Sheep Food

  Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. That would be good advice for anyone who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle, regardless of their age or however long they have been driving. Years ago, back before there was an internet, ‘urban legends’ existed that still made the rounds, albeit a tad slower. I still remember one of the first ones I heard about that I just assumed was ‘truth’, and it had to do with two wealthy Arabs who had traveled out to the west coast to purchase an expensive, high-end, motor-home. Allegedly, according to ‘news reports’, they were driving along the coastal highway and after a bit of time, they set the RV to ‘cruise control’, and made their way to the back of the luxury rig to have a drink, just before it careened off the cliffs into the ocean. I also remember sharing that story with others for years after, thinking it was so tragically funny; go figure. Today, we are actually seeing more and more cars and trucks take to the road that ar...

  It can be quite painful to begin rummaging through the remains of a broken relationship, a splintered family, or any number of personal failures that we so often face in this short life. But where it gets very raw is when we begin to look inward and examine our own hearts...to see where maybe... ‘we got it wrong’. We know most of the blame lies on everyone else around us, and this ‘fallen’ world, and of course ‘that ‘ole devil’, right? Sigh... Friends, I would submit to you that true healing and restoration can’t even begin to happen, until we pull that dark curtain back and humble ourselves before God and ask: “Lord...is it I?” (Matt. 26:25). And trust me, I know I’m wading in to some very sensitive waters here, but hang with me, if you would. I can’t help but wonder if I left some of you yesterday who may have read my post (Love Never Fails) asking if the reason a previous marriage or relationship failed was because you didn’t ‘love that person enough’. I would also submit t...

  Love. Never. Fails. You know how we’re always advised to ‘never say never’? Guess what? God said ‘never’, right there in 1 Cor. 13:8, when He had Paul write that in that letter to...all who claim to follow Jesus. Many of us know it as the ‘love chapter’, and you hear it quoted at a ton of wedding ceremonies.(Not just that one phrase, but a good portion of the text leading up to that particular ‘claim’ or promise where he describes what this ‘love’ looks like.) I should also point out here, that the English use of the word ‘love’ can come across rather sterile at times as we often toss it around to mean everything from how we ‘love God, or our spouse, our families...and yes...how we even ‘love’ pizza and pancakes. So diving off into a very brief lesson in Greek, the language we derive much of the NT scriptures from, there are three different words used to convey ‘love’, and the one found here in this chapter is the word ‘agape’, which is the deepest and purest form of love: a ...

  “The truth of the matter is....I don’t always ‘want’ to abide in Jesus.” What a candid and truthful statement to make, and one I have heard spoken by sincere ‘believers’ on more than one occasion. Truth be told, I’ve felt that myself in years past. But before I would allow a pious and ‘humble’ spirit to settle in for being so ‘raw and transparent’ ...as others applaud our ‘being real’ with them...can we take a moment to analyze what we are saying when we confess to such a gut honest admission? When a person says they just don’t ‘want’...to abide in Jesus...’all the time’, what are they really suggesting? And please keep in mind that even when we are abiding in Him, that does not mean we are exempt from being ‘tempted’ by the tempter who ‘goes about like a roaring lion seeking to devour’ (1 Pet. 5:8). Why do you think we are admonished to ‘resist him’ and ‘give him no place’? (James 4:7; Eph. 4:27) Let’s look at this from a different perspective. If you were standing at a churc...

  I would like to begin with a question today for your consideration: Why would any sincere ‘believer’ and ‘professing follower’ of Jesus...not want to abide in Him...ALL of the time? I will actually address the possible answer(s) to that, tomorrow...Lord willing. For today, I sense a need to address a few helpful (hopefully) distinctions as to what one may experience when they are indeed abiding in Jesus. I have said all along that we ‘church’ folks tend to place more emphasis on being ‘saved’ than we do on the importance of what it means to abide in Jesus. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:4-5). That is the only way genuine, lasting fruit can be produced, proving that we are His disciples indeed. (John 15:6-8,16) But let me be clear up front, as clear as the word of God is: IF...we are abiding in Jesus, we will be walking as He walked (1 John 2:6) and we will not continue to practice sin. (1 John 3:6-9; 5:18). And instead of instinctively rejecting that truth, as you...

  *PSA* - That ‘work’ that Paul refers to which ‘God began IN us...and promises to ‘complete’ ...until the day of Jesus Christ’...can’t really even start ...until He has ‘all of you’...up front. (Phil. 1:6) No, really...I’m serious; and so is God’s word...concerning this. If you had a car or truck and needed a complete engine overhaul so it could be ‘made new’ again...I don’t care how good a mechanic you ‘leave’ it with...if you think you can pop in to his garage about every 6-8 hours, or maybe every other day even,  and tell him you need to run some errands with that vehicle but will bring it right back when you are done...that ‘work’ ain’t gonna get done. Period! And to believe otherwise is to be deceived. God has to have your ‘whole heart’ before He can begin the work of cleansing and purifying it, which is what He came to do as we are ‘conformed to the image of Christ’ (Rom. 8:29) Which means we are to be ‘perfected’ in His love. (1 John 4:12,17). How’s that coming along...

  There have been multiple occasions over the years, along with attempts on my part, to get serious about ‘decluttering’ the house; as in getting rid of unwanted, unneeded, or unused ‘stuff’ that was collecting dust in closets and attic spaces. I kid you not...I’ve been passionately sincere in ‘wanting’ to do this... until I begin to wade in and open boxes or drawers and come across things I’ve not seen or handled in years...and immediately feel some ‘emotional’ attachment to that object...and tell my wife...’Nah...let’s keep that around for a while longer’. Anyone out there able to relate? As we continue on in our study of King Josiah, who has had am impactful experience with God through His word, the fruit of his encounter is about to become evident. He first heard the word, and responded in repentance and brokenness. Next, he was compelled for all in his kingdom to have the word read to them as well, which he had done. Then came the renewal of a fully surrendered heart as he...

  So you want to be a part of God’s kingdom...and devote your life in service to the One who laid down His life for you? That’s good, that’s very good. May I offer up a piece of simple yet blunt counsel to you before you being this journey? Lay the ‘baggage’ down, as in all of it. And if you are not ready to do so, then don’t attempt to move forward in God as it will only complicate your walk and frustrate you. I would even suggest that you ‘go do you’... and don’t come back until you are ready to wholeheartedly...lay it all down, as in your life. Jesus did. And so must we. That’s the gospel, Friends....and it won't work any way else, despite what we've been told. (Matt. 19:16-22; Luke 14:25-33; Heb. 12:1) Jesus could be pretty blunt, at times; and sometimes we just need to hear truth shared that way. Lord knows how many distractions and obstacles are constantly getting in our way that hinders us from making that total heart surrender. (Luke 9:57-62; Matt.13:21-22; 22:2-5...

  It truly was a defining moment, one that we might refer to as the ‘mother of all OMG-Aha!-moments’. I’m talking about that time when a young King Josiah heard, possibly for the first time...the Book of the Law read to him by Shaphan, the scribe. (2 Kings 22:10-11) Talk about the ‘lights coming on’ for someone who had been in the dark, even though he was doing his best to ‘do what was right’ in the eyes of God. The entire nation and kingdom had been in the dark for nearly 60 years. I don’t want to be guilty of ‘adding to God’s word’ here, but when it says that Josiah ‘tore his clothes’ (11) ...I can easily see him falling to his face as his heart is broken, and maybe trembling in fear as he weeps for himself, and his people in the kingdom. I had a similar experience just over five years ago in my home back in Texas in those early days that led up to the pandemic which shut our country down. My life has not been the same, since. Does anyone really think I could be generating these...

  “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem...” (2 Kings 22:1) I’m not sure what would be more unnerving...having a king who is only 8-years old, or having a full-grown king ...who acts like an 8-year old. Whatever your thoughts are on this, clearly Josiah succeeded a couple of ‘bad eggs’ as he inherited a kingdom that was not in a good place of standing...with God, that is. How many of you know personally, that ‘bad cycles’...can be broken? You may have come from some ‘bad blood’, or been raised in less than favorable circumstances; and yet...somehow, instead of blaming those conditions (or people) , using them as an excuse to fail in life, you overcame them and were able to turn the course and direction of your own life around in a way that no one would have seen coming. Yeah...welcome to the kingdom of God - Jesus came to break us free from those cycles (Luke 4:18; John 8:32-36; Acts 26:18) No doubt, God put a person who wo...

  Before we dive off into the story of King Josiah, which I have been leading up to the past couple of days, I feel compelled to first take a look at those who preceded him on the throne, and his great-grandfather, Hezekiah...in particular. There is an invaluable lesson to be learned here if you are so inclined to allow the Holy Spirit to make it real and relevant to you today. King Hezekiah was considered to be one of the more prominent, righteous and God-fearing kings in Judah’s history, probably second only to King David. He did many notable things that were pleasing to God and was greatly blessed during his reign, despite being the son of King Ahaz who was known for all the evil he did (2 Kings 16). We will spend most of our study today in 2 Kings 20. After reigning for 14 years, Hezekiah fell ill with a sickness and was near death . Then, he received what few, if any of us are ever given ahead of time...a word from God via the prophet Isaiah that basically said ‘your time ...

  If any former Reading students of mine come across this image today, I’m pretty sure they are chuckling to themselves about now. I used to project this on a screen on the first day of class each year as a ‘simple’ Reading test to gauge their skill level. Invariably, most failed the test on the first several attempts, as I had them read it aloud, together. It was after I pointed out the repeated word, ‘the’, to them, which most failed to catch when reading the sentence, that their ‘eyes were opened’ as they realized their mistake. We do that a lot when we read God’s word. We ‘think we know’...what we are reading, or what something is saying; and it’s only after we go back and the Holy Spirit ‘opens the eyes of our understanding’...do we really ‘see’ what is being said. Trust me...I know what I’m talking about here. If you have dropped in here from time to time to read my daily posts, and have come to the conclusion that all I seem to ‘rant’ about is ‘sin, law, and wrath’...then ...

  If you've ever raised a child, taught a class, or coached a kid’s local ball team, you have probably uttered these words: “Don’t worry about what others are doing... I’ll take care of them...just worry about yourself!” And if you have never spoken those words yourself, I’d be willing to bet you have heard them, at least. There’s an incident we read about in Luke 9:51-56 where Jesus was about to enter a village in Samaria...but they were apparently unwilling to receive or hear Him (53). When James and John heard about this, they were irked, and asked Jesus: “Should we call fire from heaven down and consume them like Elijah did?”(54). Jesus’s response to them was quick,blunt, and a classic rebuke: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives...He came to save them!” (56) Teaching the multitudes early on in His earthly ministry, Jesus addressed some issues that hit close to home, given the occupation of the Roman Empire wh...