SHEPHERD

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JULY 1, 2013

SHEPHERD

 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. PSALM 23

 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Psalm 80:1

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11

As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. Ezekiel 34:12

 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them.  And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD. Zechariah 10:6,12

Today, Let us Shepherd our families...His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

FIRST BE RECONCILED

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 28, 2013

FIRST BE RECONCILED

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.  Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Matthew 5:23, 24, 25.

The thought that we can offend our brother or sister and continue in worship is so offensive to God.  We must banish the thought that we can worship God with anger and hatred, resentment and envy in our heart toward another soul.   The man or woman who refuses to say, "I am sorry," is the man or woman who is cut off from communion with God.  For Jesus gave His life for us to be reconciled to God, so, yes, we must give ourselves, "break" ourselves, to be reconciled to one another. Reconciliation comes before the blessing, and it comes before the peace, and it comes before communion.   Reconciliation comes first.

Lord, teach us how to approach one another in love-- and be reconciled.
Today, let us be reconciled.

NIGHT AND DAY

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 26, 2013

NIGHT AND DAY

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.  I Thessalonians 2:9

Apostle Paul made known the importance of laboring. Yes, he labored in the Word of God, but he also made sure that he had an occupation that would not make him chargeable to anyone.  He was a professional tent-maker.  He never wanted to be charged with idleness-- or as one who was living off of the labors of others.  Night and day, he worked and experienced weariness.  To labor with one's hands is a glorious thing.  To provide for one's needs and the needs of one's family is the joy of the Christian.  And to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ is the best work of all--night and day!

Today, enjoy your work!

FOR PLEASURE OR FOR PURPOSE?

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 25, 2013

FOR PLEASURE OR FOR PURPOSE?

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. James 5:5

Do you live for pleasure or for purpose?  It is so easy to go about life seeking  luxury and ease-- but to what end?  The book of Proverbs clearly tells us, "He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man.  He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich"  (Proverbs 21:17).  What is your value system and what are others learning from your life?

Some men and women simply have no purpose except to live luxuriously.  For many, this is the goal of life: fine wine, fine food, fine clothes, fine cars.  But God warns the man of God to FLEE THESE THINGS. "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses" ( I Timothy 6:11,12).

God wants to deliver us from this life of vanity, wantonness, and delicacy to transform us into soul winners, men and women who are about our Father's business--just like Jesus:  "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.   But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:35-38).  So, are you a soul winner?  I am. And today is the day of salvation!

If you need a Savior (and you do!), Jesus is everything you'll ever need.  He will rescue you from a life of emptiness and give you purpose, and focus, and a future.  Today, if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness ( I John 1:9).  It is Jesus' exceeding joy to present you faultless before the presence of His glory (Jude 1:24).  If today, you hear His voice, harden not your heart (Psalm 95:7,8).

Today, may your life be recreated for purpose, through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Pray this prayer:  Dear Lord, please forgive my sins and recreate my life by the power of the Holy Ghost that I may live eternally in you and through you and for you.  I believe you died and rose again.  I believe you are the Son of God--my Savior and LORD.  Amen

ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

 ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 23, 2013


But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. Acts 5:1-11

After reading the facts of the Ananias and Sapphira case, one may wonder: "But why did they have to die?"  

We take Church so lightly;  many believers think that it is more like a country club.  But the story of Ananias and Sapphira reminds us that Church is not at all like a country club.  It is not just a nice place to take your family.  It is a place where we must be broken-- to enter in.  We must be humble... or humbled.  Indeed, as we take part in the life of the Church, we must discern properly the "Lord's body," realizing that he was broken for us so that we might be  whole, unified, and without division.  If we do not discern properly this unity of body and spirit we will bring damnation to ourselves as described in I Corinthians 11:  "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord:  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."  T

What lesson do we learn about the Lord's body in the story of Ananias and Sapphira. First, we must see that the early church consisted of believers who were willing to give their all, not holding back for their own selfish desires.  They were real and really knit together.  Ananias and Sapphira thought they could be a part of the Church without sacrificing for the life of the church.  They did not regard the oneness of the Lord's body but instead went forward with their own agenda, lying to the Holy Ghost.  Actually, anytime we have our own, separate, agenda in the body we are not discerning the body correctly and we lie in danger.  The Holy Spirit is drawing us to unity, to oneness, to agreement, to Christ like LOVE.  Christ gave his life for the Shalom, the peace, the unity, the oneness, of the body-- one with God and one another.

Apostle Paul teaches in I Corinthians, Chapter 11(please read) that there are to be no divisions among the believers, and there is no place for the contentious man in all of the churches of God.

Today, let us have sincere communion.  

THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, MAY, 23, 2013

THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19

 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. I Corinthians 11:24

In the breaking of the bread in the ordinance of communion, we remember that Christ gave his body for the life of the Church.  The Church then becomes the body of Christ full of believers who must "break" to enter in.  We break our hearts as we confess our sins.  We break out of our comfort zones as we lay down our lives and our wills.  We break our isolated ways and move into fellowship with other believers.  We break pride, as we esteem others above ourselves. Yes, in order to have communion with the body of Christ we must humble ourselves and "break."  Are you having trouble entering into the body?  Do you find yourself not fitting into the Church?  Break, like the One "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:6-8).

Today, as members of the body, let us be willing to be broken...in remembrance of Him.

THE WONDERFUL HEART OF FLESH

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 17, 2013

THE WONDERFUL HEART OF FLESH

 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.Ezekiel 36:26

The Lord puts a new heart within us when He saves us.  This wonderful new heart moves within us:  we love deeply.  We feel deeply.  Finally, we are moved by God instead of just going through the motions of "being a Christian."  Indeed, with this wonderful heart of flesh we love what God loves and we hate what God hates.  We will sometimes be a spectacle, standing up for that which is unpopular--but we love it.  God controls our hearts and we are His.

Today, make sure you have this new heart from God.  It's real... and really wonderful!

BLESSED

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 11, 2013

BLESSED

 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
  Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
  Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
  The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
  And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
  The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
  And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.  Deuteronomy 28:1-14

With God as our Heavenly Father, we are surely blessed.  Happy are we because our God is the LORD.  He is the Ruler of all things, the maker of heaven and earth.  He has everything under His control so that we, his children, may walk in dominion and authority.  Yes, we are blessed, and our children with us!

Today, the may blessings of the LORD be with you.

THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 10, 2013

THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. Proverbs 31:10

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 

 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 

 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:2,3,4

 

 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. Luke 8:46

And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. Luke 6:19

The virtuous woman is characterized by one who goes about doing good.  The activity of the virtuous woman is the outstanding characteristic.  She is busy fulfilling the plans of her Lord, her husband, and her family.  Biblical virtue is actually divine power.  The woman of virtue obviously is a woman of God, possessing divine power to accomplish her many tasks.  Virtue flows out of her-- and we see Christ in her.

Today, let us pray for virtue! 

FOR GLORY AND FOR BEAUTY

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 9, 2013

FOR GLORY AND FOR BEAUTY

 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvelous works among all nations. I Chronicles 16:24

And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. Exodus 28:2

And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty. Exodus 28:40

 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. Psalm 96:3

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. I Chronicles 16:29

 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 

 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. Hosea 14:6,7

God places His Holy Spirit within us so that we might have reason and power to glorify Him.  Moreover, His Spirit brings beauty and strength beyond natural means.  Many Christians don't know that God desires beauty, for his glory.  If we only look to His creation we will surely see that God designs beauty for His glory.

Today, let the Holy Spirit design your life for glory and for beauty.

CEASING FROM YOUR OWN WORKS

IN THE BEGINNING...THE WORD
DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY, JUNE 2, 2013

CEASING FROM YOUR OWN WORKS

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:9,10

In Christ Jesus, we have the privilege of entering into a perfect rest.  Our life, and life's work, can be invested in the kingdom of God through Christ Jesus-- and suddenly all striving ceases.  We are called to work for, and in, and through Christ Jesus.  This is the REST for the people of God.  

How wonderful it is to cease from your own works-- to not have to toil, and toil, and toil...'till your tired.  Suddenly, when we are  given a task from God, for the glory of God, our work is blessed, even holy.  And we must know that all of heaven is cheering for us; all of heaven is believing for us; and, certainly, Christ Himself is interceding for us: "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:34). 

Today, we are blessed because of this blessed rest!