Sheep are DUMB!!

The 23rd Psalm talks about the Lord being our Sheperd.  We are God's sheep and He cares for us.  What do you know about sheep except that they have a warm wooly coat and look cute?  Let me tell you, being called a sheep is not a compliment.

Sheep are D. U. M. B. DUMB!  They are not like most animals who can care for themselves in the wild.  You turn a sheep loose anywhere on its own and it will die.  Sheep require more attention than any other livestock.  If they did not have a shepherd to watch over them, they would soon be pushing up daisies.

They are not hunters who can bring down prey.  They have no speed or strength. They do not have claws or fangs to defend with. They can not climb trees or swim across rivers. They can not dig tunnels to hide in.  They have no camouflage. Their white wool sticks out like a sign saying "Here I am. Eat me."

Sheep are easily frightened.  They are literally scared of their own shadows.  They are stubborn animals and ornery as a mule.  If you were to try to help them to get to safety, they would resist and rebel against you.

Sheep have a notoriously poor sense of direction.  When it gets lost, it will simply lays down on the ground.  It will not even try to find its way home.  If the shepherd doesn't go out to find that sheep it will die.

"Oh, I am not like that at all!"

Yes, you are.  You are exactly like that when it comes to the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm is more important than the physical because it is eternal, and it also has effects upon your life in the physical.

You have no sense of direction of where to go spiritually.  Where is it safe? Where is there spiritual food? How can you defend against that roaring lion Satan?  How do you find your way home to Heaven?

Follow the Sheperd.

Photo by Biegun Wschodni on Unsplash

Why was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

Why Bethlehem?  Jesus could have been born in Jerusalem or any of a hundred other towns, but God chose Bethlehem.  Why?  God could have prophesied Jesus' birth anywhere, so why Bethlehem?

I usually just read the Bible and not think much about why God would choose this person or place, but I have come to realize that every detail in the Bible has a purpose.  All my life I never thought twice about Bethlehem.  It just was what it was.

Bethlehem is more than just the small town that King David came from.  In ancient days the rabbis declared that the only place where one could shepherd a flock was in the wilderness.  The only exception to this was for the lambs which were specifically destined for the Temple sacrifices.  These lambs had to be kept close to the holy city so the supply was right at hand.  This one location that was not in the wilderness, but in the hills and valleys just outside of Jerusalem was Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem flocks were the only sheep used as sacrificial lambs.  They alone became the sacrifice for the sins of the people.  This small insignificant town is where Jesus was born because he was to become the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Even from his birth, Jesus' life pointed toward the cross.  He was destined to be the sacrificed lamb.  The very place of his birth spoke of him as dying for our sins.

Do you think every detail of Jesus's life, being so important to God, is surprising?  What about every detail of your life?

Luke 12:7 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered...."

Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps."

Ephesians 2:10  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, wich God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

God is interested in every detail of your life.  He has plans for you.  You were not born in just any place.  Your spouse is not just someone you happened upon.  How much money you have, the house you have, the car you drive was all known by God from eternity past and God planned every step to bring you where you are today.

God loves you and cares about the minutest details so that you will have a full and abundant life within His will and within His plan of serving with Him.

Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

What is Meant for Evil Against You

One of the potentially most frightening aspects of being a Christian is knowing that all of Hell is set out to destroy you.  It is a fact that you no longer are on the sidelines of a spiritual war, but an integral part in the battle of good against evil.

Every Christian must have the attitude of trust in God, in order to fully fight the good fight.  Trusting in God does not mean God will bless you with riches for being a good soldier.  It means even when things go terribly wrong, when sickness strikes or you lose a loved one in your life, you still trust God. Your Job, money, house, car and everything you own could be lost because of your following God.  The one thing no one can take from you is God in your life.  You must hold on to Him, trusting that He is still with you and good will come out of your loss.

Does that sound harsh?  Does that sound like something that only happens to others and will never happen to you?  You do not know what tomorrow will bring into your life.  Satan and his horde of demons are out to get you.  The unredeemed of this world are also out to get you.  Satan has set the world against all who follow Christ.

When evil occurs in your life, remember one thing, God is working it for good.  Throughout scripture, God takes the evil in peoples' lives and creates good.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but God took that evil and used Joseph to save the lives of millions of people, including his own family.  Joseph told his brothers, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20

Another example of what man meant for evil but God using it for good is when Jesus was before the Sanhedrin and after they condemned him to death, the priest repeated struck his face with their hands. Matthew 26:67 

What we don't realize is that the priest slapping Jesus in the face was required in order that the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins be properly done.  It is required that the one offering the sacrifice touch the head of the sacrifice.  There is also an ancient rabbinical writing stating that when more than one person offers up a sacrifice, they must all take turns touching the head.

What the priest meant for evil and an insult to Christ, God used for good.  Jesus had to have his head touched by the priests in order that he might be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.

What hardships or evil is in your life that God can turn into good?  Trust God to work wonders in your life.

Photo Credit: Hand by Randy Auschrat

And on the Eighth Day...

In the scriptures, numbers have different meanings.  Two is the number of division. Six is the number of Man.  Seven is the perfect number.  Ten is the number of completion. Forty is the number of testing, as in 40 years of the Hebrews wandering in the desert or Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days.

The Bible holds many deeper meanings in its words and even in the numbers.  It is amazing how much God is able to say in the Scriptures.  There are layers upon layers in such simple things, even in the numbers.

Eight is the number of new beginnings.  When God destroyed the world with a great flood, He began the human race with Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives.  Eight people survived the flood to create a new beginning for the human race.

A week is seven days and on the eighth day (Sunday), a new week begins.  Jesus was crucified. and rose from the dead on a Sunday.  Resurrection Sunday is the new beginning of not just a new week but a new spiritual era for the world.

On that eighth day, we are taken from being under the law to being under grace.  We are brought out of separation from God because of our sins, to being part of His family.   We are all given a new beginning of hope, joy, peace, and love.

Today every nonbeliever is given the opportunity for a new beginning.  Every Christian who has fallen away has an opportunity for a new beginning.  Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead on that eighth day, we can be resurrected from our sins because of that day.

Photo Credit: Easter-EmptyTomb by Donut_Diva

The Worth of God's Breath

Everything in God's word is there for a reason, but when reading the Bible we take so much of it for granted.  Numbers, names, and places we just pass over without really thinking about them.

When the law was given to Moses, he came down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the law.  He found the people dancing and celebrating before the idol of a golden calf.  On that day about 3000 people died because of their actions. Exodus 32 I have read that many times and never really thought twice about it.  Ok, 3000 people died.  Big deal!

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given to the people.  Peter preached to the crowds telling them what was happening and how Jesus was the Messiah who fulfilled the scriptures.   About 3000 people were saved that day.  Acts 2

Exodus and Acts both say "about 3000".  Is this just a coincidence? The longer I live, the more I do not believe in any coincidences when it comes to God and His word.  The day the Law is given, about 3000 people die, and the day the Holy Spirit is given, about 3000 people were saved.

There is not one word in your Bible that was not meant to be there.  There is not one word in your Bible that has no reason to be there.  When God speaks every breath is notable.

God Meets Our Needs Precisely

When I was a young Christian living in Hawaii, I went to a prayer meeting one night.  We were sharing needs and praying for people when one man's need struck my heart.  I knew that God was speaking to me.

The man felt God leading him to fly back to California and speak to an old friend about Christ.  He was so sure that God wanted him to go, that if necessary, he was willing to sell his car in order to buy the plane tickets.

I was compelled to leave the group and go outside and just talk to the lord about it.  After praying about it I knew I was to give him some money.  It wasn't until a few days later that I had the money and found him at a Christian coffee house.  I asked to talk to him and we sat together at a table.

I told him how God had led me to give him $115.  I knew it was a strange number.  You would normally give a nice round number like $100 or $120, but God led me to give him exactly $115.

The man jumped up and was laughing and dancing around.  Finally, he sat back down.  "God is so good.  Yesterday my apartment manager came up to me and gave me $3.  He said, 'I know it's weird to give only $3 but I really felt God leading me to give it to you.'  I thought that it really wasn't going to help much but I thanked him and took the money.  My tickets cost $118.  With that $3 and your $115 God exactly met my needs."

That lesson was not lost on me.  God does provide and He exactly provides what is needed.  God knows our needs.  God provides for everyone who is walking upon the path that God directs them to.  You want to see God moving in your life?  Do His will and trust Him to provide.  He will never abandon you. 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6

Photo Credit: Praying by Brittany Silverstein

Jew and Gentile, One in Christ

Throughout history, there has been contention between the Jews and Christians.  Even today there are many true Christians who look down on the Jews and wish they didn't exist.  In the Middle East, they want the Arab nations to win against the state of Israel.

The only explanation I know that can explain the animosity between Gentiles and the Jews is that there is a spiritual battle for the hearts of man to either hate or love the Jew.  Satan hates them with a passion and he has corrupted millions of hearts against the Chosen Children of God.

It is interesting to me that God has grafted the Gentile believers onto the same root as the Jews. (Romans 11:11-31)   Ah! But those are Jewish believers.  Yes, but even the unbelievers are still God's Chosen People.  And why do people hate Jewish unbelievers more than Gentile unbelievers?

Galatians 3:28  states that there is neither Jew nor Gentile.  We are one.  To despise a Jew is to disparage someone that God has designed to be brought together with the believer.  Physically we are separate but spiritual we are to be one.

When Christianity was first birthed and Christians were just beginning to join together for worship, Christianity was seen as a Jewish sect of Judaism.  They had the same scriptures, the rabbinical teaching was from a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus.  They would go to synagog every week. Their lives were purely Jewish and their belief was actually the same as other faithful Jews except they believed the Messiah had come and his name was Jesus.

Christianity today is missing out on so much to the detriment of both Jew and Gentile. The Body of Christ will be at its strongest when the two become one again.

To despise the Jew is to despise the body of Christ becoming whole and strong.

Photo Credit: Israel-06639-Hasidic Jews by Dennis Jarvis