A LOST SHEEP’S PSALM

I am a sheep and, by nature, very dumb,

I know when I am hungry, thirsty, and tired,

But don’t know how to get these needs met.

I know I don’t want to be prey to the wildlife out there,

But don’t know how to keep me safe.

Sometimes I am afraid and tired,

But have no idea how or where to find rest.

Oh, somebody, HELP ME!

Wait: I just realized what I need: a caretaker, a shepherd! A shepherd knows all the things I need, and he has the resources and the ability to provide them.    

This Shepherd found me when I was lost, wandering, and without hope. How sad: to be lost and not know it! I wasn’t even aware of my condition.

He took me into His loving sheepfold and made me one of His own. Now I am His forever; I’ve finally found love and a sense of belonging.

Since He brought me into the fold, things have changed drastically: He’s given me many marvelous promises and the assurance I never had and never realized I needed. He’s promised I’ll belong to Him forever; no one can ever snatch me from His hands. I feel so secure in His care because He never slumbers nor falls asleep; my waking moments are just as safe as the moments when I’m sleeping.

My loving Shepherd guides and leads me, so I don’t wander away, but if I recklessly do, He comes looking for me and brings me back home safely. My Shepherd is a fantastic Provider; He answers before I call, and while I’m still speaking, He hears. Talk about being loved! He’s even promised blessings when I obey Him. He doesn’t have to do that; after all, I belong to Him, and all I have belongs to Him. Wow!  

Are you a lost sheep? Then you need my Shepherd; I know what your life has been like because I’ve been there. My Shepherd has so much room in the sheepfold; there’s room for you and all who need a Shepherd. Call on Him today, and He will bring you in, provide for you, and keep you safe. The longer you wait out there, the longer it will take to find rest and comfort -- or you might not find it at all. 

As long as I live, He will pursue me with His unfailing love in all situations, and in the end, He’ll bring me safely home to live with Him forever! I encourage you to come to Jesus today; He is the great Shepherd of the sheep!  

OUR SALVATION IS A DONE DEAL!

Salvation is a done deal, but some people fear they might lose it. What makes them think it is possible? Is it because they fear their sinful nature could win out? Right from the cross, didn’t Jesus say, “It is finished” (John 19:30 NIV)? He did, which means He had accomplished the purpose for which He came. And what was that purpose? “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV). Ours is complete salvation because it is a done deal! 

We know from the Scriptures that when Jesus died, we died with Him, and when He rose from the dead, we rose with Him as well, and now guess where we are? “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6 NIV).  How can we who are already seated with Christ in the heavenly realms lose our salvation? If you have been saved by placing your faith in Jesus, your salvation, my friend, is a done deal!

If someone who claims to be a Christian never makes it to heaven, the reason will not be that they lost their salvation, but because they never were a Christian in the first place and so never had the Spirit of God to direct them. The Holy Spirit lives in us, the children of God, and helps us not live in sin. For this reason, the Scripture tells us that anyone who continually lives in sin was never really born again (see 1 John 3:6). Being in Christ means our old way of life is behind us; we have become a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Some people have been deceived by the enemy to think they can have it both ways—1) live any way they want in this world, and 2) at the same time, be a Christian who would be accepted into heaven. I’m sorry; it does not work like that. The Scripture says: “The Lord knows those who are his, and, ‘Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn from wickedness”’ (2 Timothy 2:19 NLT). One cannot say, “Jesus is Lord,” and then live under the leadership of the devil. Saying “Jesus is Lord” also means accepting the lordship of Jesus and therefore obeying Him: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2 NIV).    

We must understand that we still have a sinful nature that desires what is contrary to godly behavior: "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18). The solution to this dilemma is to live by the Spirit, following the dictates of the Spirit. But how do we do that? We need to be strong in the Lord by putting on the complete armor of God 24/7 because we are in an ongoing battle with the devil and spiritual forces (see Ephesians 6: 11-18).

The Scriptures list the acts of the sinful nature as: “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” It goes on to say, “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Do you wear the label Christian but have a lifestyle that says otherwise? If so, it is an indication that you are not living according to the Spirit. You will not get into heaven because nothing impure will ever enter it (see Revelation 21:27). If you are reading this, you still have time to get it right. Repent and ask God for forgiveness. Even if you’ve thought you were already a child of God, it won’t hurt to start all over. The Holy Spirit will come and dwell in your heart and make you a brand new person, giving you the desire to live a life that pleases God.

Living day by day according to His Word, and not according to the dictates of the devil, will be proof that you are a child of God: “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:18, 20). The fruit of the Spirit that Christians need to exhibit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. I encourage you to read and meditate on it, study it and pray that God will enable you to bear that kind of fruit for His glory. Remember, salvation is a done deal! 

 

All references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise stated.

BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL KNOW THEM

 

How would you respond if I told you my tomato plant is growing peppers? You will probably think I’d lost my mind. Your reason for thinking that is simple: every tree or plant is naturally supposed to bear fruit like the original plant. In other words, the fruit you see tells you the kind of plant you’re looking at. In addition, if you see a tree and are not sure what kind it is, give it time; once it starts to bear fruit, you’ll have your answer.

By the same token, one should be able to identify a Christian by their characteristics—the fruit they bear. No one would expect to find fruit where there's no tree or plant. So, a person has to claim to be a Christian before others can start looking for Christian characteristics in their life. On the other hand, if we know what Christian characteristics are, we can quite often tell whether or not someone is a Christian.

But who is a Christian, how does one become a Christian, and what fruit are they supposed to bear? The answers to all these questions are essential because there are many false claims; many people claim to be Christians based on something totally different from what the Bible teaches. Below is a list of some of the unbiblical reasons people give. They think they are Christians because:

●      They were born Christians.

●      They’ve always attended church.   

●      They sing in the choir.

●      A family member is a pastor.

●      They are good people.

●      They obey the ten commandments.

You have probably heard some of these claims. But sadly, the Bible does not teach that any of these things makes one a Christian. What it teaches is below:

●      Each person has to agree with God that they are a sinner: “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standards” (Romans 3:23). Disagreeing with what God says about you won’t change anything; it won’t excuse you from the clearly stated consequence: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6: 23).  

●      Each person has to repent of (be sorry for) their sins and ask God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ: “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (Romans 3:25).

●      God sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts to demonstrate our oneness with Him (see Ephesians 1:13). When we repent, He adopts us as His children: “God sent him {Jesus} to buy our freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Galatians 4:5-6).

According to the apostle Paul, what counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation (see Galatians 6:15). When you accept God’s salvation through Jesus, God calls you a new creation: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As a result of our new birth, the Holy Spirit directs our lives through the Word of God. Our allegiance, interests, and way of life begin to change, and we become more Christ-like, which is the goal: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ” (Ephesians 5:1).

Becoming Christ-like is where fruit bearing becomes necessary; we should respond to situations like Jesus would. We can succeed in fruit-bearing by: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37). If you love God the way you should, you’ll obey Him, resulting in loving others.

Jesus used the tree and fruit illustration when He warned His disciples about false prophets: “You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by how they act… A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:16-18). So, those who claim to be Christians must bear Christ-like fruit by following the Spirit’s leading in our lives. Likewise, without announcing your faith, people should still notice the difference in your behavior and way of life compared to that of the general population.

Do you claim to be a Christian? How are you living? How do people see you? Has anybody ever commented about you to this effect, “I thought he or she was a Christian!” This comment is an indication your life is not consistent with what the Bible says. According to the Bible, the Spirit's fruit in our lives is “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). However, we can’t bear fruit on our own: we need to constantly depend on the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Some people claim to be Christians but do not put much effort into being Spirit-led; they continue to live in sin day after day. No matter your claim, if there is no evidence of change in your life, you have a problem. Please start all over! The Scriptures clearly state: “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because they are children of God” (1 John 3:9). Also, if sinning does not bother you, there’s a problem; it is an indication that you have not been born into God’s family. Reassess your claim, and remember Jesus told His disciples, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21).

In conclusion, if you do not have a Father/child relationship with God through Jesus, you are not a Christian. If you claim to be a Christian but are not living in obedience to the Word of God, your claim is questionable. But take heart, if you are reading this, you still have time to call on Jesus. Please do it soon, preferably today. Time is running out; don’t postpone getting into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son. And then, let the whole world know Whose you are!  

THE BENEFITS OF REMEMBERING GOD’S BLESSINGS FROM THE PAST

 

We quite often forget past experiences, especially the good ones. But for some reason, the hurts and people who have hurt us never seem to go away; they stay fresh in our memory for years, as if they happened only a day or so ago. If only we could remember all His blessings as clearly as our hurts!

Remembering past experiences with God helps us in at least three ways: to live with gratitude, trust, and obedience to Him.

GRATITUDE: The Bible teaches us to be thankful in all situations because it is God’s will for us (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Being grateful at the time of an incident is good, but it’s even better when we make a habit of remembering it often and being thankful repeatedly. Yes, God heard us the first time and knows our hearts enough to know that we are grateful. But remembering it is to our own benefit.

TRUST: When we remember God’s past blessings and provision, we are encouraged; it deepens our trust and confidence in Him.  We might even say, “He did it before; He can and will do it again.” Even when we haven’t had particular experiences, we can look at the scriptures and claim promises. We can also look at each other’s lives, be encouraged by what God is doing amongst us, and trust Him. The enemy is always trying to cause us to doubt God, so let’s be on our guard.

OBEDIENCE: Due to our tendency to forget, God instructs us to create memorials. If we obey this command, we are more likely to remember our experiences with God. For instance, after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, God instructed them to build a twelve-stone memorial for themselves and future generations as a reminder that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant went across (see Joshua 4:1-7).

Also, after Moses gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, he invited them to wholeheartedly obey the Lord as they were entering the Promised Land so that it would be well with them in their new home. He charged them to repeat the commands to their children and grandchildren. And in addition, to teach them at home, on the road, when going to bed and when waking up. They were to tie them to their hands, wear them on their foreheads, and write them on the doorposts and gates of their houses (see Deuteronomy 6:1-9). What’s our reason for wearing CROSS jewelry or hanging framed Scripture verses on our walls? Are they for decoration, or so that we’ll remember?

In the same way, God wants us, His children, to remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our salvation, and so He commands us to celebrate the Lord’s Supper often in remembrance of Him: “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me. … This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Obeying God in these things reminds us of His past provision.

Do you ever wonder why the Israelites were often in so much trouble with the Lord in the wilderness? Well, I do, and it bothers me! Unfortunately, we have the same problem they had--forgetfulness. Most of their problems were short memory, ingratitude, and disobedience. Their story is recorded for our benefit; let’s learn from them and have a different outcome. If we do, God will bless us.