Sheep Food

  Follow Me. Two words, clear and easy to understand and about as simple as it can get: “Follow Me” Have you ever been lost, needing directions to a specific place, be it on foot (in a large office building or hospital, or maybe a store) or in your car and you just can’t seem to figure out the directions you had, so you stop and ask someone? Maybe you were the one who was asked by a stranger and you had the time and knew it would be easier to just show or lead them than it would be to try and explain it, so you just waved them on and said those two words: “Follow me”. When I’m in a hurry, I always so appreciate when I go into a store looking for one particular item and I ask an attendant to point me in the direction I need to go, thinking I can figure it out if I get close, but they will often smile and turn and tell me those two words: “follow me.” They usually lead me to the exact spot where the the item I was needing to get is located. Jesus understood this as well, how sometimes i

  “Be Holy, for I am Holy!” Stop right there! If you read nothing else today, those six words would be plenty to take away from here, chew and mediate on, pray over and ask God what He meant by that statement alone. And while you are praying and thinking on those six words, it might be advantageous for you to ask specifically, these two questions: What does it mean to ‘be holy’? ....and: How do we become....holy? I mean honestly, it seems to me this is no small footnote for believers given we are told that ‘without holiness, no one will see the Lord’. (Heb. 12:14). That would be another one of those verses you might want to contemplate; especially for anyone who was mistaught that all you need to do is ‘say a prayer and ask Jesus in to your heart’ and heaven awaits you like it’s a ‘done deal’. IF that was the case, then what on earth is all this other activity we get caught up trying to do for; what purpose does it serve other than to ‘keep us busy’ until Jesus comes? Or...maybe

  When we walk according to the deeds of the flesh, we are breaking the commandments of God. I can’t say it any more clear than that. (Rom. 8:7-8) Why does it matter? Well, for starters, do you know why a bunch of religious folks were denied entrance into the kingdom of heaven, being told by the Lord that He never knew them? It was because they continued to break the commandments of God. (Matt. 7:23) Another reason why it matters, or should matter if you love Jesus, is if we continue to live according to the flesh, we will die. (Rom. 8:13). I know...that warning tends to fall on deaf ears just like it did when God told Adam and Eve that if they eat off that one tree, they will surely die. (Gen. 2:17). Surely God did not mean that, or so the serpent convinced Eve. (Gen. 3:1-4). And what was Paul’s concern for us today in the NT Christian church era? – That we might be deceived in the same way Eve was by the ‘serpent’? (2 Cor. 11:3-4) Surely that could not happen to us now, could it?

  Weddings have always been, traditionally...special events. They should be. Marriage is a sacred institution, a covenant between two people, a man and a woman I might add, that was designed by God. When God created Adam, it was God who stated that it is not ‘good for man to be alone’ (Gen. 2:18). So He caused a deep sleep to come over Adam and took one of his ribs and from it, He formed Eve and brought her to Adam and the two became one flesh. (Gen. 2:21-24) Proverbs 18:22 tells us that “he that finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord”. One translation reads: “A man’s greatest treasure is his wife; she is a gift from the Lord”. (CEV). I’m sure that plays in to the counsel we received from Paul when he wrote to the Ephesians and admonished: “Husbands- love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word...” (5:25-26) If you have never noticed or paid atte

  At the end of the day, or at least at the end of the chapter...(Luke 15), it was the older brother who claimed he did everything right...who did NOT enter the father’s house. He was left on the outside looking in, while the younger brother who had truly repented from his heart... was taken in to the father’s house to feast and celebrate. (Yesterday’s post) Do you know why...the older brother did not go in to the father’s house for the banquet? You really don’t have to be an educated theologian to see why: - this older brother had some ‘heart issues’. Truth be told, his heart was defiled. And believe it or not, a defiled heart can keep you out of the father’s house. I know that does not land well nor ‘fit’ with much of what you hear taught today, but someone has to pull the curtain away so we can see what God has to say about the matter. There are many professing believers today who will tell you they ‘long to see the return of the Lord’, even believing passionately that ‘day’

  When the Spirit of God shows up, it can and does... loosens chains, opens prison doors, and sets captives free. That probably has to do with the fact that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and freedom; well, at least for those who want it. (2 Cor. 3:17; John 3:19; 5:6) I’ve actually heard people say that they will ‘choose’ to sin, once in a while, because they ‘want’ to sin, maybe just a little. If that describes your ‘walk’, then at best, you have a ‘form of godliness...that denies the power of God. (2 Tim. 3:5). And I have no hesitation stating that, ... because the gospel that Jesus came preaching, unlike many ‘other gospels’ today, changes all that. I too, can stand with Paul and declare that: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes...” (Rom. 1:18) Yes, I waded in to this topic on being ‘saved’ in yesterday’s post so you might want to review it before continuing on here if you missed it. I kno

  It began around midnight with a few songs and prayer, which preceded the earthquake that opened all the prison doors. Immediately, all the chains that bound the prisoners were loosed.  The Philippian jailer panicked and drew a sword in order to kill himself but was stopped by Paul and Silas who wanted to assure him there was no need to do himself any harm as everyone was accounted for. His question in response was profound in many ways and has been repeated around the world for centuries, ever since that night:  “Sirs…what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:25-30) One thing I have noticed over the decades with my involvement in the ‘church world’ is how certain words and phrases we find in our Bibles can be tossed around so frequently, and as familiar as they might be to us, we can still lack understanding as to what they actually mean. You know, words like: ‘sin, righteousness, wrath, holiness’, and yes- even ‘saved’. If you have been following my postings here for any length of time

  “Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. ...The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them…those who fear Him lack for nothing…” (Ps. 34:7-11) We are told the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both wisdom and knowledge. (Prov. 1:7; 9:10) So picking up from where I left off yesterday… Here’s a thought to chew on: Fear does not set us free, but a healthy ‘fear of God’ can sure help us stay free. Did you catch that part though, at the beginning here where the ‘fear of the Lord’ is something that we need to be ‘taught’? I’m sure many of us have been exposed to other methods used in conveying some degree of experiencing the fear of God, usually through dramatic descriptions of what hell will be like with all its flames and torment for any and all who don’t ‘accept Christ as Savior’. Anyone familiar with Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon? Or how many of you were traumatized by the old (1972) film series: ‘A Thief in the Nig