or say awful things to one another.  This is not what God intends—ever.  God wants all that we do to be done in a spirit of love and kindness; preferring one another over ourselves. With that in mind, let’s chat for a minute about business meetings.

(The following information is how we at the First Baptist Church in North Conway, New Hampshire, conduct our meetings.  Your church procedure may vary.)

The Purpose: 

Our church business is conducted by congregational vote.  In order to find out what the “business” is, a meeting has to be called and members need to come.  Hint: if you are a member, you need to clear your schedule for business meetings.

The Procedure: 

The pastor is the moderator and keeps the meeting moving along smoothly.   He presents the items of business, encourages discussion, and accepts the votes of the members. 

The Rules: 

We use Roger’s Rules of Order as the basis for how a business meeting is to be officially run. 

1.  An item that needs to be decided on is introduced and explained by the moderator.  Almost all of our recommendations are from our pastor and deacons  (these are matters that have come to their attention and over which they have prayed, researched, and spent time discussing).

2.  Members are then free to ask questions until they understand what they are voting on.  (Please keep in mind that Scripture teaches that a church family should support a pastor’s recommendation unless there is VERY CLEAR Scripture to indicate otherwise).  Also, keep in mind that although we may all have an opinion about a topic, not ALL opinions need to be shared out loud.  If you have a CONVICTION, this is a different matter and it should be shared along with the Scripture you are basing your conviction on.

3. When enough discussion has taken place, a member must make a motion.  You say, “ I make a motion that we…”  accepting the recommendation, rejecting it, or modifying it.

4.  A different member must second the motion.  You say, “I second the motion.”

5. If someone wants to amend, change, or discard the first motion, they must do so before the question is called.  (The “question” is the moderator asking: “All in favor…”  This is the actual vote.).

6.  Once a motion is “on the floor” and has been seconded, any additional discussion must occur now.  Once someone “calls for the question,” no more debate is permitted.  

7.  Once the “call for the question” has been made, the moderator then asks, “All in favor say “aye” (which is Old English for “yes”).  “Those who are opposed by the same sign.”  (Meaning, you may say “aye” to oppose the recommendation at this point if you are not in favor of it. )  (PLEASE NOTE:  it seems only fair that if you plan to vote down a recommendation you say something when it is in the discussion phase.  Most problems can be fixed at that time.).

8.  Sometimes a motion cannot be decided right away because the discussion has re-directed the recommendation and it has to go back to the committee who worked on it previously for revamping.  This, too, should be handled before the question is called for.  A motion may be “tabled” at any time by making a “motion to table” and having it seconded.  This means the congregation will put off a decision on the matter until a later date.

9. This process continues until all the business has been voted on.

10. Generally there are two phases in meetings:  the old business and the new business.  The old business is anything that has been previously been brought up at a meeting, but wasn’t decided on or isn’t completed. Discussion might include requesting an update on a situation or a new recommendation to change an older decision.  

New business is anything that has not been discussed before.  If you have a question about something to do with your church, please try to ask your question in the appropriate time slot.  Furthermore, if you have a radical suggestion to make, it would be proper and polite to discuss it with the pastor BEFORE the meeting to give him time to think about it and pray about it.

May God be honored in our meetings, both in the decisions we make as a church family, and in our deportment in relation to one another.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, April 14, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 5:17-25

“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” 20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. 21 And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 25 And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.”

Something to Think About:

Today’s passage records two successful attacks led by David on the Philistines, the enemies of God’s people. Apparently the old flame of hatred and fear was revived in them when they heard David had been made king and they hoped to cripple Israel’s military capability by destroying David.

Notice how much David has matured. He does not impetuously rush into battle on his own: he first inquires of the Lord. Maturity is marked by greater dependence on God, not less. Evidently David’s army broke through the Philistine line, which is why David named the place Baal-perezim, “Lord of the break-through” (verse 20). How ironic that at the place where God helped Israel, the Philistine soldiers were forced to abandon their gods—idols—and run for their lives.

In the second battle, the Philistines had taken care to prevent a breakthrough of the kind that occurred previously. But with God on David’s side, there was never any question of the outcome. God gave detailed instructions about when to strike to obtain a victory.

What a blessed experience when we are in tune with God and listen to His instruction so that He may give us the victory! How foolish it is to face a battle without having asked Him what to do! And yet there are many records in the Word of God, as well as in our daily lives, of battles lost because we failed to inquire of the Lord. If you are facing a battle or difficult situation today, why not ask for God’s guidance and help right now?

A thought from Lorie:

Since today is Sunday, I will leave this space for you to note one or two things you learned from Sunday School or the services. 

In addition, perhaps you could jot down a time or two when you turned to God for wisdom and direction and how He helped and blessed you!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Monday, April 15, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 6:1-11

“David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.”

Something to Think About:

When David faced Goliath, he remembered a promise in the law of God from Deuteronomy 32, but in our reading for today, he has evidently forgotten God’s instructions from the law about how to move the ark of the covenant, that very special symbol of God’s presence with Israel. The law specified that the ark was to be carefully carried by Levites. But under David’s direction a new cart is supplied, either because the provisions of the law had been forgotten, or because the cart was more convenient.

The lesson here is that it is not enough to do God’s work, God’s work must be done God’s way. David’s motivation was correct—he wanted to worship and honor the Lord. His plan was good—he was moving the ark to a central, permanent location for worship. But he failed to move it the way God wanted it moved.

 Some believers make a similar mistake thinking that the gospel message can be combined with rock music – or that God is pleased by mixing the Bible with a worldly lifestyle. It is not so; nothing could be further from the truth. God’s great holiness and majesty demand that His work be carried out in a pure and holy way: His way.

When we fail in this area and mix the holiness of God with impure methods, God will bring us up short, as He did David. It is not that God does not want to bless us, it is simply that His blessing is conditioned upon our complete obedience. All that He requires of us is that we look into His Word to see how He wants us to do His work, then obey.

A thought from Lorie:

What do you suppose would happen if you totally disregard the instructions found in your cooking-for-beginners cookbook, assuming that whoever wrote them was trying to ruin your fun in learning to bake?  What if you simply threw a random amount of flour, about eleven eggs, and a good glop of baking powder into a bowl, scooped out a tablespoon of it, and placed it on a cookie sheet and into the oven at 350 degrees for 12-15  minutes?  Would you get the delicious chocolate-chip cookies you were hoping for?  What if you read the recipe and put in the exact amount of flour, sugar, baking powder, egg, and chocolate chips, but decided that 350 for 12-15 minutes was too slow, so you cranked the oven up to 500 and set the timer for 5 minutes?  You might have chocolate-chip cookies, but they wouldn’t be edible!

If that sounds foolish and unlikely, why or why would we EVER think we can live a victorious Christian life in every regard without doing exactly what God’s Word says?  Arrogance?  Foolishness?  A willful desire to do things on our own terms?

Did you know that God WANTS each and every one of us to be victorious?  Joyful?  Mature?  All we have to do is read His Word, trust that what He says is true, look to Him for understanding and strength, and obey it.  We may not be perfect, but we’ll be something better in God’s eyes:  faithful.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 6:12-23

“And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.

20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.”

Something to Think About:

God’s presence always brings blessing. When David heard that God was blessing Obed-edom, in whose house he had left the Ark of the Covenant, David wanted that blessing also. There is nothing wrong with wanting God’s blessing. In fact, it is our recognition of this most basic need that often spurs spiritual growth. We will admit our need and crave God’s word and will and work in our hearts. (“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.” Psalm 42:1)

This time David moved the ark the right way. Full of joy, his heart and mind focused on the Lord, David and all his people brought the ark into Jerusalem. Verse 14 says he danced before the Lord. Whatever this may have been (I Chronicles 15:29 says “leaping”), we may be sure it did not involve anything inappropriate or sinful.

Evidently this was one of the high points of David’s life. He has assembled hundreds of Levites, thousands of musicians, and multitudes of Israelites. They were all worshiping the Lord together, rejoicing in His goodness and greatness, and praising Him.

How sad that all that Michal, David’s wife, could think of, was that David had humbled himself and associated with common servants. Notice that she is called Michal, the daughter of Saul, rather than David’s wife in verse 20. This is because she imitated her father’s concern for popularity when she spoke these foolish words.

Real religion involves a humility before the Lord as well as real rejoicing in Him: David had it right. Do you?

A thought from Lorie:

One of the things I really struggle with is God’s people CHOOSING to miss services, fellowships, Bible studies, and other occasions when God’s people are coming together to worship Him, learn about Him, encourage each other, and otherwise rejoice as God’s children WITH God’s children.

I fear that Christians (at least those in the United States) too often feel like as long as they meet some sort of minimum attendance expectation, they are doing well.  Shouldn’t church attendance be more of a “get to” rather than a “have to”?

And though it may sound like I am sitting in church services judging those who aren’t there, but could be, that’s not what I’m thinking at all.  My thoughts are mostly about sadness—sadness for what my brothers and sisters in Christ have forfeited by not coming—and any blessings missed out by my brothers and sisters in Christ because of those who didn’t come.  Oh, for sure, there are many, many legitimate reasons why we may need to miss some things here and there, but I guess in the end, we’ll all have to stand before the Lord individually to tell Him why we did what we did—which she be a motivation for all of us to do our very best for the Lord each and every day He gives us here on earth.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 7:1-17

“Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.”

Something to Think About:

Picture this in your mind: your life is a pathway through the forest, with sharp turns every few yards among the tree-trunks. Although we can’t see Him, we know that God, our heavenly Father, stands just around some turn, waiting with a smile on His face, His heart filled with love for us, His arms filled with beautiful gifts and rich blessings – all for us. He stands waiting, patiently waiting for the moment when our hearts are finally willing to do His will completely, when our eyes are focused on His face, when our ears are tuned to His voice. He waits for the moment when we finally tell Him that we love Him more than we love ourselves, so that He can step out of the shadows and surprise us with His grace.

This is the wonderful picture we have in our text for today. Never is David a more spiritual man than when he wants to do something special for God. And God sent word that though this specific task was not for him, He had something even more wonderful in mind for David. God would establish an everlasting covenant with David: the throne of Israel would forever belong to his house. This is the way God works. His blessings far outstrip our highest aspirations, if only we love Him most (Luke 16:28-30).

Truly God is the God of all grace! What wonderful blessings He has in store for you today, if you are willing to do His will, and to put Him first!

A thought from Lorie:

Can you think of any examples of this in your own life and/or the lives of some of your friends and family?

One concrete example for me came when I was still a teenager.  I graduated from high school at 17 and immediately entered the work world, becoming a nurse’s aid on the cardiac floor of the hospital.  Along with needing to learn a lot of things about my new job came needing to learn a lot of things about working closely with a lot of unsaved folks!  I got a bit off track for a short while, but God never leaves or forsakes His children, and He gave me no peace until I returned to a right relationship with Him.  Choosing to put Him first led first and foremost to peace in my heart and mind, but next to service opportunities in my church, a friendship with a godly lady (which friendship I hold precious to this very day), and eventually to meeting a godly young man and becoming his wife and partner in the full-time ministry God called him to! 

Your turn!  What do you want to share?  What’s your testimony of praise to the Lord today?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, April 18, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 7:18-29

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

Something to Think About:

How good it is simply to “sit before the Lord” as David did! If we only would concentrate more on our thankfulness to God and less on ourselves, what tremendous spiritual growth could take place in our lives!

Notice how humble David is. Humility and gratitude go hand-in-hand. David is all taken up with the glory of God and the praise of His Name. He acknowledges God’s sovereignty, His redemption of Israel, and his goal is that God’s “name may be magnified forever.”

Have you lost something of your sense of purpose and direction in life? Have you forgotten what it is to be a zealous Christian? Why not “sit before the Lord” for a while today, and thank Him for His work in your life? For the fact that He knows you (verse 20); that He has let you know Him (verse 21), that there is no one like Him (verse 22); and that He has redeemed you from all bondage and sin (verse 23).

When we focus on our gratitude to God, he helps us focus on His purpose for us, so then we may ask Him to glorify His Name through us, that others will know that He is our God (verse 26).

A thought from Lorie:

Sounded like an assignment in the “Something to Think About”!

-List some of the ways God has worked in your life (try to list at least 3):

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-What does God know about you—and how is this a help to you?:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name at least 3 things that you know about God, specifically how these things make Him unique:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Consider a few areas God has released you from bondage and sin since your salvation:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Give God a few minutes of your day to thank Him for the items on the lists above!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, April 19, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 8:1-15

“After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12 from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.”

Something to Think About:

The kingdom of Israel under David (and under Solomon, his son), is sometimes called “the Golden Age” of Israel. You can see why in the verses for today.  Whatever David set out to do, God blessed.

This passage reveals more about David’s character than we might think. They are more than a mere catalog of military conquests. First, note that David obeyed God in conquering the nations around Israel. While it may seem harsh to us, God has commanded the destruction of many tribes and nations surrounding Israel. The reality of the situation was that these people were steeped in incredible depths of sin and God judged their continued terrible sin through David’s military campaigns.

But notice second what David did in verse 4. He hamstrung the chariot horses, all but 100. In a day when the premier military weapon was the chariot, David was proving that his confidence was not in his armed forces, but in his God. David wrote in Psalm 20:7, “Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.” Success after military success, he faithfully trusted God, recognizing “the Lord helped David wherever he went” (verse 6).

Where is your trust today? What are you counting on to help you get through today? Whatever it is, if it’s not the Lord, it will let you down. Only He will never leave you nor forsake you.

A thought from Lorie:

Can you look back on the history of your life and find a “golden age” of your own?  I don’t mean a time when you defeated 18,000 of God’s enemies (that kind of thing is frowned on in our country!), I mean a period of time when you were totally committed to God, growing by leaps and bounds, and enjoying great peace and joy because your walk with God was exactly what it should be.

Perhaps that describes your life right now.  Hang on to that!  Don’t let satan lie to you and tell you that you’ll slip up and fall back into some past sin (as if that’s is inevitable or expected)!  Keep on doing what you are doing to trust and obey the Good Shepherd—and do it with even more excellence as you see opportunities to love more deeply, to trust more fully.

If your “golden age” is in the past, what made that time in your life special?  What changed?  What could you change in your current habits to bring back some of that “light”?  Change up what you’re doing for devotions (or return to doing daily devotions if you stopped)?  Arrange a more scheduled and focused daily prayer time?  Start attending ALL the services your church holds?  Perhaps it’s a bit more of cutting out some things that don’t belong.  Things like less-than-edifying internet surfing, movie viewing, book reading, or music listening.  Maybe you’re being influenced by the friends you hang out with (whether in person or online).  Do you have some ongoing sin that you need to confess to God and get rid of?  A feud with another believer that needs to be made right? Maybe you simply need to go to bed a bit earlier and/or not sleep in so late.

I will remind you (and me!) that God WANTS us to be victorious—and that He provides absolutely everything we need to enjoy a delightful walk with Him every day and for all our days.  We are the ones who are making our lives less than they could be.  Prayerfully consider where you are with the Lord and if the Holy Spirit is prompting you to make any changes.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, April 20, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 9:1-13

“And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.”

Something to Think About:

David was a man who kept his word. He had promised Saul a long time before that he would not destroy all of Saul’s descendants (I Samuel 24:21-22). So David finds Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan, to show kindness to him. Notice that this is all there is to David’s motivation. There is nothing to be gained politically by being compassionate to a grandson of Saul. David simply decided “to show the kindness of God” to Mephibosheth.

This phrase “the kindness of God” is the key to understanding David’s actions toward the descendent of his former enemy in this chapter. He had no obligation to do this. Mephibosheth didn’t ask David for help; David sought out Mephibosheth. He had nothing to offer in return for David’s gift of kindness. It was simply that—a gift.

What a wonderful picture of God’s love this is! Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” This is the character trait that David was evidencing—grace, unmerited love. And because “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), we can now demonstrate God’s kindness, His grace to others.

God has been gracious to you. Are you showing His grace to others? Why not ask Him right now to help you to demonstrate His grace to people around you? Keep your eyes open today for those who don’t deserve your kindness, and look for ways to show them the love of Christ.

A thought from Lorie:

Have you ever considered making a list of all the people in your church so that you could pray for them and so that you could consider how you might show the kindness of God to them?  I am occasionally given one of those super pretty notebooks with Scripture on the cover that I’m never quite sure what to do with (because I’m forever trying to think of something that’s “good enough” to use it for).  This would be a GREAT use for a special notebook (though if you’ve got a system that works better for you—go for it!).

Besides the list of people, perhaps it would be helpful to make a list of potential ways you could be a blessing.  Pinterest is actually a tremendous resource for ideas of all kinds, but another closer-to-home resource might simply be what things people have done for you over the years that were a blessing to you.  I’ll get you started, but before you begin to feel overwhelmed, remember that one of the greatest “kindnesses” we can do for anyone  – is to pray for them AND tell them that you did.  Free, easy, and immeasurably powerful because of the One Who hears and answers our prayers!

-Write a note (handwritten or electronic, whatever fits that person the best).  There are a million things that you might say, but simply stating that God brought them to your mind that day, so you prayed for them, is enough to lighten a heart for days and days!

-Take the time out of your busy agenda to hold still for a few minutes and just talk to them.  As a pastor’s wife, I often have a million things to do and people to see on any given Sunday, but it can be a bit discourteous of any of us to dash by one person so as to get to a different one.  And as much as we all have our favorites, make it a point to talk to a few different people at every service.

-Consider a small gift to someone who could use a friend from time to time.  It doesn’t have to be expensive or impressive, the most humble gift tied with a jaunty bow becomes a huge demonstration of love.

-Making a meal or a dessert anyway?  How about doubling the recipe and praying about who might be blessed by your spare? 

-And last for today’s list (but NOT the least), give the gift of Scripture.  There are oodles of sources for pretty printed Bible verses to give to other people (the Dollar Tree actually has a lot of things with Bible verses on it), but simply jotting a Bible verse down on a post-it note to share with someone can be a huge bright spot in their day.  When something from God’s Word blesses you, share it with someone else.  THAT’S a wonderful example of showing others the kindness of God!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, April 21, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 11:1-25

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

6 So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 

12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. 19 And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, 20 then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

Something to Think About:

How could it be that only a few short chapters after God’s amazing promise to David of an everlasting covenant, David has now fallen into deep sin: adultery and murder? David has been characterized by personal integrity, holiness, and a high regard for human life. How could all these traits be wiped out in a moment?

James 1:14-15 tells us that every sin has a process beginning with temptation and ending, ultimately, in death. There is a cause for David’s sin. Notice in verse 1 that “David stayed at Jerusalem.” We are not told the reason for this. Perhaps David thought he deserved a break. Perhaps he thought his commanders could handle it without him. Whatever the reason, David apparently opened himself up to temptation by neglecting his duty. He was not fulfilling God’s commission to him (II Samuel 5:2), and this made him vulnerable to temptation. Anyone out of step with the Lord’s will is vulnerable.

David’s sin of adultery shows two things. First, no one is immune to temptation. The moment we think we have achieved final victory over sin is the moment before a big fall. Victory over sin is possible—but only as we abide, moment by moment, in Christ.

Second, sin always seeks to generate a pattern in our lives. We have seen this before in David, when he fled to Philistine territory out of God’s will. One sin leads to another. Don’t think that you can play with sin and get away with it. Sin is not a toy; it is a grenade waiting to go off in your hand.

A thought from Lorie:

Since today is Sunday, I will leave this space for you to note one or two things you learned from Sunday School or the services. 

In addition, perhaps you could jot down a time or two when you turned to God for help to NOT sin and how He helped and blessed you!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Monday, April 22, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 12:1-14

“And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 

13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”

Something to Think About:

This chapter is surely one of the most dramatic and moving in the entire Bible. Nathan’s story, recalling David’s childhood as a shepherd-boy, David’s response, and the sharp truth of God’s righteousness stands out very clearly in this passage.

It begins with God’s challenge to David’s sin through the prophet Nathan. This challenge, incidentally, is a sign of God’s love (Hebrews 12:4-13). How thankful we should be that God disciplines us when we sin! David was shaken to his spiritual knees when he finally recognized what terrible sins he had committed against God.

“I have sinned against the Lord,” David says in verse 13. What a simple statement; this is all that is meant by confession. To confess is to admit to God that we have sinned; not to cover it up, call it a mistake, or to blame it on someone else; but just to say, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

There are two kinds of results of sin. One is guilt; the other is consequences. Nathan assures David that his guilt has been cleared in God’s eyes. But sin always has consequences. Some are the natural outcome of events set in motion by our sin. Other consequences are those reverberations that occur when a life is brought back into alignment with God’s will and holiness. This realignment can sometimes be painful, just as it was for David. But it is always necessary if we are to have the joy of fellowship with our Savior again.

Thank God for His forgiveness through our Lord Jesus Christ!

A thought from Lorie:

When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us—and then He cleanses us from all sins that stand between Him and us at that moment (I John 1:9).  What a JOY!  What a RELIEF!

But then what?  Should we punish ourselves in some way to show our regret and sorrow?  Do we need to forgive ourselves?  No, neither of these behaviors are biblical, necessary, or pleasing to God.  Sure, it would be an awful shame if we didn’t learn our lesson and decided to willfully commit the same sin all over again!  But to do some sort of penance or punish ourselves in some way is actually a slap to God’s face.  It’s saying that His forgiveness isn’t enough! 

Here’s something that might help to remember:  Jesus died on the cross in order to bear the punishment for all our sin—past, present, and future.  God accepted this payment and no sin we will ever do will be held against us. It’s been paid in full and our standing with God is right NO MATTER WHAT (all because of the work on the cross of Jesus Christ).  BUT, as Pastor Brown said, sin often brings consequences.  I knew of a man in the church I grew up in who got saved as an adult and lived faithfully for God the rest of his life, but who didn’t live very long due to destroying his liver from alcoholism.  There were consequences to his sin. 

It’s up to us to bear any consequences of our sin with grace, and as I said, learn from them, and honor God and thank God whatever the day might bring.  There’s another aspect, however, that Pastor Brown also mentioned and that is that God disciplines His children out of love. It’s important to know, though, that God doesn’t discipline His children because of our sin (as we might do as parents to our naughty kids).  No, His discipline is to help us mature spiritually; to aid in transforming us into the image of His Son.  His discipline, in fact,  DEMONSTRATES His love for us!  Discipline is something the child of God should thank God for.

Keeping a clear record with God is super important for all Christians. In fact, we would be wise to confess sin the moment we realize we did it and to end every single day asking for forgiveness for any and all sins committed that day.  The more we do that, the more likely we are to recognize when we’ve gotten off course so that we can confess it and restore the blessed relationship that God wants to have with ALL His children.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read Psalm 51

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

1 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.”

Something to Think About:

Notice first of all, the title. David wrote this psalm around the time that God was dealing with him concerning his sin. The previous two days’ readings give the background for this psalm.

In the first two verses David summarizes his thoughts: this is a heart-cry for mercy and grace, for the Lord’s cleansing of sin. He continues in verses 3-5 to describe his guilt. He knows his sin, the weight of its guilt is always on him. He is thoroughly sinful, even “conceived in sin” (verse 5). Acknowledging that sin is a heart problem with God, he says in verse 4, “Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.”

Verses 6-9 form the first half of his request for cleansing. Note the verbs he uses in this section: “Purify me … wash me … blot out my iniquities …” David paints the picture of one who is desperately in need of forgiveness—as we all are; and he turns to the only One Who can truly give forgiveness.

Significant in the second half of this request for cleansing is verse 12, “Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation.” Remember that at least nine months had gone by since David’s first sin with Bathsheba. He had lost his joy and perhaps did not even know it was gone; now he recognizes his lack and cries out to the Lord for restoration.

In verses 14-19 David concludes by speaking of what really counts with God. It is not external ritual that pleases God (verse 16) but rather “a broken and contrite heart.” What God desires in us is sensitivity to Him.

A thought from Lorie:

Oh, how we need to stay away from things that are a temptation to sin!  For sure, there are times when temptations are thrust on us seemingly out of nowhere, but if we’re honest, the majority of the trouble we get into is of our own making.

How might we avoid temptation?  I’ll give you an example from my own life.  I’ve found, over time, that I can get really frustrated and angry when I’m in crowds of people who are selfish, unkind, impatient, and arrogant—say most all shopping experiences at Walmart!  =)

Now, you would be right to say, “Lorie, don’t let those people get under your skin.  In fact, smile and show them the love of God by expression, word, and deed.”  And you would be 100% right to advise that.  This IS the God honoring response to such a situation. 

If I find myself in a situation like this, I need to honor God and shine the light of Christ in who I am and what I do, for sure!  However, wouldn’t it also be valid to avoid that situation if I can?  How?  I do my grocery shopping at 6am when Walmart opens.  The store is almost never crowded at that time—and the people who are there are doing what I’m doing; getting their food and getting out of there.  By the way, another benefit of shopping at this time (rather than during extra crowded times) is that I have come to know quite a few of the overnight workers and vendors, which has given me a chance to talk about the Lord here and there.  Another huge benefit to me is that I’m back home quite early and can then carry on with my workload for the day.

This is something that works for me to avoid the sin of frustration, anger, and sorrow over the sad state of people without Christ. 

Another tip that I have used many times over the years is a tip I received at a Weight Watchers meeting about a thousand years ago.  They suggested that you plan ahead for events where you might be tempted to overeat (such as a church dinner!).  Some suggestions were to eat something healthy before leaving home (so you weren’t starving when you are there) and to NOT stand next to the food items that tempt you the most, instead putting food on your plate, then sitting far away from the table.  This same basic planning-ahead strategy could be helpful for all sorts of areas of temptation a Christian might have.  There’s even a Bible verse that addresses it, “Make no provision for the flesh” (Romans 13:14).  In other words, stay away from what is likely to tempt you to sin.

Of course, the biggest “tip” of all is to bathe all you say and do in prayer, relying on God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to help you say “Yes!” to God’s way and “No!” to all that is offensive to Him.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 15:1-31

“After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” 3 Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” 4 Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” 5 And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

7 And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron. 8 For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’” 9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10 But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” 11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing. 12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.

13 And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. 17 And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house.

18 And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king. 19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” 21 But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” 22 And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. 23 And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.

24 And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. 26 But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went. 31 And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

Something to Think About:

In this passage, some of the problems of David’s family life begin to bear fruit. Absalom, some time previous to this chapter, had murdered Amnon, his half-brother. David seems not only to have begun the pattern of having more than one wife, but he compounded it by not disciplining his children’s sins. Now Absalom is in full rebellion against his father King David, and David is forced to flee Jerusalem. Many of the problems we face are the self-inflicted results of sin.

However, David does show positive characteristics during this time of fear and heartache. He is concerned for the city of Jerusalem, perhaps even more than his own safety (verse 14). Observe that David is ready for the Lord to do His will in his life; he is prepared for whatever God wants (verses 25-26).

He is also a man of prayer. In verse 31, he prays especially that the advice of Ahithophel will be thwarted. When we are on the Lord’s side, His enemies are ours, and we may pray as David did: that God would make the counsel of His enemies to be foolishness. When we are facing God’s enemies, He stands ready to help. We need not be fearful; we may pray for God’s mighty intervention on behalf of His purpose and glory.

A thought from Lorie:

Have you ever considered that some prayers by well-meaning believers aren’t accurate biblically?  First and foremost, we should take tremendous comfort in knowing that however feeble, poorly worded, or confusing our words might be, God not only knows our heart, but He always gives the right answers, the right way, and in the right timing.  Just knowing this can help us when we’re pouring out our hearts to God.

So, what, then, do I mean that not all prayers may not be biblically accurate?  Well, if we know God’s will in some area (because the Bible tells us specifically what it is), we probably shouldn’t be praying for something that goes against it.  One example would be praying for God to bless a fellow Christian who has chosen to continue in known sin and rebellion against God.  God may love that person, but He will not bless them (He wants them to confess their sin and get right with Him!). 

Another kind of broad category is dictating to God what He should do in some specific situation.  We can sure share with God what our heart’s desire to have happen might be, but in the end, the more accurate prayer would be “Your will be done.”

Should we be hesitant to pray lest our prayers are “wrong”?  Never!  God wants to hear from us!  I’m simply suggesting that as we read the Bible and come to know more of what God wants and what pleases Him, that our prayers should reflect this.  Prayer, like everything else in life, is something we can get better at the more we do it.  But again, never forget that God knows our heart—and what matters is that we are praying with a desire to please Him, honor Him, and be a blessing to others.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, April 25, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 21:1-14

“Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” 4 The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” 5 They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6 let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. 11 When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.”

Something to Think About:

This is a strange passage, and it can be difficult to understand what is going on here. The underlying principle is that sin must be dealt with. Notice that when God’s people fail to deal with the sin of the individual, then God must deal with the whole group; the whole group becomes guilty in God’s eyes. This is what happened in Joshua chapter seven. In verse one of that chapter, even though only Achan had disobeyed God, it says “the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully.” Sin, unchecked and unconfessed, never affects only one person.

How God hates sin! The three-year famine that Israel experiences was the direct result of Saul’s sin in killing many of the Gibeonites, violating the vow that Israel had made to them (Joshua 9:15). If only we might remember God’s holy hatred of sin, and the terrible consequences sin always has, not only of us, but also for the people around us.

David sought the presence of the Lord. When God sends someone to get our attention, it is good to turn to Him first. This is a lesson David has learned over the years. Then David is willing to do whatever is necessary in obedience to God’s law to be in the place of God’s blessing. This attitude of humility and eagerness to obey God is typical of the sincerely repentant child of God (Luke 15:18-19).

How about you? What is your attitude toward sin today? Why not ask God right now to give you His holy hatred of all sin and to help you obey Him, no matter what the cost.

A thought from Lorie:

I grew up in a household of five siblings who were all quite close in age.  I will tell you that, when accused of something, NO ONE wanted to take the blame!  I’m not sure I can remember an occasion when someone, upon being asked “Who did it?”, confessed quickly and freely. To this day, it kind of blows my mind when someone meekly and willingly confesses their guilt in some situation.  I’m impressed by this, because it isn’t really how I grew up.

I think, too, of the reaction of my own children when they were being disciplined.  Some refused to give in to tears, while others released a torrent of tears if you simply looked at them sternly!

What sort of child of God should you and I be?  The sort who is SUPER sensitive to being guilty of even the smallest amount of wrongdoing.  The sort who willingly, quickly, and brokenheartedly confesses wrong thoughts, actions, and words—and makes it right with God and with anyone we have wronged or hurt.  The sort who would rather be taken advantage of and neglected rather than taking advantage of someone else in any way for any reason.  The sort that asks the Father for help every single morning to live a life that day that pleases and honors Him and who confesses any known sin every night before bed.  The sort who places extremely high value on living as Christlike as possible; who DELIGHTS in pleasing the Father and being a blessing and encouragement to others.  The sort who quickly and thoroughly does what it takes to obey God whatever the cost.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, April 26, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 22:1-14

“And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water. 13 Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth. 14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.”

Something to Think About:

Notice three aspects of this compilation of some of David’s psalms: first, David’s actions; next, description of God; and third, God’s actions.

David, throughout this song, sees himself as dependent on God. In verse 3, he “takes refuge in God.” If there is one truth that is crucial to learn in the Christian life, it is that we are dependent upon God. David calls upon the Lord in verse 4 and in verse 7. He cried to God for help in verse 7. This is a simple lesson, and yet one that often takes a lifetime to learn. Society teaches us—and we have an inborn tendency—to depend upon ourselves, to assert our own independence. But the first class of the Christian life, and the last, is to trust in Christ as our Strength and Supply for every need.

God is given several titles and descriptions in the psalm: Rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold, and refuge (verses 2-3).  All these words speak of His absolute reliability and steadfastness. He alone can be called “my Savior” (verse 3). He alone is “worthy to be praised.” David had experienced God’s reliability and faithfulness during his years in the wilderness and during the time his kingdom was being established. It is most appropriate for us to praise God for His faithfulness and grace to us (Psalm 147:1).

God’s actions are also interesting in these verses. In verse 3, He is the One Who saves from violence. In verse 7, “He heard my voice.” Praise the Lord, He hears us when we pray! Verses 8-14 detail in poetic language God’s response to our cry for help. Who but God would bow the heavens and appear on the wings of the wind to help one of His children?

A thought from Lorie:

It’s been a while since I challenged you to write your own song of praise to God, so here it is:  re-read this psalm (there’s more to it in your Bible) or read a few others, then in your own words write out some areas that impress you, humble you, and cause you to feel incredibly grateful about God the Father.  It doesn’t have to rhyme or appear even remotely like a poem, it can be a simple letter from a beloved child to their Father in Heaven. Just speak from the heart. Give it a try!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, April 27, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 23:1-7

“Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: 2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, 4 he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 5 “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? 6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand; 7 but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire.”

Something to Think About:

The first seven verses of this chapter record the last words of King David, evidently as he lay on his deathbed. How could he summarize a lifetime such as he had? What would be on his mind? What would stand out and be most important to him?

In verses 2 and 3, he mentions the fact that God had spoken through him. To be used by God as His instrument for truth is truly one of the greatest privileges in life. While He no longer reveals new truth, God is still in the business of using His people as vessels for His Word.

Next, David talks about God’s revelation to him concerning the nature of leadership in verses 3 and 4. The one who rules righteously, according to God’s standards, has a special place of blessing and usefulness. To rule “in the fear of God” is the key. Recognizing God’s great power and His right to rule our lives will help us to have a godly influence on other’s lives.

Lastly, David contrasts the Lord’s salvation, blessing, and righteousness in his life with the wicked and their destruction. His greatest delight was not in deeds of warfare; David’s chief joy was in praising God for His power and goodness as we see here. He revels in God’s everlasting covenant, his security in the Lord, and in God’s promise of growth. Opposing this is the end of those who are “worthless;” they will be burned.

If you were given the opportunity today, knowing that your life on earth was to be finished tonight, what would your last words be? What would you consider to be the greatest event or principle of your life?

A thought from Lorie:

So, a pretty serious thought question at the end there!  What do you think?  Are you up for the challenge?

Personally, I think that a lot of us might first and foremost consider what we wanted to say to our family members and those who are close to us.  But thinking a bit deeper about that, wouldn’t what we want people to know who we care about what an amazing God we served?  How He arranged millions and millions of things to make our lives possible?  Bringing about millions and millions of details to lead us, direct us, teach us, bless us, and help us grow to be more like His Son and mature spiritually?

In the end, how could we POSSIBLY say anything significant and life-changing WITHOUT talking about God and His mercy, grace, wisdom, and love in every single sentence!  I just saw a meme in the last day or so that said something about the decades and decades it took for that sycamore tree to grow for Zacchaeus to climb that day he saw our Lord.  Just staggering think about things like that—and how this same God is our Father, our Shepherd, our Savior, our Friend. 

What would YOU tell your loved ones?  What WILL you tell them TODAY?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, April 28, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Samuel 24:1-15

“Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

10 But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.”

Something to Think About:

At first reading we may not see a problem with David wanting to count the Israelites. The error lies in his motivation. Moses, Joshua, and Saul used previous counts for military organization. But David’s army was already completely organized. When Moses conducted a census of the sons of Israel, he had done so at the command of God. But David was not commanded by God to count Israel here. In fact, Joab recognizes that there is something very wrong with David’s desire to number the people. What was it?

Pride. Pride involves a confusion of God’s blessing with human achievement. After all, did David have anything to do with the number of Israel’s soldiers? Absolutely not. The same is true of us. If we have anything of value, if anything worthwhile is done, if any good is to be found, it has come from God. He is the Author of every good thing. If we are going to boast about something, Paul tells what it should be: “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

We must be very careful not to look for numbers or anything else as if we by our own strength or cleverness had achieved these blessings from the hand of God. We must at all cost avoid playing the numbers game. Instead, let us concentrate on that characteristic that made David great in God’s eyes: faithfulness. It does not matter if the numbers are for us or against us as long as we are faithful to Him.

A thought from Lorie:

Since today is Sunday, I will leave this space for you to note one or two things you learned from Sunday School or the services. 

In addition, perhaps you could jot down a time or two when you turned to God for humility and how He helped and blessed you!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Monday, April 29, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read I Chronicles 28:1-10

“David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors. 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building. 3 But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ 4 Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me from all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father’s house, and among my father’s sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. 5 And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6 He said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.’ 8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.

9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. 10 Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”

Something to Think About:

At the end of David’s reign as king of Israel, as he commits the kingdom to Solomon, his son, David gives one last speech. He gives a charge to the nation – and one to his son. He speaks of his desire to build a temple for the Lord and of God’s greater plan to establish an everlasting throne in David’s house. He praises God for His gracious choice of him (verses 4-6).

He challenges the leadership of Israel in verses 7 and 8 to “observe and seek after all the commandments of the Lord your God.” Simple obedience, nothing more, nothing less, is what David charges, and is what pleases God. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” Samuel told Saul (I Samuel 15:22), and the same is true today.

To Solomon, David gives the responsibility of serving the Lord with a “whole heart and a willing mind” (verse 9), for the Lord searches and knows all things. A whole heart is one that is completely devoted to God. It is the outcome of the first commandment, “I am the Lord your God … you shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). It is the same principle that Jesus taught to a certain lawyer in Luke 10:25: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind.”

We should listen to David. He speaks from a lifetime of experience. What is important in life is whether or not we love the Lord with all our being. May the Lord help us today to serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind.

A thought from Lorie:

Long before Disney made a song for Anna to sing in Frozen II, “Do the Next Right Thing” has been a good and biblical charge for God’s people to make as their daily goal.  I think any one of us can easily get caught up with looking too far ahead into the future and get stuck because it all seems TOO MUCH.  We think of all the what if’s, and the how’s, and the when’s. . . And we just stop right where we are, unsure what to do.

The answer?  Do the next right (biblical) thing!  What are a few examples?  David listed a whole bunch today: 

-continue strong in KEEPING God’s commands (we don’t need to know every single one, but we do need to obey the ones we do know!).

-continue to FIND OUT what God wants so that you can do it (be in God’s Word every day to learn more and better!).

-serve God with a whole heart and a willing mind (not just the ways you think of, but be willing to say yes when others ask you to help out in some way).

-ask God what He wants for you and from you (and He will show you!).

-NEVER turn your back on God (He’ll never forsake you, so neither should we forsake Him!).

-DO whatever it is the Lord asks you to do (do it well, do it thoroughly!).

And all that is from just a few verses of one book of the Bible (and we were given SIXTY SIX books!).

When we commit our day to the Lord upon rising, asking Him to show us the next right thing to think/do/say, leaning on Him for the strength and wisdom to do it, we will moment by moment, day by day, year by year, be pleasing to Him.  Then, in the end, He will welcome us home with “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the life of David, the author of this psalm.  This month’s study is taken from “David, the Faithful Saint” written by Pastor Laurence Brown.)

-Read II Chronicles 29:1-19

“And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. 2 So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble. 3 Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God: 4 3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house, 5 and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?”

6 Then the leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron. 8 And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. 15 For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.[e] 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. 19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”

Something to Think About:

David is now an old man. We have seen him grow from a young man to an old king, through all kinds of trials, failures, and triumphs. Notice what is on his mind as he sets Solomon on the throne and leads his people in prayer for the last time.

First, he acknowledges Who God is (verses 10-13). Nothing is more fitting for man, or more pleasing to God, than for us to recognize His great power and majesty in praise. Next in verses 14-15, he defines the relationship of God’s people to God. He says that when we give to God, we actually are returning to God something He has given us. God is the true eternal One and we are only “sojourners” here. David describes how he and the people are giving today, willingly, with uprightness of heart.

His prayer in verses 18 and 19 asks God to preserve this attitude of willingness in the hearts of God’s people. What a magnificent prayer this is! We should pray that God would preserve in us a willing heart: willing to do His will. And David’s prayer for his son, the new king of Israel, is that God would direct Solomon in complete obedience to all of God’s law.

How appropriate that David’s life ends with a prayer. He was a great prayer warrior. How appropriate that his final prayer is that God would help his son to be faithful. And what a wonderful encouragement it is to us to know that the same God Who heard David’s prayer hears and faithfully answers our prayers. Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness! “He remains faithful” II Timothy 2:13.

A thought from Lorie:

We’ve sometimes taken the last day of the month to review the month.  Here are a few things I learned:

The title of the devotions we read from Pastor Brown points out that David was a faithful saint and we are quickly reminded just how much God values faithfulness.  Much to our relief, though, we are also reminded that faithfulness and perfection are not the same thing at all.  In fact, for all the truly great things David did, he had some equally awful behaviors.  All these millennia later, we can certainly learn from David’s mistakes so as to not repeat them in our own lives, but we can also be encouraged that God can—and does – use His children who just want to please Him and who confess sin, then choose to live obediently and wholeheartedly.  Faithfulness.  It pleased God in David’s life—and it pleases Him in ours.

Second, who wouldn’t love to be known as someone who is “a person after God’s own heart”!  What a wonderful goal to reach for in our Christian life!  Of course, this can’t happen in a vacuum.  That is, apart from daily time in God’s Word, maintaining a meaningful prayer life, keeping a clear account with God as far as obedient living, involvement and service in a local Bible-believing and teaching church, and spending time being encouraged by and encouraging other faithful believers, BUT it CAN happen!  We can live our lives for God minute to minute, day to day, as faithfully as we can.  This will naturally lend itself to becoming a person after God’s own heart (the alternative is living for self, which also shows itself to God and others).  Praise God that He will help us every step of the way!

Third, the study of David’s life has a lot to do with interactions with people and what makes for a good friend—and what doesn’t.  The New Testament sums this up nicely by telling us to treat others with the same kindness and generosity we appreciate receiving and to make it a priority to love in the same way God loves us.  This, too, requires God’s constant help, so bathing our relationships in daily prayer is a must!

Fourth, David knew that the help he needed from childhood to the grave was FROM GOD.  He admitted freely that sin, poor judgment, and pretty unpleasant things resulted from NOT looking to God before acting.  And, this is equally true for all of us today.  We need God’s help the second we wake to the second we fall asleep (and in those night hours too!).  Bathe every precious second you are given in prayer, asking for help to please God, to honor Him, to bless and encourage others, to do your best with everything He has so generously given you!

Prayerfully consider how Psalm 23 is reflected by what you now know of David’s walk with God through the good and through the bad.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

You & the Lord:

-What do YOU want to remember from this month’s study of David, the faithful saint?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Student of the Word,                                                                                                                     May 2024

We have arrived at the fifth month in a row of looking at various aspects of Psalm 23: how different scholars view its meaning, other times Scripture uses the words “shepherd” and “sheep,” and even a bit about the life and lessons of its author, David.  This month I thought it would be fun (and beneficial) to look at each of the six verses in a variety of English translations (the AMP, Amplified Bible, is actually a paraphrase, not really a translation.  It contains human explanation within the text, so we need to use this one more as a teaching tool).  This can be a lot of fun, and also be a help to our understanding the verses better simply because some word choices resonate with us better than others.  Of course, there are many additional English translations that we could consult (and I encourage you to do so), but this seemed like a good number to get started with this time.  Several additional English translations can be found on BibleGateway.com for free.  In fact, the Scripture that I am providing for you is from that site. 

Some reminders:

-You are always welcome to share these studies with whomever the Lord lays on your heart.  If someone new wants to sign up for the emails, simply send me their email address.

-I strongly encourage you to review your work with another person (or as many as you can wrangle together!).

-Comments and questions are always welcome.  If you reply to the email version of this study, you will get me, not some nameless person from MailChimp.  =)

-These studies are available as hard copies, as a daily email, or on our church’s website (firstbaptistnorthconway.org).  You can find past studies on the website as well.

-Our church has a free publishing ministry.  Some of the titles are available on SolidRockPublications.org.

-Prayers for everyone doing this study are greatly appreciated!  We NEED God’s help and blessing to listen, learn, and grow!

-If you’re in the North Conway area, you’re always welcome to join our ladies for our Mary & Martha Ladies’ Bible Study on the second Monday of each month in the evening.  We also have a separate fellowship for senior saints (age 60 and up) the first Thursday morning of each month.

May God be greatly honored in our Bible study and lives this month!

By His Grace,

Lorie

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:1, part a

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (ESV)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.” (CSB)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” (NLT)

“The Lord is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing.” (ISV)

“The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

I hope you quickly see the usefulness of looking up other translations from just this one verse!  First, all but one says, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” while the ISV says “The Lord is the One Who is shepherding me.”  This is, of course, saying the same thing, but in my opinion, it is a gentle reminder that our Shepherd is THE LORD.  It’s so easy to just read this very familiar verse, but not pause to consider the incredible wonder that THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Almighty—is MY Shepherd!  Wow!

Next, “the Lord is my Shepherd” is followed by a semicolon because there’s a conclusion drawn from this astonishing truth;  because it is God Who is my Shepherd, regardless of what I might think about circumstances, events, possessions, health, finances—ANYTHING—the fact is that I DO HAVE all that I truly need.  Stated another way, I lack nothing.  Amazing!

On a Personal Note:

I’m aware that most biblical scholars are a little underwhelmed with the Amplified Bible’s use of explanations within the text, but I’m not a scholar—and I kind of appreciate the extra words.  I think the danger is to not view the words within the brackets as GOD’S words.  They are simply the editor’s view of what the words being focused on could mean in order to help the reader figure the verse out a bit better. 

So, the editor has noted that, as our Shepherd, the Lord feeds us, guides us, and shields us.  And, as we already noted, because it is the Lord Who does this (and He does everything perfectly well and “good”), we won’t really have any true needs.

BUT, you protest (somewhat quietly so as to not be accused of being a shallow Christian!), “I have tons of things I need! IMPORTANT things—things that aren’t even selfish!”

And here is where faith comes in.  Here is where we put what we say about God (that we trust Him completely and that we know He only does what is good and right) into practice.  Because we know that God is utterly faithful and all He does is right and good and rightly timed, then we carry on trusting Him in this very second—and also in any additional seconds He chooses to give us, including however and whenever He provides an answer to something we believe we need, KNOWING that all our needs ARE met.  In other words, trust in God means that even if we can’t see God working, we know He is.  Why?  Because He said so!  He’s our Good Shepherd.  He provides for all we truly need.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, May 2, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:1, part b

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (ESV)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.” (CSB)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” (NLT)

“The Lord is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing.” (ISV)

“The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Did you notice that the Lord IS your Shepherd?  That’s not “was” or “will be” (though, that’s true too!).  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Intercessor, the Great High Priest, the King of kings and Lord of lords—HE is your Shepherd right this very second!

On a Personal Note:

Humans love personal recognition.  Oh, it’s true, we often also value our privacy, but there’s just something about being acknowledged by name that makes us feel special.  Set apart.  Noticed.  Who among us hasn’t searched for our name on a rack of personalized keychains at a tourist trap?  Who hasn’t grabbed a marker set out to sample its use and NOT written their own name?

Sadly, when you get a whole lot of people fighting to be acknowledged and made to feel special, it often means no one is looking to make someone else feel special.  At least, that’s how things are apart from God.  The Bible tells us that He not only knows everything about us, He knows the number of hairs on our head at any given moment, He knows our thoughts before we think them, and He knows what our true needs are—and provides them—without needing to be asked.  God’s children ARE valued.  God’s children ARE loved.  God’s children HAVE a Good Shepherd (THE Good Shepherd) Who is with them literally every single second—and Who will never, ever, EVER leave them or forsake them.

Sometimes we ask for things that are pointless and unfulfilling (such as being famous in some way), when all along what we have is far, far more precious.  The Lord IS my Shepherd.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, May 3, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:1, part c

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (ESV)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.” (CSB)

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” (NLT)

“The Lord is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing.” (ISV)

“The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

David is the author of this song (did you remember that the Psalms are songs?).  He was able to write it with confidence and authority because (among other reasons) he himself had been a shepherd.  He knew what it meant to take good care of his sheep, feeding them, nurturing them, guiding them, protecting them, helping them learn and grow.  Because of this personal knowledge, David was able to appreciate all the more with what perfection God was his Shepherd (which is, of course, the theme of this psalm).

David knew something else, though.  He knew how to be a leader, a shepherd, to people.  Did you remember that in the Old Testament that “shepherd,” “king,” and “ruler” were often interchanged?  David learned leadership skills while tending his father’s sheep, but he also learned from the example of how wonderfully well God took care of him!

On a Personal Note:

I know I’ve said something like this before, but in some way, at some time, in some area, we are all called to be leaders.  For some, it’s one of the highest callings of all, to be under-shepherds of the Great Shepherd and Head of the church, Jesus Christ.  These men are our pastors in today’s Age of Grace (the Church Age).  Others are called to the other office God commanded for local churches to have, the deacon.  Some Christians are called to be Sunday School teachers, choir directors, or to head up food service in the church kitchen.

Meanwhile, there are all sorts of leadership roles out in the world: civic roles, political roles, and in our workplaces.  There are also very distinct leadership roles in the home: father, mother, children.

My point is that at some time in our lives, we are going to be called on to have some sort of responsibility over another person, be it very short-term or for decades.  The question is how we will fulfill this role.  Will we follow the pattern of the world and lord our authority over others?  Will we lead in order to get as much out of it as we can for ourselves?  Or will we follow the pattern of the Good  Shepherd and lovingly, kindly, carefully be helpful, patient, and supportive?  Will we think of those under our care as more important than ourselves?  Will we pray for them? Show biblical love? Give of ourselves for their spiritual growth and encouragement?

What a joy to have such a wonderful example in our Good Shepherd!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, May 4, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:2, part a

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” (ESV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.” (CSB)

“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” (NLT)

“He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters.” (ISV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The Good Shepherd “makes” me, lets me, and causes me to lie down in green pastures/meadows.

Because God is good, only He knows what is truly a “green pasture.”  Our task is to trust Him, follow Him, and rest in the ways and areas He has instructed us to.

On a Personal Note:

Have you ever seen a movie or a cartoon where a character or animal was forbidden from eating some food simply because the one in charge knew that it would be bad for them?  Typically, the character or animal wastes little time in figuring out how to deviously get what they want.  The result?  They are very sick and probably in a lot of pain.  Oh, the writers of the story probably made the entire thing really funny and we end up rooting for the sinner, because that’s what’s going on here.  Rebellion. Arrogance. Folly.  And, Christian, just how often do you and I rebel when our Good Shepherd brings us to some green meadow to enjoy and relax in, but we turn our noses up and seek out pasture of our own?

What might this rebellion look like—and how do we know what’s the green pasture?  The circumstances will vary from person to person, place to place, but in a nutshell, what God says to do/not do; think/not think; say/not say will keep us in the peaceful green pastures—or out of them.  Obedience equals a close walk with our Shepherd (and the peace and joy only a right relationship to Him can bring) and disobedience brings discord, stress, unhappiness, and a hopeless longing for fulfillment. 

It’s our choice!  Our Good Shepherd is ALWAYS available to lead us in exactly the right paths, we just need to choose to go with Him.  This will mean making His will our priority, not fighting to get all the stuff we think we want or need.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, May 6, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:2, part b

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” (ESV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.” (CSB)

“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” (NLT)

“He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters.” (ISV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Our Good Shepherd leads/guides us beside still (quiet) waters/streams. 

The picture here is one of peace, calmness—basically the opposite of stressful.  Our Good Shepherd takes the lead in order to bring His sheep into a place with exactly what we need to not only survive, but thrive.  There’s nutritious food that’s tasty and plentiful found in a location that’s free from any dangers or disturbances, and there’s all the water we could hope to drink—water that is fresh, clean, and thirst quenching.  In other words, there simply isn’t a better scenario than being in the care of the Good Shepherd.

On a Personal Note:

Do you think this picture sounds idealistic and unrealistic in our current world’s reality?  Here are a few things to consider:

-First, this is a spiritual picture—one in which the Christian who is walking obediently according to God’s Word faithfully and wholeheartedly—can absolutely enjoy in their hearts and souls (spiritual truths are every bit as “real” as physical truths).  When our confidence is in the goodness and wisdom of God to handle every single component of today and all of eternity, then we CAN have peace that passes understanding.  We CAN enjoy a joy that has nothing to do with circumstances and challenges around us.  We can REST even when dashing around like a crazy person handling the demands of our days.

-Second, sin HAS infected and affected EVERYTHING.  Until Jesus comes and sets up His righteous rule during the Millennium (after the 7-year Tribulation Period), life on earth will be really, really WRONG.  It’s an error to think that people and circumstances can improve apart from a right relationship to God.  This truth, however, doesn’t mean that Christians shouldn’t live as children of God wherever they are and whoever they are.  Our attitudes, goals, behaviors, reactions—everything—must be becoming more like Jesus Christ in true righteousness and holiness.  We can (and must be) lights in this world of darkness, accurately reflecting our Savior.  Part of this will be demonstrating the peace and joy we enjoy even in the face of hard times.

-The current ugliness around us should help us remember just how horrific sin is (so that we determine to not take part in it) and remind us that this world is NOT our home.  We ARE citizens of heaven right this very moment.  With the help of the Indwelling Holy Spirit, the guidance of Scripture, and the edification and teaching found in our local Bible-teaching churches, we can live lives in keeping with the holiness and glory of Heaven.  Seeing the consequences of sin around us should also be an encouragement for us to tell everyone we know that Jesus came and defeated sin and death—and made a way for each of us to live with God for all of eternity.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Tuesday, May 7, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:2, part c

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” (ESV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.” (CSB)

“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” (NLT)

“He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters.” (ISV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The place where our Good Shepherd brings us is the opposite of the chaotic “noisy” world that we currently live in.  The whole picture here is one of peace, quiet, rest, and calmness.

On a Personal Note:

I remember two girls in my life growing up who were both anything but peaceful friends.  The first (we’ll call her “D”), was in my teen years and she seemed bound and determined to cause trouble.  She was constantly looking to push the boundaries, see what she could get away with, and sometimes take very wrong directions in order to get attention.  She was NOT a restful friend!  The second (“R”), was a fellow student where I was attending classes to become a surgical technician.  She, too, was one of those people who were forever whispering during class, sneaking into parts of the hospital where she didn’t belong, and wandering away when she shouldn’t.  She wasn’t a very restful friend either!

Both of these gals claimed to be Christians.  Does rebellion, troublemaking, living-on-the-edge kind of behavior sound like how someone who is supposed to be following the Good Shepherd’s example should act?  Not at all!  Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having fun, laughing at a good joke, or being rowdy on occasion, it’s more about when, where, and why.

Our testimony as a child of God is a precious thing, one we should guard very, very carefully.  I love to laugh and be silly just as much as the next person, but never when it would be a poor testimony, when it would frustrate another person, when it would be disruptive or disrespectful to people—or God.

Some Bible verses to consider:

-Ephesians 4:1-3, 17-32  “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. . . Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

-Matthew 10:24

-I Corinthians 13:4-7

-I Corinthians 15:33

-Philippians 2:3-4

-Colossians 3:12-17

-Hebrews 10:24

-I Peter 2:12-17

-I Peter 3:8-12

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Wednesday, May 8, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:2, part d

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” (ESV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.” (CSB)

“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” (NLT)

“He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters.” (ISV)

“He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, OUR Good Shepherd is a Man Who brings peace to those who belong to Him and who follow Him obediently.  The Bible has a lot to say about peace!

On a Personal Note:

As I’m sure you’re aware, there are many aspects of peace in Scripture.  Maybe an overly simplified way to look at it is this:  God IS peace, therefore when anyone or anything isn’t fully in accord with Him, we cannot have peace or live peaceably.  However, when we belong to God (because we’ve trusted in Christ as the Savior Who dealt once and for all with our sins), and we have a clear account with Him (because we confess our sins when we recognize we’ve committed them), we can enjoy God’s peace—even in the midst of insanely busy days and extreme hardships.  Note, though, that this isn’t because of any amazingness on our part.  No, it’s solely due to our Good Shepherd Who guides us to rest in green pastures by quiet waters.

Prayerfully consider times in your past when the Good Shepherd has blessed you with great peace and store up the blessing of these verses for the next time you need to be reminded of our God of Peace.

-John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

-John 14:1, 27  “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. . . Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

-II Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

-Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

-Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

-Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

-Philippians 4:6-9 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

-I Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, May 9, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:3, part a

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (ESV)

“He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (CSB)

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (NLT)

“He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.” (ISV)

“He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The Good Shepherd (OUR Good Shepherd) restores my soul.  He renews my life.  He renews my strength.  He revives my life.  He refreshes AND restores my soul/life.

Restore, renew, revive, refresh—these are encouraging words!  These are words that we need to hear after a long day of work.  Words we need to hear after guiding and helping small children for twelve hours (similar to herding cats!).  Words we need to hear after spending the night helping a loved one with the stomach flu.  Words we need to hear after a week of Vacation Bible School.  And in the pastor’s home, words we need to hear every single Monday morning.

On a Personal Note:

So, how?  How does God restore and refresh His children?  Through His Word, of course.  Through helping us to choose to take the time each and every morning to open up our Bibles and soak in His words of life.  Through writing out a verse and meditating on it throughout the day.  Through memorizing it.  Through talking it over with Him in prayer.  Through sharing it with a fellow child of God.

God also restores, renews, revives, and refreshes through prayer—through the act of thanking Him for His provision and help, through praising Him for how He allowed something to play out, through seeking His strength and wisdom to please, honor, and obey Him that day.  Through asking Him to give you His love for others so that you can encourage, bless, and edify them.  Through laying aside your will so that you can do His.

God also refreshes us through fellowship, Bible study, prayer, and time spent with other obedient believers.  Simply being with other people who love God wholeheartedly can be such a joy, so uplifting!

Do you need some restoring today?  Why not talk to your Father and see how He chooses to help!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, May 10, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:3, part b

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (ESV)

“He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (CSB)

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (NLT)

“He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.” (ISV)

“He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The word “restore” can mean (as we see in the other translations) renew, revive, and refresh.  It has the idea of turning back or returning.  In Psalm 23, we get the sense of this by considering the understood contrast of the phrase: that of a sheep that is worn down, sick, sad, lost (literally, emotionally, or physically).  Into the life of the disheartened, discouraged, and exhausted sheep comes the Good Shepherd, Who restores, renews, revives, and refreshes!

On a Personal Note:

I’ve alluded before to a dark time in my life when I wandered away a bit from my Good Shepherd.  I had just graduated from high school and began working in a hospital as a nurses’ aid.  I became friends with one of my co-workers—who was not part of God’s flock.  I spent time with the flock she grazed with. . . and my soul began to wither.  My heart lost some of its joy.  My sense of peace began to fray.

But my Shepherd did not leave me or forsake me!  He went looking for me.  He used His staff to get me to turn away from the wrong and return to the right.  And when I confessed my sin?  When I turned my back on sin and self?  The joy!  The peace!  The restoration of my soul and strength!  I felt a literal weight lift off my shoulders—and I returned to His pasture frolicking like a young lamb.

Oh, child of God, if there is ANYTHING standing between you and the incredible relationship God wants to have with you on a minute to minute basis, GET RID OF IT.  Nothing apart from Him can truly satisfy.  He is the only One Who offers true and lasting refreshment.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Saturday, May 11, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:3, part c

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (ESV)

“He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (CSB)

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (NLT)

“He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.” (ISV)

“He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Proverbs 25:13 uses the same word found in Psalm 23:3 for “restore.”  Read Proverbs 25:11-13.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.”

On a Personal Note:

We’ve mentioned before the value of following the example of our Good Shepherd in our own lives.  The Good Shepherd restores, renews, revives, and refreshes us when we need it.  Have you considered how you could do the same for others?

This should be our auto-default for everyone (having a good testimony at all times so that God receives glory, Mathew 5:16), but Galatians 6:10 (and many other Scripture references) seem to teach that our focus ought to especially be on other believers (please note the word “especially”).

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

How might we restore, renew, revive, and refresh other Christians?  It makes the most sense to do it the same way we are encouraged and edified!  Scripture, prayer, and talking about the goodness and faithfulness of God!  We might, though, consider that we would be wise to AVOID the tricks and techniques the world uses to make people feel better.  Though we might find some good common sense mixed in, the world is going to encourage people to believe in themselves, to find “power within,” to do what seems right to them.  The problem, of course, is that apart from God, we have no powers, wisdom, or ability to discern what is wise or good.

And though not very pleasant or easy to talk about, we’re not doing anyone any favors to not point out sin when it’s obviously present.  God cannot and will not bless His children when they are choosing to do something that they know God doesn’t want them to do.  A refreshed soul is one that is walking obediently according to God’s Word—and helping a brother or sister in Christ move in that direction is a wonderful thing!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, May 12 , 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, May 13, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:3, part d

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (ESV)

“He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (CSB)

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (NLT)

“He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.” (ISV)

“He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Our Good Shepherd leads us in paths of righteousness, that is, He guides us along right paths. 

Righteousness means what is right, good, and just—in GOD’S view of what is right, good, and just. God’s view is, of course, the only one that matters.

On a Personal Note:

Do you remember getting into arguments on the playground as a kid?  There was some dispute about how to play a game or how some activity should happen, and someone says, “Ya, well WHO SAYS?”  Sometimes the answer was, “ME!!!” (as if that were enough!).  Other times, we might call on the authority of the teacher or a parent—or even an older student.  When it comes to the right way to think and act, the ONLY SOURCE we need to consult is God’s Word.  God’s authority is absolute (100% of the time) and in order to know what is righteous and what isn’t, we need to read about it in the Bible.

This same concept is true of everything:  what is holy v. profane, what is just v. unjust, what is a fact v. a lie, what is good v. evil.  EVERYTHING.

This truth reminded me that we must consider the difference between a preference and a conviction (as a Christian) when we are taking a stand on something.  We need to be careful to not name something a conviction unless we are positive that it is something God clearly commanded, because if something is a conviction with us, we are obligated to keep it no matter what.  A preference, on the other hand, is merely something we prefer.  We may prefer it strongly, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as something that God commanded.  For example, we may have a preference for always using good grammar, but we should have a conviction to never curse or speak profanely (because the Bible commands us not to. Ephesians 4:29, Psalm 19:14; Colossians 3:8).  We may have a preference to “eat healthy,” but a conviction against drinking, smoking, and taking drugs (I Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20, Romans 12:1-2).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Tuesday, May 14, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:3, part e

“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (ESV)

“He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” (CSB)

“He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.” (NLT)

“He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.” (ISV)

“He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Our Good Shepherds leads us, His precious and cherished sheep, along paths of righteousness.  Why, though?  Why does He so willingly restore our soul and guide us to the right paths?  For His name’s sake.  That is, for His glory—so that our lives can represent Him well.  So that others will see our actions, attitudes, and behavior, and realize what a loving, kind, good, gracious, and wonderful God we serve.

On a Personal Note:

When my husband was growing up, his family moved a fair number of times because his father was a pastor, a seminary professor, and interim pastor, the dean of a seminary, and other such positions that led to the family moving from the east coast to the west coast to the midwest, then back to the east.  In addition to his roles as pastor and seminary professor, he was asked to fill pulpits and preach for Bible conferences in literally hundreds of churches all over the country over the course of his many decades in the ministry.

Why did I tell you all that?  Because my husband and his siblings were taught from a young age that their behavior in all these places represented their father; that their good conduct (or bad conduct!) would reflect on him and his ministry. In other words, a pastor’s great preaching may be of little value if his children are running around and causing all sorts of disruption and trouble.

And you and I, dear fellow child of God, represent our Father in heaven by all we do and say—and with what attitude and goals.  You’ve heard that actions speak louder than words.  This is true!  People are watching.  People notice things.  (But, just for the record, words “speak” too!).

We have a Good Shepherd.  THE Good Shepherd.  Let’s demonstrate to the world how His care of us is excellent through our gratitude to Him, through our words of praise, and through the kindness and Christian love we show them in our interactions.  We may be pretty powerless to do this on our own, but good news, through Christ, we can do all things because He strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Wednesday, May 15, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:4, part a

“Even 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.” (ESV)

“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (CSB)

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (NLT)

“Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness, I will not be afraid because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (ISV)

“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

An important thing to note when we reach verse 4 of Psalm 23 is that David is now talking directly to the Lord.  He says, . . . You are with me, Your rod and staff comfort me.

On a Personal Note:

I wonder if we sometimes take for granted the incredible privilege prayer is?  If we ever pause to consider that the God of the universe ALWAYS listens to everything we say to Him—even the shortest, quietest plea?  If we cherish that He not only hears, but literally leans in to catch everything we say?

I wonder if we always give Him the same courtesy and respect He gives us?  Do we ever, for example, start praying only to realize several minutes later that we started doing something else and completely forgot we were praying?  Do we ever demand things of the Eternal One?  The Great I AM?  Do we speak to Him, not as our Father in Heaven, but a servant?  A vending machine of some sort?

I wonder how often we remember to praise Him before jumping into our long lists?  To ask Him for spiritual needs and His wisdom in some area of our walk with Him BEFORE talking about all the physical challenges we have and others have?

I wonder what percentage of our prayers are a tad greedy in nature, putting our own desires ahead of the needs of family members and brothers and sisters in Christ?

And I also wonder just how often we stop simply to say, “Thank You.  Thank You for Who You are.  Thank You for your wisdom, Your grace, Your mercy, Your forgiveness. Your patience. Thank You for listening—and answering EXACTLY right.”?

It would be hard to list all the “benefits” of being an adopted child of God, but the fact that He is with us all the time and for forever has to be right up there at the tippy top!

Is it?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Thursday, May 16, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:4, part b

“Even 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.” (ESV)

“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (CSB)

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (NLT)

“Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness, I will not be afraid because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (ISV)

“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” (AMP)

Something to Think About

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. . . when I go through the darkest valley. . . the deep darkness. . . the sunless valley . . . I will not be afraid—BECAUSE—You, the Good Shepherd, are with me—close by me.

On a Personal Note:

There are a lot of dark valleys to walk through in this life.  Sickness, the death of a loved one, our own imminent death.  There are the valleys of very little food to feed your children, extremely tight finances and too many bills.  There is dread of all sorts of potential trouble looming.  There are accidents, violence, natural disasters.  There are betrayals by friends, being the subject of brutal gossip, unjust accusations.  And there are dark valleys within our own brains, torturing us with endless what if’s and how will’s.

Some dark valleys are short and relatively “easy,” while others are short, but incredibly difficult.  Some valleys last for a very long time, while others may never actually end in this lifetime.

Does David hint that any of these things are “nothing” or not difficult?  Not really.  What he does say is that there’s no need to fear BECAUSE the Good Shepherd is with us.  He’s not behind us, shouting encouragement from a distance.  He’s not on the far side urging us to come on ahead and not be a baby.  He is WITH US. If you want a precious passage of Scripture to meditate on the incredible comfort of God’s promise to be with those whom He loves, look at Isaiah 43:1-5.

Satan has endless ways he lies to us. Satan’s technique of casting doubt on Who our Good Shepherd is to us and how perfectly He shepherds us is a huge (and too often successful ) one.  Don’t listen to satan’s lies!  Our Good Shepherd is with us through thick and thin, through easy and hard, from beginning to end.  Even the darkest of valleys is something we need not fear because He is close beside us.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, May 17, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:4, part c

“Even 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.” (ESV)

“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (CSB)

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (NLT)

“Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness, I will not be afraid because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (ISV)

“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The Good Shepherd travels alongside His sheep in their journey under His care.  He carries with Him the tools of the shepherd, a rod and a staff.  The rod is a stick meant to protect the sheep from wild animals and other dangers, while the staff is a curved stick meant to direct the sheep in the way they should go.  It is also used to rescue them on occasion. The presence of these tools in the hands of their capable shepherd is comforting to the flock.  In Psalm 23, in particular, the rod and the staff are comforting—because they are in the hands of THE Good Shepherd.

On a Personal Note:

God’s children never need to be afraid, but God understands that we often are.  To that end, He provided quite a bit of Scripture to remind us to seek refuge in His perfect care and how to handle whatever dark valley we might be going through.  Choose one or two of the following verses to claim as your own for the next time you need to be reminded of Who you belong to and His perfect care (and/or to share with others).

As a bonus, think about an occasion where the Good Shepherd helped you through a tough spot in your life.  Thank Him for it.  Praise His name to others.

Psalm 46:1  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

Psalm 91:1-16 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, …”

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Saturday, May 18, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:4, part d

“Even 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.” (ESV)

“Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (CSB)

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (NLT)

“Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness, I will not be afraid because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.” (ISV)

“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Even when I walk/go THROUGH the deep darkness. . .

On one side of the valley there are green pastures and still waters and on the other side there is a banquet.  The valley, though dark, is temporary.  It may be hard, but it’s still part of the straight paths our Shepherd is leading us on.  It might be in shadows, but shadows are there as a contrast to sunlight.  This reminds us that the sun is still there, it’s just temporarily out of sight—much like our sun on a cloudy day.  Get high enough in the sky—and the sun is right there, right where it’s been all along.

On a Personal Note:

Our view of time isn’t very reliable!  Did you ever notice that?  I remember sitting through Eastern European History class in 8th grade (scheduled for right before lunch, so my blood sugar was dropping every minute) – and it was BORING.  The 50-minute class was AT LEAST 3 hours long!  On the other hand, I remember a few 50-minute free periods in the cafeteria with friends from my church’s youth group that were only about 10 minutes long.

Valleys are seldom short enough in our view.  The very second we face a dilemma of any sort, we want OUT.

What’s the right view of this, though?  Does God want us to rush His timing in any area?  Does He have a (good) purpose for ALL He allows?  Does He have tasks that He designed for us that only we can accomplish? Isn’t He to be praised just as much in the challenges as the “fun stuff”?

The fact is that our lives aren’t actually very long—even if we live into our 80s or beyond.  We might think they are when we’re young, but as we get older, we begin to get a little alarmed at just how quickly the weeks fly by, then the months, then the years.  I don’t point this out to make any of us feel stressed or depressed.  Rather, it’s more a charge, with the Shepherd’s promised help, to remember that every minute counts.  Every single minute we are either trusting in our Good Shepherd and following His leading on right paths (even when they bring us through a dark valley or two), enjoying the rest and peace that He provides, NOT living in fear because He is protecting and guiding all things, comforted by His presence. . . or not. 

Why would ANYONE choose the dysfunction, turmoil, and pain of forging his or her path through life, when the Shepherd’s care is so perfect?  Sin, of course.  The sin of wanting to be our own ruler; of choosing what we want over God’s will.  THANK GOD, He can help us recognize sin, confess it to Him, and return to a vibrant, joyful, peaceful walk with Him.

How are you using YOUR minutes today?  Before we know it, they’ll be used up and our chance to honor God with our lives; to bless and help His people, will be over.  Oh, there’s nothing but joy for all who belong to God throughout eternity, but I sure want to “meet” my Savior and my Father in heaven knowing that, with His help, I walked WITH the Good Shepherd, not fighting against Him.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, May 19 , 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, May 20, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:5, part a

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (ESV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (CSB)

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” (NLT)

“You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (ISV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The scene switches again here, though there’s some debate among scholars if this is a feast in the home of the king—or simply the end of the day when the shepherd checks over his sheep and gets them bandaged up and fed a satisfying and abundant meal.  The point seems to be that of contentment and satisfaction along with a recognition of safety and protection.

On a Personal Note:

Do you say “Yay!” when you pull into your own driveway after a long day or after being gone for a trip?  I do!  I’m genuinely thankful and happy to see MY home, to walk inside and drop my guard, get comfortable, enjoy the love and support of my family, eat food that I like, the way I like it prepared.  And then, at the end of the day, to get into MY bed—and drift off into slumber.  It’s a wonderful feeling!

How much more, then, our joy upon entering eternity and coming into our forever-home? And more than “just” the out-of-this-world location, it is WHO we find there!  Oh, for sure, there are family members and friends that it will be precious to see again; saints from Bible times that I’ve been eager to have chats with, BUT seeing My Father and My Savior—my Good Shepherd. WOW.

Make no mistake about it!  That day is coming for all of us!

In the meantime, though.  Today.  Right this second.  We can appreciate the abundant “overflowing” blessings from God given NOW.  We can revel in the contentment and satisfaction God gives with abundance when we’re simply walking WITH Him, obediently, faithfully, eagerly. 

Eternity will be the ultimate fulfillment of all God promised, but when we’re walking with our Good Shepherd in this lifetime, it’s like a feast every single day!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Tuesday, May 21, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:5, part b

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (ESV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (CSB)

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” (NLT)

“You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.” (ISV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Our Good Shepherd prepares a table before us, that is, a feast. One commentator noted that the meal was enjoyed on the other side of the walk through the valley of darkness.  Praise God that He always provides what we need, when we need it—and He does this lavishly.

On a Personal Note:

There are all sorts of physical and spiritual applications that might be made from the lesson of God’s perfect supply, but I was blessed to read in I Shall Not Want, by Dr. Robert Ketcham, a list of things that Christians have in Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd (p.92-94) and I wanted to share them with you.

In Jesus Christ we have:

-a life that can never be forfeited.

-a relation that can never be abrogated.

-a righteousness that can never be tarnished.

-an acceptance that can never be questioned.

-a judgement that can never be repeated.

-a title than can never be clouded.

-a position that can never be invalidated.

-a standing that can never be disputed.

-a justification that can never be reversed.

-a seal that can never be violated.

-an inheritance that can never be alienated.

-a wealth that can never be depleted.

-a resource that can never be diminished.

-a bank that can never be closed.

-a possession that can never be measured.

-a portion that can never be denied.

-a peace that can never be destroyed.

-a joy that can never be suppressed.

-a love that can never be abated.

-a grace that can never be arrested.

-a strength that can never be vitiated.

-a power that can never be exhausted.

-a salvation that can never be annulled.

-a forgiveness that can never be rescinded.

-a deliverance that can never be thwarted.

-an assurance that can never be disappointed.

-a nature than can never be changed.

-an access that can never be discontinued.

-an attraction that can never be superseded.

-a comfort that can never be lessened.

-a service that can never be unrewarded.

-an Intercessor Who can never be disqualified.

-a revelation that can never be destroyed.

-a Victor Who can never be vanquished.

-a resurrection that can never be hindered.

-a hope that can never be disappointed.

-a glory that can never be dimmed.

Our response?  AMEN!  PRAISE THE LORD!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Wednesday, May 22, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:5, part c

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (ESV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (CSB)

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” (NLT)

“You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.” (ISV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

The feast that is prepared is given in the presence of enemies!  But, with surprise (and delight!) we find that the presence of enemies is hardly worth noting—because they have no power to do harm, so well protected and cared for are the sheep. 

(note:  although the analogy of sheep and shepherd began refocusing a bit more on humans beginning in verse 4, some reference to shepherding analogies isn’t out of place.)

On a Personal Note:

We have all sorts of enemies, don’t we?  After something like 45 years, I still remember the fear and shame of a school bus bully who tormented me for months one school year.  I also have to deliberately (with the Lord’s help) CHOOSE to forget a parade of people in my past who were extremely unkind and hurtful.  There are also the “enemies” of pride, over indulgence, desires of the flesh, the pull of popularity, and even simple laziness many of us face.

Of course, the Bible also warns us strongly about the very real battle all Christians face daily with enemies of Christ in the spiritual realm.  Satan is actively working against God constantly and he will use any and all dirty tricks to pull God’s children away from His side (of course, we don’t mean they can lose their spiritual salvation, but they can sure turn their back on God and return to living as if they had never been saved!).

BUT, don’t miss the promise of Psalm 23:5!  The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, GOD, cannot be defeated, overwhelmed, tricked, or otherwise messed up by any enemies of any kind EVER.  AND, He is constantly with us so that we can enjoy the abundant blessings of His presence and care—even in the midst of the insanely evil world and times in which we currently reside.  We don’t ever HAVE TO sin and we absolutely CAN enjoy a life of joy, peace, purpose, and trust.  All because of the Good Shepherd.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Thursday, May 23, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:5, part d

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (ESV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (CSB)

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” (NLT)

“You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.” (ISV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Oil fits the illustration of the shepherd and sheep AND the gracious host.  As far as sheep are concerned, oil was used both to prevent trouble (such as bug bites) and to treat wounds, injuries, and ailments.  In the host/guest scenario, it was a sign of respect to anoint the head of your guest with oil. It demonstrated that you were happy that they had graced you with their presence and that you wanted them to know that they were welcome in your home (oil was also used medicinally on people, as well).

On a Personal Note:

In a nutshell, God’s children are called on to care for others of God’s children physically and spiritually.  In fact, there are a number of “one another” Bible verses that we should be aware of.  They can be used as a kind of checklist from time to time to see if there’s some way we can follow the Good Shepherd’s example of taking care of His sheep/being an excellent Host.

As you look over this sample of “one another” verses, I urge you to dig out your church directory and prayerfully consider who you could bless and how in a very specific way and time.  Wishing we were better about something is a step in the right direction, but actually doing it is even better!

-Romans 12:10-18  “ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

-John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

-Galatians 5:13-15, 25-26  “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. . . If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

-Galatians 6:2  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

-Ephesians 4:1-2, 32  “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love . . . Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

-I Thessalonians 5:12-14  “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

*There are tons and tons more “one another” passages, but you can tell from this small sampling that the New Testament is LOADED with the do’s and don’ts of God honoring behavior and attitudes in and among people.  This is true of ALL people, but especially the fellow sheep in your flock (who can, sometimes, be the trickiest ones to love of all!).  =)

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Friday, May 24, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:5, part e

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (ESV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (CSB)

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” (NLT)

“You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.” (ISV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

When we, the blessed and privileged sheep of the Good Shepherd, pause to consider the excellence with which our Shepherd cares for our every need, how He provides green pastures, still waters, spiritual and physical renewal, guidance onto and along right paths, perfect care so we need have no fear (even when passing through dark valleys), and lavish blessings, well, our cup overflows.  That is, we feel overwhelming gratitude to God  – just blown out of the water over His goodness, grace, and mercy.

On a Personal Note:

Well, that’s how we SHOULD feel!  Do we?  Is that the attitude we wake up with and carry with us throughout the day?  Am I the only one who sometimes wakes up feeling a small sense of dread over everything on my to-do list?  Who feels frustrated and a bit angry when a relative totally misunderstands an email?  A bit peeved when someone in the household repeatedly leaves their dirty dishes in the sink for someone else to wash? A bit angry about my body shape and some less-than-desirable family traits?

Does YOUR “cup” overflow with impatience?  Anger over rudeness?  Frustration at people’s actions (or lack of actions!)?

How important do you think the difference in focus is between the psalmist of Psalm 23 considering God’s goodness  – in contrast with the other overflowing “cup” I described in the paragraph above? A lot.  A really lot! One is a focus on the Shepherd’s abundant grace, provision, love and providence, and the other is a focus on all the ways that others have let me down or that I feel I have not been given what I deserved. 

The solution?  Focus on God and begin counting your blessings.  Once we start, it’s kind of impossible to stop – because His blessings never stop!  They come constantly and are so rich and amazing that, well, our cup simply overflows with gratitude and our lips speak His praise.  Try it!

Oh soul, are you weary and troubled?  No light in the darkness you see?  . . . Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full at His wonderful face—and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace (“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Helen Lemmel).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Saturday, May 25, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:6, part a

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (CSB)

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (NLT)

“Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.” (ISV)

“Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

In an absolutely stunning summary statement, the psalmist expresses complete trust and gratitude that the Good Shepherd, HIS Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, WILL continue to bless abundantly, guide faithfully, and in the perfect time and manner, bring him into His very presence—where he gets to remain forever and ever.

On a Personal Note:

This precious Bible verse resonates with every single child of God—because its glorious truths are true for us, too.  David isn’t the only one who was “pursued” by God’s goodness and faithful love all his life, we are too! 

Even before we knew there WAS a God, even before we were even born, God chose us to belong to Him.  Just staggering!

As astounding as the facts of our past are, the facts of our future are, perhaps, even more so!  Because God chose us to belong to Him, we will never NOT belong to Him.  Oh, in this lifetime, because we still have a sin nature, we can think and act in a way that breaks our FELLOWSHIP with God, but nothing and no one can break our family ties with Him.  His promises and faithfulness supersede any and all circumstances, challenges, threats, or changes in our lives—or in world history, for that matter.

John 3:16, one of the most loved Bible verses of all time (along with Psalm 23), tells us that God’s love was so huge, so perfect, that He gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, to become the payment for sin that all humans need because of the sin we are born with (and the sins we choose to commit), and that every person who believes that Jesus died for their sins and that He rose again on the third day IS saved.  That is, they are a permanent part of God’s family and their true self, the self that lives inside this physical shell, will be in God’s presence for all of eternity.  Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will not perish (eternally), but WILL have EVERLASTING life.  The very definition of everlasting is forever without end.

Jesus provides even more assurance of the permanence of salvation in John 10.  He reminds us that, as His sheep, we are safely IN His hand—and no one can EVER remove us.  It’s simply NOT possible.  But Jesus wanted us to know that if we were nervous enough to question the safety of His hand (which is COMPLETELY secure continually), we should know that His hand is encircled by the Father’s.  It’s much like someone holding something super precious as tight as they can in one hand, then adding the other as an extra safety measure.  Of course, God is not weak, so He cannot “lose” us or otherwise accidentally allow us to slip out.

The point?  Our Good Shepherd is by our side right this very second—and He will continue to be with us constantly right up to the point we enter eternity—and then He is with us there, too.

Amen!  Praise the Lord!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, May 26 , 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, May 27, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:6, part b

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (CSB)

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (NLT)

“Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.” (ISV)

“Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Because the Lord is our Shepherd, goodness will follow us—or “pursue” us—every single day of our lives!

On a Personal Note:

The Hebrew word used for “goodness” here can have a pretty broad meaning.  It might be translated as good, pleasant, beneficial, better, best, and of course, goodness.

It is an often used word in the Old Testament, but here are several uses in the book of Psalms that were a blessing to me (and I feel confident they will be for you too!):

-25:8 “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.”

-34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

-63:3 “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.”

-84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

-86:5 “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

-92:1 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High.”

-100:5 “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

-106:1 “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

-135:3 “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!”

BONUS:  Take a few minutes to summarize what these verses have in common.  What, for example, do they call “good” and why?  What sort of applications can you make from one or more of them for your life?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Tuesday, May 28, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:6, part c

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (CSB)

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (NLT)

“Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.” (ISV)

“Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Not only do the Good Shepherd’s sheep enjoy His goodness following them their entire lives, they are also blessed with God’s “mercy,” also translated as faithful love, unfailing love, steadfast love, and gracious love.  It is one of the most cherished words in Scripture defining God’s love for His people, hesed.

On a Personal Note:

This is also a frequently used word, so we will once again look at its uses in the Psalms.

-25:6-7 “Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!”

-33:5 “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.”

-36:5, 7, 10 “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord. 7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. 10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart!”

-57:9-10 “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”

-59:16-17 “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.”

-86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

-89:1 “I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.”

-103:4 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

-107:1 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

BONUS:  Take a few minutes to summarize what these verses have in common.  What, for example, do they call “mercy” and why?  What sort of applications can you make from one or more of them for your life?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, May 29,  2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:6, part d

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (CSB)

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (NLT)

“Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.” (ISV)

“Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

Interestingly, the word “follow” is a word mostly used in a negative sense, such as an enemy pursuing us with evil intent.  However, in Psalm 23:6, the goodness and mercy of our Good Shepherd is what is “pursuing” us.  In other words, God never gives up or gives in.  We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that God’s love is contingent on our obedience—and when we are not living up to snuff, He removes it for a time to “show us.”  That, my friend, is how humans behave.  God is God—and when He says that He loves us, He means all the time NO MATTER WHAT.  In fact, if you remember, Romans 5 says that He loved us while we were His determined enemies!  God’s love doesn’t depend on us, it’s entirely dependent on Him—and His love is perfect and permanent.

On a Personal Note:

Needless to say, there are God honoring things a child of God could pursue—and those which do not please Him or represent His holiness and righteousness accurately.  Psalm 34:14 commands us to, “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”   Proverbs 15:9 reminds us that “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness.”   Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.”

In a broad sense, God’s children will want to pursue (follow after) that which is good, that is, what is pleasing to God and “like” Him.  Ephesians 5:1 is a reminder that we should be imitating God—and to do so as beloved children.  That seems to imply a willingness and delight in pursuing Christlikeness, wouldn’t you say?

I think, too, that the example of the Good Shepherd here in Psalm 23 is one of a daily choice to do what is right—and continue to do so “all the days of our lives.”

Keep on keeping on, dear child of God!  With the Lord’s help, we can learn a bit more what living a life that pleases God and glorifies Him looks like, whether by quiet waters, through dark valleys, or even in the presence of enemies.  WAY before we know it, we will reach the glorious “end” of finding ourselves in the presence of our Good Shepherd forever and ever!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, May 30, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23:6, part e

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” (CSB)

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (NLT)

“Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.” (ISV)

“Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.” (AMP)

Something to Think About:

All of creation has a starting point and ending point.  The world was created some 6,000 years ago—and at some point, it will be remade.  Sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden, but it has already been defeated—and once the heavens and earth are remade (after the final battles at the end of the Millennium and satan and all his followers have been cast into the Lake of Fire), sin will no longer exist.

Humans have kind of another story.  Oh, we were all created at some point in history, but the real us, the one inside these shells, will go on forever.  The critical question is WHERE we will spend eternity:  with God or forever separated from Him in Hell. 

On a Personal Note:

I was most definitely NOT thinking that today’s study would take such a grim and dark turn, but I cannot deny what God says about eternity, nor would I be doing anyone any favors to gloss over the “ugly parts” of Hell so that no one gets mad at me or all bummed out faced with the facts of the consequences of sin.

I’m definitely more interested to point out that NO ONE NEEDS TO GO TO HELL and that it is, in fact, a choice we are all given to make for ourselves.  The auto-default destination of every man, woman, and child born onto earth is Hell.  This is because sin entered the world shortly after creation and affected and infected us all.  Praise God, He didn’t want anyone to go to Hell, so He created a plan that would allow all who trusted in His Son as their Savior from their sin to not only have their sins forgiven completely and for forever, but to become His own children and live for eternity WITH HIM.  In His “house,” as it were.

To whoever is reading this:  be sure you are a child of God TODAY.  If you are confident you are (because you believe Jesus died in order to take the punishment your sin deserved, then rose to life on the third day), then be certain your family members, friends, and co-workers will be with you in God’s presence for all of eternity.  Tell THEM the good news of the gospel.  Refuse to be shy or embarrassed—what could be more important than this?

A few Bible verses that speak about salvation:

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,: 

Acts 16:30-31 “Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”

I Corinthians 15:3-4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Friday, May 31, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at the six verses in various translations to provide an even deeper appreciation for what they are saying.)

-Read Psalm 23

ESV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even 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.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

CSB

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

NLT

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

ISV

1 The Lord is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing.
2 He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters.
3 He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name.

4 Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness, I will not be afraid because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.

AMP

1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3 He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

It’s Time to Review!

Here are some summary statements from this month’s work that I noticed:

-The very first thing the author of Psalm 23 writes is that it is the Lord Himself Who is his Shepherd.  This immediately sets the tone for the whole song.  No doubt, there have been many good shepherds over the centuries, but Christians are on a whole “nother” level—because it is GOD Who is the One seeing to our every need!  This incredible truth should never be far from our thoughts!

-Psalm 23 is using the very real analogy of a shepherd taking excellent care of his sheep to point out how God takes excellent care of all who belong to Him.  Although the analogy switches to a scene of a host and a guest, the basic truth is still there:  God’s care is loving, without lack in any way, and constant from beginning to end (and that “end” isn’t really a thing since we will remain in His presence forever).

-While it’s true that the applications to our life from this psalm are mostly to do with learning to be deeply appreciative of our Good Shepherd and recognize all He does for us continually, we’re also told in Scripture that Jesus is an example to us of how to think, what to do, and with what goals to live with.  Psalm 23 is a good reminder what constitutes a “good sheep,” but it also points out how we might be good leaders in whatever roles God has given us to bear.  Thinking of others as more important than self will help us act in a God honoring way as will loving others in the same way God loves us.

-Our Good Shepherd knows everything about us, we might question, though, how well we know Him!  Studying our Bibles every day, making prayer an essential (and beloved) part of daily life, not missing out on church services and fellowships, fellowshipping with mature believers—all these things will help us know and appreciate God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit more and better.

-Our testimony as a sheep of the Good Shepherd’s flock matters.  How we conduct ourselves will either draw people in and cause them to want what we have (a wonderful relationship with our divine Shepherd) – or –  push them away.  Once again, if we seek to treat others the way the Father treats us, we will be pleasant to be around—and we will be bringing God glory.

-We sometimes forget that life as we know it will not always be the way it is right now.  Things change.  People come and go.  Health comes and goes.  The perfect care of our Good Shepherd never changes, however.  Whether by still waters and in pleasant pastures, dark valleys, or great feasts, He is with us every second.  And when the time is right, He will bring us into His presence where we get to stay FOREVER.

Your turn!  Look over your work this month and jot down a few things you want to remember:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

June 2024

Dear Student of the Word,

We are already at the halfway point of our year looking at various aspects of Psalm 23.  Although we have considered many helpful, interesting, and praiseworthy things, I can’t help but feel that we have merely scratched the surface of the richness of this psalm that God has placed into His written Word!  It is my prayer that you have been blessed and challenged in your walk with our Good Shepherd and that these studies have caused you to be even more appreciative of the perfect care and faithfulness of our Lord than you were prior to this.

The very first verse of Psalm 23 reminds all those who belong to the Good Shepherd that we have no needs that He hasn’t supplied, is supplying, or will supply at exactly the right time.  As a little girl paraphrased, “The Lord is my Shepherd and that’s all I want.” 

With “wants” and “needs” in mind, let’s spend some time looking at what else the Bible says in these areas.  In fact, let’s use Philippians 4:19 as the foundation verse for our work, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” By looking up other verses that use the word “need,”  I am confident that we will quickly discover that  Philippians 4:19 agrees with Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”! 

Some reminders:

-You are always welcome to share these studies with whomever the Lord lays on your heart.  If someone new wants to sign up for the emails, simply send me their email address.

-I strongly encourage you to review your work with another person (or as many as you can wrangle together!).

-Comments and questions are always welcome.  If you reply to the email version of this study, you will get me, not some nameless person from MailChimp.  =)

-These studies are available as hard copies, as a daily email, or on our church’s website (firstbaptistnorthconway.org).  You can find past studies on the website as well.

-Our church has a free publishing ministry.  Some of the titles are available for download on

SolidRockPublications.org.

-Prayers for everyone doing this study are greatly appreciated!  We NEED God’s help and blessing to listen, learn, and grow!

-If you’re in the North Conway area, you’re always welcome to join our ladies for our Mary & Martha Ladies’ Bible Study on the second Monday of each month in the evening.  We also have a separate fellowship for senior saints (age 60 and up) the first Thursday morning of each month.

-Scripture is provided courtesy of BibleGateway.com.  I am using the ESV for this study.

May God be greatly honored in our Bible study and lives this month!

By His Grace,

Lorie

Saturday, June 1,  2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Philippians 4:19

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Something to Think About:

We will be studying other Scripture this month that uses the word “need” found in Philippians 4:19—because this verse contains a special promise to us that God WILL supply our “every need.”  In addition, His supply is “according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” That’s a pretty exciting and comforting thing!

The Greek word used here is chreia, which is translated as “business,” or “task” in Acts 6:3, speaking of finding trustworthy men to help with the distribution of funds to the widows, signifying a necessity or need.  It is also translated as necessity, need, duty.

I think it’s been a while since I last reminded you how important context is to understanding a Bible verse.  Context is simply as many verses before the verse you are focusing on in order to understand what’s going on—and as many verses after.  Simply taking one verse and creating a whole belief based on it can be pretty dangerous if we’re taking it out of context.  With that in mind, read Philippians 4:10-20 to get a bit more insight into verse 19.

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Paul is thanking the members of the church in Philippi for helping him financially with his ministry (even though he wasn’t looking for help, nor did he ask anyone for help).  He is reminding them, in essence, that it’s impossible to outgive God.  God always rewards faithful obedience and sacrifice done in His name.  It might not be getting two dollars for every dollar we give to someone in need, but we can be very confident that whatever that “reward” is, it will be lavish and abundant (God never promises excellent health and great riches to His children while we are here on earth, but everything we do for Him out of right motives is earning tremendous rewards for eternity).

That being true (and something to look forward to with great expectation and excitement), God DOES reward us here and now with joy in our heart, with a sense of peace knowing we’ve done something that honors God and is a blessing to others, and sometimes we even have the fun of seeing someone praise God for the blessing they received that God allowed us to play a small part in.

On a Personal Note:

I’ve been the recipient of other people’s generous and thoughtful gifts many times in my life.  Each one is a special blessing from God to me—and one, I’m sure, to those who sacrificially chose to show kindness in some way.   Here are two assignments to pray about:

-Stop your busy day long enough to list a few ways people have shown kindness or generosity to you in the past.  Thank God for them.  If possible, let the giver know that they were a blessing to you.

-Thinking about some of the ways you were most blessed by the words or actions of another in the past, who else might you “pass on” that blessing to?  Who could use some encouragement?  A love gift of some sort—or even a hug and a smile?  Prayerfully consider how you might be used of God to meet some “need” that a brother or sister in Christ has.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 2 , 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, June 3, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Matthew 6:1-8

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” 

Something to Think About:

The verse that has the word “need” is verse 8, where we find that God knows our true needs before we even tell Him.  I included the first seven verses of this chapter, however, because it seemed to go really well with Philippians 4:19 and the idea of being generous in our giving, knowing that God is going to see to our needs Himself—and do so with abundance.

These verses are warning about hypocrisy, that of saying one thing while thinking or behaving in a different way.  The examples here are of the wrongness of being “good” IN ORDER TO BE SEEN (and admired).  This motive not only doesn’t please God, He will not reward it.  Jesus says quite plainly that if we are doing things in order to be complimented and admired, whatever compliments and admiration we receive in the moment from other humans is the only reward we will be getting. There will be no reward in heaven from Him (because it wasn’t done for Him, but for self!).

On a Personal Note:

So, should we never pray in public?  Should we never allow someone to publicly thank us for some ministry we have done for the Lord?  No, that’s not the answer, either, since there are all sorts of verses about public prayer and ministry in and among people.  It’s more a heart issue.  It’s more about why we are doing what we are doing.  It’s more about what we hope to receive FROM PEOPLE as a result of something we have done.  Our motives matter.

Another important question is whether or not we lose our reward in heaven if what we do gets noticed and acknowledged by someone (even though we served with the correct motive of glorifying God).  For example, what if you sang to the Lord for special music one Sunday and someone came up to you later and thanked you, telling you it was a blessing?  Has your reward been negated?  No!  The Bible tells us that we SHOULD encourage one another in our walk with the Lord, so telling others when they’ve been a blessing is a good thing—and receiving a comment like that should be reason for you to respond, “Well, thanks for telling me—and praise the Lord!”  All we do: our service, our words, our jobs, our sacrifices—everything—should ultimately be to praise and glorify the Lord, so this is a good way to compliment someone and to receive a compliment.

Assignment:  Has someone done something for the Lord that was a blessing to you?  Your pastor’s sermon?  A Sunday school teacher’s many years of labor?  Knowing that the church bathroom is always clean because of the custodian’s faithful labor?  Tell them!  Encourage them!  Thank God for them.  (And if you are the one being thanked, a simple “praise the Lord” is a wonderful response.)

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Tuesday, June 4, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Matthew 6:25-33

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Something to Think About:

This portion of Matthew 6, along with yesterday’s Scripture, is part of Jesus’ “sermon on the mount,” a chat with His disciples about how Christians should think and act.  The entire thing is Matthew 5-7 and I highly encourage you to read it.

This portion goes well with yesterday’s reminder that God knows our true needs, so we really have no reason to fuss about them in our thoughts or conversations.  Of course, it’s not wrong to ask God for some things for your personal use, though it would be important to say (and mean!), “if it is Your will.”  But, perhaps, these multiple reminders are another way of saying that we would be using our prayer time better if our “need list” was more focused on others.  Furthermore, Scripture sure seems to hint that the best “needs” to pray for, for others, are spiritual ones, ones that include the other person’s faithful obedience and maturing in their faith.

On a Personal Note:

The Lord’s Prayer (better named, “The Disciple’s Prayer”), also found in Matthew 6, is Jesus giving a guideline for what a good prayer would look like. 

“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 us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (v.9-13)

Jesus prays, first, to God the Father (the prayer of the believer is addressed to the Father, not the Son, but we close “in Jesus’ name,” because it is through Jesus’ blood that we have access to the Father), giving Him praise and glory.  So, step #1 ISN’T the gimme-list—even if it’s for someone else.  Really, it reminds me a bit of a lot of people’s texts and instant messages.  Rather than saying, “Good morning. I was wondering if you could. . .”, they just jump in with the request.  For the most part, when we run into someone at the store or in church, we don’t open our conversation with a request, do we?  We usually at least say “hi” first.  Why would we do less to GOD?  Dear Father in Heaven, Thank You for…,   I praise Your name because. . . You are amazing because. . .   These are nicer ways to start a prayer than “I need!” (An obvious exception would be some urgent matter, such as your car skidding off of the road due to ice.  A plea for immediate help is definitely the right thing to do in emergency situations!).

Notice that a lot of the prayer-example has to do with spiritual goals and needs (over physical ones).  Certainly, praying for God’s perfect will to be done everywhere and every place is an important prayer (and demonstrates trust) as is the desire for sin and satan to be done away soon and forever, not only in a general sense, but in our own hearts and the hearts of our loved ones.

We see trust in God for provision of our daily needs (which is, of course, always welcome by God!), then interestingly, the prayer finishes with confession of sin and a plea for help to not sin in the hours and days to come.

In conclusion, praying for our needs is fine.  It gives us a chance to entrust them to the hands of our loving Father, but it’s also important to know that God knows our true needs and that He will provide for each and every one.  Knowing this frees us up a bit to pray for His glory and for the spiritual needs of family, church family, loved ones, and acquaintances.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Wednesday, June 5, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Matthew 9:9-13

“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Something to Think About:

Here is yet another reminder about hypocrisy and wrong motives and thoughts.

The Religious Leaders in Jesus’ day had some problems.  The biggest was that they had created quite the status for themselves among the people—and they didn’t want anyone messing with it (even the Son of God!).  Part of their strategy to appear holier and more “good” than everyone else was to add hundreds of picayune qualifications to God’s Law, eventually convincing people that their add-ons were far more important than what God had actually commanded when giving the Law to the Jewish nation.  So, when Jesus came and only obeyed the actual Law, they took tremendous offense at that, so much so that they eventually worked hard to have Him killed.

On a Personal Note:

I was raised in a family where love was demonstrated by way of sarcastic humor and pronouncing statements that said the “right thing,” but with an inflection to let the other person know you actually meant the opposite of what you were saying.  This was normal for us—and was rarely done with the purpose of inflicting pain.  It took me a fair amount of time as an adult to realize that not everyone was raised this way—and that some people (MANY people) took offense at this kind of communication.  I’ve had to do a lot of apologizing and clarifying!  =)

I’m NOT saying that Jesus was employing the same strategy here with the disciples, but He’s definitely being a bit tongue-in-cheek in describing who needs His presence and instruction and who doesn’t.  What He wants is for the Pharisees to see that the folks they are naming “sinners” are listening to Him and learning about God (because they recognize their spiritual needs), while they, men who want everyone to think they are EXTRA spiritual, actually have hard hearts and do NOT recognize that they are spiritually bankrupt; that THEY are the ones who need Jesus.

Fast forward 2,000 years, there’s this “thing” that happens many Sunday mornings in church auditoriums between 11:00am and 12:00pm.  It’s the minds of believers searching for just the right person whom the pastor is describing with some sinful problem or tendency.  You see, it’s pretty easy to find faults in others, but Jesus wants us to look inward.  He wants us to prayerfully consider in what way(s) WE need Him to help us turn aside from some wrong thought, motive, or action.  He wants us to have tender hearts and the ability to recognize when we are “sick” and need His help to think right and act right.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Thursday, June 6, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Matthew 14:14-21

“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Something to Think About:

This account occurred while Jesus was still very popular and literally thousands of people were following Him around.  A few precious things to note from this passage include that, even though exhausted and even though trying to find a quiet place to teach His disciples one-on-one, Jesus had compassion on the great crowds of people that never stopped wanting things from Him.  I wonder: What sort of compassion do WE have on the people who seem to never stop contacting us and wanting things from us?

Second, even though Jesus Christ is the Son of God—God Himself, He paused to look up to Heaven and thank the Father for His provision of food.  Do we remember to thank God for life-giving gifts He gives to us?  Food? Water? Air?  Sleep?  Safety?  Shelter?  We would be wise to pause every hour or two simply to turn to Heaven and thank our Father for His constant and continuing blessings.

On a Personal Note:

The use of the word “need” comes after the disciples come to Jesus to tell Him that they cannot possibly feed the thousands of people who have followed them.

They were right.  They couldn’t.

Their mistake was in telling Jesus this fact WITHOUT asking Him to supply the need.  They had the Son of God, the Creator, right in front of them, yet they didn’t think to ask Him for help.

Good thing we never do that!  Say, go through our entire day without thinking to ask God for help to know how to use our hours wisely.  To know the best way to answer a tough question someone asked us.  To find out if He wanted us to say yes or no to some task.  To help us be good stewards in the grocery store.  To ask for skill and concentration when driving.  A million things!  Everything!

You and I live in the Age of Grace.  For the first time in all of history, when someone trusts in Jesus Christ as the Savior from their sins, they are given the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit of God, to indwell them; to live within them permanently.  Why?  Among other things, so that we can understand Scripture and apply it to the circumstances of our day.  To help us formulate God-honoring and biblically accurate prayers so that we can “ask and receive.”

Perhaps today’s ongoing prayer could be one of simply asking God to help us not forget to seek His help in every circumstance.  He loves to hear our prayers and He loves to meet all our true needs!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Friday, June 7, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Matthew 21:1-11

“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”  And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Something to Think About:

My husband has pointed out that as far as he knows, this is the only place in the entire Bible that lists something that God said He needed.  What was it?  A baby donkey!

On a Personal Note:

Have you ever stopped to wonder why prayer is even necessary?  Why would we even need to ask God for things if He already knows what we need before we ask?  We’ve already read verses that tell us that God provides what we need; that because of the Good Shepherd we have no lack.

Prayer has a few purposes.  First, it’s most definitely for our benefit.  God may already know what we need and He may already have put into motion the answers to our pleas before we even ask, but having the opportunity to talk to Him about it is such a help to us!  It is encouraging.  It is comforting.  It provides hope.  It reminds us that our God is faithful and trustworthy, that He is all powerful and full of wisdom.  It reminds us that we have no strength, wisdom, or ability in and of ourselves, but our Father is able to do anything and everything!

Prayer gives us a chance to express our gratitude.  As we’ve noted time and time again, there’s simply no end to the “Thank You, Lord, for. . .” list, because God constantly provides, directs, and helps. 

Prayer gives us a chance to praise God and give Him glory.  This pleases Him—and gives us a head start on eternity when all of creation will jubilantly sing, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

Actually, prayer isn’t even just about us.  When we begin to pray, we are ENTERING THE THRONE ROOM OF GOD, we are kneeling in the presence of the Almighty.  We are sitting at the feet of our Heavenly Father.  GOD is the other part of our prayers.  It isn’t us talking to the sky or speaking words into an empty place in our heads.  God is listening.  God is listening INTENTLY.  Prayer is a conversation with you and GOD, a privilege that I’m not sure we could even BEGIN to fully comprehend this side of glory, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying!

Jesus may have only needed a donkey while on earth, but we sure need Him!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Saturday, June 8, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Luke 10:38-42

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Something to Think About:

This passage is pretty well known, but for good reason.  Jesus states quite plainly that only one thing is NEEDED.  What is it?  Learning from Him; taking advantage of every time God’s Word is being taught to stop whatever we are doing so that we can soak it in, meditate on it, praise God for it, and allow it to change our heart and life forever.

On a Personal Note:

I know that I’ve told you before that I have a soft spot in my heart for Martha.  I just know that I would hate it if literally millions of people heard about my bad attitude while hosting a dinner party FOR JESUS!!!

Ugh. I prefer to keep my humiliation as private as possible.

But that didn’t happen for poor Martha (nor does it always happen that way for me!).  I guess the important thing is to find out, if we can, what Martha did with Jesus’ gentle rebuke (His rebukes for His followers who WANT to live more faithfully for Him are always gentle, kind, and patient!).  If we look ahead a bit in Martha’s life, we find out that she DID listen to Jesus, that she DID make the changes that He wanted her to make.

John 11:18-28  “Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

Martha’s beloved brother had died, yet Martha expresses complete trust and confidence in Jesus.  She literally ran from her hostess duties to the many folks who had come to console her and Mary so that she could talk to Jesus and hear what He had to say about everything.  Jesus, of course, gave her comfort and great hope, reminding her that death on earth is not the true end; that all those who have trusted in Him as their Savior will live forever in the presence of God the Father and God the Son.  Martha’s joy was renewed and she unselfishly found Mary so that she, too, could be comforted at the feet of her Savior, the one “necessary” thing for all of us.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sunday, June 9, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, June 10, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Acts 2:41-47

“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Something to Think About:

Wouldn’t it have been incredible to witness the birth of the church and these first golden months!  3,000 people getting right with the Lord in one day!  Everyone DEVOTED to hearing God’s Word taught, spending long hours together praying, enjoying spectacular fellowship!

On a Personal Note:

You know, we may live 2,000 years later than these folks, but the riches God gives His children are still really, really amazing.  In fact, one thing that we have that these folks did not have, is the completed Word of God.  At the time of Acts 2, these new church members had only the Old Testament to read and study.  We have all of the New Testament—including what life was like for the very people we are talking about.  Pretty cool!

Did you know that there’s no reason why we can’t do a bunch of the same things they did?

-We can CHOOSE to be in church every time the doors are open.

-We can CHOOSE to listen intently to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, CHOOSING to “receive” it, that is, to obey it and to implement it into our hearts and lives.

-We can CHOOSE to become members of a local Bible-teaching church if we aren’t currently members.  If we are members, we can choose to get involved and serve in as many ways as we can.

-We can CHOOSE to take part in praying for each other both privately and at Prayer Meeting and other church functions and fellowships.

-We can CHOOSE to not miss communion services (the first mention of “breaking of bread” above).

-We can CHOOSE to look around us and help and encourage each other in any way that we can, paying special attention to widows and orphans.

-We can CHOOSE to make time in our week to fellowship with other believers, especially members of our own church family (the second use of breaking bread above).

God honors this kind of faithfulness!  Does this describe YOU?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Acts 4:32-35

“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

Something to Think About:

Here is yet another record of followers of Christ in the newly born Church working together to make sure that none of their number were suffering in any way; that no one had “need.”

On a Personal Note:

While God doesn’t seem to be asking today’s local church members to sell everything they have in order to pool their resources to assist those who need extra help, it’s definitely still the right thing to be on the lookout among your church family for those who are struggling in order to help out as you are able.  We’ve even recently looked at several verses that are commands to the Christian to help “one another” physically and spiritually (which seems to be especially focused on fellow believers as opposed to the unsaved around us).

Did you know that all godly relationships are about giving—on both sides?  A God-honoring marriage is NOT 50/50, as you might hear in a secular advice column.  God wants us all to give 100% – and– He wants us to give without expecting anything back.  In other words, we should be on the lookout for how we can bless others (including with material goods such as money, food, and other provisions), but the giver shouldn’t be looking for payback, nor should the one receiving the gift “expect” it.  That being true, all those who want to live in a way that honors and pleases God, SHOULD say thank you.  They SHOULD “pass on” blessings as they are able.  They SHOULD rejoice in both receiving a blessing and giving one.

I think much of this principle is what we’ve already seen this month in other passages, that of following the example of the Good Shepherd and taking excellent care of the “sheep” in our life.  This is a privilege—and a joy.

Is God laying some “need” on your heart?

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, June 12,  2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Acts 6:1-7

“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”

Something to Think About:

This passage occurs when the new Church is still very young and a whole lot of details are still being figured out.  As you know, individual possessions were often sold so that the proceeds could be used by anyone in the group who had needs.  We find in this specific passage, however, that some of the widows were being missed when supplies were being handed out from day to day.  The twelve apostles gathered the church members around to talk and pray about the challenge and it was acknowledged that the apostles needed to devote themselves to God’s Word and prayer (teaching and preaching), so they knew different men would be needed to help them in other areas as the need arose.  In this case, for physical needs.

On a Personal Note:

This is the beginning of the second of two offices that God ordained for local churches (pastor and deacon are the only two “offices” that the Bible lists, though different churches might choose to include other “positions”  such as Sunday School Superintendent, Treasurer, etc.). 

Please note a few things about the deacons (literally, “servants”). 

-The men chosen were already part of that church family with good reputations in how they lived and conducted themselves (“of good repute”). 

-They were also men who lived faithfully according to God’s Word (“full of the Spirit” – translated more accurately, “spiritual”*).

-They had wisdom.  That is, the ability to apply God’s Word to the situations and circumstances of daily living.

-Although not limited to dealing with only the physical needs of the congregation, that was why these men were first set apart.

-We find from other passages that talk about the role of deacons that there are minimum requirements before a man can be considered “deacon material.”   This doesn’t mean that as long as someone meets these standards they are automatically chosen, but it’s more like if they do not meet these requirements, they are not qualified to be considered as deacons.  That being true, all male members of the local church can (and should) serve the Lord in and among their congregation as much as they can and as well as they can.  Ultimately, ALL service is to the Lord.

-See I Timothy 3 for specific qualifications for the deacon.

*Once Jesus returned to heaven and the Church Age began, all who trust in Jesus as their Savior immediately have the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, indwelling them constantly and permanently.  With that in mind, there’s really no such thing as getting “more” of the Holy Spirit or being “full” in the sense that the amount of the Holy Spirit waxes and wanes. Sadly, our English translations often make it look like this happens.  There are Greek rules of grammar that show that these instances are not THE Holy Spirit, rather characteristics/behavior that is spiritual—or in keeping with what honors and pleases God.  Specifically in today’s passage, the deacons chosen were chosen because they were living with excellence spiritually.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, June 13, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Romans 12:9-21

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Something to Think About:

Christians do not live with the same rules of conduct as the world around us—quite the opposite, in fact.  Jesus stated quite clearly that the two most important laws were loving God supremely and loving neighbor as self.  When we love God more than anything else in the universe, how we view others will change.  Part of loving Him wholeheartedly is trusting Him, which changes our auto-default tendencies to want revenge, to get the last word in, and to put people in their place.  God clearly states that vengeance is HIS job, never ours.

Specific to the point of our study this month, in the middle of this “basics for Christian living” list is “contributing to the needs of the saints” and “seeking to show hospitality.”  For sure, needs may be physical and financial, but sometimes they might be a smile from across the room, a touch on the arm and a request for prayer needs that you can pray for on their behalf.  It might be pausing in whatever your current agenda is before or after services to give a hug.  It might be a thinking-of-you text, a praying-for-you notecard, a thank-you-for-your-ministry email.  Really, looking for ways to be a blessing in and among your church family can be a tremendous amount of fun—and a joy to your heart

On a Personal Note:

I LOVE lists! 

Some Scripture lists are super helpful because they give very concrete and direct do’s and don’t for God honoring attitudes and actions.  Some lists are REALLY interesting because they tell us important facts and information.  Personally, I think creating a whole bunch of kinds of lists, then adding items to them as you learn things from your devotions, from a sermon, or from some other Bible study source is a super fun thing to do.  As a bonus, I’m giving you my awesomely extensive list of list category ideas. (Feel free to send me more list categories I might have missed!)  =)

List of Bible Lists

-What God says about Himself (who He is; His attributes).  This could be further organized into the three Persons of the Godhead.

-What God says pleases Him and displeases Him.

-What God desires or states as His will.

-What God says we should be thankful for.

-What God says brings Him glory – and what we should praise Him for.

-What God says about faithful service and rewards.

-What God says should be in our prayers.

-What God has promised.

-What God says to remember, dwell on, or think about.

-What God says we should love/hate.

-What God gives as the remedy or replacement for sinful behavior/thinking (for example, instead of stealing, work with your hands to benefit others).

-What God says lasts forever and what is temporary, or even useless.

-What God says to pursue and what to flee.

– “One another” verses.

-What position we are “in” Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14).

-What makes God angry.

-What the Bible says about itself.

-Names/titles/positions God gives His children.

-And, of course, what Scripture says we “need’!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 14, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read I Corinthians 12:14-27

“For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

Something to Think About:

In a nutshell?  Believers NEED other believers.  God made it this way.

When we speak of “the church,” there are two different, yet connected things.  What is defined as the “universal church” is simply every man, woman, and child who has trusted in Jesus as their Savior from the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) until the Rapture (TBD).  But, within that grand category are thousands of local churches—each one a group of Christians who have banded together in a specific location to create a church family.  In order to be a church (biblically), they need to have the offices of pastor and deacon. Sometimes there might not be a man/men to fill one or both of those offices temporarily. That church is still a church if they have the office of pastor and the office of deacon. (Another way of saying this is to say that a church is a church if it has the office of pastor and the office of deacon, even if the office is currently vacant.) Obviously a church must also have members—Christians who have committed to come together to learn about God’s Word and to obey it in their lives and in their community.

On a Personal Note:

Paul is addressing local churches in today’s passage.  Specifically, he is talking to the group of believers in the city of Corinth who have established a church family together.  However, because what Paul told them is included in the Bible, these are things you and I need to hear in regard to our own church families.

The first and most essential question, of course, is to ask if you ARE a member of a local Bible-teaching church?  I’m not going to go into the many reasons why this is the right course of action for all Christians, but unless you are a member of a local church, this passage is only applying to you in the broad sense of the universal church (and you are missing out on some HUGE blessings!).

Second, do you have the right attitude in whatever role you play in your “body” of believers?  As Paul points out, there are a whole lot of parts that make up a body—and each are important to the whole.  Each should help and support the other parts.  To fight against the role God gave you and to not support the other members is to cause damage and harm to your own body!

Third, ultimately, it is GOD Who brings specific people to a specific location to become a church family together.  Have you ever considered the background of the different members of your church?  Where people were born, what brought them to your town, how they ended up attending and joining your church?  It is truly a miracle from God!  We need to love and appreciate every single member!

A body needs a head.  Headless people aren’t a “thing.”  Jesus Christ is the Head of the universal church, and of each individual local church. He also commands specific men to act as His under-shepherds to lead a local church spiritually (the pastor).  God is also the One Who works in the lives of certain men so that they are qualified to fill the role of deacons.  Our pastors and our deacons are responsible for the spiritual welfare of the church family and it seems only wise to respect them and listen to what God might be showing them is best in the different areas that come up.  That being true and very important, independent Baptist churches are congregationally run, so every member has a part in the decisions being made.  Of course, in order for the group to honor God and please Him in their actions and decisions, each member needs to be right with the Lord in their personal lives as well as know what the Bible has to say about how we are to think and act as children of God.

How might we “help” each other?  A huge way is faithful daily prayers for one another.  A second major way is by our attendance, making being in the building when the doors are open a huge priority.  A third way is to be involved—involved in ministries, involved in fellow member’s lives.  And the fourth was already covered:  take excellent care of one another, showing love in big ways and little ones.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 15, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Ephesians 4:28

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” 

Something to Think About:

Ephesians 4 contains the very helpful “put off/put on” list (a list!!!!), the biblical remedies for wrong thinking and actions.  In order to stop doing something that is dishonoring to God, we need to replace it with the God-honoring version.  This is what Ephesians 4 is about (and other Bible passages).  This includes today’s verse (v.28) where the thief is told to never steal again and instead use his hands to benefit others, especially those with some sort of need.

On a Personal Note:

I like to have a purpose for the tasks I do with my hands (sewing, paper crafts, crocheting, baking, etc.).  Of course, there are plenty of times when I or my family is the one with a “need,” so what I am making is for them, but it’s nice to have a good outlet for other things I make.

Let me back up to say that I feel pretty strongly that we should all be good stewards of our time.  That’s not to say that downtime or time to sit with someone you love and watch a movie from time to time isn’t okay.  Of course it is!  But, it kind of seems to me that the auto-default for humans is to err on the side of lazy versus working “too hard.”  I’d rather do something productive with my daylight hours if that’s at all possible.  So, my personal policy is to try to accomplish various projects while watching a movie or otherwise “resting” (as opposed to sitting there and doing nothing at all).

But then there’s the problem with what to do with the “stuff” we’re making?  There’s no point in making 100 quilts if they’re all sitting in a closet somewhere.  Who could use one?  Who in your church family could be blessed by what you’ve made?  Could the pastor’s family use one? What about a family friend?  What about a co-worker?  What about other pastor’s families or missionaries?  What about Christian nursing homes, extended care facilities, even colleges?  What about church family and their loved ones in the military?

Pray about using something you make or do for the benefit of someone “in need.”  In addition, pray about being willing to help someone make things and distribute them so that they can stay away from stealing or some other dishonoring and disobedient behavior.  Maybe you don’t strictly “need” that item they want to give you, but would it be a kindness to graciously accept it anyway?

Prayerfully consider the area of helping others in need.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, June 17, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Philippians 2:19-30

“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.  I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me,  and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,  for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.  I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”

Something to Think About:

Paul was very appreciative of the fellow-workers God brought into his life. He was an incredibly busy man of God: preaching, teaching, making tents to support himself financially, traveling constantly, writing regular and long letters to churches and individuals—all while often being in literal danger of his life.  Along the way, God sent helpers at various times and for various reasons.  Here, Paul lists a few men who were extra special to him, Timothy and Epaphroditus.  These men gave their all for the Lord and for Paul, making them among the most precious people in his life.

On a Personal Note:

I can tell you from first-hand personal observation that pastors are incredibly busy men.  Being a pastor is not a 40-hour, Monday to Friday gig.  It is literally twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.  Even on days off and while on vacation far away, the pastor is praying for his people, paying attention to trials and struggles they might be having, and ready to drop whatever he is doing at a moment’s notice—if only he can be a help and a blessing.  This is a simple fact.

I can ALSO tell you from first-hand personal observation that people who do their dead level best to help him, to ease his load, to encourage him in his labor for the Lord—are priceless, true treasures.  When pastors count their blessings, men and women who love God wholeheartedly and demonstrate it by sacrificial service are among their biggest joys.

How can YOU be a “Timothy” or an “Epaphroditus” to YOUR pastor?  The first thing is always going to be prayer—morning, noon, and night.  ALL Christians need the constant prayer support of other Christians.  Next, look for ways to ease his load (it might be most polite and useful to simply ask him—not “if” you can help, but “how” can you help).  One of the biggies that comes to my mind is the million and one physical labor jobs needed on church property AND at the parsonage (like Acts 6, this frees him up to pay more attention to Bible study and prayer).  Can you mow instead of him?  Shovel?  Replace worn out lightbulbs?  Set up chairs for the church dinner?  Put chairs away after the church dinner?  Can you pick up Mr. So-and-So, so that he doesn’t have to?

Are there bulletins to fold?  Walls to paint?  Does his car need a wash?  Could he use a couple of bucks to take his wife out to dinner?

God’s Word tells us that our pastor is God’s gift to the local church.  What a privilege and joy it is to do our dead level best to take excellent care of him and his family!

(Please note that I am speaking very generally here about the potential needs of pastors and their families and am not talking at all about my husband and my family! Our church family takes wonderful care of us!)

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read I Thessalonians 1:1-10

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

Something to Think About:

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy sure have some outstanding things to say about the church family in Thessalonica!  First, they put their faith into action by how they are living obediently according to God’s Word—and second, they are doing so out of love.  Third, their hope (confidence) in the Lord is steadfast, meaning that they refuse to give up or give in.  What a great testimony for all of us to have!

On a Personal Note:

There are all sorts of great treasures in these few verses, but the word “need” is made mention in regard to the Thessalonian’s excellent reputation in not only their own city, but surrounding cities as well.  Paul said that their faith in the Lord and their labors of love are so well known that he doesn’t really need to inform the other believers he is meeting with about them—because they already know!

An obvious application here is to prayerfully consider what our testimony is like.  And the question isn’t really whether or not you love God wholeheartedly, how close you are to Him personally, or how well you obey what you know He wants you to do.  All that is SUPER important, but so is the reality of whether the people around us know this or not.  Really, even strangers ought to be able to pick Christians out from a crowd because of our appearance, attitude and speech.  Not that our appearance is obvious in the same way the Amish are, but perhaps it’s more of what we AREN’T wearing: immodest clothes, clothes that advertise ungodly food, drink, people, and media, and such.  In addition to our clothes, jewelry and hair styles, what’s on our face ought to also stand out.  That is, the joy of the Lord, the peace of the Lord, the love of the Lord.  These are all things the world does not have, which often results in expressions of frustration, anger, despair, and stress.

Once people get past the exterior, though, are they hearing words and attitudes that reflect God’s words and attitudes?  Are they observing good stewardship of our body and possessions?  Are they noticing excellent use of time and resources? 

As in all of our lives as children of God, there’s a starting place for EVERYTHING—and there is room for improving, for excelling still more.  The closer we walk with our Good Shepherd, the more we will be like Him and the more our testimony will be one that blesses other Christians and honors our Father.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read I Thessalonians 4:9-12

“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

Something to Think About:

In many ways, this is kind of an additional comment on Paul’s opening to this letter to the church family in Thessalonica that we read yesterday.  He is reminding them just how important showing biblical love is—while commending them for already doing really well in this area.  He includes a few examples of some of what this would include:  to not be a showoff or a busybody, to be a hard worker with a good reputation to all who know you, never taking advantage of others or sponging off of them.

On a Personal Note:

I have no idea just how long ago it was when I first heard my husband encourage those of us listening to him preach to “excel still more” (found here in verse 10, translated here as “do this more and more”) in godly obedient living.  I remember it speaking to my very soul—feeling a deep desire to be the child of God who made it their life’s goal to give whatever they were doing their dead level best, but not settling for that level.  Praying and learning and practicing Christlikeness IN ORDER TO do it more, better, and with more excellence.

Have I always succeeded?  Nope.  Have I sometimes gained one step and lost three?  Yup.  Have I given up?  Lost my hope that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the instruction from God’s Word, the encouragement from my pastor, and the prayers of my godly friends and church family, I could keep trying? You bet!  You see, it’s not really about MY ability to obey, to be more faithful, to better represent Christ.  It’s about GOD and His utter faithfulness.  He can do all things—including take messed up me and help me to excel still more.  He can help YOU to excel still more.  BUT, even though God does all the work, He still asks us to try; to do what we know He wants us to do, trusting Him with the details.

How about you?  Have you made a commitment to excel still more in your Christian walk?  I guarantee that this is one decision you will never regret, not in this life, nor the one to come!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, June 20, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Hebrews 5:11-14

“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Something to Think About:

Something had happened with the Christians being addressed by the author of Hebrews here in chapter 5.  They should have been pretty mature in their faith and knowledge of Scripture, but they had kind of fallen down on the job and weren’t really maturing any more. The author pointed out that they weren’t putting into practice what they knew from Scripture, so the growth stalled out.  We’ve all heard the adage, “you lose what you don’t use.”  This is true spiritually as well as physically (though, of course, no one can lose their salvation).

On a Personal Note:

When I was 18 years old, I began a one-year trade school course to learn how to become a surgical technician (the person who stands next to the surgeon in the operating room and passes the instruments he needs).  About a third of our instruction was in the classroom, but the focus was very much on giving us hands-on experience so that we could do the job competently upon finishing instruction.  We didn’t show up on day one and stand next to an open heart surgeon, automatically knowing all the names of the instruments and when he would want them.  We started by standing against the wall (far away from anything sterile!) and observing.  With time (and instruction in labs), we were allowed to scrub and stand next to the “real” surgical technician.  Eventually, we were given an instrument to hold in the hope that we could pass it to the surgeon the right way and at the right time.  Finally, we WERE the surgical technician.  Even then, after working full time in an operating room for several years, I was constantly learning new things.  By the way, the whole thing could be TERRIFYING at times (but, I loved it!).

Why am I going on about all that?  Everything that we hope to learn more about and get better at will have a starting point, a growing process, and continuing education.  It also all involves practice—a LOT of practice.  Spiritual growth and learning goals are no different.  The day we trust in Jesus as our Savior is day #1—and we are given until the day of our death to learn more, obey more fully, serve in bigger and better ways, and at least some of the point of today’s Scripture, share what we know with others so that they, too, can listen, learn, and grow (the “rule” for learning new procedures in the operating room was “see one, do one, teach one”).  It’s a beautiful cycle, one we definitely don’t want to miss out on!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 21, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Hebrews 10:32-39

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

Something to Think About:

Basically, this is a call to not give in or give up.  It’s a call to endure, to hang in there, to keep on keeping on.  Why?  All the struggles and hardships of this life are very much temporary.  Our eternity is one of tremendous joy, of lasting peace, and more importantly, an eternal existence in the presence of the Holy One—our Heavenly Father and our Savior (which means the absence of sin, sadness, and all grief).

On a Personal Note:

Can you think of examples of endurance in your life?  Moments when you needed to push hard, refusing to give up (or sometimes, when giving up wasn’t even an option!)?  Maybe getting your high school diploma, your license to drive, finding a good job, delivering a baby?

Some of these things were harder than others, some involved more pain and hardship than others.  And, dear one, no one is denying that many aspects of being a child or God are very difficult.  Oh, it’s certainly true that it is God Who causes the growth and helps us choose right (praise His name!), but He also wants our cooperation.  Growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  Furthermore, it sure seems like the biggest and hardest lessons and victories only come after a lot of blood, sweat, and tears—that it takes going through the dark valley before we can sit at the feast. 

Of course, we are reminded that the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, is with us every step of the way.  It is He Who leads, guides, protects, directs.  It is He Who will get us safely to our eternal home.  THEREFORE, we NEED to endure!   We need to not give up and not give in.  We need to trust in our Good Shepherd—and keep following His lead, wherever it might go.  There is joy in this.  There is peace in this.  There is great reward in this.

P.S.  The very next chapter in Hebrews addresses extensively the necessity and blessings of faith.  Check it out!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 22, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read I John 3:12-18

“Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Something to Think About:

Christians are given the command to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1) and to be becoming more like Jesus Christ (a lifelong process).  One of the biggest ways we are to be “like” God is in how we show His love (and God’s love is extremely sacrificial). 

This passage is specifically addressing believers and how they interact with other believers (though this is certainly observed by the unsaved and may cause them to want to find out how they can also belong to God). 

And how are we to think and act toward other believers?  In love.  That is, in our actions, in what we say and do, in what we DON’T say and do—and with what attitudes we do all this in.

On a Personal Note:

Did you remember that biblical love is an action?  That God understands that not all Christians are going to “click” with all other Christians?  That God knows that some of us will immediately become lifelong friends, while others of us may never really want to spend much time together?   Which is okay—as long as we never stop showing love one to another.  As long as when we see a need, we ask God for wisdom and help to do what we can to meet it.  As long as we consider others as more important than ourselves.  As long as we are upholding each other in daily prayer.  As long as we are encouraging each other to greater godliness.  As long as we are looking at one another through the eyes of God, remembering that His love is the kind that lays down His life on our behalf.

Prayerfully spend some time choosing to remember who has been a help and a blessing to you in the past and how.  Thank God for this—and for them.  Prayerfully spend some time thinking about how God might want you to show love to someone in your life currently, perhaps asking God to specifically show you someone in “need.”

P.S.  It’s always helpful to write things down so that you can remember them.  In this case, make note of who the Lord has laid on your heart, a list of ways you might be a blessing to them, and a deadline to follow through by.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Monday, June 24, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Revelation 3:14-22

“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Something to Think About:

Revelation 2 and 3 consist of seven letters that Jesus Christ wrote to the pastors of seven churches located in Asia Minor.  They contain warnings, commendations, condemnations, and coming rewards for faithful service.  They’re great to study and learn from so that we can do what the faithful churches did and stay far away from the sins of the unfaithful ones. 

Today’s Scripture is addressed to the church in Laodicea.  Jesus Christ is unhappy with them because they have stopped living wholeheartedly for Him and are just “there.”  They might be coming to church on Sunday, but aren’t listening, aren’t serving, aren’t loving each other.  Sadly, they are pretending that all is well, but God knows the heart.  He knows when one of His children is simply going through the motions or just doing enough to get by.

They (and we!) should be excited to find out that God reproves and disciplines those He loves. Because He loves us, He is not content to see us waste our lives on fake Christianity, or to fail to fulfill our potential to honor Him and have future opportunities for service.  He wants to bless us, reward us, delight in us, but He cannot if we aren’t even paying attention to our true need.

On a Personal Note:

Jesus Christ is watching over OUR churches today, too!  Pray for YOUR church family!  Pray for your pastor and deacons, for their continued obedience and faithfulness to God, for wisdom in leadership, for their health and well being, and for the ability to take care of their families physically and financially.

Pray for each member of your church similarly and that as a church family you would all stay true to God’s Word, that no one would give up or give in, that everyone would endure, obey, and enjoy the joy and peace God gives to His faithful ones.

Pray for other Bible teaching churches, their pastors, and congregations. 

Pray for those who still need to trust in Christ as Savior.  The days are short!  Jesus could return at any moment and when He does, the Church Age is over forever.

Pray for believers who are living on the outs with God. What a horrible place to be!  Pray for their repentance and return to a right relationship with God.

Pray that neither you nor your church family would ever be a “lukewarm Laodicea”!

BONUS:  The much-loved verse, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me,” is not actually a plea for people to get saved.  The context is part of this letter written to Christians.  It is a plea from Jesus to Christians who have “shut the door” to Him and whose personal relationship with Him has become less than it could be.  Perhaps we’ve allowed sin into our hearts and lives. Perhaps we’ve just become blasé about spiritual things.  Perhaps we’ve stopped having devotions or personal prayer time.  Perhaps we’re shortchanging ourselves by skipping out on church services.  Perhaps we’ve isolated ourselves and aren’t having enriching fellowship with other faithful believers.  Whatever it is, Jesus is standing at the ready to help you get that right so that your fellowship with Him is LOVELY in every way.  He is the Good Shepherd, eager to help our cup overflow!

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Hebrews 4:14-16

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Something to Think About:

A pretty big point of the book of Hebrews is to point out to those who were raised in Jewish tradition the difference between the human men appointed to the role of high priest and Who Jesus is as THE “great High Priest.”  The short answer is, “Everything!”  Pertinent to these few verses, the Jewish high priest could only enter the presence of God in the Holy of Holies once a year.  Currently, because Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf—and because He died in our place, taking our sin on Himself, then rose to new life defeating sin and death, and because He caused us to trust in Him as our Savior, one of the (endless and incredible) benefits we enjoy is the freedom (and encouragement) to come to the throne of grace (to the presence of God the Father) any time for any reason.  And we’re not just free to come, we are ENCOURAGED to come IN ORDER TO receive mercy (NOT giving us what we deserve) and grace (giving us what we don’t deserve) – to help us in times of need (which is every minute of every day).

On a Personal Note:

Humans are funny and fickle people. We are full of quirks, unreasonableness, and poor memories of what is truly important.  For example, how quickly we forget that, because of Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf, we do NOT have to give in to temptation to sin when it comes our way.  Because Jesus didn’t, we don’t have to either.  We’re much more prone to give in before things get too uncomfortable, knowing we can always pray and ask for forgiveness later.  We may not even realize that we are doing this, but the Bible says that if we knowingly do something that we believe is wrong, this is sin for us.  How much better to choose to REMEMBER that our Good Shepherd, the One Who is also the Great High Priest, is ready every single second to help us choose to say “No way!” to sin and temptation!

Humans also tend to forget important things when stressed (say, when we get called to the boss’ office, when an unexpected bill comes in the mail, when we get a scary medical diagnosis).  We’re prone to panic, cry, explode in anger, complain, turn to the internet for answers, and a million other things  – when our first and main response ought to be to draw near the throne of grace with confidence, knowing we will receive all the mercy and grace we could ever need or want.

I am reminded constantly that in and of myself, I have no ability to think right, act right, or react right.  But in Christ, with the direction of God and strength of the indwelling Spirit, I can be God honoring.  I can live in such a way that He is glorified.  I can bask in constant mercy and grace.

Prayerfully consider recent examples of how you auto-defaulted to thinking or acting that left God out of the picture (and how that went for you) versus times when you drew near to the throne of God and how God helped you and comforted you.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read James 2:14-17

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Something to Think About:

This is pretty straightforward: all those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb should be displaying characteristics and attitudes that accurately reflect our Savior.  He gave His all out of love for us.  He is giving, merciful, kind, forgiving, generous, encouraging—and much, much more.  Christians should be known for all these things too.  Our “walk” should support our “talk” – and vice versa.

On a Personal Note:

I remember once, many years ago, being a long ways away in a church in a different state, my husband having been invited to come and fill the pulpit since the church was without a pastor.  At that time, we had three small children, ages 2,4,5, and I was nine months pregnant with baby #4.  My husband, being the super gracious guy that he is, agreed, even though they had him preach for a different service than the one they had asked him to come and do, and we had to leave quite early to get there on time.  After, they asked us to wait in the lobby (to STAND in the lobby—with small children and a heavily pregnant wife) while they did a few things (maybe counting the offering???).  After a good hour, they brought us to see the now-empty parsonage (which we said we didn’t need to see), and then they wished us a good day—and left.  Here we were, a young couple with very small children, unfed, far from home, with just a few dollars in our possession.  What sort of “faith” did those people have based on that sort of callousness?  Not very much, according to James!  Thankfully, our Good Shepherd never leaves His sheep without care and He allowed us to share a small lunch at McDonalds and get safely home (with just gas fumes in the car’s tank!).  I’ve wondered in the years since what sort of care that church gave whatever man they ended up calling to pastor them (we’re pretty thankful it wasn’t us).

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, June 27, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read II Timothy 2:15

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Something to Think About:

Basically, this verse is a warning about how important it is to teach God’s Word accurately.  All Christians should be careful to not misquote verses (so they say something they’re not actually saying) or to explain them inaccurately, resulting in wrong beliefs and actions.  This is, of course, doubly true for all who teach God’s Word, maybe most of all, pastors. If we’re not 100% sure what we’re saying is accurate biblically, then say so (and find out what IS true).

While it can be a little stressful recognizing how critical it is to share God’s Word accurately, Christians are still commanded to share Scripture with other people and pastors are still commanded to preach and teach.  Paul’s charge to Timothy indicates that it IS possible to do it accurately, pleasing and honoring God as well as building up and helping people.

On a slightly different note, Christians must live out what God’s Word says accurately too.  One of the life-goals all believers should have from the point of their salvation to whenever God brings them home, is to learn more and more from the Bible SO THAT it changes how we think SO THAT it changes why we do what we do and how we do it.  Living “rightly” will mean that we won’t need to feel shame when we stand before the Lord one day.

On a Personal Note:

Just a few minutes ago (before writing this day’s study), I paused to design a bulletin for the funeral of someone who has been a friend of my church for many years.  She died quite suddenly and unexpectedly (in our eyes, but not in God’s.  He always knows the perfect time for each of us to shed these temporary shells in order to rejoice in His presence for all of eternity).

My husband and I spent some time with her husband and adult children so they could talk about her and share some of the many reasons they loved and admired her.  Not every meeting with family is one where the family has nothing but great things to say about their loved one, but this family sure did!  Part of the discussion included favorite Bible verses and favorite hymns.  One of the hymn favorites given seemed to go really well with our Scripture today and also really touched my heart.  It is “Give of Your Best to the Master.”

Give of your best to the Master;

give of the strength of your youth. 

Armed with the sword of salvation,

 join in the battle for truth.

 Jesus has set the example;

His life for others He gave. 

Give Him your loyal devotion;

give Him the best that you have.

(words by Howard B. Grose)

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, June 28, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

-Read Revelation 21:22-25; 22:1-5

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. .  . Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Something to Think About:

John was so impressed with the lack of need for the sun or lamps in eternity to provide light that he mentioned it twice in these last two chapters of the last book of the Bible!  Really, even though there’s really not a ton of information about what’s to come, we find that a whole lot of things that we need now to survive and be happy become obsolete then.  Why?  Because all we truly need is the Lord.  Isn’t that what David wrote 3,000 years ago in Psalm 23?  The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want?

On a Personal Note:

We’ve spoken before about how humans like to write their names—just for fun.  Writing our names is most often about identification, however.  We use our names to mark our possessions, to stake our claim, to be identified on official and legal documents, and to show our uniqueness.

Did you notice verse 4 of chapter 22?  It says that the Good Shepherd’s name will be written on our foreheads.  He has claimed us as His for all of eternity—and our identity is forever welded to His.  This is a precious thing—and one that is actually true RIGHT NOW.  All those who have trusted in Jesus as Savior belong to God and our names are carved into the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16).  No one and no thing can ever prize us away and our security is sure in His perfect might forever and ever.

When we feel weak, remember we belong to the Almighty.

When we feel unloved, remember His love is unconditional, permanent, and perfect.

When we feel inadequate, remember that we can do all things in Him.

When we feel alone, remember that we are sheep of the Good Shepherd today and for forever.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 29, 2024

-Pause to pray!  The only right first step in every single thing we do as children of God is to pray and seek God’s help.  This is also very true when we read and study God’s Word.  Ask His help to understand it, then apply it to your life and the circumstances of your day.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “need” in them to better understand verse 1.)

It’s Review Time!

Look back on your work on Psalm 23:1 in relation to all the verses that used the word “need” (also keeping in mind Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus”).

-What are some of the biggest “do’s” God impressed on your heart from these verses?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-What are some of the biggest “do not’s” God impressed on your heart from these verses?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-How would YOU summarize what Psalm 23:1 means for YOU based on this month’s studies?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On a Personal Note (my summary thoughts):

God’s Word is LOADED with promises—and one of them is that God will supply all that we truly need.  This fact alone should give us such joy and comfort every day, all day.   Because God is all-wise and all-powerful, we can have utmost confidence that what He provides (and when He provides it) is EXACTLY right.  This frees us up to look around us to see how we can show love to brothers and sisters in Christ!  (After all, God may well be supplying their need through us!)

One of the biggest privileges and joys we have in this lifetime is to thank God for providing all we need.  Not just physical and financial needs (which are such an enormous comfort), but a million other things.  Certainly, we couldn’t even begin to list the countless spiritual blessings we have “in Christ,” but also consider the variety of daily pleasures He gives.  Things such as a gorgeous sunrise, a spontaneous hug from a child, an email that made us smile, hot coffee in the morning, a fun new recipe, a pleasant book, a restful nap in the afternoon.  Our lives are literally made up of the goodness of God—and our praise should be constant!

I think that we sometimes forget that God LOVES to have us come to Him in prayer, not just to ask about concerns and needs, but to ask for help to love Him more, to honor Him better, to obey Him more often, to understand Who He is and what makes Him tick.  He WANTS to help us be becoming more like His Son and come to cherish Who He is more and more.  We need but ask!

Another huge privilege and joy for the Christian is to look around at brothers and sisters in Christ to consider how we can help them and bless them with whatever needs they might have—especially in our own local church.  We already know God will see to OUR needs, so we can have the fun of helping others with theirs!  This is a big part of what a church family does for “one another”! 

I think we can all look forward to the day when we have no needs (not even the sun!).  This won’t be until we are in the presence of God, however.  In the meantime, we are so blessed to be able to talk to our Father in heaven about anything at any time.  And at the same time, we KNOW that He is meeting all our needs perfectly, many of which we may not even know about!  He does—and that’s all that matters.  The care of our Good Shepherd is perfect.  There is no need for fear.

You & the Lord:

-What do you want to remember from today’s Scripture, questions, and/or applications?  Use this space to summarize what you learned, make note of questions or comments you have, or list one or more items you would like to learn more about.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Sunday To-Do’s:

-Pray, asking that all you say and do today honors and pleases God and is obedient to His Word.

-Pray similarly for brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Pray for your pastor, for Sunday School teachers, and for all who are serving the Lord and ministering in some way today.

-Pray for those attending church today who need to trust in Christ as their Savior, that today would be that day!

-Pray for those attending church today who are Christians, but not living fully for Christ, that today would be the day that they would get completely right with God.

-Pray for your own heart, confessing sin and making sure you are ready to listen, learn, and grow.

-Be prepared!  Do what you need to do to be at church on time.  Don’t forget your Bible and your favorite note taking tools!

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from Sunday School that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Morning message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-If you were going to share with a close Christian friend something you learned from the Evening message that blessed you, challenged you, or interested you to learn more about, what would it be?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Do you need to do some sort of follow up for this?  If so, what?  When do you plan to do it?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Name no more than 3 things that blessed, challenged, or interested you from your devotions this last week:

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-Pray, thanking God for the blessings of the day and past week. Ask Him for help to honor and obey Him in the coming week.

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness 

for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and

mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

Dear Student of the Word,

Thank you for joining me on this year-long quest to dive deeply into the treasures of Psalm 23.  As a reminder, here is what we have studied so far:

-January.  We enjoyed an overview of the chapter, including reading what Hebrew scholar, Pastor Stephen L. Brown summarized as well as pastor and author, Dr. Robert Ketcham, as found in his book, I Shall Not Want.

-February-March. We studied other Bible verses that use the word “shepherd” and “sheep” to help us better understand these words in Psalm 23.

-April.  We enjoyed a 30-day Bible study on the life of David, the author of this psalm, as written by Pastor Laurence D. Brown.

-May.  We returned to an in-depth look at each of the six verses of Psalm 23, using several English translations as the basis for our study.

-June. We completed another word study.  This one was based on the word “need” found in verse 1, looking for what God says we need (and what we don’t) so that we can appreciate that He truly supplies all our true needs perfectly,  lavishly, and exactly on time.

Continuing the theme of using Scripture to explain Scripture, this month we will be studying what the Bible has to say about “leading.”  Our Good Shepherd leads us to green pastures, beside still waters, in paths of righteousness, through dark valleys, to an amazing banquet, and all the way through life until we are finally able to dwell in His house forever.

Some reminders:

-These studies are available as hard copies, as a daily email, or on our church’s website (firstbaptistnorthconway.org).  You can find past studies on the website as well.

-You are always welcome to share these studies with whomever the Lord lays on your heart.  If someone new wants to sign up for the emails, simply send me their email address.

-I strongly encourage you to review your work with another person (or as many as you can wrangle together!).

-Comments and questions are always welcome.  If you reply to the email version of this study, you will get me, not some nameless person from MailChimp.  =)

-Our church has a free publishing ministry.  Some of the titles are available for download on

SolidRockPublications.org.

-Prayers for everyone doing this study are greatly appreciated!  We NEED God’s help and blessing to listen, learn, and grow!

-If you’re in the North Conway area, you’re always welcome to join our ladies for our Mary & Martha Ladies’ Bible Study on the second Monday of each month in the evening.  We also have a separate fellowship for senior saints (age 60 and up) the first Thursday morning of each month.

-Scripture is provided courtesy of BibleGateway.com.  I am using the ESV for this study.

May God be greatly honored in our Bible study and lives this month!

By His Grace,

Lorie

Monday, July 1, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 5

To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David*. 

“Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. 3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. 6 You destroy those who speak lies;
 the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. 8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. 9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. 11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. 12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.”

(*While editor comments about different psalms are not inspired Scripture, the superscriptions are.  In Hebrew, they are the first line of the psalm.)

-Something to Think About:

David is the author of this psalm, a prayer to God asking for help against enemies (who are also God’s enemies since he was God’s anointed king of Israel). This psalm is also a plea for help to not stray from the righteous path where the Lord leads those who wish to remain loyal to Him.

How are the wicked described?  They are, mostly, living in a way contrary to God’s character.  That is, they are living unrighteously.  They are boastful, they think and do evil, they lie, they’re violent, they do not respect or obey God, and they rebel against Him.  David (rightly so) asks God to stop them; to punish them in the right way and at the right time. 

What is David’s heart’s cry?  What does he say characterizes those whom the Lord is pleased with? They, first, seek God’s help first thing in the morning (and all day long).  They know that they have no wisdom or strength in and of themselves.  They MUST HAVE God’s direction, strength, and help.    They are peace-seeking, humble, truthful.  They fear the Lord, that is, have a correct view of God’s majesty and sovereignty, and eagerly place themselves under His care, obeying all He requires. They take refuge in the Lord, rejoicing over the perfect care and protection He provides.  They love His name and exult in Him, vocally, in their hearts, and in how they live.

-On a Personal Note:

I grew up in a pretty neat part of the world.  My five siblings and I lived in a big old farmhouse deep in the countryside of the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York.  We lived on a dirt road with neighbors spread out few and far between and miles and miles of corn fields and woods all around us.  We spent hours and hours every single day of the summer playing outside and exploring the area.

Once darkness came, we mostly stayed within the confines of our own yard, playing endless games of Kick-the-Can, Red Rover, Red Rover, Freeze Tag, and Statues.  We also played Follow the Leader.  Did you play it?  One person is at the front of a line of kids and whatever the leader does, wherever they go, however they do it, the others all do too—all in a neat row.  It was a fun game because no one had to do something the leader wasn’t also willing to do.

Have you ever noticed how many games simulate something bigger?  For example, Follow the Leader is exactly how children of God should live their lives, following the example of Christ and being imitators of God.

Psalm 5:8 has our word of focus this month, “lead” in it.  David is asking the Lord to lead him in His righteousness and to make his path straight in his objective to honor and obey Him.  When we follow the Lord, we will be honoring Him, pleasing Him, and exulting in Him—just like David was in this psalm!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 27

Of David.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! 8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

-Something to Think About:

David had ups and downs, victories and defeats.  One thing that sets him apart, however, and why God calls him a man after His own heart, is that David always turned and returned to the Lord.  When he was rejoicing, He praised the Lord in prayer, in song, and in dance.  When he was under great stress, he turned to the Lord for answers, hope, and help.  When he was afraid, he turned to the Lord in trust and confidence.  And when he needed direction, he turned to the Lord for divine guidance.  And as we find here, David turned to the Lord simply to praise Him and worship Him.

-On a Personal Note:

About a year and a half ago I realized that I was experiencing some dizziness.  When it persisted, I began earnest research, realizing that what I was feeling didn’t fit the standard definition for any of the common types of dizziness/vertigo.  I tried to explain it to a few different healthcare providers, but their blank looks didn’t exactly give me confidence that they had any idea what I was talking about.  It took a lot of work, but eventually, I found out that there are vestibular disorders that give the sensation that the floor under you is bobbing, swaying, and rolling.  It’s a lot like walking on the floor of a bouncy house or trampoline ALL THE TIME.*

Psalm 27:11 reminds us that life in general can seem a lot like that.  Some days are awesome, other days are painful.  We experience victory in one area, only to suffer a humiliating defeat in another.  We have a delightful conversation with one person, while a different person is mad at us for some reason.  Life goes up and down.  Our understanding of things comes and goes.  Even our trust in the Lord is sometimes at a delightful high, but other times a lonely low.

David reminds us that the place of stability is always and only going to be God and God’s Word. He alone is able to keep us on a level path.  We DESPERATELY need to be in Scripture every single day.  We need to be in church services and among mature believers.  We need to maintain an extremely close relationship to God via prayer and keeping sin confessed.  We might sometimes find ourselves walking on a bouncy surface, but we never need struggle spiritually with insecurity.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are available to us constantly!

*FYI, there are two main conditions with these symptoms.  One is Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS)  (often seen after people get off a long boat journey) and Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD).  The difference is that people with MdDS feel better when they’re moving and worse when holding still—including being in bed at night! – and people with PPPD feel better when holding still and worse with movement.  Mine is the latter.  As far as I can currently tell, the only treatment is vestibular physical therapy, something I am looking into.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 31:1-3

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! 2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me! 3 For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;”

-Something to Think About:

In Psalm 31:3, David is asking God to be his refuge, deliverer, and fortress—for His name’s sake.  In Psalm 23:3, David stated that God DOES lead him in paths of righteousness – for His name’s sake. 

We learned in May that the name of the Lord represents His character, His goals, and Who He is.  David is trusting that God will do what He said He would do.  That is, to lead David to where he should go and keep him safe along the way.  David is also (wisely) asking God’s help to be obedient and wise, even as he leans fully on God’s protection, guidance, and care.

-On a Personal Note:

I was a fairly young girl when first called on to babysit someone else’s children.  I remember the occasion well!  The parents of four VERY rambunctious boys wanted to go out and spend an evening with adults (and not with any children), so they hired me, even though I wasn’t a whole lot older than their oldest son to keep an eye on them (and, incidentally, wash all their dishes for them!).  From that point on, I have babysat a lot of children.  Some were strangers, some were pretty well known to me, and some were nieces and nephews or other relatives.  It wasn’t until I was given the chance to take care of my own children that I began to understand the bond a parent can develop with their children, and how a parent wants their child to grow into a godly adult and reflect well on their parents and their Lord.  

Why bring all that up?  When you and I trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin’s consequence, we not only had our sin fully forgiven, we received the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  When God looks at us, He sees us as being just as righteous as Jesus Christ.  He looks at us and sees us as His beloved child. 

What an incredible gift!  What an outstanding privilege!  How could we ever properly thank Him?  How could we even BEGIN to show our gratitude?  By living in such a way that we accurately reflect His name—His character.  Oh, even though God sees us as righteous, He knows that we still carry a sin nature and still sin.  BUT, He’s given us the Holy Spirit to help us recognize sin, to want forgiveness for sin, to desire to not repeat it in the future, to focus on becoming a bit more like Jesus Christ from week to week, and to use Scripture to fashion our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Isn’t it awesome that the same God Who David leaned on for help and refuge is the same God watching over US and helping us to live according to His name?  Our God is our Fortress and our Rock!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 4, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 43

“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! 2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

-Something to Think About:

This is one of the kinds of psalms that are helpful to read—because it’s so “real.”  It seems to portray how we often feel—a back and forth blend of overwhelmed, hopeful, sad, and thankful.  It portrays the ups and downs and ins and outs of emotions upon being thrust in some sort of drama, but then remembering Who our Good Shepherd is and God’s mighty power and wisdom.  We may, at first, feel fear or sorrow, but when we turn to God in trust, seeking His wisdom and strength, we feel calm once more.  This then leads to rejoicing in Him and glorifying His name.  Gratitude to God for Who He is and all He does always lends itself to joy, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

-On a Personal Note:

I don’t think it’s uncommon for kids to be captivated by secret codes, hidden treasures, and quests where X marks the spot.  In fact, a good number of those kids never outgrow the lure of trying to uncover something hidden, resulting in adults heavily involved in geocaching expeditions and virtual gaming quests. 

As we grow, however, the challenges we face are not always easy—and definitely not “fun.”  We may struggle with indecision or confusion.

Psalm 43:3 is a plea from the author for God to send out His light and His truth so that they will lead him to where he needs to go.  You and I are so richly blessed to have the completed Word of God at our constant availability!  It is THE SOURCE for all Christians for guidance in how to live, how to think, and what to do.

 One scholar said it like this, “God’s light is the revelation of His will that brings understanding and life. His truth rests in His Word that reveals that will.” (Constable’s Expository Bible Study Notes).  Amen! 

Incidentally, God’s Word is a MARVELOUS place to dig deeply into in order to discover all sorts of treasures!  Treasures of finding out Who God is, treasures of God’s rich promises, treasures of weapons God provides for us to live victoriously for Him, treasures of clear do’s and don’ts of making Him smile.  What a joy it should be to us to delve into its riches every single day!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, July 5, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 60

To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

“O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us. 2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. 3 You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger. 4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah 5 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us! 6 God has spoken in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. 7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter. 8 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.” 9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies. 11 Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! 12 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”

-Something to Think About:

You can read about the background of this psalm of David here: Psalm 60:1; 2 Samuel 8:13; 1 Kings 11:15-16; 1 Chronicles 18:12. 

Basically put, David is acknowledging that both difficult things and joyful things come from God’s hand—and that they are all given to us to turn our eyes and hearts to Him in trust and obedience.  I would be at the front of the line of those who prefer the “joyful” lessons over the painful ones, but even I cannot deny that the most meaningful and life-changing lessons are the ones that come as a result of walking with the Good Shepherd through the dark valleys.  One might even ask if we are ABLE to properly recognize the mountain peaks without the contrast of the valley lows.

-On a Personal Note:

Recounting painful memories and thinking about difficult situations in our past is not a “fun” way to pass time.  Oh, some hard stories can be retold without too much trauma (for a variety of reasons), but the ones that deeply touched our soul and changed us forever may not be ones that we are willing to share with just “anyone.” 

That being true, God sometimes calls on us to share with another something that is painful for us to talk about SO THAT we can ALSO recount the goodness of the Lord; so that we can share the comfort of the Good Shepherd walking that dark valley with us, bringing us to still waters and pleasant pastures in our most desperate need.  To recount with wonder and appreciation how He demonstrated His goodness, His mercy, His grace during the darkest of hours and moments when we wanted to give up and give in.

In fact, there are Bible verses that talk about this kind of sharing!  The Apostle Paul would agree wholeheartedly with King David.  He wrote in I Corinthians 1:3-11,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.  Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

I’m not suggesting you run out and pour out your guts to anybody and everybody.  I’m suggesting that you should be willing to share some of the blessings God bestowed on you in time of need when the Holy Spirit nudges you to in order to help someone going through a hard time.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, July 6, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 61

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, 3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah 5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.”

-Something to Think About:

David is both asking God for refuge and help AND thanking Him for being his refuge and help (because He has been so in the past, David knows He will continue to do so).  Because God has been faithful, is faithful, and will always be faithful, David praises His name every day  – even as he lives an obedient life according to God’s Word.

-On a Personal Note:

Do you know people who talk a good talk, but don’t actually carry through?  They promise all sorts of things, but never actually do them.  They SEEM like really good friends, but when push comes to shove, they simply don’t show up!

This, my friend, NEVER describes God.

Did you notice how often humans tend to think of God’s characteristics and promises as we would a human?  We’re only too aware of how often others fail us (and how often we fail others), and think that this is how God is too.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Humans fail and fall constantly.  God never does.  Humans may very sincerely mean to do what they said, but sometimes simply cannot for reasons beyond their control.  God always does what He says.  Humans say and think things that are inaccurate (I’m not speaking about lying, just that our facts aren’t always right).  God only speaks truth.  In fact, God IS truth.  That is, what He says is the very definition of truth, therefore, if we want to speak truth, we need to use the words He used (and not just our “version” of it).

The long and short of it?  David was right to trust God completely—even while still suffering the dilemma he was currently in.  God hears the cry of His children, He leads us in the paths of righteousness, and He provides us refuge, protection, and direction as we walk through the pastures of our life.  In fact, His goodness and mercy “follows us” from beginning to end—and then throughout eternity too!  Just like David, you and I have much to praise God for!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, July 8, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 67

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah 2 that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

-Something to Think About:

This psalm seems a bit prophetic, doesn’t it?  It’s talking about how God will guide (lead) the nations of the earth—not just Israel.  Obviously, this has not yet happened, but it will!  The next event on God’s timetable is the Rapture of all Christians (dead and alive) from the time of Jesus’ ascension to the time of the Rapture (it’s going to be quite the crowd!).  This is followed by the seven year Tribulation, followed in turn by the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ over the entire world.  Satan will be locked up for the Millennium, so although all humans born during this time will still have sin natures, the world will be a zillion times nicer than it is right now.  And, indeed, the nations will be following the leading of King Jesus.  The nations WILL praise God and honor Him*.

*Scripture shows that at the end of the Millennium, once satan is released “for a time,” multitudes of people born during the Millennium choose to join satan in one last epic battle for supremacy.  Jesus, of course, wins, and this is when satan and all who have refused to trust in Jesus as Savior are cast into Hell forever.  The heavens and earth are remade and eternity begins (Revelation 21-22) where God the Father and God the Son make their home in and among the redeemed—and where sin, sorrow, death, and tears are forever in the past.  Amazing!  Praise the Lord!

-On a Personal Note:

It can be hard to wait for super important things.  An important interview, a wedding, the birth of a child, the arrival of a loved one you haven’t seen for a very long time, some crisis to be resolved.  As Christians, it’s hard to live in such a sin-filled world, feeling so upset by the greed, cruelty, and unfairness all around us.  We yearn for the day when sin is dealt with permanently, when we won’t have to live in the middle of a sinful world—nor with forever fighting sin for dominance within our own hearts!

That day IS coming!  The Rapture could occur literally any second.  Sin, ugliness, sorrow, and death will soon forever be behind us.  Praise the Lord.  No, I mean it.  Stop right now to praise the Lord and thank Him for His perfect timing and plan.  Thank Him for His constant blessings in the past, today, and into forever.  Thank Him for His perfect guidance and direction.  Live in such a way that His face shines upon you in pride and pleasure.  Tell others about your good Father and good Shepherd.  Tell them all the glorious things He has planned for those who love Him.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 73:24-26

“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-Something to Think About:

The author of this psalm (Asaph) is basically setting aside all the worries and cares of this present world (and he had a lot!) in order to focus on what really matters: God.  Rather than allowing himself to get bogged down in what-ifs, how will’s, and all the unknowns, he CHOOSES to remember that (a) this life is very temporary and the glories of eternity are forever, (b) God has never, nor will He ever, abandon His children.  He is guiding us every single second (it’s us who too often turn away from Him, never the other way around), (c) NOTHING on earth, NOTHING in the here-and-now can compare with belonging to God Almighty.  We may get fooled into thinking other things are as important or more important, but it’s a lie from satan. 

-On a Personal Note:

There are all sorts of guide books available to us.  We can learn how to grow vegetables, how to find our way to the Ferris Wheel at an amusement park, how to check the oil in our cars, and how to tie a knot to keep your boat from drifting away (I’ve never used that one!). 

Guide books can be incredibly valuable—except for two pretty big problems.  (1) what if the author is wrong about everything they’re saying?  The information you get from a book like that will not be helpful (and could be harmful).  And (2) information in a book cannot help even one iota if you don’t actually read it and do what it says.

This seems kind of obvious, but I bet you can guess where I’m going with this!  GOD wrote the Bible.  It is not only 100% accurate, it’s 100% truth (yes, the Bible records people’s lies, but the record of them is true).  So, the first potential problem with the Bible as our Guidebook for life is all set.  How about #2, though?  Are we reading God’s Word?  Are we doing what it tells us to do?  Are we allowing it to change our thinking so that our actions and attitudes will follow?  Do we KEEP reading, trusting, and obeying?  Unlike baking a loaf of bread, growing a carrot, or tying a knot, God’s Word needs to be studied and used every single day in every single situation.  Its information and help never becomes outdated or powerless.  That’s because God is the Author and He wrote this most-important-of-all Book so that we could understand Him and His plan better and so that we would know what pleases Him and brings Him glory.  When we do, we too can claim with great delight, “You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 139

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. 13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. 19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! 20 They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? 22 I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

-Something to Think About:

This marvelous psalm uses the word “lead” twice, in verse 10 and verse 24.  Basically, God knows everything about us (because He made us!) and it simply isn’t possible to be somewhere where God isn’t.  That’s because He is omnipresent, that is, He can be anywhere He chooses, including everywhere at once. (However, we shouldn’t get confused by this to say that He is “in” the grass, or an animal, or inanimate objects—that is a false idea called pantheism). 

Because God is the Creator, because He is all-knowing, omniscient (all-wise), because He is omnipresent and omnipotent (He has all power), because He is LOVE, the psalmist is glad to have Him search his heart and check out his thoughts.  He’s grateful that God can do this—because it is God Who can show him anything that is sinful, wrong, and displeasing to Him SO THAT he can get rid of it and, instead, please and obey God.  This searching out of sin and recommitting of self to please and take delight in God can, in fact, last his whole life—all the way until he begins his eternal life in glory in the presence of God.

-On a Personal Note:

Verse 24 (lead me in the way everlasting) reminds me a bit of our year-long study of Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  That study was a wonderful reminder of not only the necessity of studying God’s Word daily for instruction and guidance in living, but the joy and fulfillment we experience in the process.  It’s one of, perhaps ALL biblical truisms, where it takes doing it to fully appreciate it.  We can TELL people how delightful it is to trust and obey, but it’s not until someone actually does it that they, too, eagerly join with David in praying, “Search ME, O my God!  Look into my heart and into my thoughts.  Root out anything wrong or ugly or displeasing to you in ANY WAY—and keep doing that every single day for as long as I am in this physical body of Your fashioning—until You bring me into Your glorious presence for eternity!”

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 11, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Psalm 143:10

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

-Something to Think About:

I love this straightforward prayer!  This is one we could (and should!) pray every single morning—an earnest request to know how to do GOD’S will (and to NOT foolishly choose our own!) and a heartfelt cry for the Holy Spirit to lead us on level ground (this is the same word “lead” speaking of righteous paths in Psalm 23).

-On a Personal Note:

I’m not really a seafood lover.  I grew up in the countryside of upstate New York, far from the ocean. The closest big body of water was Seneca Lake and to be honest, we were hardly ever there.  When we moved to New England, we found that eating seafood was something most people looked forward to.  In fact, if someone wanted to take my husband and me to someplace special, it was probably because they served good seafood.  While the fellowship was delightful, eating seafood wasn’t really very exciting to us.

I remember one occasion when my husband was speaking at a Bible conference in Camden, Maine, and the pastor and his wife wanted us to meet them at an outdoor restaurant right on the harbor before the service.  Not surprisingly, what they served was. . . seafood.  I decided to try to mix seafood with one of my all-time favorites, pasta, and ordered lobster lasagna.  It was DELICIOUS and it taught me a lesson.  If you want the best results, go to experts in the area you’re looking to learn about.  For example, if you want to learn how to bake excellent bread, maybe don’t ask your car mechanic for tips and techniques.

Who better to teach us God’s will than God Himself?  Who better to direct our steps in God-honoring ways than God the Holy Spirit?  Too often, I’m sorry to say, people read countless books written by religious “experts,” giving their conclusions more weight than the Bible itself.  Devotionals can be a great supplement to Bible study, but should never replace or overshadow the Bible itself.

Lastly, I love David’s exclamation, “for You are MY God!”  Praise the Lord, this is OUR God too!  He WANTS us to have tremendous victory in our endeavor to imitate Him and to be becoming like His Son.  He is always available to us to teach us, direct us, and help us live with excellence and great joy.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, July 12, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Proverbs 6:20-23

“My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,”

-Something to Think About:

God gave several areas of authority to help us physically and spiritually.  At the foundation, of course, is God and God’s Word.  Proverbs 6:23 reminds us that God’s Word is a lamp and a light which teaches us how to live (seen also in Psalm 119:105 and several other places). 

If an authority figure is living according to God’s Word, then how they lead and what they teach will be invaluable to those under them. This includes, of course, parents.  Godly parents are a tremendous treasure and their children should listen to them, obey them, look to them for godly counsel and wisdom, and thank God for them.  In time, they should become godly parents for the next generation.

-On a Personal Note:

My parents didn’t come to trust in Christ as Savior until I was around 7 years old.  Even then, they needed time learning what God wanted so they could obey themselves, then teach their children.  Praise God, the whole family ALSO had a Bible-teaching church to attend where we could learn about obeying God and trusting and pleasing Him in Sunday School and church services!  In fact, about the time I became a teenager, my parents kind of backed off from attending church (except the Sunday morning service) which greatly affected their personal growth (and ability to teach their kids the right way to think and live).  God, oh so graciously, gave me (and my siblings) a godly youth leader, godly Sunday school teachers, and a God-honoring pastor to teach us, mentor us, see that we got to church and church activities, and PRAYED FOR US.

My challenge?  If you’re a parent, maintain a very close walk with the Lord so that you can live His Word in your life and pass on these treasures to your kids.  If you are not a parent (or your kids are grown and gone), who can you invest in?  What children are in your life who need to know God and how to live for Him?  Who needs a ride to church?  Does your church need a Sunday school teacher?  Could you be the one they’re looking for?  How else can you invest in the lives of those who are younger than you—both physically and spiritually?

And, of course, if you’re still a kid, listen to godly adults!  Look to them for wisdom, help, and encouragement.  Equally important (no matter what age you are!), stay far away from ungodly people and influences!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, July 13, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Proverbs 11:3

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”

-Read Proverbs 12:26

 “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

-Read Proverbs 16:29

 “A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.”

-Something to Think About:

Proverbs are generally true statements.  They are not promises.  Furthermore, we always need to pay attention when reading in the Old Testament for things that are specifically addressed to the Hebrew people. They lived under a covenant promise from God stating that obedience to Him would result in physical and financial blessing, but that is not promised to those of us living in the Church Age.  God provides all our true needs, but we were never promised perfect health and great wealth because we are living faithfully for God (though, we certainly enjoy the blessing of peace and joy as well as the anticipation of great rewards throughout eternity).

-On a Personal Note:

These three proverbs (and many others with similar messages) warn against following the “lead” of ungodly and/or disobedient people, while encouraging finding and following good and godly examples.  They instruct, as well, that all of God’s children should BE good examples to others in how we live from day to day.

Prayerfully consider this last week.  Think of examples where you followed a bad example and/or a good example and the results.  Think of examples when it came to your attention that you were being a godly or ungodly example and what the results were of that for you and the other person.  Spend some time in prayer asking the Father to help you quickly recognize dangerous people, situations, and influences so you can stay far away from them.  Ask Him to help you live in such a way that He is glorified, that others are encouraged to greater godliness because of you, and that the unsaved want to know how they can “have what you have.”

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, July 15, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

-Something to Think About:

These two verses are often taught with the conclusion that Jesus is speaking about spiritual salvation and the consequences of going through the “easy” gate (equating that with Hell).  This can’t be the case for a few different reasons.  The first is that Jesus is addressing His disciples—and they are already saved at this point.  They know it and Jesus knows it.  Second, the instruction involves some sort of labor and we know that eternal spiritual salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and only faith. No “works,” no labor of any kind can earn salvation.  It’s not belief PLUS prayer, or walking the aisle, or getting baptized, or doing good things.  It is belief that JESUS CHRIST did everything needed to be done to pay the penalty for our sin on the cross and that when He rose to life after three days, we, too, were given new life in Him. It’s faith alone.

-On a Personal Note:

Jesus has been teaching His disciples how to live a God honoring life as His child in this “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7).  He is pointing out in these two verses that not all Christians will choose to live wholeheartedly for Him.  Part of that is because it’s not easy!  There WILL be persecution.  There WILL be uncomfortable and unpleasant things to deal with as we choose to do the Father’s will and forsake our own (which is almost always the “wide” and “easy” choice).

What about the reward?  Jesus also mentioned it in John 10.  He came to bring life that is ABUNDANT.  Christians who, with the help of the Holy Spirit, live their lives sacrificially God’s way despite the hardships, WILL be blessed.  Oh, probably not with a lot of what people in the here and now consider “good” rewards, but we will be blessed by what GOD says are good rewards—none more important than His face shining with pleasure because of our choices to please and honor Him.

Are you one of the faithful few who pick the narrow and hard gate each day?  Spend some time in prayer asking God to point out to you how you could excel still more.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Matthew 6:9-13

“Pray then like this: “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 us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

-Something to Think About:

I don’t think we need to talk too much about this model of prayer given by Jesus to His disciples since we mentioned it just last month (June 4th).  It’s here because verse 13 has the word “lead” in it.  It is a reminder that all believers should remember to ask God daily to help them deal properly with temptations to do anything outside of God’s will (which is, by definition, sin).

-On a Personal Note:

There are other Bible passages that offer help and encouragement in the area of temptation to sin.  First, we should understand that God NEVER tempts us to sin.  James 1:13 says,

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”

Another huge help is the example of Jesus Himself when satan harassed Him in the wilderness after Jesus had been fasting for FORTY DAYS and nights!  Read it in Matthew 4:1-11.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,  “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

Jesus used Scripture as THE weapon to fight against these temptations—and when satan tried to use Scripture himself to trick Jesus, Jesus simply stood on the bedrock principle that only God deserves our worship and service.  None other.  Ever.

Notice, too, that the Holy Spirit was with Jesus throughout this entire episode.  What’s super cool and super helpful is that, like Jesus, we have the constant help of the Holy Spirit and we have the Word of God to use as our weapons against temptations to sin, be they little or big.  We never HAVE to sin.  God always makes a way for us to say “No” to it. 

(see also Psalm 141:3-4; Matthew 26:41; and II Thessalonians 3:3)

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read John 7:11-16

“The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him. About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”

-Something to Think About:

Jesus has attended the Feast of Booths in Jerusalem and the people and Religious leaders were of two minds about Him.  Was He a “good man” or was He a false teacher leading them astray (our word for “lead”)?  Because the Jews had certain ways in which the Rabbis (teachers) were usually taught, they were confused as to how Jesus even knew the things that He knew (which was very different from the traditional teaching—because the Religious leaders had stopped putting emphasis on God’s Law and were focusing on their opinion and ideas about it instead).  I love Jesus’ simple and straightforward answer to their questions as to what authority He had to be a teacher.  He told them, “My teaching isn’t Mine, but Him Who sent Me.”  In other words, Jesus’ teaching held great authority because He was teaching what God said.  There IS no higher authority than God.  Ever.

-On a Personal Note:

My husband has tremendous respect for a pastor and seminary professor he once had, who has since gone home to be with his Lord.  Dr. Petersen had his respect because Dr. Peterson seldom opened his mouth without quoting Scripture, using bits of Scripture in his answers, and leaning wholly on God’s Word to support his words. Dr. Peterson had come to walk so closely with the Lord in his 90 plus years that God’s words became his words.  And don’t get the idea that this was manufactured or falsely pious.  Scriptures were in his heart—and they came naturally out of his mouth.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if this described you and me!  Wouldn’t you love to be thought of as someone who “breathed” God’s Word?  Well, we can!  Maybe we’ll never get to a Dr. Petersen level, but we can sure give it our best—starting today.  We can immerse ourselves in the Bible, we can memorize Scripture, and we can bring it into our daily prayers with God and our conversations with people.  Like any other habit, the more we practice, the better we get.

When people ask you where you got your views and convictions, are you able to say, “They’re not mine, they are the Lord’s”? 

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 18, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Exodus 13:17-22

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

-Something to Think About:

Exodus 13 takes place immediately after the tenth plague, the death of all the firstborns in homes without blood placed on the doorposts (per God’s instruction), when Pharaoh finally let God’s people leave.  Verses 17-22 give the reader a bit of background information as well as a glimpse of what’s to come.  Pertinent to our study this month, verse 22 speaks about how God will lead the people where He wants them to go.  Astonishingly, miraculously, He travels WITH THEM by way of a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire during the night.  I cannot imagine just how epic that must have been!

-On a Personal Note:

Did you ever notice how modern man struggles a bit with what is real and what isn’t?  Lots of people think that only the things that we can see and touch, smell, or taste are “real,” while anything not fitting that description isn’t.  Even Christians struggle a bit with understanding that spiritual truth is every bit as real as what we experience physically.* 

Exodus 13 is a reminder that God led the Israelites by way of something they could all see, but we know from all the rest of the Bible, that God mostly leads us in ways that we cannot always see.  People on earth were given 33 incredible years to view the Son of God (though most of them had no idea Who He was!), but those of us in the Church Age cannot see God literally.  But does that mean that we cannot “see” how He is leading us in some way?  How He is blessing?  Helping?  Building up His church?  Working in us individually to help us mature and better honor God?  Of course not!  God has been leading us, will continue to lead us, and one day, praise His name, we will get to be in His literal presence forevermore where we CAN see Him.  Amen!  Thank God for the very real way He leads YOU!

*“Positional truth” such as sanctification and justification are just as real as the fact that we are alive physically.  Spiritual truths are very real!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, July 19, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Exodus 15:1-21

“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name. “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
 Who is like you, majestic in holiness,  awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain, the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever.” For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.”

-Something to Think About:

Moses and all the children of Israel were ecstatic after God so miraculously, astonishingly, and thoroughly, not only freed them from enslavement in Egypt, but defeated Pharaoh and his very powerful army in one fell swoop.  They celebrated in song and dance—song and dance that praised God and gave Him the glory and honor.

-On a Personal Note:

I think one of the good traits of Americans is that we tend to keep pushing toward our goals.  As soon as one task is done, we line up for the next.  This, however, can also be a problem.  For one thing, we sometimes have trouble stopping to smell the roses.  We may shortchange time with family and friends, we may skip church services because we have too much on our agenda, we may miss a day or two (or seven) of devotions, we may abbreviate our prayer time making room only for the “give me” list.

Being a hard worker is an excellent thing.  Being organized and working our way through our list is admirable.  BUT, we are first and foremost, as Moses said in his song of praise, “people whom God has redeemed,”  “people God has led by His steadfast love (chesed).”  Are we thanking God for this?  Are we praising Him for help to do what we do from minute to minute?  Are we seeking His grace and wisdom BEFORE we create our lists and jump into our agendas?  Are we finding out HIS will and plan and giving it our #1 priority?

Have you considered literally scheduling your personal devotions time?  Regular prayer times?  Times of gratitude to God?  Times to just thank and praise Him for Who He is and how He has led you so far that day (and throughout your life!)?  There are only EVER 24 hours in a day—and only a very set number of days to every life.  Are we wasting them on things other than what God wants?  What pleases Him?  Is there a song of praise to God for how He has led and is leading YOU in your heart and on your lips?

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, July 20, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Exodus 33:12-17

“Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”

-Something to Think About:

This account occurs after the Children of Israel sinned horribly against God by creating a golden calf to worship while Moses was receiving the Law from God’s hand.  When it was time for the people to move, God did not intend to go with them (in the cloud/pillar of fire) because He was so angry at their sin, but Moses begged Him to reconsider, stating that they absolutely, positively MUST HAVE God’s blessing/presence or they were completely doomed.

-On a Personal Note:

Have you heard your pastor give a plug for Prayer Meeting, stating that without God’s blessing we are powerless?  That’s because it’s true!  Moses knew it back in 1500 B.C. when he told God that the children of Israel MUST have His presence and guidance—and it’s true in 2024 A.D. as well.

Of course, it’s not “just” Prayer Meeting itself that’s crucial in any church’s schedule (though it is extremely valuable and should only be missed due to extremely extenuating circumstances, so vital is it), but prayer in general.  We, individually and as a church family, NEED God’s blessing.  We need His wisdom, His strength, His direction, His ability to help us understand and apply His Word.  Without it, we would just be a club where every person’s opinion has equal weight—and we all know just how fickle and easily deceived we all are!

Do you place great value in prayer?  Oh, not just the necessity of prayer, but the God Who we are praying to?  Prayer itself has never been some magic formula guaranteed to provide all we want, but the God Who hears our prayer has all wisdom.  He knows exactly what we need, when, and how.  He is able to do whatever is needed – and He is able to provide strength for us to obey, wisdom to understand, comfort to not be overwhelmed, peace to not panic, joy to not become despondent.  We need God!  Are you trying to go it alone?

P.S.  Don’t miss the beautiful response of God to Moses plea.  “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in My sight, AND I KNOW  YOU BY NAME.”   Never, for even one second, ever forget that God knows YOU by name and His love for you is unconditional and eternal! 

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, July 22, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Isaiah 40:1-11

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”

-Something to Think About:

Isaiah 40 is a turning point in the book, a welcome change from the gloom, doom, and judgment of chapters 1-39.  Isaiah 40 is also interesting because it’s addressing things that are in the future for Israel when it was written some 2700 years ago—some of which is still in the future for us!  It should be noted that this is definitely specifically addressing Israel, though there are bits and pieces that are a huge blessing to those of us from the Church Age too.

Basically put (and I do mean VERY basically—because I’m not a scholar!), Israel is going to undergo pretty severe judgment for sin and idolatry (the Babylonian exile), but they will later be restored as a nation, so all is not lost and they can receive comfort in this.  Not only will Israel eventually be restored as a nation, they will one day be a grand, joyful, prosperous nation—led by none other than God’s own Son, Jesus Christ.  This is, obviously, referring to the Millennium, still yet to come on God’s timetable.

-On a Personal Note:

What are the applications for you and me, you ask?  Well, first (and hugely important), God always keeps His promises.  There is nothing He says that will not happen.  Israel WAS restored after the exile—and Israel will yet be restored to an even greater height than the grand age of David’s reign. Because God has kept His promises to Israel, we know that everything God has promised to Church Age believers will happen as well.

Second, we too can feel great comfort in knowing that, one day, God will right all wrongs, that He will punish satan and cast him into Hell for all of eternity, that sin, sorrow, and death will forever be behind us.  We can enjoy great comfort in knowing that we will be reunited with brothers and sisters in Christ who have already died, that our sin nature will NOT follow us into eternity, and that we will reside in the presence of God every day for all of eternity.  We can feel great comfort in knowing that God’s Word will never fade or fail.  We can enjoy the comfort (and excitement) that God will reward all faithful living for Him and that there is no such thing as a “small” deed done in His name; that He sees all we do for Him and will give us opportunities to serve and worship Him in glory as “recompense” (pay).  (Isaiah 40:10; Revelation 22:12; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:21—and more!)

Third, we are reminded that the Good Shepherd is OUR Shepherd and that He tends the flock with gentle and tender care.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Mark 13:14-23

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.”

-Something to Think About:

These terrifying verses are not written to you and me.  That is, as long as you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin.  This is because they are referring to the Tribulation Period and some of the horrors that will occur during that seven-year time period.  In fact, it’s primarily addressing Jews who will be alive at that time.  (Anyone who became a Christian after Jesus’ return to heaven after His resurrection through the Rapture will be in heaven during the Tribulation.  We will be busy first with the Bema Judgment, then the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.)

-On a Personal Note:

Even though this Scripture isn’t addressed to us, like most Scripture, there are lessons, applications, and things we should know.  First, we need to be telling EVERYONE about the need to trust in Jesus as Savior!  We wouldn’t want ANYONE to have to go through the horrors of the Tribulation—let alone eternity in the Lake of Fire!

Second, God has the timetable all set.  He is in perfect control.  Always.  How comforting!  It’s never been, nor will it ever be, satan or humans who call the shots!

Third, the warning to watch out for false teachers is VERY much something we need to take to heart too!  Before the internet grew to what it is today, it was a little harder to come across false teachers, liars, deceivers, and people teaching false doctrine as truth.  You kind of had to “find them” on street corners and public buildings.  Now, sadly, it takes almost no effort at all on their part to reach millions with lies, deceit, and heresy.  It takes almost no effort at all to HEAR lies, deceit, and heresy—and not just on preaching programs and lectures.  Social influencers are doing exactly that—influencing millions to think a certain way and act a certain way.  We need to be on guard!  We need to be in our Bibles every single day so that we will know what GOD said—and cling to that.  We need to be in church as often as possible to listen, learn, and grow—and to encourage others to do the same.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read II Timothy 2:11-16

“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,”

-Something to Think About:

This is a snippet of instruction the Apostle Paul is giving to Timothy as Timothy learns to teach other faithful men how to preach and teach.  Basically put, Paul is reminding Timothy that teaching God’s Word accurately and straightforwardly is the right way to do it.  People may enjoy hearing other opinions, controversies, and the latest weird doctrine, but what we all NEED is God’s Word.

-On a Personal Note:

Once again, we should not mistake this passage for a warning that Christians can lose their salvation.  That is impossible and simply cannot happen.  What then is Paul talking about when he states that if we deny Christ, He will deny us?  Well, nothing good, that’s for sure!

A surprising amount of the New Testament is devoted to teach Christians about the eternal rewards God has planned for those who are faithful to Him.  While we cannot lose our salvation, we can forfeit rewards in glory (potentially, especially in the Millennium when Jesus sets up His kingdom and Church Age believers will be ruling and reigning with Him).

What does it even mean to deny Christ? It’s a bit like betraying Him in word and deed—such as never speaking about Him to family and friends.  Perhaps never sharing the gospel with anyone.  Perhaps choosing to NOT do the right that you know He wants you to do.  For sure, this is a charge to remain faithful to the Lord and to never give up or give in.  There’s encouragement in that regard, though.  God is ALWAYS faithful. No matter what we do or don’t do, He Himself is ever, only, always FAITHFUL.  Praise His name!  Ask Him for help to remain faithful to Him with just as much steadfastness!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, July 25, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Romans 8:1-17

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

-Something to Think About:

In a truly miraculous and earth-shattering act, when God created the plan of salvation, He gave astonishing gift upon gift, eternal salvation being “merely” the foundation.  Scripture is LOADED with blessings for those who belong to God (because they trusted in Christ as their Savior), and I challenge you to look every single day for more blessings and benefits to add to your list of “what God gave me when He saved me.”  And if we had such a list (and we should!), right up at the tippy top would be the gift of the Indwelling Holy Spirit at salvation—and for all of eternity.  The Holy Spirit has many incredibly important functions in our lives, a biggie being that He helps us to choose to not sin and to choose to be obedient and faithful to God (then gives us the ability to do it).  Another huge one is that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts proves that we are children of God.  As such, we have the incredible privilege of calling God “Father” (Abba in Hebrew)!  But it doesn’t end there, as an adopted child of God, we became heirs ALONG WITH JESUS CHRIST.  That’s a lot to try to comprehend!

-On a Personal Note:

Did you come from a dysfunctional family, one with a father who didn’t represent God well?  It kind of seems like disappointment in our fathers is more common than finding one who is trying to honor God in their personal life and as a father.  This is supremely difficult and discouraging for those who are trying to understand God’s love by considering what their earthly father is like (maybe most difficult of all are those with a saved, yet very ungodly father—these things ought not to be so!). 

All I can say to you is (a) remember WHO your “real” Father is!  He DEFINES what love, faithfulness, mercy, justice, gentleness, and kindness even are.  Look to Him for hope, for help, for security; (b) if your earthly father is still alive, pray for him!  Encourage him to mature spiritually if he is saved, witness to him if he isn’t;  (c) Regardless of how you were brought up and the difficulties you may have faced, YOU can shine for Christ.  You can follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to do good, to be obedient, to encourage brothers and sisters in Christ, to tell others the good news of the gospel, and to bring your Father in Heaven great glory. 

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, July 26, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Galatians 5:16-26

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

-Something to Think About:

This Bible passage is a great follow up to our last one from Romans 8. Because God’s Holy Spirit is living in us, we have the ability to say no to sin of all kinds and to joyfully “keep in step” with the Spirit, allowing God’s Word to teach us, change us, grow us, and mold us into Christlikeness.  We can exchange ugly thoughts and words, the desire to one-up a rival, anger, pride, jealousy, etc. for patience, gentleness, self-control, kindness, and showing the love of God to everyone in our lives.

-On a Personal Note:

These verses are eye openers, wouldn’t you agree!  I’m always a bit taken aback when “normal” things like envy are listed alongside sorcery and orgies.  Yikes!  Then I am further humbled by the reminder to not become conceited, to not provoke one another, and to not envy anyone.  I can’t help but feel that in our society, these things are EXPECTED in girls and women!  It’s crystal clear, however, that they are all “of the flesh,” making them abhorrent to God.

I think at least part of the solution is to remember that those who belong to God now have a new definition of what’s “normal.”  Where it was once expected to do whatever we needed to in order to feel good or satisfied, thinking about self isn’t even in the picture!  Our focus is on loving God supremely and loving others as self.

To love God is to obey Him—to be like Him.  There are all sorts of Bible passages that describe God’s characteristics and priorities, but there are a few huge ones right here:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  These are the things we can ask God to help us develop in our heads, hearts, and actions.  These are the things that demonstrate that we are allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us.

BONUS: an overview of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Love. (Look up Matthew 22:37-39; John 3:16; I Peter 4:8; I John 3:16-18; I John 4:7; I Corinthians 13:4-8; Ephesians 5:2) 

-Love is an action and a choice, not a feeling.

-God loves us. He demonstrated it by sending His Son to die on our behalf.

-Love for God is our number one priority. This will affect all other actions and attitudes.

-Love for others is our second priority.

-One way of showing love for God is through showing love to others.

-Love inclines us and directs us to be kind, to forgive, to give of ourselves.

-Love gives, even at great cost to itself.

-Love doesn’t give up or stop.

-Our love should be patterned after Christ’s love for us—sacrificial to the point of death.

Joy. (Look up Philippians 3:1; 4:4; Luke 10:20; I Peter 5:7; I Thessalonians 5:16; I Peter 1:8)

-Circumstances of life rise and fall, but the believer’s position in Christ never changes.

-God’s faithfulness never stops.

-The purpose of joy is to glorify God by demonstrating to an unbelieving world that our loving and faithful heavenly Father cares for us and provides all that we need.

-Being joyful is the opposite of complaining, being glum, or bored.

-Joy is found in remembering that no matter what, we belong to God.  This joy should lead us to want to obey all God wants us to do. 

-Rejoicing is a command. It is done in the authority and dominion the Lord has over us (which is one of love, grace, mercy, and many blessings both now and throughout eternity).  We should never stop rejoicing.

Peace. (Look up Romans 12:18; Philippians 4:6-7; John 16:33; John 14:27; Psalm 119:165; Isaiah 26:3; II Thessalonians 3:16; I Peter 5:7; Matthew 5:9)

-Peace is the result of trusting God, knowing that He is in control.  

-Peace is found in a right relationship with God.

-Peace is not found in anyone or anything associated with the world.

-Peace is the tranquility and calmness that results from a living relationship to God.

-Praying to God with thanksgiving is the antidote to anxiety and worry.

-We are commanded to live peaceably with everyone—as far as that is possible.

Patience. (Look up Colossians 3:12-13; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 4:1-2; Romans 12:12; Psalm 27:14; I Thessalonians 5:14)

-Patience is choosing to have a God-honoring reaction to the variety of situations we are faced with day to day.

-Patience is to have a long-burning fuse, to be slow to get angry.

-Patience should be a hallmark of God’s chosen and loved child.

-Being patient is part of walking in a worthy manner as a child of God.

-Patience displays a trust in God’s will and timing.

Kindness. (Look up Colossians 3:12; Ephesians 4:32; I John 3:18; Philippians 2:3-4; I Corinthians 13:4)

-Kindness is being useful; helping others to grow.

-Kindness is doing thoughtful deeds for others.

-Kindness is showing to others some of how God has been kind to us.

-Kindness is humbly giving of ourselves to others who may not be able to give back, who sometimes don’t deserve it, and who often don’t thank us.

-Kindness is a way of thinking that leads to thoughtful deeds for others.

-The source of kindness is love (I Corinthians 13:4).

Goodness. (Look up Ephesians 5:9; Romans 15:14; Ephesians 5:8-10)

-Goodness is uprightness of heart and life.

-Goodness is doing what God says is right.

-Goodness is good as God defines it.

-Goodness is moral goodness; righteousness; living according to truth.

Faithfulness. (Look up Ephesians 5:9; Lamentations 3:22-23; II Thessalonians 3:3; I Corinthians 4:2)

-Faithfulness is reliably, consistently obeying God and His Word.

-Faithfulness is loyalty to God and His Word seen in how we act and think over time.

Gentleness. (Look up Ephesians 4:2; Titus 3:2; I Peter 3:15; II Timothy 2:24; Matthew 5:5; I Peter 3:4)

-Gentleness is not pushing harder than you have to.

-Gentleness is showing consideration and courtesy to others.

-Gentleness is the humble and meek attitude of wanting to help others rather than wanting to be superior to them.

Self-Control. (Look up I Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 4:13; I Corinthians 10:5; I John 2:15-17)

-Self-Control is saying yes to what we should do and no to what we shouldn’t—whether or not we want to.

-Self-Control is choosing to please God over self.

-Self-Control is resisting the temptation to break God’s Law (which can apply to out of control emotions or any self-indulgent thing).

-Self-Control is allowing God’s Spirit and God’s Word to guide our thinking and behavior, instead of our desires or outside pressures.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday,  July 27, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Matthew 15:1-20

“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,  “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me,  teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand:  it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”  Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”  He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.  Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”  But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.”  And he said, “Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

-Something to Think About:

There are some deep truths here!  First, Jesus publicly called out the Pharisees and scribes because they wanted to scold HIM because the disciples didn’t follow one of their (countless) man-made traditions.  They weren’t talking about washing hands of dirt and germs before eating.  They were talking about a ceremonial ritual that they made up.  Jesus addressed the REAL issue:  they (the Pharisees) were obeying a man-made rule WHILE ignoring a commandment from GOD. They did this a lot, but Jesus specifically mentions here how they were coming up with ridiculous loopholes that resulted in their own parents not being taken care of.  Remember, in that culture, the children of parents were the ones to make sure they had food and a place to live when they got older.  If they didn’t do it, their parents might have to beg on the streets!

Jesus condemned them for SAYING holy and “right” things, but doing things that were sinful and evil.  God wants our HEARTS to be right with Him.  When they are, our actions will follow.

-On a Personal Note:

I was sitting in on a membership class with a young woman earlier today and when asked how she might answer someone who was asking her why she believed what she believed, her answer was, “Because that’s what the Bible says.”  And THAT, my friend, is exactly the message Jesus is trying to convey to the Pharisees and His own disciples.  What truly matters, what we build our lives on, what our convictions come from HAS TO BE SCRIPTURE.  Turned the other way around, Jesus pointed out the folly of the blind leading the blind.  How could they possibly help each other avoid dangers and know where to go?  Similarly, if we listen to human opinion, if we follow human tradition, if we base our doctrine on human teaching, we cannot and will not know truth.  Truth is only ever always GOD’S WORD. 

Returning to what the young woman said, we should, in fact, ALL base our lives entirely and wholly on what the Bible says.  Amen!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, July 29, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Proverbs 4

“Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward,
 and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

-Something to Think About:

This chapter of Proverbs is LOADED with gems for those who want to honor God with their lives!  Step #1 is to get wisdom. 

What even IS wisdom?  Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”  Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”  Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:24, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”  Colossians 2:3, “In whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Wisdom is a right view of God and a right view of God comes . . . from God!  Praise God, He gave us His Word in written form so that we can read it, re-read it, memorize it, print it out and put it on our walls, and enjoy it.  More importantly (and according to verse 7 in today’s Proverb), we can (and must) do it!  In fact, the lion’s share of this Proverbs is all about obeying God’s Word—and the pitfalls and sorrow of NOT doing it.  Good stuff!  Read it once more.

-On a Personal Note:

When I was 17, my sister Donna and I decided to take a short vacation to Florida during her winter break from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.  It was a 24 hour drive from New York and we opted to do it without stopping (I know! We were young and foolish!).  We decided to take two hour shifts, giving the other person a chance to sleep and rest their eyes.  Even with those short rests and a cup of trucker’s coffee in some rest area somewhere or other along the route, it was around 2 am when I was roused by the weirdest buzzing sound I’d ever heard—only to discover that I had dozed off behind the wheel, causing the car to run over the rumble strips on the shoulder of the road, which were making the horrible sound.  THAT sure woke me up!  I spent the next several minutes thanking God for sparing our lives!

Proverbs 4 (and many other Bible passages) say pretty bluntly that without God’s Word guiding us and giving us wisdom in navigating our lives, we WILL wander off the “road” with some pretty unpleasant consequences as a result.  God’s Word is SO IMPORTANT to us as children of God!  It contains doctrine, instruction, encouragement, promises, hope, and help.  II Peter 1:3 says that it contains EVERYTHING we need to live godly lives—and that this will come through the knowledge of Him Who called us.

What’s wisdom?  Never allowing too much time to lapse between Bible reading and prayer!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-Read Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

-Something to Think About:

Since this verse is so familiar, I thought it might be fun to read in a few other versions.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him,
and he will make your paths straight.” (CSB)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (ISV)

-On a Personal Note:

If you have a sharp eye—and if you remember that we are looking at Scripture that uses the word “lead” in it, you may notice that Proverbs 3:5-6 doesn’t actually fit the bill.  However, it sure fits the teaching and spirit of all we’ve been learning this month! 

-God is trustworthy—completely, in every way, and at all times.  TRUST HIM!  Trust Him completely, in every way, and at all times.

-Humans (you and me!) do NOT know what we need to know—and couldn’t possibly EVER know what we need to know—because we are not God.  Our understanding is not dependable or trustworthy.  It’s humbling to admit, but it is NEVER dependable or trustworthy.  That is why we must trust the Good Shepherd to lead us in the right paths and for His reasons when and why.

-God is THE RULER, the only God.  We need to obey His will completely, in every way, and at all times.  Because our God is a good God, a loving God, a kind God, a merciful God, a righteous God, He will make the paths He leads us on the right ones; the ones we need to be becoming more like Christ, to come to have a closer and more tender relationship with Him, and provide opportunities to trust Him and obey Him so that He can bless us in bigger and better ways throughout this life and the one to come.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask it’s Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “lead/leading.”)

-It’s Review Time!

-Look back over your work this month and summarize what you learned about “lead.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-What are some of the positive things you want to remember to do:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-What are some of the negative things that you want to remember to NOT do:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-What lessons from this month helped you to better understand how the Good Shepherd leads us?  How does this broaden your understanding of Psalm 23?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-A few of my conclusions:

-One of David’s (David is the author of Psalm 23), most helpful habits for Christians to learn from all these millennia after he lived and died, is his trust in God as seen in his prayers.  David was very often in a really tight spot and circumstances looked impossible to overcome, yet he looked to God for comfort, for wisdom, for strength, and help.  He very honestly expressed his fears, anger, and frustration to God, but then chose to trust His will and plan and simply do the next right thing.  David trusted God’s leading—and because of this, he became a great leader himself.

-A staple of every believer’s first-thing-in-the-morning prayer ought to be an expression of trust in God’s leading and a request for help to obey Him in action and attitude despite any twists and turns in the “path.”

-I think it’s not at all uncommon for some believers to think they automatically know the right decisions to make throughout the day simply because they ARE Christians.  This just isn’t true (though it would be nice!).  We ALL need to be in Scripture every single day to not only learn more about God and pleasing Him, but to be reminded of what we have previously studied. As much as we wish we could remember every delightful Bible verse that ever touched our hearts, we don’t.  Even beyond that, though, God’s Word is so rich and powerful that even very familiar Bible verses can be used by God in deeper ways throughout our lives.  As we come to have a deeper, closer walk with the Lord, we are able to understand some biblical truths better and deeper. 

-One of the ways Christians can help other Christians stay faithful to God is to share with them how God has faithfully led them throughout their life and/or in some specific situation.  Since God is ALWAYS faithful, there are ALWAYS great stories to share with others about our marvelous Good Shepherd!

-Another way Christians can help other Christians is to be a good example of what a godly leader is like.  Of course, THE example of perfect leadership is Jesus Christ and we would do well to study how He interacted with His disciples in the gospels.  A few biggies include that He only did what the Father wanted Him to do and He obeyed Scripture and quoted Scripture.

-Sometimes when we are on a long and complicated journey, we may forget that there is an end; that the journey isn’t all there is.  Sometimes life gets so complicated and the challenges are so great that we forget that this lifetime is a mere drop in the bucket of eternity.  The trials, temptations, and hardships we face now are very temporary and our Good Shepherd IS leading us to our permanent home in His presence.  In the meantime, we can be comforted and uplifted by the fact that it is God Himself Who leads us to green pastures, still waters, in paths of righteousness, through the valley, to His table where our cup overflows—and He does it all with goodness and mercy.  I am reminded once again of Psalm 73:24 (July 9th):  “You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked  you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Student of the Word,

Thank you for joining me on this year-long quest to dive deeply into the treasures of Psalm 23.  As a reminder, here is what we have studied so far:

-January.  We enjoyed an overview of the chapter, including reading what Hebrew scholar, Pastor Stephen L. Brown summarized as well as pastor and author, Dr. Robert Ketcham, as found in his book, I Shall Not Want.

-February-March. We studied other Bible verses that use the word “shepherd” and “sheep” to help us better understand these words in Psalm 23.

-April.  We enjoyed a 30-day Bible study on the life of David, the author of this psalm, as written by Pastor Laurence D. Brown.

-May.  We returned to an in-depth look at each of the six verses of Psalm 23, using several English translations as the basis for our study.

-June. We completed a word study on “need” found in verse 1, looking for what God says we need (and what we don’t) so that we can appreciate that He truly supplies all our true needs perfectly, lavishly, and exactly on time.

-July. We completed a word study on “lead,” found in verse 2 and 3 in order to find out how God leads us, the blessings of following Him in every area and at all times, and in what ways we can follow His example to be godly leaders in our own lives.

Continuing the theme of using Scripture to explain Scripture, this month we will be studying what the Bible has to say to help us understand verse 3, “He restores my soul.”  We’ll not only look at verses that use the word “restore,” but explore the concept of rest in Scripture.

Some reminders:

-These studies are available as hard copies, as a daily email, or on our church’s website (firstbaptistnorthconway.org).  You can find past studies on the website as well.

-You are always welcome to share these studies with whomever the Lord lays on your heart.  If someone new wants to sign up for the emails, simply send me their email address.

-I strongly encourage you to review your work with another person (or as many as you can wrangle together!).

-Comments and questions are always welcome.  If you reply to the email version of this study, you will get me, not some nameless person from MailChimp.  =)

-Our church has a free publishing ministry.  Some of the titles are available for download on

SolidRockPublications.org.

-Prayers for everyone doing this study are greatly appreciated!  We NEED God’s help and blessing to listen, learn, and grow!

-If you’re in the North Conway area, you’re always welcome to join our ladies for our Mary & Martha Ladies’ Bible Study on the second Monday of each month in the evening.  We also have a separate fellowship for senior saints (age 60 and up) the first Thursday morning of each month.

-Scripture is provided courtesy of BibleGateway.com.  I am using the ESV for this study.

May God be greatly honored in our Bible study and lives this month!

By His Grace,

Lorie

Psalm 23, A Psalm of David.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even 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. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (ESV)

Thursday, August 1, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 23

ESV

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

CSB

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

NLT’

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.  You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

ISV

The Lord is the one who is shepherding me; I lack nothing. He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass; he guides me beside quiet waters. He revives my life; he leads me in pathways that are righteous for the sake of his name. Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness, I will not be afraid because you are with me. Your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me, even in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will remain in the Lord’s Temple forever.

AMP

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

-Something to Think About:

Did you know that the original manuscripts of the Bible did not have chapters and verses?  Neither the Hebrew Old Testament, nor the Greek New Testament had capitals or punctuation!  You can easily see how challenging it must have been to translate it into other languages (AND Hebrew is written right to left, not left to right as we do!).  Not only is Hebrew written very differently from English, but how Hebrews think is very different from our viewpoint.  You might chat with a Hebrew scholar at some time to hear about it, but one thing I know that’s interesting is that the Hebrews made their word choices very, very carefully—and very often, there is a play on words when they write.  All this should make us appreciate having Bibles in our language even more!

-On a Personal Note:

With Hebrew v. English and added punctuation in mind, can you see how “He restores my soul” in verse 3 probably goes along with the Good Shepherd providing green pastures and still waters in verse 2?  It is in these places of quiet rest and trust in His provision that our souls are restored.  And as other translators worded it, He renews my life, He renews my strength, He revives my life, He refreshes and restores my soul (life).  How thankful we should be that our Shepherd is GOOD; that He knows exactly what we need, when we need it—including quiet time to sit, think of all the ways He blesses and directs, and in that, be thankful.

Does your soul need a bit of refreshing today?  Why not find a quiet place (maybe that prayer closet that Jesus talks about for some quality one-on-one time with Him) and just sit, pray, and praise God.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, August 2, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 23:2-3a

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

-Something to Think About:

“Restore” in Hebrew ( שׁוּב šûḇ) means to turn back; return; refresh.  It’s used over 900 times in the ESV and is translated as returned, (come) back, restitution, turned, again, and in many other ways.

The word “restore” in English (according to dictionary.com) is:

-to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition;

-to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor;

-to put back to a former place, position, rank, etc.;

-to give back; make return or restitution of (anything taken or lost);

-to reproduce or reconstruct in the original state (i.e. buildings);

-On a Personal Note:

As these definitions suggest, there are many ways someone or something can be restored.  Certainly, we have ALL been restored after a good night’s sleep.  I think of a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day, a few Tylenol to battle a headache, sitting down on a comfy chair after a long day on your feet at work.

There are, too, emotional and spiritual times of restoration. An obvious one would be a daily, active, meaningful time of devotions and prayer as individuals.  Also, church services on Sunday and Prayer Meeting on Wednesday.  To opt out of these services is to opt out of restoration the Good Shepherd wishes to provide for us in an otherwise long and difficult week in the world.

Over the years I have also been refreshed and restored attending Bible conferences, ladies’ retreats, and simply spending an hour or two with a mature believer encouraging and being encouraged.  I suspect that we sometimes look for grand and glorious get-aways to find rest for our weary souls, when God often provides them close to home with and among our own church family.

Another truth that might take some growth and maturing to figure out is that we may well find ourselves the most refreshed in praying for, encouraging, helping, and looking for ways to refresh OTHERS – our brothers and sisters in Christ.  As noted previously, this might occasionally be some sort of grand gesture, but it is perhaps most often given in a smile, a hug, a pat on the shoulder, an offer to pray for some specific need for them in the coming week, or just a direct look in their eyes and recognizing that they are there and matter to you.  In other words, putting others before self.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, August 3, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 19:7-11

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

-Something to Think About:

What does God say is able to revive our soul?  The Word of God!

It is also

-perfect/complete

-sure/steadfast/trustworthy

-able to provide wisdom

-upright

-encouraging

-pure/radiant/clear

-able to provide understanding & insight

-clean/pure

-eternal

-true/reliable

-altogether righteous

-very desirable

– “sweet”

-able to warn about dangers and wrong direction

-a source of eternal rewards when obeyed

-On a Personal Note:

Have you ever been accused of being thick-headed?  I have!  I’m not sure I find it particularly pleasant to have it pointed out to me that I missed something that was super obvious.  I’m sure there are hundreds and hundreds of examples of this in all our lives, but the more humiliating ones are the ones that we, ourselves, caused.  For example, getting annoyed about a missing phone—only to discover it IN YOUR HAND.  Or hunting for a pair of reading glasses that are residing on our head.  Hmmm. . .   kind of humbling!

Psalm 19 is pointing out in a crystal clear way that if we are looking for rest, restoration, help, direction, a break, encouragement, wisdom—even a much-needed smack upside the head, the Bible, God’s Word, has what we need!

Oh, I know what you’re thinking!  “Duh, Lorie!  When you have a Bible question, go to the Bible.”  BUT, do we?  Do we go to the Bible first—or only as a last resort?  Do we go to Scripture for ALL questions and concerns—or only the ones we don’t think we can handle on our own (mistakenly thinking there are only “some” that we NEED God’s help for)?  Do we put into practice the things that we already know God wants us to do—or save it for “emergencies”?  Do we spend time in God’s Word daily in order to learn more, learn better, find wisdom, direction, understanding, and clear commands to do and do not—or do we just do what “seems” right or what “everyone else” is doing?

Psalm 19 is an exciting reminder that God’s Word has all that we need—in every area and for every circumstance. We simply need to do the obvious:  read it and obey it!  When we do, our spirits are refreshed.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, August 5, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Proverbs 25:11-13

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.  Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.”

-Something to Think About:

These verses seem to hint at timing and appropriateness. For example, hearing wise, biblical advice when you’re unsure about an important decision or action is quite the blessing,  as is being reminded of a Scriptural promise when you’re feeling down.  Germain to our month’s study about being restored and renewed in spirit, is the example of a faithful messenger being like cold snow during harvest.  This would be, in our world, something along the line of a dip in a cool pool on a hot summer day.  According to Proverbs 25, what causes this refreshment?  This restoration?  Someone doing their job and doing it well.

-On a Personal Note:

The Covid epidemic in 2020 brought about some drastic changes in how our country operates and how our citizens think.  One of these examples is something we’ve probably all had personal experience with, that of lack of employees to adequately run a business, and/or employees who no longer put a whole lot of effort into their jobs.  As many of you know, at some point or other, all five of my kids have worked at Zebs General Store next door to our church.  Zebs has been great to work for—and our kids have tried to be good workers and good testimonies to fellow workers and to shoppers.

Since Covid began to lose its grip and workers began returning to the store, a pretty large percentage of new hires didn’t last for more than a few weeks.  More than one was hired, but never showed up for work!  These are things that really didn’t happen pre-Covid, nor should they happen now—especially among the family of God.  As our world deteriorates from the ongoing effects of sin, faithful, trustworthy, hardworking, loyal Christian employees will stand out more and more.  Their actions and testimony will be a light that shines, bringing glory to God.  They will be one of the few “faithful messengers” who refresh the souls of those in authority over them.  Does this describe you? 

EXTRA CREDIT:  Carefully and prayerfully evaluate your faithfulness as a child of God in other areas.  Are you a God honoring wife?  Mom?  Daughter/sister/niece/cousin/grandmother?  Are you a God honoring friend?  Church member?  Citizen of the USA?

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday. August 6, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

-Something to Think About:

Even though Psalm 1 doesn’t use the word restore or refresh in it, we certainly can get a picture of a restful lovely place to sit and relax when we imagine this big, green, lush tree next to a beautiful stream.  Perhaps the picture of what kind of tree and what kind of stream might be different in the eastern United States versus Israel, but I’m not sure that this matters.  The point is that this tree is something wonderful to behold and admire.

Of course, it’s not actually the tree that’s supposed to be the focus.  The tree is merely a picture of the Christian who loves God’s Word, who spends time every single day DELIGHTING in it, who thinks about what he’s reading, and who puts its principles into practice in their life.  THIS brings refreshment, growth, and a delightful walk with God.

-On a Personal Note:

I read once that if you know how to worry, you know how to meditate.  When we worry, we think about something that is troubling us over and over and over.  We consider all the ins and outs, we try to mastermind a good solution, and otherwise allow this thought to take over our brain.  To meditate is to do something similar, only rather than sinful worry, we are considering something we read in God’s Word.  We consider what it might mean, how it could be lived out in our lives, how it praises God, what it tells us about Him—a million different things. 

It’s actually a lot of fun!  Because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, we’ll almost certainly find ourselves being able to notice different aspects of the verse the more we meditate on it.  We might also find ourselves jotting down a bunch of questions we want to find answers to about it!

I don’t think finding a verse in the morning is hard, nor is writing it down on a piece of paper or making note of it in your phone.  It’s remembering to look at it from time to time during the day that can stymie us.  The answer to that challenge is more or less than same answer to most things we want to conquer in life:  practice.  To practice, we need to make it a regular part of our schedule.  To make something a regular part of our schedule, we need to place reminders.  The most obvious is some sort of a timer on your phone, but you could use other regularly scheduled activities to remind you as well, things like meals, every time you refill your water glass, once an hour, on the hour, etc.  I have a friend who used to travel a significant distance to work every day and she used milemarkers along the way as reminders to pray for folks.  I’m confident that if we ask God to help us remember, He will happily do so!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 51:12

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

-Something to Think About:

This verse is from a famous psalm containing David’s prayer for forgiveness and restoration after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba.  David’s response to having his sin pointed out was the right one:  he admitted his guilt immediately and turned to God for forgiveness and a restoration of joy.  You see, we can’t have it both ways.  We cannot have unconfessed sin in our hearts (sin that we know about and haven’t chosen to make right with God) AND simultaneously have peace, joy, and a delightful relationship with God.  We will NOT be like the fruitful tree of Psalm 1.  The solution, praise God, is easy, quick, and complete.  We simply need to confess our sin to God (I John 1:9).  That is, we need to agree with Him that what we are doing (or haven’t done, but should) is sin.  When we do, our Father is faithful and just and forgives us, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. 

-On a Personal Note:

Have you ever had a time in your life when you lost the joy of your salvation?  When things became stale, lackluster, and hard?  While we absolutely MUST keep a clear account with God by confessing sin the moment we realize we’ve committed it, I think that we can sometimes not have all the joy God wants for us for a few other reasons too.  We might simply be incredibly tired.  We might be in a tough time in life when the demands are constant and constantly hard.  We should, first, pray about it, asking God to show us if we’ve taken on more than He wanted us to (which some of us are quite prone to do!) or if there’s a way to handle a few things differently so that we’re not constantly overdoing.

We might also be lacking a bit of joy if we are coming down with sickness of some sort.  I can think of many occasions where I have been out of sorts all day long, only to wake not feeling well the next day.  Hormones, too, are a pretty frequent “visitor” in the life of a woman (though, we all need to be careful to not allow sickness or raging hormones become a free pass to sin!  God ALWAYS provides a way for us to escape temptation). 

Stressors and pressures can pick away at our joy.  This, too, must be something we bring to the Lord in prayer seeking wisdom, direction, and the right attitudes and actions.

BUT, even if we have a bit of all these things challenging our days, besides sin, the number one thing that’s going to nibble away at your joy is a lack of time in God’s Word, a wimpy prayer life, and not enough time in God’s House and with your church family.

Feeling overwhelmed and out of sorts is something all Christians struggle with, so be sure to be praying for one another, encouraging one another, and checking in with one another to be sure others are walking faithfully and joyfully with the Good Shepherd.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, August 8, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Galatians 6:1-2

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

-Something to Think About:

This verse goes pretty well with yesterday’s about some of the things that may cause us to lose a bit of the joy we should have because of our relationship to God based on our salvation.  We mentioned that one of the privileges we have as brothers and sisters in Christ is that of showing biblical love (“fulfill the law of Christ” to love God supremely and love others as self), which sometimes comes in the form of lovingly, humbly, graciously pointing out something that isn’t right in another believer’s life. 

Obviously, we need to be sure that WE are right with God first and foremost.  How can you speak to a brother about a speck in their eye when we have a beam in ours? (Matthew 7)

-On a Personal Note:

There’s a warning attached to Galatians 6:1—that of taking care lest you also are tempted by the very sin someone else is struggling with. 

Frankly, I think that ANY TIME we pay undue attention to some worldly, ungodly, unpleasing thing, we run the risk of becoming enthralled with it and being sucked into the very thing we were once very clearly opposed to.  For example, when I was a teenager, I remember being warned many times by our church youth leaders to have nothing to do with Ouija boards or anything having to do with the occult.  Why?  Because looking into it creates an interest, and an interest can lead to an obsession, and an obsession can lead to an addiction.  Really, ANYTHING that is sinful in God’s eyes should be avoided as much as is humanly possible by God’s children.  This might include media that contains swearing, off color humor, encourages greed, selfishness, and putting self first.  It might include alcohol, drugs, smoking—or more “acceptable” addictions such as spending money, dozens of hours playing video games, and even long, wasted time on TikTok, YouTube, etc.

There are a lot of things that can draw our hearts away from God!  Away from the green pastures and still waters the Good Shepherd wants to bring us to so as to restore our soul!

AND we are given the privilege to love each other enough to “restore” someone who may be heading off in the wrong direction.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, August 9, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 71:17-22

“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.”

-Something to Think About:

The unknown author of this psalm is an older saint recounting the faithfulness of God from the time he was young down to the present.  Furthermore, he expresses great trust in God to continue to help him, reviving him when the way seems hard or when circumstances or people get him down.

-On a Personal Note:

There are several things I really love about this psalm (made more precious now that I am in my 60s and beginning to see a bunch of things from a new perspective)!

-God has been faithful in our lives from day one—and He will never stop being faithful.  We can choose to believe this and be encouraged and blessed by it—or live our lives feeling oppressed, unloved, and powerless.

-Every new day we are given is a new day given to either tell of God’s wonderful deeds—or keep silent.  This “telling” can be in our conversations with people, in our texts, in our messages, in our notes and letters, but it can also be in the expression on our faces and our actions of obedience to God  – or, instead, fitting in with the word with words and expression of anxiety, gloom, doom, and disappointment.

-No matter our age, we can live faithfully for God.  Physical infirmities and disabilities may change the focus and extent of how we serve God and others, but there is always SOMETHING we can do!

-Also on the topic of age, we should never shy away from telling others about the goodness of God—especially the up and coming generations.  They need to hear about His faithfulness, too, and how the Good Shepherd is able to restore our soul when we stick close by His side.

-Even if what comes out of our mouth is a pitiful sound compared to how we were able to sing when younger, NEVER stop singing praise to the Father and to the Lamb!  This is something we’ll be doing throughout eternity, but we sure don’t need to wait until then!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, August 10, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read II Chronicles 7:11-18

“Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’”

-Something to Think About:

First, although II Chronicles 7:14 (“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”) often finds its way into Sunday bulletins around Independence Day, this is a promise given to Israel, not to other nations.

Second, II Chronicles 7 recounts the staggering and awesome day the Temple that Solomon built was dedicated to the Lord.  It’s GREAT reading—and I encourage you to pause and read the whole thing sometime soon.

-On a Personal Note:

Even though II Chronicles 7:14 is a promise of God to Israel (one He CONTINUES to keep—and will always keep because He always does what He said), there are still some important reminders here for those of us who aren’t Jewish, but still belong to God because of the work of Christ on the cross. 

#1  No one, not even someone who is part of God’s family, can fully appreciate the still waters and peaceful pastures next to the Good Shepherd if they are allowing sin of any kind to remain in their hearts and in their lives.  God is holy and cannot abide sin.  We can never lose our salvation and will ALWAYS be a member of God’s family, but we forfeit peace, joy, fulfillment, and being used fully by God when we refuse to humble ourselves and confess our sin.

#2  God always forgives us when we confess our sin.  I suspect that we aren’t praising Him enough for that!  What an incredible thing!

#3  Prayer is such an essential part of all believer’s lives!  I suspect that we tend to take this for granted too, and/or lean a tad too heavily into the “give me” part of prayer, neglecting the Thank Yous and Praises.

#4  Praying, confessing sin, showing signs of humility—are all good and essential things, but they’re not enough.  Repentance is turning away from ungodly behavior and replacing it with God honoring behavior.  Don’t be only hearers of the Word, but also doers.

I love how applicable and pertinent even the Old Testament is to today’s Christian!  If we read it, meditate on it, and obey it, our souls can be refreshed every single day.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, August 11, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, August 12, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Matthew 11:27-30

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

-Something to Think About:

Plainly stated, God—and no one else — has the answers, hope, and help that we need.  As part of God’s plan for our universe, He handed over to the Son “all things” so that the Son can reveal to us, His brothers and sisters (once we have trusted in Him as our Savior), what we need to know about God so as to be awed (and praise Him because of it), to please Him (in our trust and obedience), to help and bless others (encouraging one another to greater godliness), and to NOT be stressed, overwhelmed, or frazzled (because we can give our burdens to Christ in exchange for rest for our souls).  PRAISE HIS NAME!

-On a Personal Note:

Starting out a new work week with a passage such as Matthew 11 just makes sense!  In fact, I am writing this mid-morning on a Monday, already having accomplished about 4 hours of work—with an exceptionally busy week ahead of me (and that’s saying something!).   In other words, I am confessing freely that I NEED to be reminded that my Good Shepherd invites me to come to Him for rest (green pastures and still waters!), to lean on Him (and stop trying to do it all in my own strength or by means of my own wisdom), and to lay all that is heavy and hard on Him, trusting in HIM to provide rest for my soul.

How, though?  How do we trade all our burdens for His offer of rest? Come to Him. 

How?  Through prayer, through reading His Word, through singing praises to Him, through biblically accurate devotionals, through the encouragement of godly, mature brothers and sisters in Christ.  Basically, by turning away from thoughts and actions that are NOT centered on Him and His goodness.  It certainly is going to involve STOPPING in the crazy dashing-through-the-day thing we do, pausing to bow our heads in gratitude for His gracious help, in committing the day to His glory, asking for His constant intervention so that our thoughts stay centered on His Word. The result of this conscious dependence on Him is that the actions that follow will be ones that please Him, honor Him, and edify others.

How has the Holy Spirit spoken to YOUR heart while reading today’s Scripture?

BONUS THOUGHT: If Christians are to be becoming more like Christ (and we are), wouldn’t it seem logical that we provide a little oasis for others who come to us for counsel, help, or even to chat?  That we NOT lay all sorts of burdens on their shoulders—and instead remind them of the Good Shepherd and His easy yoke?  That we use our words to build them up in the things of the Lord (using Scripture, of course!)?  I think that one of the things we learn socially in our part of the world growing up is to agree with whatever your friends are saying.  For example, if a fellow church member comes up to you and says, “What a horrible weather day!”  our gut reaction will probably be to agree with them.  But, would Jesus agree?  Didn’t God choose that day’s weather?  Isn’t God always good?  Doesn’t God know best?  Now, perhaps the weather IS pretty unpleasant, but if we want to help this brother or sister in Christ with their heavy burden, perhaps we can agree that while it’s not our favorite kind of weather, we are thankful for ________ (and there are always DOZENS of things we can be thankful for to insert in that spot!).  The point isn’t to come across as “holier than thou,” but to encourage and redirect dark thoughts to one that focus on the goodness and glory of God; that provide thoughts of rest for the soul.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Isaiah 40:28-31

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

-Something to Think About:

Although written to Israel to remind them that the punishment and hard times they brought onto themselves will not last forever and that God will one day restore them to a glorious nation who loves Him and serves Him wholly, this is ALSO a great encouragement to Christians alive today.  We, too, need the reminder that unlike us, God doesn’t get tired, need a break, or run out of wisdom.  In fact, He generously and gladly provides all the strength we could ever need—when we wait for Him.

-On a Personal Note:

I think it’s got to be easy to misunderstand a Bible passage like this if you just happened on it and knew very little about God or the Bible (which is a HUGE plug for not missing church services and Bible studies!!!).  You might come away with the impression that God turns Christians into something akin to super heroes—able to do astonishing feats on little to no sleep.  But, of course, that’s not really what’s being talked about here (although I very much look forward to our new glorified bodies and no longer needing sleep and no longer getting sick or injured!).  No, this is more God promising to help us stay faithful to Him for the long haul—and not getting discouraged or overwhelmed along the way.

Once again, we find the “secret” is to look to God for all we need and not relying on ourselves or other people, no matter how strong or godly they are.  It is the Lord Who is everlasting, Whose wisdom is unsearchable, and Whose strength never gives out.  It is plugging into His power that gives us what we need minute to minute, day by day—just enough, but ENOUGH.

Have YOU heard?  Do you KNOW?  It is the LORD Whom we need!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read I Peter 5:6-11

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

-Something to Think About:

Peter knew something about the things we’ve been looking at in Matthew 11 and Isaiah 40.  He knew that we cannot—absolutely cannot—handle the challenges of our daily lives without leaning on God and looking to Him for wisdom, strength, and help (which involves humbling ourselves—because we like to think we can do what we cannot!). 

Peter had learned through the school of hard knocks that God cares for us, so we need not succumb to anxiety and fretting.  Peter knew just how dangerous satan is—and how essential it is to be watchful as an individual, but also how to rely on the family of God to help warn us of dangers (and to warn others when they’re in danger).

Peter knew a lot about suffering.  He learned, however, that the suffering of today is extremely short when we simply stop to consider eternity and the everlasting love and grace of our Father and Savior.  He knew that in the end, which is actually the true beginning, God will restore us, confirm us, strengthen us, and establish us.  We need but trust and obey, spending time on our knees in the throne room of God for our own victory and for that of all brothers and sisters in Christ.

-On a Personal Note:

My husband and I watch a fair amount of nature shows.  One of the things they seem to enjoy showing viewers is how a lion, tiger, bear or other apex predator likes to hide in the bushes, trees, and ravines, stealthily following whatever herd they’ve got in their sights so that they can pounce and kill at the first good opportunity.  Of course, these animals are not always successful.  In fact, some of the types of herds that keep the safest from a kill are those who stay together and who are always watching for danger so they can warn the others and flee as a unit.

Have you ever considered that one of the many critical and super useful reasons why God established local churches in this time in history is so that we can look out for one another?  So that we can have the protection of our brothers and sisters in Christ when satan is prowling around hoping to pounce on one of us?  When we recognize that someone is in danger, we tap them on the shoulder and encourage them to stay the course, using Scripture, prayer, and fellowship.

When lions are successful in their hunt, it’s usually because one of the herd went off on its own—or because it was older, injured, or really young.  Are you trying to live for God all on your own?  Is someone in your church family being unsafe in their actions or because they’ve stopped coming to services?  Do you have young Christians who need help and protection?  How about someone who is vulnerable (and this could be for many reasons)? 

Let’s all band together as family members of God to support each other, encourage each other, edify each other, and help however and whenever it’s needed!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, August 15, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 4

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah   But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

-Something to Think About:

As God’s choice of king over Israel and His anointed servant, David had great confidence that God, Who had been faithful from day one, would continue to be faithful.  For that reason, he was not afraid of his enemies—and instead, lectured them about their foolish behavior!  He encourages them to get right with God by stopping their attack on him and instead trusting and obeying God.  

Meanwhile, because of David’s right walk with God, he was able to appreciate the joy God placed in his heart and the sweet sleep He gives those who know that they are in God’s perfect care 24/7.

-On a Personal Note:

I doubt that there is anyone among us who hasn’t had a rough day because our emotions were all a mess and we were sad,  upset, angry, or worried about something—one of those kinds of days where everything is WRONG and nothing really helps us settle down.  This may even carry over into our night (or wait until night to really take hold of our thoughts) and we sleep very poorly—or can’t sleep at all.

Did you find it interesting to picture this happening to David?  It’s easy to feel isolated and like you’re the only one suffering in this way when something is bothering us, but of course, that’s simply not true.  EVERYONE struggles in some way and at some time — and we have since sin entered the world.  The important thing, though, is that, as a child of God, the solution is simple and quick.  We need to turn to God in trust.  If there’s some sin on our part (such as worry, anger, or lashing out at someone), we need to confess it and get that dealt with, then we simply need to talk to God about what’s bothering us, doing so in confidence that He hears, that He answers, that ALL He does is for our spiritual good and His glory, then rest easy.  He’s got this!

P.S.  I kind of liked David’s reminder in verse 7 that even though people look other places for happy feelings (like alcohol, drugs, shopping, porn, endless hours on the internet, etc.), true joy, real joy, FULL joy comes from a sweet relationship with God—staying close by the side of the Good Shepherd as He provides all our true needs and brings us to a place of rest near still waters and green pastures.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, August 16, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Mark 6:7-12; 30-32

“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. . . .The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.” 

-Something to Think About:

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching the twelve apostles about God and how to please and honor Him as full-time servants, but there had to come a time when they went out without Him to put into practice what they were learning.  I’m sure it was a super busy, super chaotic, super exhausting time with some painful and difficult things happening, but also many victories and joys (you can read a lot more detail about this in Matthew 10).  When they got back, they were excited to share all their news with Jesus, but He knew that their bodies would need some rest after their hard labors.  He knew—and encouraged—them to not neglect their physical needs even though the spiritual needs of the nation were many.

-On a Personal Note:

As a pastor’s wife of over 38 years, I’ve seen a lot of servants of God who give their all to Him—which is awesome and a huge blessing.  I’ve also seen, however, those who have a hard time knowing when to take a break and give their body some rest.  This is, of course, most often seen among pastors, missionaries, and other full-time servants of God.  And it’s easy to see why!  There’s just so much to do for the Lord!  There are ALWAYS crises of some sort, but besides that, there are Bible studies and sermons to prepare for and teach, there are calls to make on people, there are phone calls, emails, and texts to follow up on, there are fellowships to plan, hold, and clean up from—and countless “little” things that can literally fill up every minute of every day.

If you’re one of those extra hard workers for the Lord, PRAISE GOD.  I GUARANTEE you are a huge blessing to your pastor and are honoring God, BUT be sure you are taking time to “come away and rest a while.”  Be sure you are hydrating well and eating nutritiously.  And if you’re a church member and you have one of the exceptional pastors (like my church does!), be sure to thank him, appreciate all he does, pray for him, HELP HIM—and do everything in your power to make sure he is taking some time to rest every day and has an opportunity to get away for a day or two regularly to rest, regroup, and reconnect with his Lord and his family. 

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, August 17, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Isaiah 26:3-4

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

-Something to Think About:

These verses are pretty self explanatory.  God wants His children to experience perfect peace—and we can, when we keep our eyes focused on Him and when we choose to trust Him, remembering that He is THE everlasting Rock—all we could ever need or want.

-On a Personal Note:

“Like a River Glorious” (words by Francis Ridley Havergal; music by James Mountain) is a much-loved hymn written with Isaiah 26:3-4 in mind.  Read it!  Sing it!  Let its words and message bring rest to your soul, because of the reminder of the peace God offers to His children who are sticking close to the Good Shepherd.

1

Like a river, glorious
  Is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious
  In its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth
  Fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth
  Deeper all the way. 

Stayed upon Christ Jesus,
Hearts are fully blest;
Finding, as He promised,
  Perfect peace and rest.

2

Hidden in the hollow
  Of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow,
  Never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry,
  Not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry
  Touch the spirit there. 

Stayed upon Christ Jesus,
Hearts are fully blest;
Finding, as He promised,
  Perfect peace and rest.

3

Every joy or trial
  Falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial
  By the Sun of Love.
We may trust Him fully
  All for us to do;
They who trust Him wholly
  Find Him wholly true. 

Stayed upon Christ Jesus,
Hearts are fully blest;
Finding, as He promised,
  Perfect peace and rest.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, August 18, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, August 19, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Mark 4:35-41

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

-Something to Think About:

This passage is here because it talks about sleeping soundly even in the middle of a storm.  Jesus trusted the Father’s plan for Him—and we can too.

-On a Personal Note:

One of the things most Christians are really good at is looking at the actions of other Christians and noting how they fell short. For example, it’s pretty easy to judge the disciples getting all spazzy about dying in the storm EVEN THOUGH JESUS WAS LITERALLY RIGHT THERE.  We think, “Come on, you guys!  You’ve been with Jesus through all sorts of miracles!  Why are you doubting Him now??

But, don’t we do the same thing?  ALL THE TIME? 

Jesus told the disciples that they didn’t have any faith (not questioning their salvation, but their trust in Him in that specific situation).  What did He mean?

-The reason they got into the boat in the first place was because Jesus needed to get to the other side.  This implied they would get there.

-Jesus had already told them when and how He was going to die—and it wasn’t from drowning.

-If Jesus was sleeping, it was because He knew He was not needed to intervene.

-Jesus had also told them Who He was.  As the Son of God, He could (and did!) order His creation to do anything He wanted.

We have been given many promises too, one of the biggest that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, so we know that should our life here on earth end for any reason, it’s simply because our eternity in the presence of God has begun.  You can’t get more win-win than that!

God has promised to never leave us or forsake us, to help us with what we need moment to moment, to help us say no to temptation, and to find comfort and be a comfort—and much, much more.

Our God is faithful and trustworthy.  We have no reason to fear—and like Jesus, we can rest easily even in the greatest of storms.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 46

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

-Something to Think About:

I wonder how things would have been different if the disciples in the boat during the storm when Jesus was asleep would have quoted Psalm 46 aloud?  Surely, the reminder that God is their Refuge—that He is their Strength and always available to help when His children are troubled—would have caused them to lift their chins and strengthen their knees!  They literally had God in their midst—the Lord of hosts!

Would their reaction have been different if they had remembered to turn to God’s Word and claim its promises?

-On a Personal Note:

Oh, that this would be the auto-default of you and me today!  As privileged as the disciples were to have Jesus in the boat with them, you and I have even MORE privileges!  We have the constant help and power of the Holy Spirit, we have the completed Bible—old AND new testaments, we have the example of millennia of faithful believers before us, we have the promise of eternal rewards in front of us.  We have our local church, our pastor (handpicked for us from God!), and our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We have a country where we are still free to worship God openly and as the Bible commands.  We have the power and privilege of prayer!

When we consider this and the incredible God we belong to, we can simply “be still and know that He is God.”

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Philippians 4:6-9

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

-Something to Think About:

When considering the concept of the Good Shepherd restoring our soul and the rest we enjoy in His presence, how could we not be reminded of the peace of God and the God of Peace found in Philippians 4?  These are treasured verses, for sure, and for very good reason!  God’s children are commanded to not be anxious—and we CAN achieve this command, because we can bring every single problem, challenge, question, and concern to the One Who can deal with it perfectly.  We can do this day or night. We can speak long paragraphs about it—or simply utter a one word petition for help.  BUT, we must do it with thanksgiving and gratitude.

-On a Personal Note:

Today’s verses provide such encouragement!  But they also give to us some helpful do’s and don’ts.

-Don’t be a worrier, do entrust all parts of your life and that of your loved ones to God through prayer (inferred in that is that we ARE praying!).

-Don’t be demanding or greedy, do be thankful.

-Don’t hide your thoughts and feelings from God, do share EVERYTHING with Him (He knows, He understands).

-Don’t waste your precious brain time on useless, untrue, confusing, and ungodly things, do fill it with things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, of excellence, and worthy of praise.

-Don’t follow the example of unsaved influencers (or saved ones who are not living for the Lord), do follow the example of those who are striving to be like Christ.  In fact, BE one of those precious few!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, August 22, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 91:1-2

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

-Something to Think About:

We all need to be reminded sometimes that our Heavenly Father is God Most High (THE Sovereign Ruler).  He is the Almighty (One Having All Power).  This is the One we are welcome to go to for refuge and safety.  He is the only One EVER Who is utterly trustworthy.  What person, place, or thing could POSSIBLY be better than the care of our Father in Heaven!

-On a Personal Note:

I expect most Christians would endorse the words in “something to think about” with a hearty “Amen!,”  but here’s the challenge.  There is often a gap between our stated theology (what we claim to believe) and our functional theology (how we live).  So, while all of us are deeply touched, comforted, and thankful for the refuge our Father provides so perfectly, just how often do we actually, deliberately take Him up on it?  How often do we go to Him—but after we’ve explored all other options?  How often do we SAY we trust Him, but continue to fuss, fret, fume, and pace in endless circles?  These are questions we must all prayerfully and carefully evaluate—and often.  Though we may quickly turn to the Father in one difficult situation, it doesn’t guarantee we go to Him for everything.  In fact, another scenario to prayerfully consider is that of going to God for the “big” things, but then trying to handle the “small” ones on our own.  If we’re honest, those “small ones” handled in our questionable wisdom, too often turn into far bigger problems than they needed to be!

How thankful we all should be to be able to dwell in the shelter of the Most High!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friday, August 23, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Isaiah 30:15

“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling.”

-Something to Think About:

The Lord God is telling Israel that they needed to repent (“return”) of their sin, that is, looking to other things, people, and nations as their “savior” from the hard place they were in—and not Him.  They were trying to find refuge SOMEWHERE, when all the time it could be found under His wings.  He wanted them to remember that He is the only true Source of stability, peace, and fulfillment.

-On a Personal Note:

The last sentence of verse 15 is pretty sad.  The God Who offers nothing but blessing and a delightful relationship with Him on a personal level was rejected.  The people He chose as His were unwilling to find their quietness and strength in simply trusting and obeying Him.

Part of the reason these moments from history are recorded in the Bible is so that you and I can learn from them—so that we can see from our perspective just how sad and unnecessary Israel’s suffering was AND NOT REPEAT THEIR FOLLY TODAY.

So, what are you going to do differently than Israel?  God calls you and me to rest in the shelter of His wings too.  Are we?  Are we sticking close by His side through meaningful time in Scripture on a daily basis?  Are we practicing gratitude in prayer throughout our day?  Are we turning to Him first before making decisions, before casting judgement, and before acting?  Are we using Scripture as our Guide Book for righteous living?  Are we praying to be super tender about sin so that we can recognize it quickly, confess it, and replace it with God honoring actions and attitudes?  Are we, as far as it is up to us, living at peace with one and all?  Are we seeking to build other believers up in their walk with the Lord?  Are we telling the lost about the Savior?  Are we loving God supremely and neighbor as self? 

God blesses and rewards faithful living.  Even Israel will one day (during the Millennium) turn wholeheartedly back to God as individuals and as a nation!  Read about it (and thank God) later in Isaiah 30:

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.  And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.  And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures,  and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.  And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.  Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.” (v.18-26)

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, August 24, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read John 16:33

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

-Something to Think About:

Jesus is just a few hours from betrayal, arrest, torture, crucifixion, and death—not because of anything wrong He did, but because you and I (and all of mankind) did.  He was about to do what no one else EVER could do—bear the wrath of God on sin.  He did it for us because we couldn’t. He loves us so much, He wanted to make a way for you and I to become part of God’s family for all of eternity.

BUT, Jesus’ disciples, the men He had just spent over three years with almost constantly, didn’t fully grasp what all was going on and why.  It was going to be a hard several days for them—and even once they figured out some key things, their lives wouldn’t exactly be a day at the park.  Most of them, in fact, ended up martyred.  Nonetheless, John reminds them (and us!) that Jesus is our Peace.  Whatever hardships come our way via sin, satan, and the evil world system, we have peace in Him because He has already overcome the world.

-On a Personal Note:

I can’t tell you how men think, but I know that we females rely an awful lot on feelings.  When we THINK something is true, or perhaps we say it “feels” true to us, it can be hard to convince us that it is NOT true.  I think that’s some of what Jesus is getting at here.  The world we live in is anything BUT peaceful.  We are surrounded by trouble, challenges, hardship, and difficulty (a good deal inside our own hearts and heads!).  But the fact is, the TRUTH is, that Jesus HAS overcome the world.  He won.  Victory is His.  And because He overcame the world, we also have victory.  We also have peace.  We simply need to claim it—to believe it.  To live like it.

How?  Trust that all God said is true and live your life based on it.   In other words, do all that the Bible says to do (through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit) and continue to work at becoming more like Christ day by day, year by year.  We may FEEL like we’re not making progress, but if we’re faithful in even the smallest of ways, we ARE faithful—and in that, God is pleased and honored.  And a huge bonus:  when we are simply doing what we know God wants us to do, we can rest in His peace in our hearts.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Happy Lord’s Day! 

Sundays are a special gift from our Good Shepherd to provide a day to hear His Word being taught and to fellowship with others who love Him, most specifically, the local church He provided to be your family.

How can you prepare for this special day?

Pray! 

-Pray. first, for forgiveness for any known sin (and for recognition of sin you hadn’t realized about so you can make that right with God too).  We can’t truly listen, learn, and grow if we allow sin to hang out in our hearts.  God will not share.

-Pray for a listening heart, for distractions to not interfere with your concentration, and for a tender heart to what God might be showing you.  Pray similarly for all brothers and sisters in Christ, especially your own church family.

-Pray for your pastor and for those who are teaching or ministering in some way.

-Pray for the salvation of any in attendance who have not yet trusted in Christ as their Savior.

-Pray for the restoration of any believers who are not living obediently according to God’s Word.

-Pray that GOD IS HONORED in all areas and at all times.

Prepare!

-Plan your schedule so that NOTHING is given higher priority than being in church services.

-Plan your schedule so that you don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head cut off in order to get to services on time.

-Plan your schedule so that you have something ready to eat (or close to ready to eat) so that the family isn’t starving and cranky when you get home.

-Plan who you might be a blessing to.  This might be through a thinking-of-you card or some small gift, it might be through a chat, it might be through asking someone some specific things you can pray for on their behalf in the coming week, it might be through a hug or even a smile from across the room.

-Plan ahead what you might need to bring to church and set it by the door.  Keep a tote or some other organizing device for your Bible, pen, notebook, Sunday school book—or whatever you will need.

Process!

-Once you’ve been fed, blessed, edified, and otherwise blessed, take a few minutes at the end of the day to jot down what you’ve learned, questions you would like answered, and prayer updates.  Jot down a few here:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Praise!

-Thank God for His lovingkindness, grace, and mercy—and for providing this one super special day of the week!

Monday, August 26, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 34:8

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

-Something to Think About:

The word, “taste,” as I’m sure you are aware, is speaking of the result of experience.  The only way to truly know about all the things to magnify about the Lord is to spend time with Him.  We do that through Bible study, through prayer, through listening intently when our pastor preaches, by attending Bible studies, by spending time with godly, faithful believers, and even through the message of biblically sound songs and hymns.  These are the kinds of things we must be immersing ourselves in so that what we are tasting and finding good is the Lord—and not the world’s idea of entertainment, fun, success, and fulfillment—because you can be 100% certain that satan is working overtime to assure millions of Christians that the world’s thinking isn’t all bad and that there are lots of “good” things to “taste and see”.  This, though, is NOT what God says—and the most basic foundation that we MUST base all of our lives on, is God’s Word, nothing more, nothing less.

God gives us further assurance by telling us in verse 8 that when we spend time with Him we not only find Him “good,” we discover the joy of taking refuge in Him.

-On a Personal Note:

Have you had a “hard thing” in your life?  A health struggle?  Or, worse yet, a health struggle of husband, child, or other loved one?  Have you had someone be unkind and unfair to you?  Have you been defeated by your own sin?  Has a loved one turned their back on God?  Is someone you care about trapped in addiction to drugs or alcohol? Do you have fears about money matters for your family or church family?  Does it seem like the world is picking off your church members one by one?

God is our Refuge.  How blessed it is to lean on Him; to trust that He is still on His throne  – and that not even the tiniest detail is too small for His notice, nor any problem too big for Him to handle perfectly and in the perfect timing.

Oh, loved child of God, seek the Lord and He will restore your soul and provide you the perfect refuge and deliver you from all your fears!  And IN the crisis, keep praise for Him continually in your mouth, magnifying and exalting Him together with others who have tasted and found that He is good.

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Psalm 116:1-7

“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”  Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.”

-Something to Think About:

Psalms 113-188 are all Passover songs, so Jesus Christ probably sang this Psalm the night before His crucifixion!  Kind of inspiring to think about (check out the whole thing in your Bible!).

-On a Personal Note:

Much like the author of Psalm 34:8 (“O taste and see that the Lord is good!”), the author of this psalm has experienced God’s answers to his prayers and is able to look back at how God saved him from the threat of death.  Now, on this side of the crisis, he can see that the Lord is indeed gracious, righteous, and merciful.  He DOES listen to prayers and He does deal bountifully with His children.  Because of this experience, the author is committing to never stop calling on the Lord in prayer—and to enjoy the rest for his soul that only the Good Shepherd can supply so perfect and perfectly timed.

We would ALL do well to check in with the Lord every night before sleep to thank Him and praise Him for His care, direction, and help for the day.  Sleep is sweet when our thoughts are focused on the Lord we love and trust!

-Between You and the Lord:

Use this space to write down at least one thing that you want to remember from today’s lesson.  For example, if a friend asked you what you studied today and why it was important to you, what would you tell them?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer requests based on today’s study (for yourself and/or others):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Further Research:  (anything you want to look into more another time and/or questions to ask):

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

-Time to pray!  Take a minute before opening your Bible to ask its Author for help to understand what you are reading—and to apply its truths to your current life and to help you in your goal of imitating Him in thought, deed, motivation, and goals.  Pray for others as the Lord lays them on your heart.

(In our continuing study of Psalm 23, we are looking at Bible verses that use the word “restore.”)

-Read Ecclesiastes 5:12

“Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.”

-Something to Think About:

Ecclesiastes 5 & 6 are focused on the folly of pursuing wealth and all the troubles it inevitably brings.  Since Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and he was an extremely wealthy king, he ought to know!

Buried in the warnings is a comment about sleep.  The ESV says that a full stomach won’t let the rich man sleep well (which is certainly true—indigestion and acid reflux are not fun!), but other versions hint that the reason this man isn’t sleeping well is because he’s obsessed with his money and thinking about how to get more all the time.  In contrast, the simple laborer who does his allotted task and does it well, is free to go home, eat his humble portion, and enjoy a good night’s rest.

-On a Personal Note:

Sleep (GOOD sleep) may well be one of the creature comforts I most look forward to in the Millennium when I have my glorified body (that—and yummy food with no consequences!).  Of course, I have no idea if we’ll need or want sleep at all, but the mere thought of night after night of deep, restorative, pleasant sleep is something that gets more precious as you age.