Matthew 22-28

We have just finished reading Matthew 22-28. In this section we have the last block of teaching that Matthew builds his gospel around. If you remember, Matthew records five "sermons" that Jesus preached that were used as teaching materials for the early church. These five teaching blocks were for new believers as they began following Christ. They are the Sermon on the Mount (5-7), Instructions for Missionaries (10), the Nature of the Kingdom (13), Greatness in the Kingdom (18), and the End of the Age (24-25).

Actually, chapters 24-25 answers three questions the disciples posed; "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" Jesus had just told them that the Temple would one day be destroyed so that one stone would not be left upon another (24:1-2). Jesus answers their three questions in a different order than they asked. In 24:4-14, He answers their third question, in 24:15-20, He answers their first question. And in 24:21-44, He answers their second question. Jesus tells three parables, 24:45-51, 25:1-13, and 25:14-30 to emphasize to us the importance of being prepared and faithful to receive from the Lord and to be obedient to the Lord with what He has entrusted to us.

This last block of teaching ends with a picture of the Judgement Day when Jesus Christ returns in glory with all of the angels to separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. We are not as familiar with this process as they were. Sheep are separated from goats by a word, the voice of the Shepherd. Sheep respond to His word; goats do not. They only eat. They are led by their appetites. Then Jesus says that both groups, sheep and goats, will be surprised by the Lord when He tells them that they fed, clothed, and visited Him when He was in need (sheep) and that they did not feed, clothe, or visit Him when He was in need (goats). They both ask the same question, "When did we see You hungry and feed You...?" (sheep), "When did we see You hungry and not feed You...?" It seems as though the goats had done some culling with their benevolence whereas the sheep had shared indiscriminately. We think of the inn keeper in Luke's gospel who did not know it was the Christ who was about to be born, or he would have made room for Him (Luke 2:7).

The teaching is clear on how to prepare for the return of the Lord; receive from God and share with others from the abundance that God gives. Do not judge others as to whether they are "worthy" or not; appearances can be deceiving; just share and see how closely the Lord is to those in need. Jesus assures us that when we do, ministry becomes an act of worship.

There is another important teaching in this section; in chapters 22-23 we see Jesus being questioned by the religious authorities. In Exodus 12:1-7 we see the instructions that God gave the people concerning the Passover lamb. It was to be selected on the tenth of the month and sacrificed on the fourteenth of the month. For four days it was to be examined. If it had any blemishes it was not to be used. During those four days in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was being examined. He was found to be without blemish.

The questioning began in 21:16 when Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Children were crying out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" The chief priest and scribes were indignant and asked, "Do you hear what these are saying?" It seems strange to us that anyone would ask Jesus if He could "hear." Jesus could perceive men's thoughts. Jesus answered their question with a question. This is a known technique of a master teacher to help the students learn. It is better if a student discover an answer rather than be given one. Jesus is seeking to teach as He is being questioned. In each of the next three questions (21:23, 22:17, 22:24) Jesus answers their question with questions of His own. He is not distracted by their attempts to catch Him in His words. Jesus stayed focused and obedient to the Father; preach and teach the Kingdom and demonstrate the powerful reality of it.

The last question (22:36) is the exception. Jesus does not answer with a question. He simply quotes Scripture to answer. This reminds us of when Jesus was being tempted; He would answer the temptations with Scripture (4:1-11). The question He was asked was, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" There was a huge dispute and disagreement over that question among rabbis. Jesus simply quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jesus was asked four questions and He asked eight questions. This lets us know that He is the one we must answer to, not the other way around.

Chapters 26-28 are chapters we must take our shoes off when reading; it is holy ground. This is the section of the Last Supper, the garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal, arrest and trial, torture, crucifixion and death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world. We can say this about that; Jesus Christ gave His life for us in order to give His life to us so that He could live His life in us, as us, before the watching world, for the glory of our heavenly Father. This event changes everything, forever.

Matthew 11-21

We have just finished reading Matthew 11-21. In this section of Matthew we see the mounting complaints, criticisms, and opposition toward Jesus. We see this opposition coming from all quarters and we see how Jesus handled it; by continuing to teach, preach, and heal. Jesus was not swayed nor distracted by the opposition. His heart was steadfast and steady in following His Father's will. He would use this criticism as an opportunity to teach.

Look at how the opposition grew from thinking to the accusation of Jesus being in league with the devil. Compare 8:33-34, 9:3-6, 10-11, 14, 32-34, 12:1-2, 9-14, 24, 38, 46-50, 13:53-58, 15:1-2, 16:1, 22-23, 17:24-27, 19:3, 21:14-16, 45-46. Notice what Jesus teaches during these occasions of opposition and criticism. Here is the question: What do you do when you are criticized and opposed? Do you try to defend yourself? Do you consider your actions in light of God's will? Do you seek to learn from the stress of it? Do you seek to teach others from the situation? Jesus shows us how to handle opposition.

This sections also gives us a clear teaching on the purpose of miracles. In 11:20 we learn that the purpose of miracles is to lead us to repent. Look also at 12:38-42, 43-45, 16:1-4. In each of these passages repentance is the key. Why would we repent in the sight of a miracle? Most of us would respond with "Wow; did you see that?" But Jesus teaches us that we should respond with, "Woe is me, I am undone; a man of unclean lips..." Repentance. Jesus is teaching us that the only way for a miracle to happen is if God is present and active. Only God can do miracles. Miracles are the work of His hand. And turning (repentance) to Him in every occasion is always the right thing to do, it is always the right response.

There are different kinds of miracles in this section. There are restorative miracles, like when Jesus would restore a person's eyesight or speech (12:22). There are nature miracles where Jesus changes things into a different nature, like when He and Peter walked on the water (14:22-33). There are creative miracles, like when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. He created muscle and tendons that were not there before. The question we must ask as we see this is: What kind of repentance do these miracles lead me to? In the presence of creative miracles my repentant response should be; "Lord, create in me a clean heart." In the presence of a restoring miracle; "Lord, restore unto me the joy of your salvation." The the light of a nature miracle; "Oh God, change me; I'm so easily swayed and tossed about by every wind and wave of temptation; Change me into a solid witness for you; transform my mind; my will; my emotions." The last miracle in Matthew done by Jesus is found at the end of this reading section for the week, 21:18-22. It is the strangest miracle that Jesus performed in that it was the only destructive miracle He ever performed. Notice the teaching Jesus gave as the result of it. How would you respond with repentance as a result of that miracle and teaching?

In this section we also see two of the five blocks of teachings from Jesus; chapter 13 on the nature of the Kingdom and chapter 18 on the nature of the Kingdom in me; or greatness in the Kingdom. In 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, and 47, it says "the Kingdom of heaven is like..." and then lists six very different things. Each of these things reveals something about the nature of the Kingdom. Jesus is teaching us that the Kingdom is like things that are in our lives, things that we can understand. He is letting us know that if we are interested in the Kingdom we can learn about it. But in chapter 18 Jesus teaches us that there comes a point when we must decide whether we want to know about the Kingdom or do we want to enter it. In chapter 18 we learn of greatness in the Kingdom, or how great it is in us when we enter into it. Jesus says three things about the greatness of the Kingdom; humility is great in the Kingdom, our witness and the rejection of sin is great in the Kingdom, and forgiveness is great in the Kingdom. Forgiveness gets most of the print in this block of teaching. When Jesus tells the parable of the wealthy king who entrusted 10,000 talents to a servant (a talent was one lifetime's wages for a common laborer; @ $7 an hour/48 hrs/week/ 51 wks./year X 10,000 it equals $2.9 billion), then asked for his account, the king learned he had lost it all. This is a very wealthy king. This is a very irresponsible servant. The servant begs for forgiveness and receives it. This king is so wealthy, the loss of $2.9 billion doesn't set him back. But when this servant goes out and finds a fellow servant that owes him 100 denarii (a denarius was one day's wage), or about $5,600, and the fellow servant begs for forgiveness but does not receive it from the irresponsible servant. The other servants report the injustice to the king. The parable ends with one of the most startling statements made by Jesus in 18:35, to emphasize that forgiveness received and given is a big deal in the Kingdom.

One of the most misunderstood statements of Jesus is found in this section of teachings, 18:18. This is when Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The context is forgiveness and reconciliation with a brother. What Jesus is teaching is that binding and loosing has to do with relationships. We are to be bound together as brothers and sisters in the Kingdom and are to loose forgiveness with each other here on earth because this is what is bound and loosed in heaven. This is an application to the prayer Jesus taught in 6:10, "...Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

The point is that if we desire to enter the Kingdom, we must realize the greatness of it and be willing for great humility, great rejection of sin in our lives, and great forgiveness to be received and given. We must be ready to receive great change in the way things have been in our lives. What about you? Do you desire a change in your life or do you want to continue simply being you? If you are satisfied in being you, don't follow Christ. But if you desire a Life that fully pleases God, follow Christ and receive His. Christianity is about the Life of Jesus being lived in you, through you, as you before the watching world, for His glory.

Next week we finish Matthew's gospel with the section of chapter 21-28.

Matthew 1-10

We are reading through the Bible in two years with a reading schedule that calls for about 10-12 chapters a week. This allows time for study and meditation. I hope to use this blog each week to review each week's readings.

This past week we read Matthew 1-10. There are four major sections in this reading; the birth of Christ (chapter 1-2), the beginning of His ministry of teaching and healing (chapters 3-4, 8-9), the sermon on the mount (5-7), and the instructions to His missionary disciples (10).

One of the things we notice in the birth story of Jesus are the Magi. These Gentile astronomers from the East traveling to Jerusalem in search of the newborn "King of the Jews," seem out of place in Matthew's gospel. Matthew reveals Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of Old Testament prophesies. Over and over he states, "...this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet..." Twenty times in this week's reading we have Old Testament quotes. But Matthew has another emphasis; Jesus is also the Savior of the Gentiles. Notice in chapter 1:1-17, the genealogy of Jesus, there are three Gentile women listed; Tamar, the Canaanite wife of Judah, Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute who married Salmon (Boaz' father), and Ruth, the Moabite wife of Boaz. Matthew shows us Jesus ministry to Gentiles. In 4:25 the crowds that were being healed are described by being from Galilee and the Decapolis (ten Greek cities), and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordon (Gentile territory). Jesus is the King of the Jews, but from the very beginning, God had included Gentiles in His Kingdom. The Gentiles seemed more eager to enter than the religious Jews.

The Sermon on the Mount (5-7) is the first of five blocks of teachings that Matthew presents to his readers. These teachings sections (5-7, 10, 13, 18, 24-25) were used in the early church as a catechism for new believers. The first of these, called the Sermon on the Mount describes the life of Jesus. It is as if the first lesson for those who had begun following Christ was this question, "Are you sure you want this kind of life?" We find twelve characteristics of the life of Jesus in these chapters. These characteristics exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. The righteous life of Christ is the only life that glorifies the Father. This kind of life is a light that shines from being face to face with the Father; it is the righteousness of God in Christ. The characteristics of reconciliation, pure passions, faithfulness, truthfulness, godly responses, prayerfulness, a disciplined life, being eternally-minded, trusting the Father fully, and a Spirit-guided life of service for others are all explained by Jesus. This is His life. This is what we will become more and more like as we follow Christ. His life is what you receive when you follow and trust Christ as your Lord and Savior.

In chapter nine opposition is introduced (9:11) by Pharisees who criticize Jesus for keeping company with tax collectors and sinner, and eating with them. Jesus responds to His critics with teaching. He is not distracted from His ministry but rather uses the distractions to clarify His ministry. This is a lesson for us. We will see much more opposition in next week's reading (chapters 11-21).

The teachings from chapter ten give instructions to the missionaries of the Kingdom. Jesus instructs His missionaries on the fact that He is their authority and power for the task. Jesus gives them a clear "people group" to minister to. He instructs them to preach and teach the Kingdom and to demonstrate the power of the King in the lives of the oppressed. He tells them to stay with those who are receptive and to include others in the task by receiving from them support for the mission. He warns them of the opposition and of the choice that friends and family must make when other relationships threaten the advance of the Kingdom. The Lord assures His missionaries that they will be successful and that they will be persecuted and suffer. He encourages them not to fear man, but to fear God. Most of all, Jesus lets His missionaries know that He is with them. When someone receives them, Jesus said they "...receive Me."

Some questions from this section:

• How can the emotion of anger be channeled away from the destruction that leads to murder into something that glorifies God? See Mark 3:5 for a time when it says that Jesus was angry.
• How can the eyes become pure and never worry about being torn out for sinning?
• What kind of fruit should we look for in teachers? It must be more than their words and actions according to Jesus (7:21-23).

Next week; Matthew 11-21

An Appetite For God's Word; Psalm 107:17-22

The third group of people that Psalm 107 describes are those who have lost their appetite, their desire for God's Word; they have become "...fools through their sinful ways...they loathed any kind of food..." When the Old Testament uses the word fool it is describing an unbeliever, one who does not believe in God (Psalm 14:1), much less that He speaks to us. This passage in Psalm 107:17-22 tells us that there can be times in the life of a believer when we drift away from God and live a sinful lifestyle, as if there were no God. Their life has no evidence of the influence and strength of God's Word.  In verse 18 it says that they almost died. Maybe you have been there.

But in verse 19 the light comes on, "...Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress." This reminds me of the story Jesus told about the prodical son, who came to himself and resolved to return to his father. God delivered them by sending out His word which healed them and delivered them from destruction. This group is encouraged to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and to tell of his deeds in songs of joy.

God's Word feeds us by giving us the strength to walk in His ways. One of the things our groups notice on mission trips to Uganda is the way the Ugandans pray before they eat; "Lord, give us strength from the food..." They eat for strength. We eat for taste. God's Word is sometimes sweet, but it can also be bland, hot, and even bitter; but it will give us strength if we will receive it by faith. And faith grows as we eat God's word (Romans 10:17).

Be sure that you keep your appetite for God's Word. If you feel you have lost it, cry out to Him for it.

Next week; the fourth group; the fearful.

Psalm 107:10-16; Crying Out to God in Chains

The second group that Psalm 107 describes crying out to the LORD are those who are in prison; the chains of sinful bondage. These are not people who have been captured, they have willingly rebelled against God's word (107:11) and are in the bondage of sinful addictions. There is nothing they can do to escape. "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress." 107:13.

This group are like so many who have been deceived into thinking that God's word does not apply to them, to their situation, or that there is always a better way than God's way. The result of believing that lie ends them up in bondage, in prison, in the chains of sin. But when they cry out to God, He hears and brings them out into the light, breaking their chains, opening prison doors, setting the captives free! Hallelujah! They are instructed to give thanks to the LORD for His steadfast (relationship) love.

God's word is a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path. We will never be led into sin when we follow God's word. His word reveals His ways. His word teaches His ways. His word gives us faith (Romans 10:17). The question is this, Are we willing to receive His word? Do we sit still long enough to hear His word to us each day? When you cry out to the Lord in bondage, listen by looking for the light of His word. He will lead you out.

Next week; God heals those who have lost their appitite for His word; Psalm 107:17-22

Psalm 107:2-9; God Has Redeemed Us From...

Psalm 107 is a psalm of praise to God for His saving power in our lives. We are invited to give Him praise for redeeming us out of trouble. Then the psalmist lists four kinds of trouble we tend to get into.

The first kind of trouble is found in verses 4-9; "Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in..." This is called simply being lost in the worse place imaginable, the desert, where there is constant danger, no cover, no water, no place to hide, no place to run, nothing to eat, no life. "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress." 107:6 (this sentence is repeated three more times in the psalm, verses 13, 19, 28). Because of God's steadfast love (relationship love), "He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in...He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." 107:7-9.

Everyone has experienced this kind of lostness because of sin in our lives; in sin we are lost in the worse place imaginable; the wilderness of "on our own." But when we cry out to God and call out His Name, Lord Jesus Christ, He saves us by putting us in the "straight way," Jesus Christ. He leads us to a city, His Kingdom, and He feeds us His word and satisfies our soul with His Spirit. Let the redeemed of the LORD say, Praise the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Next week; Being delivered from the prison of disobedience; 107:10-16.

Psalm 107:1; Giving Thanks Because God is Good

Psalm 107 begins with an invitation, "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" The word give thanks is one word in Hebrew; yada. It is sometimes translated "praise" and is the root from which the name Judah is built. It is also the word for "hand." In the Old Testament, they didn't say "thank you" they gave thanks! Hands are involved by extending them with something that is in them, like a gift.

We do this when we write a thank you note, or when we give someone a gift out of appreciation for something they did for us. In the Bible it is one of the ways to praise God...to give Him gifts with words of recognition, joyful gratitude, exuberant praise for loving us the way that He does. He loves us with His redeeming love, steadfast love.

The word, steadfast love, is the Hebrew word, hesed, and refers to God's covenant-making love. It is a love that chooses, takes initiative, saves, redeems, delivers, and endures forever...it is eternal, like God. We are loved by God with this amazing love and we praise God for loving us the way that He does.

The word, good, is the Hebrew word, towb. It means "good, best, beautiful, pleasing, excellent, supreme." It describes God's creation because God saw Himself in His creation. God alone is good, because God alone is God. There is nothing greater than towb. God's goodness toward us is experienced in His love for us. There is nothing greater in our lives than God and His steadfast love for us in Jesus Christ.

Next week; What does God's love do in our lives?

Unanswered Prayer Requests; Denied or Postponed

Moses had two denied prayer requests; The first is found in Exodus 33:18, “Please show me Your glory.” And the second is found in Deuteronomy 3:23-28 when Moses asked the LORD to allow him to go into the promised land. Both of these requests were denied; but with a provision.

In Exodus God allowed Moses to see the after-glow of His glory, His back. And in the second case, God told Moses he was not allowed to set foot in the promised land but he would be allowed to see it from a distance, from Mt. Pisgah.

Sometimes God does not give us what we ask for because He loves us and He knows the thing would harm us. But other requests are denied because of timing; in other words, they are not denied but postponed for a later date. In either case, we must trust God with the answers to our requests. He knows what we need and we know that He loves us more than we can image.

Both of these requests of Moses were answered in Luke 9:28-36, on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses got to see the fullness of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ while standing in the promised land. God answered his request beyond what he could have imagined when he originally asked.
What are you asking God for? Does it seem as though He has denied your request? Don’t be discouraged. God loves you and will answer with you in mind because He loves you. When the answer comes it will be beyond your request… more than you can imagine beyond your request! Ephesians 3:20-21.
Bubba Stahl

Goodness and Mercy are Following Me

Psalm 23 concludes with the familiar words, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” When we follow the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, there will be times when He leads us to look back, and to look ahead. In 28 years of pastoral ministry I have found that most people struggle with these two “areas,” their past and their future.

Some look back with regret, others look back longing to go back (”remember Lot’s wife” Luke 17:32), still others cannot get over the pain from an event in their past. But Jesus leads us to look back and see the fruit of His Spirit that has been planted all along the way, His activity in our past which is both good and merciful.

As for the future, so many look ahead with fear, with doubt, with worry, with dreams of their own apart from God’s plan for their life. But Jesus leads us to see that what we have to look forward to is more of the same (verses 1-5) of His provision, His guidance, His abundance, His healing,…His love. He wants us to see the Father’s House, our home, is where we are headed with Him. And He will lead us there…He came from there…He alone knows the way…He is the way.
Bubba Stahl

Desert Hospitality; Psalm 23:5

In Psalm 23 we see a picture of our lives on this earth, nomadic, and the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who leads us through with an abundance. In verse 5 there is an emphasis upon the gracious hospitality of the Shepherd.

Shepherds lived their lives in the open field. Their homes were tents. They were Bedouins. For travelers crossing the desert the shepherds were like a moving oasis. Hospitality in the Bible is huge because this world is not what God created it to be. It has been infected with sin and death. There are dangers at every turn. We are travelers and in need of a gracious host for our journey. Verse 5 describes the most gracious Shepherd host there is, the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

He prepares a table of much needed nourishment, with howling wolves just outside. This is a picture of the Bible and the strength that God’s Word gives us on our journey.  He welcomes us into His dwelling with the luxuries of fragrant oil for our head, hands, and feet. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit and His ministry in our lives of lingering wisdom, holy power and skill for our hands, and clear direction for our feet. He fills your cup with a generous overflow of the most precious and scarce commodity in the desert, water. This is a picture of God’s abundance of all we need, more than we need, in this pilgrimage we are on.

Where are you right now in your journey? Is the Lord your gracious host? Are you with Him? We often pray, “Lord, be with me,” but maybe we should ask, “Am I with Him?” Let Christ take care of you today.
Bubba Stahl

Through the Valley

There is a change that happens in Psalm 23 beginning with verse four. King David has been talking about his Shepherd in the first three verses and the wonderful blessings of contentment, peace, and guidance.  But now he begins talking to his Shepherd beginning in verse four, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

The blessing of God’s presence is your life is the greatest blessing of all. He is greater than anything else in life; greater than His blessings and greater than any enemy or threat, even death. King David knew all to well that in this life there is the constant threat of enemies that seek to do one thing; to kill, steal, and to destroy. It is the same today.

But with God there is no reason to fear the threats of the enemy. Jesus Christ has defeated the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The “rod and staff” of Christ are His sinless life and death for us and His resurrected Life in us. This is our strength (“comfort”) as we go through the seasons of trial and temptation.

Try this: Take the time to get still and quiet with the Lord, asking Him to help you remember times in your past when you were being led by the Lord through a valley. What was the rod and staff in each of those valleys? Was it an encouraging word from a brother or sister in the Lord? Was it a song? Was it a verse of Scripture? Was it a card or a phone call? Do you know someone that you could send a rod and staff to today?

He Restores My Soul

Psalm 23:3 is sometimes divided up into two different thoughts; “He (the Lord) restores by soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” This is not two different thoughts, but rather one. The Lord restores my soul by leading me in paths of righteousness. The word “restore” is a Hebrew word that means to bring back from wandering. It is used mostly in the Old Testament as the word “repent.”

This reveals one of the amazing ways of God; He gives us the gift of repentance (restoring my soul) by showing us the path of righteousness. In other words, God does not clobber us over the head with how wrong we are. He keeps revealing to us how right we can be if we will just trust Him and recieve the gift of being restored by Him, the gift of repentance, trusting His invitation to go a different way.

The invitation to His way, the path of righteousness, is presented to us with the outcome; it will glorify His name. This is one of the wonderful gifts of God. It is also one that we need on a regular basis; being restored.
Are you willing to pray like this? “Lord Jesus, I am so prone to wandering off; off on my own plans, off into blaming others, off into constantly blaming myself, off into areas that You have said are off limits because of the destruction that is waiting there; show me the way that You are leading me; reveal to me the wonderful path where You are glorified. I want to walk that way…” More next week.

Green Pastures and Quiet Waters

Psalm 23 describes for us the gift of abundant life that Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, offers to us if we are willing to follow Him in it. The Lord Jesus wants to share with us the Life that He has and enjoys.
He gives contentment and peace in the midst of frenzied and confused world.

The image of a sheep laying down in green pastures describes a sheep that is content even though it is surrounded by plenty (verse 2). One of the problems we have in our culture is what I like to call the “cafeteria syndrome.” We see so much good stuff we think we need it all. This is one of the reasons the storage room business is booming. We lack contentment.

Quiet waters describes rest and peace and refreshment; the opposite of “the news.” The offer to follow Jesus Christ and to lay down in green pastures beside quiet waters is to discover what God intended our lives to have when He created us; Life with Him. This does not mean that we ignore problems. Even the Garden of Eden had snakes! It does mean that we can choose the offer from our Good Shepherd of something greater than our problems and greater than our blessings; His presence.

Think of the most contented and peaceful moment you have ever enjoyed in your life. That experience was given to you by the Lord to encourage you to know what life with Him is like; not a life absent of worry or trouble, but a life that has contentment and peace that is more powerful than any worry or trouble!

God’s promise to us is that He will be with us in trouble. His presence with you is greater than any other good thing (blessings) and greater than any threat (peace). Call upon the Lord, seek after Him, desire the Life that He desires and has promised to give you; today!
Bubba Stahl

Psalm 23

During this time of recovery from malaria, the Lord has spoken to me in fresh ways from Psalm 23. The writer begins with a declaration of identification; he identifies himself as a satisfied follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.
We know from the title that King David wrote these words. Here is a king who has a King; a king who was a shepherd who is now following his Shepherd. As a young shepherd, David knew why shepherds were needed and what they did. Without a shepherd the sheep would wander off and become prey to wolves and other predators. The worst thing going for sheep is that they are so tasty. They need someone to lead them, protect them, feed them, and be with them constantly. We, too, need a Shepherd who loves us, Someone we can trust to care for every need we have, past, present, and future, Someone who is with us and for us. That Person is Jesus Christ.

Next week; verses 2-6 reveals the fullness of the care that Christ gives as our present and constant Shepherd.
Bubba Stahl