Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Magnified When We Serve with His Strength

"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11)

What does it mean to "minister...as of the ability which God giveth"? It means that when we do work for the Lord, we ought to do it by His power, and not in our own strength.

Our talents and abilities all come from God. Even the time that we have to serve God is given to us by God! But sometimes believers start to forget that without Christ, they can do nothing . (See John 15:5.) They start relying and depending on their own efforts and their own ideas and their own hard work--and they forget to rely and depend on God. In fact, they forget God altogether sometimes! These believers need to be humble and remember that they need God''s strength in order to do ministry work that glorifies Him.

On the other hand, some believers are afraid to get too involved with ministry work. They think, "I am not talented enough. I am uncomfortable in situations. So-and-so is a better such-and-such than I would be. I don''t really have time. I don''t really feel ''up to'' this kind of a thing." Sometimes, believers start to forget that through Christ, they can do anything that He wants them to do. (See Philippians 4:13.) These believers need to be encouraged and remember that they have God''s strength available to them, and that it honors Him when His people use that strength for His work.

When you help clean at your church''s meeting place, did you know that what you do ought to reflect your dependence on God''s strength? When you obey your parents, you should do so in dependence upon the Lord. When you offer to do yard work for an elderly couple in your neighborhood, or when you take care of your younger siblings, or when you are asked to do a ministry job that just really scares you for some reason--remember that you can do it with God''s help, and that it is a glory to God when you serve with the strength He gives you.

Think about the last time you offered to do some work as a ministry to someone. Were you doing it for the right reasons? Were you counting on your own ideas and your own efforts? Were you hoping to get some special recognition for all your hard labor and devoted sacrifices? Or were you really just taking the gifts and skills God has given you and glorifying Him by serving in His strength? Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Do your good works point others'' attention just to you? Or do they point to your Father in heaven?

An old preacher used to say, "A Christian is the only ''Bible'' some people will ever read." What kind of things are others "reading" about your God and His people when you serve? When you have a chance to minister to someone, honor God with your service: Minister to that person as God Himself would have you minister to that person.

God has given us abilities, time, and energy so that we can rely on and glorify His strength.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Magnified When We Use Our Mouths for Him

"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:11)

What does it mean to speak "as the oracles of God"? Some Bible translations use the word "utterances." Basically this verse is talking about what ought to be true of our speech whenever something comes out of our mouths. You may not be a preacher standing in a pulpit. You may not be a teacher standing at a chalkboard. But did you know that every believer has, in a sense, a duty to be a "mouthpiece" of God?

These days, God does not give us new revelation outside of the Bible. He has already spoken to us through His written Word, and through His Son, the Living Word. So, if we are true believers, our words ought to be affected by His already-given Word. Our words should reflect the impact that God's Word has had on our lives. Our words should be in keeping with what God would want us to say. And our words should not go against His Word.

When you talk to a cashier or a bagger at the grocery store, did you know that what you say ought to reflect God's Word? When you speak to your family members, your speech ought to be honoring to God. Whenever you use the brain that God gave you to think of things to say, and whenever you use the mouth that God gave you to say those things, remember that your speech should line up with the will of God. God makes speaking possible, and He gives you opportunities to speak. Your words should line up with God's Word. Your words should not contradict (go against) His Word.

Think about the last time you spoke with anyone. Were you a "mouthpiece" for God's words to come through you and encourage or help that person? Or did you use your mouth to talk however you wanted to about whatever you wanted to? The best way to use your tongue is as a tool to do God's will. When someone hears you speak, do they hear "a word in season"? Do they hear speech that is "full of grace and truth"? When people think about having a conversation with you, do they think, "Oh, no--do I really have to listen to Kim complain all about her classes again?" Or do they think things like "I can't wait to see Jared again and hear how things went this summer at that Christian camp he always goes to."

An old preacher used to say, "A Christian is the only 'Bible' some people will ever read." What kind of things are others "reading" about your God and His people when you open up your mouth? When you have a chance to speak to someone, honor God with your speech: Talk to that person as God Himself would have you talk to that person.

God has given us our tongues to be used as tools for His glory.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Shelters His Children

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)

The weather was not what they had hoped for, but the Herbergers were determined not to let a little rain spoil their camping trip. They needed to put up their tent before the storm broke.

Hurriedly, they spread the canvas, hammered stakes into the ground, and raised the poles. Thunder rumbled. The children made one last dash to the van for snacks and flashlights. Just as they returned, the downpour began. Mr. Herberger zipped up the door of the tent and closed the vents.

For the next couple of hours, the family sang, played games, and ate popcorn and cookies together in the close quarters. Rain pounded on the tent roof and turned the dirt campsite into mud, but the tent kept the Herbergers dry and comfortable.

Like a comforting shelter, God wants to be our place of safety from the storms of life. He wants us to trust in His care. If we make God our "dwelling place," He will not allow evil to happen to us (Psalm 91:10).

God has the power and the will to protect His loved ones: He can do it, and He wants to do it. Nothing can happen to us except what He allows. Sometimes He permits hard times to come our way. Even then, His grace covers us completely and gives us peace and strength as we live in Him.

God wants to be our hiding place.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Corrects His Children

"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" (Hebrews 12:7)

It was August, and the Ellisons' air conditioner had broken down. Mrs. Ellison called the repairman, who tested the unit and took it apart. To his surprise, he found large quantities of sand in the outdoor fan. Mrs. Ellison asked her children if they knew how the sand had gotten in. Sadly, they admitted that they and their neighbor friends had made a game of throwing sand into the fan and running away before it could blow back into their faces.

Mrs. Ellison reminded them of the rule they had broken: sand was not supposed to be thrown or removed from the sandbox. Because of the children's disobedience, the family would spend hundreds of dollars to replace the broken fan. The Ellison children would do extra cleanup in the yard as punishment, and a trip to Six Flags would be cancelled so that the money could go toward a new air conditioner. The Ellison children learned to take better care of property and to obey authority.

Mrs. Ellison also asked the neighbor children not to throw sand into the new fan. She explained about the damage, but she did not punish them. They went to their own yards and threw dirt and sand into their air conditioning fans. Soon other families were calling the same repairman and buying new air conditioners.

Why didn't Mrs. Ellison discipline the neighbor children? They had knowingly broken the rules along with her children. But they were not her children, so she did not punish them.

Like an earthly parent, our Heavenly Father corrects His children. When He chastens us and teaches us not to sin, it is a sign of His love for us and of our place in His family. Although we do not enjoy chastening while it is happening, we should be thankful that He cares for us and wants to help us become more holy, more like Him.

"Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law." (Psalm 94:12)

God's chastening reminds us that He is our loving Father.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Sacrifice of a Broken Heart

"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34: 18)

Abby was reaching to get a cereal bowl out of the cupboard when—CRASH!—she accidentally knocked a glass of orange juice off the counter and onto the kitchen floor. What a mess! Her mother had to pick up the large pieces of glass, mop up the spilled juice, and vacuum for any tiny shards that could cut someone's foot. No one would ever drink from that glass again. It would have to be replaced.

Sometimes broken things can be fixed, but often they are useless.

Is breaking something ever a good thing? Yes! An egg, for instance, has to be cracked before it can be eaten. We have to untie or cut the ribbon on a present to open it. A plank of lumber must be cut the right size before it can be used to build a table.

One broken thing that is very valuable to God is a broken heart. When we are truly sorry for our sin, God accepts our broken heart as a sacrifice. No other sacrifice that we can offer will please Him—not even gifts of money or special acts of kindness.

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalm 51:17)

God accepts a heart that is broken and yielded to Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Wants Us to Love His Word

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." (Psalm 1:2)

Jared had never been good at memorizing. He had trouble remembering what order to write the letters in the words on his spelling tests. Learning the names of the presidents was the hardest thing about fifth grade for him. But it was summer now, and the only memory project he had was the verse list for Bible Club. He had worked hard, and he knew three verses perfectly.

Now he stood in line and rehearsed them in his head. He was afraid that his mind would go blank when it was his turn to recite. So he thought about what the verses meant, as his mother had taught him. He thought about the promise that the Lord would never leave him nor forsake him. He remembered that God gives grace to those who are humble. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," he whispered to himself.

As he meditated on the verses, the Lord calmed his heart. When it was his turn to recite, he was able to say them with only one help from the teacher. The girl next in line rattled off twelve verses perfectly, but Jared did not feel put down. He was grateful for the truths he was learning about God.

God does not want us to be satisfied with merely collecting facts about Him and repeating words we have memorized. He wants us to delight in the things He has told us about Himself. Thinking on His truth makes us happy Christians.

"My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord." (Psalm 104:34)

God wants us to enjoy His Word, not just study it because we feel like we have to.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Word Should Be Part of Us

"And thou shalt bind [God's words] for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:.

When I was in Jerusalem a few months ago, I saw Jews who had little black boxes bound to their foreheads. These boxes had pages of Scripture inside. The Jews had similar boxes fastened to their hands by straps that circled around their arms. God's Word was literally bound on their hands and between their eyes!

In Deuteronomy 6, is God really commanding that pages of the Bible be strapped to our hands and foreheads? Is that what God wants us to do?

Actually, in that passage God was reminding the Israelites of how important it was that they constantly keep His words in their minds. God wanted His people to think about His words all the time so that they would remember to obey Him. He asked the Israelites to talk about His words while at home and while in the streets. He wanted His people to remember His words when going to bed at night and when getting up in the morning. He commanded His people to remind themselves and others about what He had done and about what He expected them to do.

When God said His words should be bound to the heads and hands of His people, He was trying to give His people a picture of how they should be thinking about and obeying His words all the time.

God wants us to memorize His Word, think about it, and obey it so much that it becomes an inseparable part of us. He wants us to keep loving it and trying to understand it more. My pastor sometimes says, "The Bible should be the default setting in your brain. God's Word should be what your thoughts come back to whenever you don't have to be thinking about something else."

God desires that we always keep His Word in our minds and hearts.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Wants to Be Your One Desire

"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." (Psalm 73:25)

Imagine that your grandmother has asked you to clean out her attic. You walk up to the top of the stairs and begin wading through old boxes and dusty furniture. You wonder what you should clean first.

Looking to your left, you see an antique trunk sitting in the corner. You walk over, lift the top, and peer inside. There, sitting on the bottom of the trunk, is an old brass oil lamp. You pick it up and gently rub the dust away.

POOF!!!!!

All of a sudden, a genie pops out of the lamp! With a deep, booming voice, he says, "Tell me your one wish and I shall make it come true!" What would you wish for? What one thing do you desire most? If you could have anything in the world, what would you ask for?

The writer of Psalm 73 wrote that his greatest desire in life was God. The psalmist realized that God is everything that he needed--light, salvation, strength, protection, comfort, and joy. There is nothing he desires more than God. The psalmist looked around at what others have--wealth, possessions, or friends--and realized that without God, all of those things are as twigs burning in a fire.

When you want something more than God, you are worshipping an idol. Now, you probably do not have a golden statue in your house that you bow down to, but when you want or love something more than God, it is just as though you are bowing down to it and saying, "you are my god." The first commandment says that you should put nothing in front of God (Exodus 20:3). Instead, you are to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Deuteronomy 6:5).

What kinds of things are you tempted to put in front of God – TV, clothes, music, XBox, Playstation3, sports, shopping? You need to think about these things and ask God to take away those idols in your life so that He is your only desire. You increase your desire for God by reading His Word to learn more about Him and become more like Him. The more you know and learn about God, the more He will be your one desire. You want to be able to say with the psalmist, "there is nothing I want more than to know and love God."

You must desire God more than anything!

[Soldier4Christ]

God meets the needs of His children

"For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things." (Luke 12:30)

Have you ever sat near a window and watched a wild bird for a while? Does a bird have to worry about picking up a job at a fast food restaurant so that it can make money to pay for medical bills? Does the bird ever go out and plow a field, plant seed, and water the ground? Does a bird ever harvest corn and store it in big barns to eat later? Have you ever watched birds do all that? Probably not! It is more likely that you watched a bird flying around a feeder, pecking at a tree trunk, or splashing in a birdbath. Birds do not seem to have a care in the world!

It would be even more ridiculous to imagine a flower, laboring in a cotton field, spinning wool, weaving, or sewing clothes for itself. A flower does not need to work in order to be "clothed" beautifully. God has created a flower so it has everything that it needs to be just as beautiful as He planned. Jesus said that a simple wildflower is even more beautifully clothed than King Solomon was in the richest of his kingly robes.

You know, if God can feed the birds and make the flowers beautiful, it is all the more certain that He will take care of us. (Matthew 6:25-34) God, who is our heavenly father, knows everything that we need: mainly, food, water and clothing. He tells us not to worry about those things because He will provide those things for us. Matthew 6:25 tells us not to worry about food and clothes, because food and clothes are not what life is about. Life is about God and His kingdom! (Matthew 6:32) So, do not worry about those things that God has promised to provide. Let God take care of your needs; and you focus on seeking after the things of God.

Next time you see a flower or a bird, remember, if God takes care of their needs, He will definitely take care of you.

God is more aware of our needs than we are, and He will take care of us.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Strong Arm

"For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." (Psalm 44:3)

Do you like to have strong friends? Strong friends can really come in handy. A strong friend can help you lift something heavy. A strong friend can hit the ball really far for your team. A strong friend can stand-up for you if a bully is mean to you.

In Psalm 44, the Hebrew songwriter remembers when the Lord God brought the Hebrews into the Promised Land. The songwriter says in Psalm 44:3 that the Hebrews were not able to win the battles by themselves, but God's strong right arm won the battles for them.

Does God literally have an arm? No, not really. We know that God is a spirit (John 4:24), and a spirit does not have arms or legs that we can actually see. The songwriter is using a word picture to say that the Lord God of Israel is very strong. Think about it. When you see someone who is very strong, what do notice first? Their arms. Sometimes kids want to show off their muscles. Do you flex your leg to show off your muscles? No! You would probably flex your arms to show how strong you are. When the songwriter says that God's "arm" saved the Hebrews, he is using a word picture to express that God was stronger than all of Israel's enemies.

And God is stronger than your enemies, too. The devil is one of our enemies, because he wants us to disobey God. But God is stronger than the devil! Sometimes other people want you to disobey God, and God wants to help you be strong so that you will obey Him. Every person who is trusting in Jesus for salvation is sometimes still tempted to disobey God. God is stronger than any temptation a child of God might face. Just as God defeated the Hebrews' enemies a long time ago, He wants to defeat our spiritual enemies today. And He can, because God is very strong!

God is stronger than anyone or anything.

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God Is Forgiving

"He will turn again; He will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19)

Have you ever wondered if God has really forgiven you of your sin after you've confessed it to Him, and asked His forgiveness? Do you fear there's a possibility that He'll hold your sin against you in the future? In our verse for today, God compares His forgiveness of our sins as if He has thrown them "into the depths of the sea."

Consider the following amazing facts about the deepest part of the sea:


• The deepest point of the Pacific Ocean is called the "Marianas Trench."

• Its depth is 36,089 ft. (nearly 7 miles!)

• The lowest part of the Marianas Trench is called the "Challenger Deep."

• "Mt. Everest could fit into the Challenger Deep and its peak still be covered by over a mile and a quarter of ocean. If you dropped a steel ball into the Challenger Deep from a ship, the ball would fall through the ocean for sixty-three minutes before it hit bottom." (Science 5 for Christian Schools, Second Edition, BJU Press, 1990, page 31.)

Just think what that means! The deepest part of the sea could completely cover Mt. Everest! Now, with that thought in mind, read Micah 7:19 once more. God is giving us a wonderful illustration to show us that our sins are forgiven for all eternity. We read in Jeremiah 31:34b, "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." You will never have to wonder again whether your confessed sin will be forgiven by God. He has "cast all your sin into the depths of the sea."

Spend some time today in prayer thanking God for His assurance that your sins are forgiven. Another good verse to memorize would be 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

God forgives our sins and puts them far away from Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Won't Let Sin Make Us Happy

"The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish." (Proverbs 10:28)

Jamie and Uncle Mike climbed into the big red Ford F150. The tackleboxes were between them on the seat. As Uncle Mike drove them to the lot on the lake where their favorite fishing alcove was, Jamie opened up one of the tackleboxes to take a look at the lures. There were all kinds, some of them knobby or slimy, some feathery, some glossy. And all of them were colorful! Jamie especially liked the brand new jitterbugs Uncle Mike had bought down in Florida last month. As the truck rumbled to a stop in the gravel by the boat ramp, Jamie had a bright idea. While Uncle Mike got busy cranking down the fishing boat, Jamie got busy picking out the fanciest, smoothest, reddest (because red was his favorite color) jitterbug for himself. Without a sound, Jamie shoved the lure in his jeans pocket and went out to help Uncle Mike put the gear in the boat.

All morning, they shared the tackle, and Uncle Mike never seemed to realize that the red jitterbug was gone from the box. They caught a couple white bass but threw them back in the lake before heading back to Uncle Mike's cabin for lunch. They were laughing about something as they jumped back into the truck, and Jamie sat down hard. Every fish in the lake and every bird in the sky probably heard the scream that came out of Jamie's mouth a second later. His fingers got all bloody as he pulled and tore at his pants pocket to get the hooks of the stolen red jitterbug out. Instead of going to lunch, they had to get Jamie to the hospital for a tetanus shot and for a couple of stitches where he had sat down on the lure.

Sometimes sin seems so harmless and inviting. We go after things we want, in spite of warnings and danger. We fall for temptations, just like unsuspecting fish that go hungrily after bait, even though the bait hides a hook. Jamie was tempted to steal Uncle Mike's red jitterbug lure because it was shiny and colorful and something he wanted to have just for himself. Was it worth it in the end, though? Jamie's plan brought him a lot more hurt than happiness. Not only did he suffer physical pain and a lot of embarrassment, but his actions also disappointed his Uncle Mike and spoiled the whole fishing trip.

Jamie had high hopes of being the owner of a glossy red jitterbug without paying for it. But he didn't get away with it. The Bible teaches that God is holy. Not only is it right to obey His Law, but it is also better for us! God is the only Source of true, lasting joy. In His grace, He teaches us (sometimes painfully) that nothing else, especially not sin, can satisfy us. Our hopes and expectations should be in Him.

Only God can satisfy the desires of our hearts.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Disciplines His Children in Love

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." (Hebrews 12:5-6)

"Susan!" yelled Grandpa from where he stood at the living room window. "The kids are outside playing with matches!"

Willy and Ellie heard him yell, but they did not have enough time to clean up the mess before Mom rushed outside to where they'd been hunched over the pile of kindling and matches.

"William! Ellen! What are you doing? You know you're not supposed to play with fire!"

A little embarrassed, they scattered the little pile and handed Mom the matches.

"We learned safety rules, Mom. We were being responsible. I'm ten years old!" Willy felt like maybe it should not be that big a deal. He wasn't a baby. He even helped Grandpa with the fireplace sometimes, pumping the bellows and poking the logs. He had carried his fair share of firewood from the general store. Surely he was old enough to be able to build a little fire if he was careful about it.

"It was sort of an experiment," Ellie tried to explain. "It didn't work in the basement so we came outside."

"The basement? Where in the basement?" Mom asked.

"We weren't doing fires in the basement, really. We were just melting little caves in the styrofoam panels in the basement bathroom," said Willy. "But there's more oxygen out here, and oxygen helps you build real fires. We were going to make a little campfire with two sticks like Boy Scouts do, but the sticks wouldn't light no matter how fast we rubbed them together, so we thought matches would help."

But there was no more talking then. Mom marched them over to the trash burning barrel and said, "Wait here." She left for a moment and came back with her arms full of styrofoam paneling from the new bathroom project Grandpa had been working on.

"I saw the little holes you melted in the panels down there," she said. "We all need to thank God for protecting you." She dumped the styrofoam into the barrel and stood back, opening a matchbook. "I want you to both to see something."

She lit one match and dropped it into the barrel of styrofoam. Willie rolled his eyes. He did not know what Mom was so worried and upset about.

Suddenly, flames sprang up high and they all three had to step back from the barrel because the heat was so great. In a minute or so, all the styrofoam (and everything else in the barrel) was gone. And Willie wasn't rolling his eyes anymore.

Mom got down so that her face was even with theirs. "Styrofoam is extremely flammable," she said. "That means that you came very close to burning down our whole house."

Ellie was sobbing, and tears were even leaking out of Willy's eyes.

Mom pulled them closer. "The next time you are tempted to break a rule you don't understand," she said, "please come and talk it over with us first. We have these rules because we love you."

Sometimes we think the authorities in our lives make us follow foolish rules. Willy thought his mom was overreacting. After all, he was a smart kid and they were being really careful! But his mom knew something he did not know.

God is all-knowing, and He is all-loving. We do not always understand the reasons behind all His laws, either, but we can know from the Bible that He disciplines us because He loves us. The Bible makes it clear that we are not to "despise" or "regard lightly" the discipline of the Lord. We ought to take it seriously and to be grateful for it. God's discipline is proof that He loves us as His own children.

God disciplines His children for His glory and their best good.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is with You in the Dark

"If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." (Psalm 139:11-12)

Are you afraid of the dark? It is easy to feel afraid at night, isn't it? The dark makes everything look a little bit different. When Eileen was a little girl, she used to worry that there was a robber or maybe even a bear hiding in her closet. Eileen sometimes felt afraid that her toys would come to life after she went to sleep! Things that she and her family would laugh about during the day would start to seem very real and frightening when the sun went down and things got dark.

God is not afraid of the dark. These verses from Psalm 139 tell us that He can see just as well in the dark as He can in the light! In fact, night is just as bright as day to Him. Nothing can be hidden from Him, not even in the darkest dark. And that includes you!

Did you know that fear is a sin? God does not want His children to be controlled by fear (Romans 8:15; 2 Timothy 1:7). Fear takes our minds off the powerful, loving God who is greater than anything that could ever hurt us. If you are God's child, you could trust Him to take care of you, even if there really were a robber or a bear in your room!

Next time you get ready to go to sleep, ask your mom, dad, brother, or sister to read Psalm 139 to you right before the light goes out. Then lie there and think about what it says. God is with you all the time. He is with you in the dark. He sees you. He knows your fears. He wants you to turn away from your fears and think about Him. He wants you to learn to trust Him--even in the dark.

God sees you and takes care of you in the dark.

[Soldier4Christ]

God is the Good Shepherd

"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)

450 Sheep Jump to their deaths in Istanbul, Turkey -- "'First, one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff,' Turkish news media reported. In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher and their falls more cushioned."

Wow. What a story! It is amazing to think that these sheep would be so dumb that they would jump off a cliff to their deaths. Before you say too many mean things about the sheep, though, remember what Isaiah 53:6 says: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

What a humiliating thought it is to remember that we are spiritually what those sheep were physically
. It sure makes perfect sense that we would need a good, guiding shepherd. Remember this: We are the sheep, and God is the good Shepherd.

Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." The shepherds of the cliff-jumping sheep in the news story had left their flocks in order to take a breakfast break. In other words, they were busy feeding themselves instead of watching over the sheep that were in their care. Is God that kind of shepherd? No, He laid down His life for His sheep. The Lord Who is our Shepherd never leaves or forsakes His sheep.

We may stumble and fall as we travel from pasture to pasture, but our Shepherd is always there to help us up clean us up and lead us along. Maybe you have sung the hymn that goes like this: "In shady, green pastures so rich and so sweet, God leads His dear children along." A shepherd protects and provides for his sheep. A good shepherd leads sheep to where the grass is green and where the clear water is flowing. He makes sure they are well taken care of.

God is our Shepherd and supplies the spiritual "food" that satisfies and nourishes our souls. Are you being satisfied with the spiritual food of the God's Word? Are you being led by the good Shepherd? Stay away from spiritual "cliffs"! Do not destroy yourself by straying and wandering from the care and guidance of the good Shepherd. Rebellion against God's shepherding leads to spiritual death and defeat. Remember: We are the sheep. God is the good Shepherd. Cling near the Shepherd's side. Spend time listening to His voice, and follow His leadership. If you do, you will be protected and safe. You will be provided for and satisfied. And you will enjoy the fellowship that is only possible in the presence of the Lord.

God is the good Shepherd. His sheep know His voice and follow Him.