Category Archives: Devotions

When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?

1 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NLT)

In 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Paul was writing to the church in Corinth because he was shocked to hear that they were taking each other to court to be judged by a secular judge instead of taking the matter to the believers. He expressed his disapproval of the matter by asking them ‘how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to the believers?’ Some people may disagree with Paul’s outburst of shame to the church of Corinth, but Paul saw this as an embarrassment to the body of Christ. He wanted them to know that as Christians we represent Christ and we are members of one body.  As members, we should show love to each other because filing a lawsuit against another believer contradicted Christian teaching and behavior.

Filing a lawsuit against another believer means going to a public court to be judged by unbelievers. As stated prior, this contradicts Christian teaching and behavior. In verse 2, it tells us that we (the body of Christ) will be judging the world. We should emulate Christ in every aspect of our lives, even when a brother offends us. Instead of taking the matter to the world for them to judge us, we should take the matter to a Pastor for them to judge over it. Going in front of the secular court to get justice over a fellow believer, shows the world that we cannot resolve simple matters by ourselves and it also shows the lack of love amongst the believers. This is also a poor witness to the body of Christ and will disenchant unbelievers to follow Christ.  Bringing disputes of the believers into the public eye damages the reputation and witness of the church.

In conclusion, we should seek godly counsel from those God has ordain to rule over us and not seek counsel from the world. The church has the good news, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world lacks this benefit because it does not know Christ. The gospel is supposed to reconcile believers in fellowship with one another in Christ. If we run to the world to solve our problems, then the world will think that the gospel is in-effective. As people of God we know that the gospel is effective. So before any of us as believers file a lawsuit against another brother or sister in Christ, seek God’s guidance and go to your set leadership.

Missionary Judith A. Gilzene Moodie

Resource:

Pratt, Jr. Richard L. Holman New Testament Commentary 1& 2 Corinthians.

“Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalms 46:10A (NLT)

I can still recall as a child, my mom would actually slap me on the leg while combing my hair and said “Be still!” In my mind, while crying I would wonder, how can I be still when you are pulling my hair. Thanks be to God, as our heavenly Father he does not slap us around and shout at us to be still.

With the advancement of technology today, people’s attention span is extremely short and it’s difficult to get people to be still and listen. We live in a society where playing loud music with earplugs in both ears, while talking to someone is the norm. With all of these distractions, it’s very difficult to hear and listen to God. As children of God, we have to be careful not to allow the cares and pressures of this world to overtake us that we cannot hear nor listen to God.

The Lord wants us to know that despite what’s going on in our lives, we can trust him completely. He wants us to be still and know that he is God in our situations. The problem is many people fail to be still because they are so busy and cannot hear him speaking. We will not hear him speaking if we are constantly busy or distracted. Only when we are still, we will be able to hear him.

We should always keep in mind that the battle is not ours, it’s the Lord. He wants to fight our battles for us, but we have to practice to be still in our spirit. He promised us that he will fight our battles for us and we have to trust him completely knowing that he cannot lie nor will he forfeit his promise. God takes pleasure in fighting our battles. We should never think that God wants us to carry our burdens or circumstances. He is patiently waiting with outstretch arms for us to hand it over to him. The problem that many of us face is that we try to fix the situation first, we are not equipped to do his job. He wants us to hand it over to him, be still, and know that he is God.

Misn. Judith Gilzene Moodie

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:1-2 (NLT)

Benjamin Franklin once wrote that after three days fish and guests stink. This was a thinly veiled way of saying that no one should stay with someone else as a guest any longer than three days. Perhaps this statement reflected Franklin’s limited capacity for hospitality rather than any great truth.^[1] As Christians we should not exhibit the mentality that Benjamin Franklin has regarding entertaining guest in our homes, or churches. Hebrews 13: 2 instructs us as believers to show love and hospitality to our fellow believers. Everyone that enters our homes and churches should feel the true love of Christ and also feel welcome. When we show hospitality to our fellow believers they should not feel like a guest but more like a member of the household.

Hospitality is a very important role in the life of a believer. Christ expects us as His children to show hospitality to each other. In 3 John, the author devoted the entire book to hospitality. If it was not important for us as believers to be hospitable, he would not have written about it. During John’s day; the missionaries, preachers, and teachers did not have the luxury of hotels so they had to depend on their fellow brethren in Christ to assist with their lodging. These believers were responsible for supporting them while they were in their homes or churches. As believers, we are to support ministries that proclaim the name of Christ and help in every way possible to support missionaries in the mission field.

As much as we are to be hospitable to others, we should also be careful of whom we allow in our homes and churches to teach or preach. If a missionary or guest pastor does not believe or teach that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, we should not entertain such individual. In 2 John 7, John warns us that such individuals are a deceiver and an antichrist. We should never support ministries that do not teach the true doctrine of Christ. If we do, then we are deceivers and an antichrist.

Showing hospitality is not always an easy task because sometimes people over extent their stay and sometimes people take your kindness for weakness. There are times when being hospitable may be inconvenient, even if this happens, we should never fail to extent ourselves and welcome our fellow believers in our homes as our guest. Keep in mind that God will reward each individual that show hospitality to his children and we may even entertain an angel of God without knowing. Let’s continue to love others, show hospitality to the people of God, and be faithful to ministry.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

^[1] Walls, David; Anders, Max. Holman New Testament Commentary: 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (John 19:28-30 NLT)

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying “It is finished!” Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightening flashed. And a great earthquake struck-the worst since people were placed on the earth. (Revelation 16:17,18 NLT)

And he also said, “It is finished!” I am the Alpha and the Omega-the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. (Revelation 21:6 NLT)

In the post on March 25, 2015, I wrote on the topic “It is finished!” with my text taken from John 19:28-30. There are three places in Scripture that God the Father and Jesus the Son spoke these words. We will be exploring two other Scriptures, in which God said “It is finished!” Depending on which translation is used, you may find the words “It is done!”, they all have the same meaning. God is saying to us “It is completed!”

When Jesus had completed his missions that God had given him including the most difficult one-death on the cross, he said “It is finished!”(John 19:30). Jesus paid a great price on our behalf to free us from sin. When Jesus died on the cross a great exchange took place, he took our sins upon himself and exchanged it with eternal life in him. Romans 8:1-3 ‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So, God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. In that body, God declared as end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins’ (NLT). I pray that we never lose focus on the price Jesus paid for us. We should live in that newness of life that he has offered us and not live a condemned life.

The first “It is finished” has already taken place at the cross, the next two are future events that are about to take place. Most people avoid reading or studying Revelation because of its contents but, chapter 1:3 tells us that there is a blessing for those who read and hear the words of the prophecy written in the book. Chapter 16, tells of the seven vials of God’s judgment upon the earth during the tribulation period. Verse 17 tells of the final vial being poured out into the air. God’s final judgment was poured into the air because Satan is the prince of the air, then God said “It is finished!” We should always find time to share the good news about Jesus to those who do not know him, so they can avoid the wrath of God that is coming. If we follow the instructions in chapter 1:3, we would have noticed that the signs of the end times is at hand.

This is not the time to get scared and worried. If we read the book of Revelation as instructed by God, then we would be prepared and try our best to witness to our unsaved families and friends. Everything that is mentioned in this book is going to take place, some already have taken place. The final vial that is poured into the air will cause a great earthquake that man has never experienced before. If we look back in history the worst earthquake recorded was in Shensi, China on January 23, 1556, which was a magnitude of about 8 and killed about 830,000 people.

That earthquake will be nothing compared to the one that will be poured out of the vial. The Bible tells us that the whole earth will feel the effect. Every island will disappear, all the mountains will be leveled, and there will be a terrible hailstorm. The hailstones will not be like what we are used to, the Bible states that they will weigh as much as seventy-five pounds. These hailstones will be falling on people killing them. My question to each of us as believers, including myself is, “Are we doing our best witnessing to draw unbelievers into the Kingdom of God?” God is going to hold us accountable if we fail to do what he has commissioned us to do in Matthew 28:19-20.

The final “It is finished!” spoken by God is in chapter 21:6. This is when God sends down the new Jerusalem upon the new earth in-order that men may dwell with God and God with them. This will only be for believers, no unsaved person will be there. “To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” God is sending out an offer for those who are thirsty for him and know they have a spiritual need. The water in this verse suggest ‘need’, so the offer is to those who need Jesus in their lives.

Misn. Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resources
Easley, Kendall. Holman New Testament Commentary: Revelation
Elliott, Dr. Ken. The Offer (Revelation 21:6). Logos Bible Software
Mohan, Rev. Roy. Heaven A Place For Saved People. Logos Bible Software
Spence, H.D.M. The Pulpit Commentary: Revelation
The top 10 deadliest earthquakes in history. NBCNEWS.com

¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 (NLT)

 Jesus was teaching in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacle, which is also called the ‘Feast of Booth’ when He made this bold statement in the presence of the Pharisees. During this time of feast the Israelites were to build tents and sleep in them for seven days outside. The Feast of Tabernacle was celebrated once a year and the Israelites were forbidden to work during this celebration. This celebration was to commemorate the Israelites wilderness journey.

On the first night of Tabernacles and apparently on each night of the feast except on Sabbath, the worshipers awaited the signal of the special lighting of the festive golden lamps of Tabernacles in the court of women. The lamps were intended to remind worshipers of God’s leading the people of Israel through the wilderness at night by a pillar of fire. The lighting of lamps also signaled Israel’s re-commitment to the God of light.

During Jesus’ three years of ministry on this earth, He was involved in many confrontations with the Pharisees and Sadducees because He went against many of their traditional rules and belief. They saw Him as a trouble maker and a child of the Devil. They were focusing on the past with what the lighting of the lamps symbolized, while He was trying to let them understand that He was the God of Light and the Light of the world.

The Messiah that their Scripture talked about who was to come was right in-front of them and they were blind to it. The Light that David mentioned in Psalm 27:1 was in-front of them but they were still in the dark. The Light who came into the world to illuminate it was in-front of them but they were blind to His Light. The Light who was shining in the hearts of those He encounter was in-front of them but their hearts were still in darkness.

The point here is to not be like the Pharisees, living in darkness when The Light is present. The Lord wants each of us as Christian to be beaming with His Light. When we have The Light within us, He will shine in our hearts and the world will be able to see the Light within us. Our Light should be shining in such a way that when we are around darkness (sinners), that darkness should be subjected to the Light within us. We should never forget or lose track of who we are and whose we are. We are the light of the world because we have Jesus living within us and we are children of The Light.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resource:

Borchert, Gerald L. 1996. The New American Commentary, John 1-11

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (John 19:28-30 NLT)

 It is such a joy to know that while in times of sorrow there is joy. Every detail of Jesus’ last day on this earth was full of sorrow because He was tortured and humiliated to the lowest degree. The joy that we as Christians are now experiencing comes about when Jesus shouted out “It is finished”. He did not just speak it as John 19:30 would lead you to believe but He shouted it out “It is finished” (see Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37). What exactly was ‘finished’, have you ever taken a moment to think about Jesus’ last three words before He bowed His head in humility and give back His spirit to the Father?

Jesus came on this earth to fulfill one specific mission which was mentioned in Genesis 3: 15 ‘And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel (NLT).’ This verse points to Christ as the vindicator of the woman (Rom 16:20) who will crush Satan’s head and this was accomplished at the cross. God crushed the Serpent’s (Satan) head through the bruising of His Son on the cross.

Jesus accomplished many other missions while here on earth which leads to the main mission. His other missions were preparation for the grand finally, His death. So what are some of the ‘It’ that was now finished? Let’s dig deeper into the Scripture to identify some of them. Keep in mind that the ‘it’ are the works that God the Father sent Jesus to accomplish on earth. We will never be able to identify all of them because everything is not recorded in the Scriptures.

He obeyed the Father by being the perfect fulfillment of the Law of God and the prophesies regarding the Messiah (Matt 5:17).

1. He did not come to bring peace on the earth but division. He made it clear that you are either with the one true God or against Him (Matt 10:34-36; Luke 12:51).
2. He came in the name of the only true God and to perfectly do His will (John 5:43; 6:38).
3. He came to perfectly do the works of His Father so people could understand that He and the Father were one (John 10:30, 37-38).
4. He came as the light of the world, giving fallen mankind the opportunity to move from utter darkness into His marvelous light. He came to save people (John 12:46-48; 14:6).
5. He came as fully God and fully man to be the incarnation of the truth of God (John 18:37).
6. He came to make propitiation for our record of sin against God (Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 2:14-18).
7. He came to make reconciliation between God and man possible (Romans 5:6-11).
8. He came to die for and to purify His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25-27).
9. He came to glorify His Father through His life, death, and resurrection (Philippians 2:5-11).
10. He came to make a way, the only way, for people to find mercy, grace, and peace in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

These are some of missions that God gave Jesus to accomplish and He finished all of His work, including the great exchange. A great exchanged took placed at the cross, Jesus paid the eternal sin debt of the world in full on the cross. So as we approached the celebration of Easter, let’s keep in mind that it’s not about the Easter bunny. It’s about the great price that Jesus paid on our behalf to free us from sin.

While on that cross, He could have drank the vinegar mixed with myrrh and gall to sedate the pain but He refused it (Matt 27:34; Mark 15:23) to stay alert and focus on the final mission  which was the most difficult one of all. Once He knew that His mission was completed, He drank the sour wine. This wine was different from the first one offered. The first wine was mixed with drugs and used as a sedative pain killer, while the sour wine would contract the throat muscles to keep Jesus from screaming loudly in pain. The bitterness of the wine would prolong the pain by extending the life of Jesus on the cross. He died a horrible death, so that we can have eternal life. Let’s never lose focus of the eternal debt He paid and always remember that ‘It is finished!’ 

 Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resources

1. Borchert, Gerald L. 2002. The New American Commentary: John 12-21.
2. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2000. Holman New Testament Commentary: John.
3. Mathews, Kenneth A. 1996. The New American Commentary: Genesis 1-11:26.
4. McFadyen, Phillip. 1998. Opening Door on John, A Gospel for Our Time.
5. Miano, Tony. “It Is Finished!” Jesus Does Not Need Your Help. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. http// www.carm.org
6. Robertson, Archibald Thomas. 1930. Word Pictures In The New Testament.

¹⁵ “If you love me, obey* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,* who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.* ¹⁸ No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. ²⁶ But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. ²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. ²⁸ Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. ²⁹ I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. ³⁰ “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me. (John 14:15-18, 26-30 KJV)

 As we are about to celebrate Easter in the next few days, we should reflect back on the sacrifice Jesus Christ has made on our behalf. He paid the price we could not paid by dying on Calvary’s cross for our sins. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son into this dying world to die in our place. Have you ever taken a moment to consider how God felt seeing His only Son beaten, thorns on His head, hands and feet nailed to a cross, and His side pierced by a sword? We should also take into consideration that God saw them giving His Son vinegar instead of water when He thirst. The crowds laughed at Him, spat upon Him, and shouted insults upon the Messiah.

Many of us would not voluntary give our only child to die in the place of someone else. We would refuse in a minute.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that it was necessary for Jesus to die for us. He knew that only Jesus’ blood could wash away the sins of the world. He was the only one without sin that could be offer up as a holy sacrifice. We should never think that Christ’s death on the cross was in vain. If Christ did not die, we could not have had the privilege of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come after He leaves.

As Christians, we should desire more of God’s presence in our lives. It is not good enough to taste a little of His presence but we should seek to get a deeper and richer relationship with Him. We should always keep in mind that Jesus died so we can have life and have it more abundantly. We should seek to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within. It is not good enough to have the Holy Spirit with you; you need that power in you to live right and to be an effective witness for Christ.

During the Old Testament period, the Spirit of God would come upon individuals to perform a service, and then He would leave that person. The Holy Spirit at that time did not reside in an individual because Christ did not die yet. In John 16, Jesus told His disciples that it was necessary for Him to leave them, in order that the Comforter can come and dwell in them. We serve such an awesome God that is concerned with every aspect of our lives.

He went to Calvary’s cross so that we will not only have the Spirit of God with us but most of all He will be residing in us. Just think for a moment – that means Jesus is living in us. He is not just beside us but actually living inside of us. The best example of this would be a mother with a child inside her, while that child is in her womb she nurtures that child by eating the correct food, rubbing her tummy, and talking to her tummy. She spends time nurturing and communicating with her unborn child so the child can feel her love.

If a biological mother can do that for her child, what about us who have the Creator of heaven and earth dwelling inside of us? We should spend time nurturing and communicating with Jesus. We should not allow any unclean things in our lives because our bodies are the temple of Christ (as long as you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit as describe in Act 2:4, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you . If a Christian has not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then you have the Holy Spirit beside you).

The Holy Spirit is present in our lives to teach and direct us into the right path. He is also our Advocate. The word ‘Advocate’ means ‘a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law’. The fact that we have the ‘Advocate- our lawyer’ living inside of us permanently, we will always win. Jesus has never lost a case and He will never lose a case! We need to understand that we have The Lawyer of lawyers in us and no matter what charges or case Satan presents before the Judge (God), he will not win because we have the greatest Advocate fighting on our behalf.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6 KJV).

“Just trust God, He will come through for you.” has been a phrase, I’m sure, someone has said to you before for encouragement. For some of us, we have heard it so many times now it sounds like a church cliché. But in reality, we should trust in the Lord with all of our heart. It is not good enough for us to trust God half way and hold on to the other half to work it out for ourselves. Many of us mess up what God has for us because we get impatient. We have to be careful not to make decisions when we are frustrated with life or the circumstances around us.

If Jesus is our Great Shepherd who cares and loves us unconditionally, that means He has our best interest at his heart. When the circumstances in our lives seem dark, that is not the time to trust our heart to make decisions. It is important for us to lean and trust in the Lord and not depend solely on our understanding. Depending on our understanding of the situation will only bring more chaos. When we lean on Jesus for direction and guidance, we will never go wrong. Whatever we do in life, we should always acknowledge the Creator. Failure to acknowledge the Creator, who is Sovereign, in everything we do, is like slapping Him in the face.

There are three ways in which we can trust God that is mentioned in Proverbs 3:5, 6

1. Trust God Entirely– ‘with all of thine heart’. God demands an undivided commitment to Himself.
2. Trust God Exclusively- ‘and lean not unto thine own understanding’. Many people make crucial decisions in their lives base on how they feel and not on the Word of God for guidance.
3. Trust God Extensively-‘in all thy ways acknowledge him’. We should trust God in every aspect of our lives, whether it is small or big. He should be Lord over all parts of our lives because He is Sovereign.

To enjoy the Christian walk with Jesus and be blessed, it’s important to trust Him. When we trust God, we are allowing Him to direct our path and make it straight for success. We will never make it in this sinful world without trusting Him. It is very easy to lose hope in our society, to become a victim of depression or suicide. It is imperative for us to learn how to trust Jesus with every aspect of our lives.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resource

Newheiser, Jim. 2008. Opening up Proverbs. Day One Publications.

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 anoinest 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 23:4-6 KJV)

Last week, we focused on Jesus, who is the Great Shepherd. He is always ready to forgive and restore us when we sin. In verses 1 – 3, we are reminded that there is safety, security, refreshment, forgiveness, renewal, restoration, direction, and guidance in Jesus. All we have to do is repent of our sins and accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

In Psalm 23:4-6, Jesus is not only portrayed as The Great Shepherd but also as a host. When we are facing difficult circumstances or trails in our lives, we have the assurance that Jesus is with us. He has never abandoned us, nor will He. The enemy loves to use fear on the children of God to cause us to doubt God’s promises.

David reminds us that even though the situation appears to lead to death, we should not fear because God is with us. We should keep in mind that it’s only a shadow, not death. A dark shadow can be very frightful and we may think it’s going to harm us but it has no power to bring us harm. Henry T. Mahan writes: ‘… Christ has removed the substance of death and only a shadow remains’. That means it will not lead to physical death.

Shepherd’s used their rod to fight and kill predators that come to bring harm to the sheep. Jesus does the same in our lives. He is there to fight our battles for us as long as we hand it over to Him. Just as the shepherds use their staff to round up the sheep and guide them along the way so that they do not stray. Jesus is there to protect us from the hands of the enemy and disciples us when necessary so that we do not stray.

It is very important to keep in mind that Jesus considers us as His friends. It was customary in biblical times when a guest entered a home, the host would anoint the guest’s head with oil and give them the best choice wine.  Jesus loves us so much that he desires each of his children to enjoy the feast which he has prepared. He desires that we receive and enjoy the overflow of abundant blessings he has promised. The only ways we can receive and enjoy these privileges is to obey God’s Word and love each other as Christ loves us. He loved us so much that He died on our behalf.

Missionary Judith A. Gilzene Moodie

Resources:

1. Ellsworth, Roger. 2006. Opening Up Psalms
2. Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A.R.; and Brown, David. 1871. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
3. Mahan, Henry T. 2007. With New Testament Eyes vol. 1

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. (Psalm 23:1-3 KJV)

The word shepherd and shepherding is mentioned over 200 times in the Bible. David referred to God as his ‘Lord’ and ‘shepherd’, he was referring to God’s Sovereignty and his caring nature. David who was a shepherd boy in his youth, knew extensively the requirements and responsibilities of a shepherd. He knew that a shepherd was to led his sheep to pasture and water (Psalm 23:1), protect them from wild animals (1 Samuel 17:34-35), guard his flocks at night whether in the open (Luke 2:8) or in the sheepfolds (Zephaniah 2:6) where they were counted as they entered (Jeremiah 33: 13), and take care of the sheep and carry the weak ones in their arms (Isaiah 40:11). During David’s life time, he has been through many difficult situation where he should have died; and he watched in amazement as his ‘Lord and shepherd’ delivered him.

We have the same assurance as David today in Christ Jesus. He is our shepherd who cares deeply and loves us unconditionally. His love goes beyond any other love that exist because no one can love us the way Jesus does. All of the requirements and responsibilities that a good shepherd possess, Jesus possess them all. He died on Calvary’s cross to free us from the plague of sin, in order that we will not be condemned. We should spend time mediating on the Word of God, it is our daily food that he has prepared for us.

God’s people often find themselves in need of spiritual refreshing. We are in a world that is full of evil. We get drained spiritually and in need of spiritual refreshment. Jesus is the only refreshing water which can fill our thirst, when we mediate and study his Word. When we study the Word we will see all of the promises that Christ made to us. These promises will refresh and sustained us daily. We should never allow anyone to condemned us or push past sins in our face that Jesus has already forgiven. We are like sheep, and we do stray at times.

Jesus, who is the great Shepherd is there to forgive and restore us when we seek forgiveness. We should always keep in mind that we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus). There is safety, security, refreshment, forgiveness, renewal, restoration, direction, and guidance in Jesus. God loved us so much that he send his only Son into this evil world to died so that we may have eternal life. Think about it, “Who wouldn’t want to serve a God like this?” Only a foolish person.

Missionary Judith A. Gilzene Moodie

Resources

1. Brand, Chad; Draper, Charles, and England, Archie. 2003. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville:TN, p. 1484
2. Ellsworth, Roger. 2006. Opening Up Psalms. Day One Publications, Leominster:HR6 8NZ, p. 45-48