Psalm 139: 13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Tom sent me this verse on a day when my spirits and emotions were really low. A relative recently took a good look at both of us and stated that in so many words that we "look terrible" -- meaning tired, haggard, burdened by the weight of taking care of three little ones "at our advanced age", by the stress of homeschooling, and so on and so forth. To Tom, it stung just a bit - but to me, it left a gaping wound. It seems all I can think about these days is: "Huh - I look terrible to someone else. To me, I don't look that bad, but to HER - I look terrible." And somehow this has taken on monstrous proportions of meaning. Suddenly I want a face lift, I want to dye my hair blond, get an eye job, buy a new set of clothes, get a personal trainer, and so on and so forth. I am obsessed with getting to the point where thsi person will say "you look great" instead of "you look terrible."
I am getting buried in this obsession. It is causing sin in my life because it is distorting my whole outlook on life. This is a wrong reaction. So today Tom encouraged me with the following:
Dear Lisa,
Please carefully read Psalm 139:13-16! It says that you LISA are fearfully and wonderfully made!!! God does not make junk!! Please don't allow your emotions and hormones to get the best of you. That is Satan attacking you. You are a precious gift of God!! You are precious to Jesus, you are precious to me, you are precious to your children, you are precious to the church, you are precious to your sisters, you are precious to my family etc. etc. Yes some say or do hurtful things and say hurtful things but you are still precious!! Please praise God for you preciousness. Praise God that he made you exactly they way the master designer intended you to be! Praise God that he doesn't make mistakes. Go forward with the knowledge that you are precious and special to a great number of people who depend upon that special person namely LISA ANN VOGT! I praise God that he made you special and precious to me.
Dear Lord, please forgive me for my obsession with my appearance. Please forgive me for being bitter against this person who said these words to me. Please forgive that person too. Help me to accept the truth that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and no mistakes were made when I was conceived and born. Help me to rest in that comforting truth. Amen.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Lions May Grow Weak and Hungry..but Not Me!
Psalm 34:9-14 Those Who Seek the Lord Lack No Good Thing!
Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
To understand that at the time of death you will be judged for your life, thoughts, and deeds and then sent to either the very best place that we could ever imagine or be sent to the worst torture chamber that could ever be devised and this would be for all eternity -- one should have fear, great fear and trembling in that realization!
With that fear should come the understanding of the enormity of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We who believe lack nothing because for all of eternity we will be in the presence of our Lord. Once we do believe we must show this change in outward signs such as our speech, what we do, what we watch, who we have as close friends.
There is a song that the children have been singing in CBF based on this very verse: “The lions may go weak and hungry; But those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.
How quickly they picked up the words and its meaning as they crawled around on the floor roaring like lions and then stood up and confidently sang that “those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” It brought home for me, at least, the verse that “unless you become like a child you will not inherit the kingdom of God.” They understand some biblical concepts much better than we adults do. We would do well to observe closely the praise and worship of a child who loves the Lord.
Dear Lord, help us to become like children in the sense that your words are true and powerful. Yes the lions may grow weak and hungry, but if we seek the Lord we will lack nothing! It’s as simple as that! Praise you for your strong messages and precepts. Amen.
Daily Thought: Find and sing from a Christian children’s songbook or CD and enjoy the clear but fun messages from the Lord.
Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
To understand that at the time of death you will be judged for your life, thoughts, and deeds and then sent to either the very best place that we could ever imagine or be sent to the worst torture chamber that could ever be devised and this would be for all eternity -- one should have fear, great fear and trembling in that realization!
With that fear should come the understanding of the enormity of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We who believe lack nothing because for all of eternity we will be in the presence of our Lord. Once we do believe we must show this change in outward signs such as our speech, what we do, what we watch, who we have as close friends.
There is a song that the children have been singing in CBF based on this very verse: “The lions may go weak and hungry; But those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.
How quickly they picked up the words and its meaning as they crawled around on the floor roaring like lions and then stood up and confidently sang that “those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” It brought home for me, at least, the verse that “unless you become like a child you will not inherit the kingdom of God.” They understand some biblical concepts much better than we adults do. We would do well to observe closely the praise and worship of a child who loves the Lord.
Dear Lord, help us to become like children in the sense that your words are true and powerful. Yes the lions may grow weak and hungry, but if we seek the Lord we will lack nothing! It’s as simple as that! Praise you for your strong messages and precepts. Amen.
Daily Thought: Find and sing from a Christian children’s songbook or CD and enjoy the clear but fun messages from the Lord.
Is Your Face Radiant?
Psalm 34: 5-8 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
The first of this says that those who truly have a personal relationship with Jesus shine. Many times when people are speaking or singing to the Lord you can see this shiny appearance on their faces. I never thought of this before but those people also have asked for forgiveness of their sins and therefore have no shame on their faces. I am reminded of Pastor Paul Valentine. He always seemed to be glowing. He always had a smile on his face. His life as a pastor could not have been always easy! But he has spent his life preaching the Gospel and winning souls to Christ because of his confidence in the Cross and its message, and because of the work of the Lord in his life. He occasionally told a painful story about how when he was younger, he had a really bad stuttering problem. He was helped in this problem by someone who cared enough to disciple and counsel with him in this matter: he was to put a whole bunch of pebbles in his mouth and one by one take them out as he talked. He had to learn to talk with pebbles in his mouth. It worked! He was delivered from this bondage of stuttering. And what an eloquent speaker of God he became. Some of his sermons are still foremost in my mind, even after 30 years. He is a clear example of God’s power.
There is an actual prayer and promise from the Lord in this next verse. As it is a poor man it shows once again how Jesus looks after everyone’s problems if they believe in him. It goes on to say that he will deliver them --just like this poor man who takes refuge or abides in Jesus. He will be their defense attorney on that day of judgment.
Dear Lord, thank you for going ahead of me and being my attorney. You will say at my judgment day, “Not guilty.” And I will get a pass into heaven! Wow! It is just too much to even fathom after the things that I have done against you in my life. Though I am filled with regret, I give those regrets and sins back to you and repent of them, and you forgive me and say, I remember them no longer – now go and sin no more.” You are kind and forgiving and you wipe my slate clean. I need to do this for others, because you have done it for me. Amen.
Thought for the Day: Is there anyone you need to forgive just as Jesus forgave you? Ask God to search your heart for any hidden resentments toward another and ask Him to soften your heart against that situation or person.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Psalm 119:17-21 Eat My Words, Sayeth the Lord?
Psalm 119:17-21 "Do good to your servant, and I will live: I will obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times. You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed and who stray from your commands. "
It says here that because we know that he is blessing us with protection and our needs that we will obey his words. Our gratitude should go beyond just obeying his word but that is a good place to start. How many times do we go past something or someone and don't even realize that it or they are there - we're just oblivious to them. We do need to ask the Lord to open our eyes to all that is around us. There are plenty of blessings and work right in front of us if we would just see it. We should long to help those around us just as God helps us everyday. The arrogant are blinded from all that He does and they think that they are in control. Help us to see his hand in everything that we do and accomplish. Only God can allow us to be productive. We are only his tools. We should be eating these words - that means consuming them, taking nourishment from His words, and allowing ourselves to produce good results (fruit) from that nourishment. What kind of fruit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control .... with these fruits we will be better tools for Him.
Dear Lord, thank you once again for the powerful imagery provided in your Psalms. Help us to be hungry for your word and to consume it and to be nourished by it. Amen.
It says here that because we know that he is blessing us with protection and our needs that we will obey his words. Our gratitude should go beyond just obeying his word but that is a good place to start. How many times do we go past something or someone and don't even realize that it or they are there - we're just oblivious to them. We do need to ask the Lord to open our eyes to all that is around us. There are plenty of blessings and work right in front of us if we would just see it. We should long to help those around us just as God helps us everyday. The arrogant are blinded from all that He does and they think that they are in control. Help us to see his hand in everything that we do and accomplish. Only God can allow us to be productive. We are only his tools. We should be eating these words - that means consuming them, taking nourishment from His words, and allowing ourselves to produce good results (fruit) from that nourishment. What kind of fruit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control .... with these fruits we will be better tools for Him.
Dear Lord, thank you once again for the powerful imagery provided in your Psalms. Help us to be hungry for your word and to consume it and to be nourished by it. Amen.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Great Shepherd Leads Us Through The Valleys
The 23rd Psalm says that "He leads me beside still waters" and "though I walk through the valley (of the shadow of death) . . . I will fear no evil" for "Thou art with Me".
In my current meditations on this Psalm, and being aided by Phillip Keller's A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, I continue to be amazed at the connection between people and sheep. Today I read that when the shepherd takes his flock up to the higher altitudes and up to the mountains (to higher ground), he wisely takes them up through the valleys. It doesn't seem to make sense but the shepherd knows that in the darkest of valleys there flows abundant water through rivers and streams. The sheep can slowly make their way up the mountains via these valleys with their rivers and streams and places of rest. Probably seems like it takes forever. But it is the best path.
Likewise, the Lord is teaching me that these "valleys of life" are truly the source of the best drink for my thirst -- living water. It is in the valleys of life - the valley of the shadow of death where it seems low and dark and painful and scary - that the fountains of water flow most deeply. Water travels downward, doesn't it? So our thirsts will best be satisfied when we can drink of this water and the best sources for water are in the valleys.
This was not something I wanted to read nor learn. I don't WANT to be in a valley. I want to be on top; I want to be on the mountaintop and just bask up there in the sun. But I guess all you can do up there is look down. In the valley I can look up. I can drink living water like the woman at the well. Like the sheep tended by their loving shepherd. He knows the best path for them. It is through the valleys.
Dear Lord, thank you for these powerful images. You know that we can relate to things like hunger and thirst and discomfort and pain and suffering and a desire to be relieved from these. You know that like sheep we need our thirst to be satisfied and that is why the valleys of our lives occur. How little we realize that when we are down there, wow -- the satisfying living water is right there next to us!! You provide lovingly for us. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
In my current meditations on this Psalm, and being aided by Phillip Keller's A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, I continue to be amazed at the connection between people and sheep. Today I read that when the shepherd takes his flock up to the higher altitudes and up to the mountains (to higher ground), he wisely takes them up through the valleys. It doesn't seem to make sense but the shepherd knows that in the darkest of valleys there flows abundant water through rivers and streams. The sheep can slowly make their way up the mountains via these valleys with their rivers and streams and places of rest. Probably seems like it takes forever. But it is the best path.
Likewise, the Lord is teaching me that these "valleys of life" are truly the source of the best drink for my thirst -- living water. It is in the valleys of life - the valley of the shadow of death where it seems low and dark and painful and scary - that the fountains of water flow most deeply. Water travels downward, doesn't it? So our thirsts will best be satisfied when we can drink of this water and the best sources for water are in the valleys.
This was not something I wanted to read nor learn. I don't WANT to be in a valley. I want to be on top; I want to be on the mountaintop and just bask up there in the sun. But I guess all you can do up there is look down. In the valley I can look up. I can drink living water like the woman at the well. Like the sheep tended by their loving shepherd. He knows the best path for them. It is through the valleys.
Dear Lord, thank you for these powerful images. You know that we can relate to things like hunger and thirst and discomfort and pain and suffering and a desire to be relieved from these. You know that like sheep we need our thirst to be satisfied and that is why the valleys of our lives occur. How little we realize that when we are down there, wow -- the satisfying living water is right there next to us!! You provide lovingly for us. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Psalm 34:1-4 He Delivers Us
Psalm 34: 1-4 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
It says here that above all else the Lord is by far the most important thing that David has in his life and therefore he praises Him as such. He also boasts in this relationship; he is not quiet about it but rather he tells everyone. He especially tells the afflicted or those who do not know about Jesus. Then he asks those around him to join him in his praise and devotion to the Lord. He then describes that when he was in trouble or had problems he would seek out the Lord, and pray to him -- and that the Lord answered those fears and concerns. It doesn't say that David's life is smooth with no problems but the problems he does face he brings those issues before the Lord and his worries fade away and many of the problems eventually get solved.
We see this in our own lives, don't we -- which has been somewhat of a rude awakening. We tend to get shocked when "bad things" happen or when we go through trials of a sort. ("I thought my life as a Christian was supposed to be smooth sailing!") The Lord may not deliver us from our problems but He will deliver us from our fears. He answers our prayers.
Dear Lord, thank you that You hear us. Thank you for these Psalms. Thank you for reminding us through David that we need to praise your name. Thank you that You deliver us from our fears. All we need to do is rest in You. You are in charge and You know what's going on. You are surrounding us with your loving care and tender compassion. Thank you for that comfort. Amen.
It says here that above all else the Lord is by far the most important thing that David has in his life and therefore he praises Him as such. He also boasts in this relationship; he is not quiet about it but rather he tells everyone. He especially tells the afflicted or those who do not know about Jesus. Then he asks those around him to join him in his praise and devotion to the Lord. He then describes that when he was in trouble or had problems he would seek out the Lord, and pray to him -- and that the Lord answered those fears and concerns. It doesn't say that David's life is smooth with no problems but the problems he does face he brings those issues before the Lord and his worries fade away and many of the problems eventually get solved.
We see this in our own lives, don't we -- which has been somewhat of a rude awakening. We tend to get shocked when "bad things" happen or when we go through trials of a sort. ("I thought my life as a Christian was supposed to be smooth sailing!") The Lord may not deliver us from our problems but He will deliver us from our fears. He answers our prayers.
Dear Lord, thank you that You hear us. Thank you for these Psalms. Thank you for reminding us through David that we need to praise your name. Thank you that You deliver us from our fears. All we need to do is rest in You. You are in charge and You know what's going on. You are surrounding us with your loving care and tender compassion. Thank you for that comfort. Amen.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Great Is Thy Faithfulness/Groundhog Day
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not; as thou has been, thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest; sun, moon and stars in their courses above; join with all nations in manifold witness; to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth; thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow; blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness; morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
This well known hymn makes me think of Groundhog Day. Have you ever seen that movie - with Bill Murray? Every day he wakes up and it's still February 2. If I remember correctly, he keeps re-living the day over and over and it's kind of a nightmare, actually, but also a chance to redeem and correct and to right yesterday's wrongs.
Well, to put that movie in the context of this great hymn, the way I interpret it is -- to put it bluntly, and not very theologically -- every day we get a do-over! Our kind and loving and beneficient Lord gives us a new chance every day to work out our salvation. Every day He lovingly gives us a sunrise and sounds of nature joyfully celebrating the dawn of a new day. Chirp! Chirp! Trilllllllllllllll-- tweet-tweet -- I love those sounds. Some days they sound like a melodious chorus, other days they sound like they're getting ready to fight a battle. And maybe within their own world they are, but nonetheless they too are getting a do-over. To sing their praises to God in a whole new way. Oh that we would be as joyful and as reckless as the birds in our praises to God each morning. Not to be carefree about it, but if you did not praise God sufficiently yesterday, then try again today with the merciful dawn of the new day!
If you did not exercise yesterday and instead ate bon-bons and sat in front of the TV, here is a new day! Here is that exercise machine you got for Christmas! It's still there! Try again!
If you did not feel encouraged yesterday by anything or anyone, try something new today - call someone and encourage them - and you will be blessed by that! You got a do-over if you woke up today!
Lest one think that I have gone new-age on them and worldly-spiritual, I say, no, look at the hymn and look at the Psalms - the praises, the mercy, the forgiveness of sins, the love of God, it is there, being renewed, every day. God is merciful and kind and has compassion on us and our slowness to truly understand. If we go to nature, we see that change takes time. It takes time for those little buds to grow. It takes time for a seed to turn into a beautiful plant or flower. Every day the strength of the plant gets renewed by the season of the day - the waking up, the stretching up and reaching toward the heaven to obtain the rays of the sun - the flagrant blossoms and glistening leaves - then the gentle bending downward as the day decrescendoes into sunset; and then the total genuflex and lying down as the night begs us to rest.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for letting every day be Groundhog Day. Help us not to relax into that rut of "oh well, tomorrow's another day" but rather to be grateful that Your promises are new every morning and they are fresh every morning and every moment of the day. This is so reassuring to me. Great is Thy faithfulness and .... How Great Thou Art. Amen.
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not; as thou has been, thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest; sun, moon and stars in their courses above; join with all nations in manifold witness; to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth; thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide; strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow; blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.
Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness; morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
This well known hymn makes me think of Groundhog Day. Have you ever seen that movie - with Bill Murray? Every day he wakes up and it's still February 2. If I remember correctly, he keeps re-living the day over and over and it's kind of a nightmare, actually, but also a chance to redeem and correct and to right yesterday's wrongs.
Well, to put that movie in the context of this great hymn, the way I interpret it is -- to put it bluntly, and not very theologically -- every day we get a do-over! Our kind and loving and beneficient Lord gives us a new chance every day to work out our salvation. Every day He lovingly gives us a sunrise and sounds of nature joyfully celebrating the dawn of a new day. Chirp! Chirp! Trilllllllllllllll-- tweet-tweet -- I love those sounds. Some days they sound like a melodious chorus, other days they sound like they're getting ready to fight a battle. And maybe within their own world they are, but nonetheless they too are getting a do-over. To sing their praises to God in a whole new way. Oh that we would be as joyful and as reckless as the birds in our praises to God each morning. Not to be carefree about it, but if you did not praise God sufficiently yesterday, then try again today with the merciful dawn of the new day!
If you did not exercise yesterday and instead ate bon-bons and sat in front of the TV, here is a new day! Here is that exercise machine you got for Christmas! It's still there! Try again!
If you did not feel encouraged yesterday by anything or anyone, try something new today - call someone and encourage them - and you will be blessed by that! You got a do-over if you woke up today!
Lest one think that I have gone new-age on them and worldly-spiritual, I say, no, look at the hymn and look at the Psalms - the praises, the mercy, the forgiveness of sins, the love of God, it is there, being renewed, every day. God is merciful and kind and has compassion on us and our slowness to truly understand. If we go to nature, we see that change takes time. It takes time for those little buds to grow. It takes time for a seed to turn into a beautiful plant or flower. Every day the strength of the plant gets renewed by the season of the day - the waking up, the stretching up and reaching toward the heaven to obtain the rays of the sun - the flagrant blossoms and glistening leaves - then the gentle bending downward as the day decrescendoes into sunset; and then the total genuflex and lying down as the night begs us to rest.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for letting every day be Groundhog Day. Help us not to relax into that rut of "oh well, tomorrow's another day" but rather to be grateful that Your promises are new every morning and they are fresh every morning and every moment of the day. This is so reassuring to me. Great is Thy faithfulness and .... How Great Thou Art. Amen.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Sheep - Day Two
From Psalm 23: ....."He makes me lie down in green pastures."
Today's reading of Philip Keller described something else interesting about sheep. They will not lie down and go to sleep unless four things are taken care of:
1) they have to be free of fear
2) they have to be free of tension between themselves
3) they have to be free of torment (from pesty flies, bugs, itches, ailments, etc.)
4) they have to be free of hunger.
Unless these four conditions are satisfied, they cannot lie down and rest. The shepherd must take great care to make sure that --
1) no intruders are about to scare them during the night
2) they can't be fighting amongst themselves. The bossy, aggressive sheep have to be tamed and/or permanently silenced (yikes).
3) they have to be bug-free and itch-free so the shepherd must be taking care of them with ointments, creams, whatever it takes to make them comfortable physically and mentally.
4) they have to be well-fed during feeding times so that when rest time comes, they can sleep and not be tormented by their hunger.
Our Great Shepherd watches over us and is willing and able to provide all these conditions for us.
Is your sleep tormented? I know mine is often. And it's usually for one of the above mentioned reasons!!!!! Unbelievable! We really ARE like sheep. This morning I had to pray that the Lord would free me from some of the mental and psychological torments that plague me. As well as some physical ones. They do disturb my sleep and when I get up in the morning I feel like I need to go to bed in order to get some rest from the previous night's torment! And the Shepherd is waiting to heal me like the balm of Gilead! I just need to understand and apply this analogy of the sheep to myself.
Dear Lord, I am a wayward, itchy, irritable lamb. I am sometimes bossy and aggravating to others. I need to be one of the less-aggressive sheep that allows the Shepherd to comfort me because I know He is there to do just that. Forgive me for being so easily tormented and for tormenting others. Forgive me for not asking you to calm my mental and physical itches and aggravations. Your lamb, Lisa
Today's reading of Philip Keller described something else interesting about sheep. They will not lie down and go to sleep unless four things are taken care of:
1) they have to be free of fear
2) they have to be free of tension between themselves
3) they have to be free of torment (from pesty flies, bugs, itches, ailments, etc.)
4) they have to be free of hunger.
Unless these four conditions are satisfied, they cannot lie down and rest. The shepherd must take great care to make sure that --
1) no intruders are about to scare them during the night
2) they can't be fighting amongst themselves. The bossy, aggressive sheep have to be tamed and/or permanently silenced (yikes).
3) they have to be bug-free and itch-free so the shepherd must be taking care of them with ointments, creams, whatever it takes to make them comfortable physically and mentally.
4) they have to be well-fed during feeding times so that when rest time comes, they can sleep and not be tormented by their hunger.
Our Great Shepherd watches over us and is willing and able to provide all these conditions for us.
Is your sleep tormented? I know mine is often. And it's usually for one of the above mentioned reasons!!!!! Unbelievable! We really ARE like sheep. This morning I had to pray that the Lord would free me from some of the mental and psychological torments that plague me. As well as some physical ones. They do disturb my sleep and when I get up in the morning I feel like I need to go to bed in order to get some rest from the previous night's torment! And the Shepherd is waiting to heal me like the balm of Gilead! I just need to understand and apply this analogy of the sheep to myself.
Dear Lord, I am a wayward, itchy, irritable lamb. I am sometimes bossy and aggravating to others. I need to be one of the less-aggressive sheep that allows the Shepherd to comfort me because I know He is there to do just that. Forgive me for being so easily tormented and for tormenting others. Forgive me for not asking you to calm my mental and physical itches and aggravations. Your lamb, Lisa
Saturday, January 5, 2008
We're All Just Sheep
Isaiah 53:6 "All ye like sheep have gone astray. . ."
Along with my devotional reading, I caught a glimpse of Philip Keller's writings on sheep and shepherding. As many of you know, Jesus is called, among things:
* the Lamb of God
* the Great Shepherd
We are then called the sheep of His pasture and, as above, sheep that have gone astray.
Philip Keller was/is a Christian who actually has also been a shepherd. So he knows sheep. he says we often get a romantic, idealized image in our minds of sheep sort of dotting the hillsides with their fluffy white coat and baa-ing gently and sweetly. Nothing is further from the truth! He says sheep are dirty, mangy and very, very stupid! How quickly they run away from their flock. How often they need to be herded back into line. They desperately need their shepherd. They need to be prodded and disciplined and kept in line.
Now that our fantasies have been disabused, then God has the nerve to say that WE are sheep! We are the people of his pasture! So now take the above paragraph and insert "people" for "sheep": "People are dirty, mangy and very, very stupid! How quickly they run away from the flock. How often people need to be herded back into line. People desperately need their shepherd. They need to be prodded and disciplined and kept in line."
This is just so humbling. To look at the metaphors in the Bible - particularly the metaphors of animals and how we are like them and/or how we can learn from them -- is so revealing. God wants us to fly on eagle's wings....to look at the ant (in Proverbs) to see how to plan ahead .... to see Him as the Great Shepherd ..... to see Christ as the Lamb of God ..... the Lion of Judah.... so many more metaphors are there.
Well, anyway, if we are sheep, that is just not a very flattering picture. But it indicates that we are dirty, filthy and prone to wandering. And that we need a Savior. I don't like the picture but I sure do agree with it and identify with it. I am prone to wandering and I desperately need my Savior. Once you get past the frosty, cozy image of those sheep grazing peacefully on the hillside and zoom in for a closer look, you see how close we are to the nature of sheep and why that metaphor was used in the Bible.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, thank you for showing me that I am one of your sheep. I know that the Great Shepherd would come looking for me if the 90-and-9 were accounted for but I, the 100th sheep, were lost. That is how closely He watches over me. Thank you for that. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Along with my devotional reading, I caught a glimpse of Philip Keller's writings on sheep and shepherding. As many of you know, Jesus is called, among things:
* the Lamb of God
* the Great Shepherd
We are then called the sheep of His pasture and, as above, sheep that have gone astray.
Philip Keller was/is a Christian who actually has also been a shepherd. So he knows sheep. he says we often get a romantic, idealized image in our minds of sheep sort of dotting the hillsides with their fluffy white coat and baa-ing gently and sweetly. Nothing is further from the truth! He says sheep are dirty, mangy and very, very stupid! How quickly they run away from their flock. How often they need to be herded back into line. They desperately need their shepherd. They need to be prodded and disciplined and kept in line.
Now that our fantasies have been disabused, then God has the nerve to say that WE are sheep! We are the people of his pasture! So now take the above paragraph and insert "people" for "sheep": "People are dirty, mangy and very, very stupid! How quickly they run away from the flock. How often people need to be herded back into line. People desperately need their shepherd. They need to be prodded and disciplined and kept in line."
This is just so humbling. To look at the metaphors in the Bible - particularly the metaphors of animals and how we are like them and/or how we can learn from them -- is so revealing. God wants us to fly on eagle's wings....to look at the ant (in Proverbs) to see how to plan ahead .... to see Him as the Great Shepherd ..... to see Christ as the Lamb of God ..... the Lion of Judah.... so many more metaphors are there.
Well, anyway, if we are sheep, that is just not a very flattering picture. But it indicates that we are dirty, filthy and prone to wandering. And that we need a Savior. I don't like the picture but I sure do agree with it and identify with it. I am prone to wandering and I desperately need my Savior. Once you get past the frosty, cozy image of those sheep grazing peacefully on the hillside and zoom in for a closer look, you see how close we are to the nature of sheep and why that metaphor was used in the Bible.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, thank you for showing me that I am one of your sheep. I know that the Great Shepherd would come looking for me if the 90-and-9 were accounted for but I, the 100th sheep, were lost. That is how closely He watches over me. Thank you for that. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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