WHEN GOD DOESN’T HEAL

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

WHEN GOD DOESN’T HEAL

Does God heal today?  Oh yes!  Here are some scriptures that declare it to be so:

- (Exo 15:26)... I am the LORD who heals you."

- (Psa 103:3) Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.

- (3 John 1:2) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

If God’s Word gives us these promises we should diligently seek the Lord for His healing touch when we have need of it.  

But here’s the next question:  Does God heal everybody and at all times?  Some teach in the affirmative but the weight of Scripture says there are times when God would choose not to heal for a purpose He would have in mind.  Take Paul for instance.  He had an apparent physical malady that He asked God to heal and God didn’t.  Read this clip from Corinthians:  

(2 Cor 12:7-10) And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. {8} Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. {9} And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. {10} Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Sometimes there’s a lesson for us to learn before God heals us.  Until then, we can rely on His grace and claim His promise that He is our strength in weakness.  And if He still doesn’t heal us we are to remain true to Him and trust that it’s all part of His plan that will someday be revealed. (1 Cor. 13:12)

So bottom line:

- The ultimate healing is spiritual, the forgiveness of sins (Isaiah 53:5).

- We are to claim His promises of physical healing.

- We are to trust His purposes when our healing is delayed or denied. (Rom 8:28)

- And we are to remember the ultimate of healing and health is when we are in His presence forever as His redeemed saints, praising Him in our glorified bodies that will never know sickness, pain, disease, or death again.  Hallelujah!

Louie

FAMILY DEVOTIONS

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

FAMILY DEVOTIONS 

(Deu 6:7)  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.   

It’s the Mormons that have a saying, “The family that prays together, stays together.”  And that is so true.  But why should families of a cult be a better example of godliness and togetherness than those from the true Christian faith?   

The goal is to get the family together on a daily basis to read the Bible together and pray.  When this happens you grow spiritually together and will also experience unity and harmony that brings peace and joy to your household.  This is because as you get closer to Jesus you get closer to each other.  Your family exists to serve God and be a witness to the world. No wonder the enemy seeks to keep Christian families from this spiritual discipline!   So what are some reasons Christian families are so negligent or inconsistent in having family devotions?

LAZINESS.  We just get lazy as families.  We are so hang loose that we fail to set goals as families.  We so often lack discipline when it comes to schedules and objectives and no wonder not much gets done in a real sense of accomplishment that your family can be proud of.  It’s time to put God back in first in our families!  (Mat 6:33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  

BUSYNESS.  The typical family in our society operates non-stop throughout the day.  Our culture thrives on going, going, going.  So no wonder we are “gone” when it comes to getting home at the end of a busy work/school day.  Families hurriedly eat dinner and then basically watch TV or view their personal devices for hours on end.  Then people start passing out one by one and off to bed they go.  Families get wired and then they get tired.  (Mat 13:22)… the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  

So how do you do family devotions?  Suggestion:  When your kids are young read and pray with them as you tuck them into bed at night.  Kids love those Bible story books with the great pictures.  Then they drift off to sleep in the arms of Jesus.  As your children get older then after dinner is a great time around the table or out in the living room.  Maybe go through a gospel like Matthew and take one parable or story at a time to read, discuss, and then pray. (There might even be an app for that!) The family is integrated and the rest of the evening has that spiritual focus and charm like you get when you leave church.  There will be times when you miss but make sure you have family devotions the next evening.   

When you have a family altar, watch your family get altered in the right way that glorifies God and brings family unity! 

Louie

GRACE

                        SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

GRACE

(Rev 22:21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Grace.  That word we all love but sometimes have a difficult time explaining.  That which we need the most but have a difficult time attaining.  It can change our lives and also be sustaining.  Grace is defined as “unmerited favor.”  You can’t earn it…it’s the free gift of God.  Some explain it with an acronym: God’s Richest At Christ’s Expense.  I like it spelled out like this: Justice is getting what you deserve…Mercy is not getting what you deserve…Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.  

The Bible says we are saved by grace: (Eph 2:8-9) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation.  We are helpless sinners from birth and bound for eternal destruction.  We have violated the law of God and stand judged for condemnation.  But God saw our fallen condition and interposed.  He sent Jesus His Son to die on our behalf.  He was the spotless Lamb who died as our substitute.  Now those who put their trust in the work Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection will be saved by God’s grace.   

The Bible says we also grow in our faith by grace.  (2 Pet 3:18) but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…  There is that tendency in us as believers to think it’s up to us to continue on by our own merits.  How wrong!  Just as we are saved by grace we also grow in grace.  We can’t do a thing without the Lord.  How we desperately try to work for our sanctification but end up failing so pitifully.  Every Christian has to learn this valuable lesson.  Jesus said: …for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)  We will never measure up to that perfect standard.  We all fall short.  Thank God we are under grace and not the law!

Grace is something that is also transferable to others.  You can give to others what they don’t deserve.  You can offer them that free gift of forgiveness and overlook their faults because you know God’s grace has done that for you!  It sets your offender free and keeps your heart free from the hardness of bitterness and unforgiveness.  (Mat 10:8)…Freely you have received, freely give. (See also Mat 18:21-35)

Grace has changed my life.  I had always struggled with that condemnation the devil puts upon you that you’re not good enough.   I thought if I worked harder and became more dedicated God would reward my efforts.  Then the Lord taught me that everything is a free gift from Him. (Jms 1:17)  It has also taken judgmentalism from my heart.  I have more grace for others that I never used to have because I was holding them to a standard.  Now I can just love people and accept them for who they are.  Instead of elbowing them I give them more elbow room.  And you know what’s funny?  I then see changes in their lives!  Grace…what a great way to live!!

Louie

THE MYSTERIOUS MELCHIZEDEK

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

THE MYSTERIOUS MELCHIZEDEK 

A mystery man.  Who is he?  Where did he come from?  Where did he go?  And yet his life foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah thousands of years before He came to earth.  Was he a real human being?  Was he an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament?  Let’s look into this enigmatic figure of the Old Testament and try to solve the mystery of MELCHIZEKEK.   

The story of Melchizedek is found in only three places in the Bible (Genesis, Psalms, and Hebrews): (Gen 14:18-20) Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.  And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.  The background is that after Abraham rescued Lot from being kidnapped by a coalition of kings, Melchizedek, a king and a priest, came to greet Abraham and offered him bread and wine.  He then blessed Abraham and afterward Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek.   

Then over in Psalm 110 there is the second mention of Melchizedek.  (Psa 110:4) The Lord has sworn and will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”  David predicts here that in the future the people of the Messiah will have an eternal High Priest. Melchizedek was a king and priest and in the coming Kingdom the ancient unity of priest and king in one person will be reunited in the Messiah.  Finally in Hebrews the writer exercises a brilliant stroke in combining the Genesis and Psalm references concerning Melchizedek and relating them to the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Heb 7:1-25). 

Now let’s try to pull it all together.  The author of Hebrews brings out the similarities of Melchizedek and Jesus to argue that Jesus is eternal and superior to the Old Testament Aaronic priesthood.  These similarities include:  1) Their dual roles:  They were both priest and king.  (Heb 7:1; Psa 110:4). 2) Their eternal nature: (Heb 7:3; Psa 110:4). 3) Their description of character: King of righteousness (Heb 7:2; Jer 23:6) and king of Salem, or peace (Heb 7:2; Isa 9:6). 4) Their free gift of grace: Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to Abraham (Gen 14:18).  Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper (communion) with the elements of bread and wine (1 Cor 11:23-26).    

Was Melchizedek a real person?  Or was he a preincarnate appearance of Christ in the Old Testament?  One cannot be certain but consider some other Christophanies in the Bible: Gen 18:1, Gen 32:24, Josh 5:13-15, and Daniel 3:24-25.   

I hope the figure of MELCHIZEDEK is less of a mystery to you and more of a reality as seen in Christ.  If you ask Him He will walk off the Bible pages and right into your heart.  Let Jesus be your priest and king today!   

Louie

THE FIVE MINUTE MELTDOWN

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

THE FIVE MINUTE MELTDOWN 

(Galatians 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is … self-control … 

Okay, I’ve got a proposition for you that may seem kind of wild but I hope you will indulge me just for a moment.  I would like for you the next time you have a meltdown to just freak out for only five minutes.  That’s right…just five minutes.  Get all your anger out, say what you want to say, vent till you’re spent, cry, yell, pound your fist, kick the wall, say you’re going to quit, threaten to leave, send you’re mean text, and do whatever else you want to do.  Then when time is up you have to quit all that.  Your meltdown is over.  Now you just go on with your business, be cool, and have a great rest of the day. 

So what do you think?  Sound kind of crazy huh?  Well, you know what I’m trying to do, don’t ya?  Yeah, you’re quick.  You know that if I can get you to put all of your anger and upsetness into five minutes then you will think...well, if I can get all this emotional expenditure down to five minutes, then why not go further and get it down to one minute?  And if I can get it down to one minute then why not just skip my tantrum completely?  He he…I love strategy! 

We all have our way of throwing a fit when things get overwhelming and we feel we are under undo pressure.  We go off and lose emotional control and we say and do things that are not good.  Family members retreat to their bedrooms, our animals hide under the beds, and we are left alone with regret over what was said and done.  You see it’s not just the terrible twos that we have to worry about.  We can lose it at any age given the right amount of circumstance.  But is it worth it?  Do we always have to default to having an outburst (2 Cor 12:20)?  Isn’t there a better way to act when we are angry? 

The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is self-control.  That means we don’t have to give in to how we feel.  The Holy Spirit will restrain us if we yield to His power within us.  We want to lose control but we don’t have to lose control.  We can choose to let the Lord settle us down and to maintain our composure.  All we have to do is step aside, give way to His influence, and then we will mellow instead of meltdown.  Then the fruit of that will be so wonderful we will be glad we didn’t give in.  We maintained our serenity and therefore had the ability to ACT instead of REACT.  Our emotions did not have the chance to take over so we remained calm and collective to deal with the pressure of the moment.  We stayed composed in front of others and so were able to deal with the situation at hand with wisdom and fortitude.  Instead of flipping out we peaced out (Col 3:15).    

So what do you think?  Want to take me up on the challenge?  Enjoy…and tell others about THE FIVE MINUTE MELTDOWN!  (James 3:17) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits… 

Louie 

SO I HEARD YOU WERE ENGAGED?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

SO I HEARD YOU WERE ENGAGED? 

(Isa 62:5) … as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 

So I heard you were engaged?  No way!  That is fantastic news.  This is one of the happiest times of your life.  You have found the person of your dreams and the future is as wide open as the sky.  We are all so happy for you and wish you God’s best.  Here’s some things to take into consideration as you get closer to the altar: 

PREMARITAL COUNSELING – (Exo 18:1) Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you…  Get in contact with the pastor of your church as soon as possible and set up premarital counseling.  This will be a series of sessions focusing on what the Bible says about love and marriage.  Topics will typically include communication, money, Biblical roles of the husband and wife, parenting, conflict resolution, etc.  Then the three of you will go back and forth in discussion about the topic and then end up with prayer.  You would be surprised how many couples have never had premarital counseling.  Don’t let that be you!  Your marriage is important and you want to lay a good foundation.   

WEDDING OR MARRIAGE? – (Col 3:15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…  Wedding preparation can get crazy!  There is so much to do and plan for and you don’t really know until you jump in.  Find a good wedding planner check list and have fun with all the excitement.  Set a budget as a couple and stick to it.  You don’t want to enter marriage in debt.  Also, it is going to get really stressful toward the end and you might be at each other’s throat.  Don’t worry, this is normal.  You can practice how to have a spat and make up!  Take a break when you need to and have some fun.  And remember a wedding is one day but a marriage is for a lifetime! 

DEVOTIONS – (Mat 6:33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Remember to read the Word of God and pray together regularly.  This will set the stage for a solid marriage.  If you’re too busy now then what makes you think it will get easier when you are married?  The man should take the incentive here and be the spiritual leader of the relationship.  Also going to church together and Bible study is essential for your spiritual growth.   Balance out all the material preparation with the spiritual preparation that is needed and watch God bring everything together for you.   

CONFIDENCE – (Heb 10:35) Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.  During your engagement you may experience some conflicting feelings.  Am I really ready for this?  Will I be a good spouse?  Do I have what it takes?  Will I be able to love the way I should love?  Am I ready for two when I’ve been solo for so long?  Will the in-laws accept me?  Answer all these questions with the one most important question:  Has God called us together?  If He has then fall back on that calling and move forward with confidence.   

Louie 

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

 

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

 

Reading through the dry and dusty portion of the genealogies of 1 Chronicles we come across a welcomed oasis (4:9-10).  The birth of Jabez brought pain to his mother.  No, not just the normal pain of childbirth but some kind of complications added to it.  This experience stood out so much to his mother that she named her child “Jabez” which means “pain” or “sorrow.”  Can you imagine how he felt as he was growing up when people asked him why his name was Jabez? 

 

Sometimes our start in life can bring disadvantages.  Perhaps when we were young something happened that put us on a course of difficulty.  And as time went on we just grew accustomed to things going wrong in our lives.  After a while we just sank down into our lot in life accepting that the script has already been written and there’s no way of changing it.  We just adapted to a life of pain.  But Jabez decided he wanted a better life so he turned to the Lord.  He asked God to bless him so that he could reverse that curse on his life and start blessing others.  Here is his five-fold prayer:

 

THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME INDEED - (Gen 32:26)  And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"

 

ENLARGE MY TERRITORY - (Isa 54:2-3)  "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. {3} For you shall expand to the right and to the left…

 

THAT YOUR HAND WOULD BE UPON ME - (Isa 41:10)  Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

 

YOU WOULD KEEP ME FROM EVIL - (Mat 6:13)  And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one…

 

THAT I MAY NOT CAUSE PAIN - (Gen 12:2)  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

 

Is there a dark cloud hanging over your life that needs to be replaced by the sunshine of God’s love?  Then be like Jabez and pray that your pain will be turned into gain.  Jesus took the curse of sin that you might experience God’s loving favor in your life.  Are you tired of feeling like a victim doling out pain?  Are you ready to be blessed and then to be a blessing to others?  Then pray like Jabez and say “Oh, that You would bless me indeed!” God granted Jabez what he requested and He’s ready to hear your request, too.  Then get ready for some changes!     

 

Louie