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The Good Shepherd

October 12, 2017

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. Isaiah 40:11

I sat in the hospital room with my husband, waiting anxiously. Our young son was having corrective eye surgery and I felt the butterflies jostle in my stomach as I fretted and worried. I tried to pray, asking God to give me His peace. As I leafed through my Bible, I thought about Isaiah 40, so I turned to the familiar passage, wondering if anything fresh would strike me.

As I read, I caught my breath, for the words from so many years ago reminded me that the Lord “tends his flock like a shepherd” as He “gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (v. 11). In that moment my anxiety left me as I realized the Lord was holding us, leading us, and caring for us. That was just what I needed, Lord, I breathed silently. I felt enveloped in God’s peace during and after the surgery (which thankfully went well).

The Lord promised His people through the prophet Isaiah that He would be their shepherd, guiding them in their daily lives and giving them comfort. We too can know His gentle tending as we tell Him our anxious thoughts and seek His love and peace. We know that He is our Good Shepherd, holding us close to His heart and carrying us in His everlasting arms.

Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Thank You for the gift of Your sacrificial love and for the peace that passes all understanding.

Read Oswald Chamber's thoughts on worry.

The Good Shepherd cares for His sheep.

INSIGHT

Isaiah 40 starts a significant shift in the book of Isaiah, from grief and pronouncements of judgment for Israel’s sin, to a note of rock-solid comfort (v. 1), forgiveness, and healing—based entirely on God’s mercy and goodness. When the prophet wonders whether the people are too weak and fickle for this message, he is reminded that God’s restoration is not based on them, but only on God’s powerful word (v. 8).

In fact, Isaiah 40 is the first Old Testament text that explicitly articulates the theme of “good news” (v. 9) so important in the New Testament. This good news is that God’s powerful love in our lives does not depend on us. Despite our sin, we can always rely on our merciful God who will both tenderly care for us like a shepherd (v. 11) and, like a mighty warrior (v. 10), powerfully transform our lives.

In order to trust God with our deepest struggles, why do we need Him to be both tender like a shepherd and powerful like a warrior?

Thankful for the
Last Rose Of Summer
Happy Thankful Thursday!

Thankful Thursday

Thank You, Lord, for this Beautiful Autumn day!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

I know that fall up there must be simply gorgeous! Our leaves are still bright green. LOL!

They are just starting to turn here.

But up in Northern Maine, where my sister lives, they have already peaked.

Hope you can get some pics to show all of us here in the south....and make us totally jealous! 🍁

Another few days, and the color will be perfect.

I’ll see what I can do.

Look forward to seeing them. Vicariously seems to be the only way I see pretty fall colors. LOL!

Thank You for the pretty posts.

Been sick with allergies, then my phone went dead, then all my cable needed
replacing, modem replaced, HD control replaced and a new box for one of my
TVs.
I am thankful all those repairs are done and the nausea is gone!
Sweet dreams, my FRiends

Nighty-Night!
Sweet dreams...
Hope tomorrow is better!

Two days of repairmen in is too many! LOL
The best part is getting rid of the nauseating sinus headache.

Thank you, (((LUV))).

I can barely tolerate 1 minute of repairmen! You did good! And now the headache’s gone and you can rest! Ahhhhh.....

Thank you for the Daily Pings, Dear FRiends.
(((((Love, and God Bless)))))

Cat: “See human, all dis is mines. Now give scritches.”

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A New Name

October 13, 2017

Jesus looked at him, and said, . . . “You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1:42

In the article “Leading by Naming,” Mark Labberton wrote about the power of a name. He said: “I can still feel the impact of a musical friend who one day called me ‘musical.’ No one had ever called me that. I didn’t really play an instrument. I was no soloist. Yet . . . I instantly felt known and loved. . . . [He] noticed, validated, and appreciated something deeply true about me.”

Perhaps this is what Simon felt when Jesus renamed him. After Andrew was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, he immediately found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus (John 1:41–42). Jesus peered into his soul and validated and appreciated something deeply true about Simon. Yes, Jesus saw the failure and impetuous nature that would get him into trouble. But more than that He saw the potential of Simon to become a leader in the church. Jesus named him Cephas—Aramaic for Peter—a rock (John 1:42; see Matt. 16:18).

And so it is with us. God sees our pride, anger, and lack of love for others, but He also knows who we are in Christ. He calls us justified and reconciled (Rom. 5:9–10); forgiven, holy, and beloved (Col. 2:13; 3:12); chosen and faithful (Rev. 17:14). Remember how God sees you and seek to let that define who you are.

Lord, thank You for knowing me fully, yet loving me like no other. Help me to see others through Your eyes.

No one can steal your identity in Christ.

INSIGHT

Renaming people was common in the Scriptures, for a name described something about the person. In Genesis 17:5–15 Abram is renamed Abraham. Abram, which means “exalted father,” became Abraham, “father of multitudes.” Abraham’s grandson Jacob, whose name means “heel-grabber” and “schemer,” was renamed Israel, “prince of God.” The despondent Naomi asked her neighbors to no longer call her Naomi (delightful), but Mara (bitterness) because of the hard life she had experienced (Ruth 1:20). In the New Testament, a Christ-follower named Joseph was called Barnabas by the apostles (Acts 4:36). Barnabas means “son of encouragement,” which perfectly captured this man’s interactions with other believers and with the church.

What name would describe you as a follower of Christ?

Happy Friday To Amy's Place

We Wear Red On Friday To Support Our Troops

Wishing You A Wonderful Weekend

Happy Friday!

And Don't Forget To Wear Something Red For Our Troops!

(((HUGS)))

ML/LTOS

Chris DeBurgh~The Lady In Red

A poem of father’s for Friday:

A Song of Legions (1933, Major TenEyck Van Deusen)

Then the Legions turned from Britain
On the long white road to Gaul
From the purple patterned heather
Bound tight against the Wall.
The Little Painted Peoples
Ran shadows through the grass
As they clawed aside the branches
To watch our Eagles pass.
The gallant, vanquished Eagles
With their faces turned toward home,
The proud and polished Eagles
That led the shields from Rome.
The blazing day flung glory
From each rank of tilted spears
And the Cohorts sang of Roma
As their thoughts rolled back the years.
The salt sweat burned the callous
Where the wet straps tugged and tore
And each shift of shield and armour
But seemed to cut the more.
This land was Rome’s and Romans held it
Though the black seas bit the beach,
And wing-helmed through ice and snow whorls
Came those of alien speech.
Huge men and brave in combat
Yellow-haired and raiders all;
But they dropped sail once near Vectis
And we pinned them near the Wall.
Good blades and mighty axemen
And they met us knee to knee,
But our sullen, dark browed Legion
Turned and flung them back to sea.
Yes, they tossed their sails and left us
Bruised and battered, bloody, numb
Yes, we whipped them, whipped them, whipped them
But they never ceased to come!
They’ll come again and take this
All this bleakly lovely shore;
The Picts can never stop them
And the Eagles soar no more.
For the Legions turn from Britain
And their half-completed task -
Rome’s will - there is no question
That a soldier dares to ask,
Dares to ask or stops to wonder -
There is no Law but Rome!
But the land my comrades died in
The Legions called it - home.

What gorgeous color...that I’ll never see here. LOL!

~~~~~ Prior Threads ~~~~~ July, 2005, Closing Thread

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