Being close to someone we love is a wonderful feeling. Being close to someone who loves us is also wonderful. What feeling then describes being close to the Someone who broke down the wall of partition that stood between us and God? Who gave His life so that we might live?
In the book of Ephesians, Paul speaks of the uniting of Jews and Gentiles into the church, the body of Christ. He reminds the non-Jewish Christians, i.e. the Gentiles, of their original state: "In time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (2:2-3, KJV). He continues, "Remember that at one time you were Gentiles (heathens) in the flesh, called Uncircumcision by those who called themselves Circumcision, [itself a mere mark] in the flesh made by human hands. [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God" (vv. 11-12, The Amplified).
With no hope and without God? Perish the thought! Definitely not the position to be in. The worst thing about it is that there was absolutely nothing that any Gentile, including us, could do about our sorry condition. But thanks be to God the story did not stop there for the Apostle affirms, "But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near. . . . Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God's [own] household" (v.14, 19). In other words, we are no longer on the outside looking in; we have been grafted into the family with full access, rights and privileges. Our relationship with God can now be one of intimacy, one of closeness. As the hen gathers her chickens under her wings, so our Heavenly Father draws us close to Himself. And there are no words to describe that feeling.
How close are you to the Father?
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Staying Committed
It is difficult, if not almost impossible, to walk away from a very good thing. People who find themselves in such situations, whether in a relationship, a career, or whatever else, usually cherish the experiences. Perhaps the relationships are the most fulfilling. To know and be known to the point where words seem unnecessary for communication; where the person we are with seem to know our thoughts and are able to complete our sentences. They feel our hurts even when we try to hide it from them; they are in tune with our feelings. All of this is mutual of course, for if the relationship is one-sided it is not much fun.
I like to think that as David reflected on the sheep-Shepherd relationship, the "intimacy" was not lost on him. The Shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep knows the Shepherd. The Shepherd gently leads His sheep over mountains and valleys, protecting them from all kinds of danger. He provides safe pastures for feeding and still waters for rest and refreshing. He takes care of the bruises that come with the journey, checking each sheep individually and pouring in the oil when needed. After a long day, He provides an overflowing cup from which each sheep drinks; not rationed amounts but enough until it is satisfied.
The sheep trust their Shepherd. They "know" that He will do everything in His power to ensure their welfare. Despite the tendency to wander, they are never out of the Shepherd's sight. Even if one goes astray, the Shepherd will secure the others and go looking for the one that strayed. In today's parlance, they have it good. It is no wonder therefore, that David closes his psalm with the words, "And through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place" (Psalm 23:6b, The Amplified). Where else would he go? Who else could take care of him the way the LORD, his Shepherd, could and would? This was the same Psalmist who said in another place, "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11, KVJ).
Like David, we too can experience the richness and intimacy of our relationship with our Shepherd. It starts with trusting Him with the things that pertains to us; to abandon ourselves in absolute surrender to His care. That is not an easy thing to do because like sheep we do not always know what is best for us. But our Shepherd can be trusted. There is no one like Him and if we allow Him to, He will lead us home - safely.
I like to think that as David reflected on the sheep-Shepherd relationship, the "intimacy" was not lost on him. The Shepherd knows the sheep and the sheep knows the Shepherd. The Shepherd gently leads His sheep over mountains and valleys, protecting them from all kinds of danger. He provides safe pastures for feeding and still waters for rest and refreshing. He takes care of the bruises that come with the journey, checking each sheep individually and pouring in the oil when needed. After a long day, He provides an overflowing cup from which each sheep drinks; not rationed amounts but enough until it is satisfied.
The sheep trust their Shepherd. They "know" that He will do everything in His power to ensure their welfare. Despite the tendency to wander, they are never out of the Shepherd's sight. Even if one goes astray, the Shepherd will secure the others and go looking for the one that strayed. In today's parlance, they have it good. It is no wonder therefore, that David closes his psalm with the words, "And through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place" (Psalm 23:6b, The Amplified). Where else would he go? Who else could take care of him the way the LORD, his Shepherd, could and would? This was the same Psalmist who said in another place, "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11, KVJ).
Like David, we too can experience the richness and intimacy of our relationship with our Shepherd. It starts with trusting Him with the things that pertains to us; to abandon ourselves in absolute surrender to His care. That is not an easy thing to do because like sheep we do not always know what is best for us. But our Shepherd can be trusted. There is no one like Him and if we allow Him to, He will lead us home - safely.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Comfort of His Goodness & Mercy
As David came to the end of his reflections on what it meant to be a sheep in the LORD's care, he undoubtedly recapped in his mind the loving and protective nature of his Shepherd as they journeyed together. Through the good times and the bad, in plain paths or making their way through the valley of the shadow of death, the thing he could rely on was the Shepherd's care. Never negligent but always diligent. Looking out for the enemies, always watchful for when the sheep strayed, using rod and staff to protect, to rescue, and to draw the sheep close to Himself.
It is no wonder he had nothing to worry about. The nature of the Shepherd was of such that He would do everything in His power to protect His sheep and to make sure they got to the destination He desired for them to be. The journey was not without dangers but it was the Shepherd's responsibility to take care of the flock, and there was no failure in this Shepherd. "Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6a, Amplified) is the only rational conclusion because the sheep are the beneficiaries of the Shepherd's goodness and mercy.
In the context of the sheep and the shepherd, goodness speaks of rightness while mercy speaks of compassion. The shepherd will do what is right for the sheep while showing compassion at all times. In both instances, goodness and mercy are extended to the sheep. For the child of God, sheep of the Good Shepherd, we are also beneficiaries of His goodness and mercy. God's goodness consists of righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy, and love. Mercy is the aspect of God's love that causes Him to forgive the guilty and show compassion toward them. It is not something we can earn or deserve; it is extended because of God's goodness and favor.
There are more theological truths that could be gleaned from our text, but for now it is comforting to know that regardless of whatever comes our way, the goodness and mercies of God are available to us and they are blessings we can rely on. As long as we allow Him to lead us and as long as we commit to remaining in His care, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Everything about Him is committed to our good and even when we don't quite understand where He is leading, how He is leading, or why He have us go along a certain path, we are assured of His goodness and mercy along the way. He knows what He is doing; there should be no doubt about that.
It is no wonder he had nothing to worry about. The nature of the Shepherd was of such that He would do everything in His power to protect His sheep and to make sure they got to the destination He desired for them to be. The journey was not without dangers but it was the Shepherd's responsibility to take care of the flock, and there was no failure in this Shepherd. "Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life" (Psalm 23:6a, Amplified) is the only rational conclusion because the sheep are the beneficiaries of the Shepherd's goodness and mercy.
In the context of the sheep and the shepherd, goodness speaks of rightness while mercy speaks of compassion. The shepherd will do what is right for the sheep while showing compassion at all times. In both instances, goodness and mercy are extended to the sheep. For the child of God, sheep of the Good Shepherd, we are also beneficiaries of His goodness and mercy. God's goodness consists of righteousness, holiness, justice, kindness, grace, mercy, and love. Mercy is the aspect of God's love that causes Him to forgive the guilty and show compassion toward them. It is not something we can earn or deserve; it is extended because of God's goodness and favor.
There are more theological truths that could be gleaned from our text, but for now it is comforting to know that regardless of whatever comes our way, the goodness and mercies of God are available to us and they are blessings we can rely on. As long as we allow Him to lead us and as long as we commit to remaining in His care, He will never leave us nor forsake us. Everything about Him is committed to our good and even when we don't quite understand where He is leading, how He is leading, or why He have us go along a certain path, we are assured of His goodness and mercy along the way. He knows what He is doing; there should be no doubt about that.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Bruised and Hurting But Cared For
To a young child, there is something magical about a mother's kiss. Usually after experiencing a bit of hurt, the crying child comes to mother and somehow as soon as she kisses the hurting spot it is as if all is well with the world again. Some of you are chuckling because you remember those and other "let me kiss it again" moments.
The sheep in the shepherd's care also had its bruising moments. Though the plateau was prepared and the "enemies" in the form of poison and prickly plants removed, every now and again the sheep's head and tender nose would get bruised by the edges of stones buried in the grass. This is in addition to the long hours spent in the hot sun as it made its way from pasture to pasture. So at the end of the day, not only is the flock tired but some of the sheep are bruised and hurting. As they made their way into the fold, the caring shepherd would stand by the door and examine each sheep individually. In his "The Healing Power of the 23rd Psalm" Charles Allen tells us that at this moment, "If there were hurt places, the shepherd would apply soothing and healing oil. Instead of becoming infected, the hurt would soon heal. Also, the shepherd had a large earthen jug of water, the kind of a jar that kept the water refreshingly cool through evaporation. As the sheep came in, the shepherd would dip down into the water with his big cup and bring it up brimful. The tired sheep drank deeply of the life-quickening draft."
This was the picture in David's mind as he reflected on his Shepherd's care, "Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5b). He was intimately aware that whatever hurt and exhaustion he experienced, the LORD as his Shepherd would daily tend to those. Not only would He pour the oil of healing in to his wounds, but He would also provide the refreshing, from an overflowing cup, that his body and soul needed.
As the Christian goes through life, we too experience bruising and hurting moments when all we want is for someone to "kiss" our bruises and make the hurts go away. For some of us life has been cruel; the hurts have been many and the joys too few. Despite our best efforts, our energies are spent and our physical and spiritual man exhausted. However, like the Psalmist, let us understand and appreciate that at the end of every day, we can trust the LORD, if we make Him our Shepherd, to "anoint" our hurts with His healing oil and from His unlimited supply, He offers us an overflowing cup from which to drink.
We cannot escape the bumps and the bruises. What we have is a Shepherd who cares. We may feel like one among many but we are reminded that “He calleth his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). He knows who you are, where you are hurting, and He is committed to ministering to you. Allen writes, "I like that. It makes me feel important" and I readily agree. I encourage you to run to "Daddy"; to trust your Shepherd with your hurts. Not only does He know what He is doing, He also knows exactly what to do. And His "kisses" are more than magical.
The sheep in the shepherd's care also had its bruising moments. Though the plateau was prepared and the "enemies" in the form of poison and prickly plants removed, every now and again the sheep's head and tender nose would get bruised by the edges of stones buried in the grass. This is in addition to the long hours spent in the hot sun as it made its way from pasture to pasture. So at the end of the day, not only is the flock tired but some of the sheep are bruised and hurting. As they made their way into the fold, the caring shepherd would stand by the door and examine each sheep individually. In his "The Healing Power of the 23rd Psalm" Charles Allen tells us that at this moment, "If there were hurt places, the shepherd would apply soothing and healing oil. Instead of becoming infected, the hurt would soon heal. Also, the shepherd had a large earthen jug of water, the kind of a jar that kept the water refreshingly cool through evaporation. As the sheep came in, the shepherd would dip down into the water with his big cup and bring it up brimful. The tired sheep drank deeply of the life-quickening draft."
This was the picture in David's mind as he reflected on his Shepherd's care, "Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over" (Psalm 23:5b). He was intimately aware that whatever hurt and exhaustion he experienced, the LORD as his Shepherd would daily tend to those. Not only would He pour the oil of healing in to his wounds, but He would also provide the refreshing, from an overflowing cup, that his body and soul needed.
As the Christian goes through life, we too experience bruising and hurting moments when all we want is for someone to "kiss" our bruises and make the hurts go away. For some of us life has been cruel; the hurts have been many and the joys too few. Despite our best efforts, our energies are spent and our physical and spiritual man exhausted. However, like the Psalmist, let us understand and appreciate that at the end of every day, we can trust the LORD, if we make Him our Shepherd, to "anoint" our hurts with His healing oil and from His unlimited supply, He offers us an overflowing cup from which to drink.
We cannot escape the bumps and the bruises. What we have is a Shepherd who cares. We may feel like one among many but we are reminded that “He calleth his own sheep by name” (John 10:3). He knows who you are, where you are hurting, and He is committed to ministering to you. Allen writes, "I like that. It makes me feel important" and I readily agree. I encourage you to run to "Daddy"; to trust your Shepherd with your hurts. Not only does He know what He is doing, He also knows exactly what to do. And His "kisses" are more than magical.
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