Tended Sheep

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness…. Psalm 23:1-3

We are all familiar with the parable of the lost sheep where the shepherd searched diligently for the one lost sheep. Over the years I have come to think we miss something about the shepherd. Yes, he searches out the lost, but does he stand idly by twiddling his thumbs, waiting for one of those stupid sheep to get lost? NO!!

The familiar Psalm 23 which we all love holds some vital clues about the ‘Good Shepherd’. His time is mostly spent looking after the sheep he has in the fold. The ones which are not lost. He values them. Read the verses over again, because this is not a Shepherd who idly waits for one to go missing. He is actively making sure each one feels worth His attention, and valued. He IS the shepherd after all, so would we expect any less?

Church leaders and pastors, by definition are ‘shepherds’, and as such have a responsibility to tend (I love that word of caring) the sheep which are faithful and remain within the fold. While we remember the one that strayed, keep in mind the other ninety-nine which were secure in the pen. So, where is the bulk of the shepherd’s time spent, if not on the ones which already are safe? It is down to the tending of the Good Shepherd that more are not lost, and similarly it is the driving force and heart of our earthly Pastors who help the sheep that need his attention. So, what else is in the Good Shepherd’s mind? Nothing! Just the wellbeing of the sheep that already are His.

There are too many ways to mention where a Pastor can help his flock, but they all come down to one characteristic. Like the Good Shepherd, he must care for all his flock, to the exclusion of all else.

Fast Pass

You are at a major theme park, and you don’t have time to wait in the line, so what do you do? You buy a Fastpass which lets you stroll up, straight to the top of the queue and get on the attraction of your choice. And what did you do for this benefit? You paid for it! Others didn’t pay the price, so they wait in line. That seems fair, doesn’t it?

I have noticed another kind of Fastpass in operation, and right up front let me apologise for offending some sensitive people, because there is nothing surer. If we hold to the simple and basic beliefs of any Christian church, heaven is not granted to everybody. There has to be a recognition of our need of a Saviour, repentance, followed by salvation. I don’t want to complicate things, but that’s it in a nutshell for most. What no one can do is pay for entrance to heaven. It is a non-negotiable. Heaven is for believers!

Why then, especially around Memorial Day, do we see many references to soldiers who died in combat going straight to Glory? It is treated like a Disney Fastpass. Dare I suggest that not all brave (and no one doubts their courage and bravery) military men and women are believers in the atoning work of Jesus Christ? In spite of that obvious truth, we constantly, year after year, grant heaven to all past and serving military personnel. Brave soldiers, sailors and airmen and women are not given a Fastpass to heaven when they sign up to serve their country, and it does no good to pretend otherwise.

So, during this season of honouring and remembering our military, can we try to keep the truth in mind? Jesus said in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” These words are true for all, but the great news is that all can accept the gift of salvation, and enter the kingdom of God, including our brave military. It isn’t a Fastpass, but it is guaranteed because Jesus died to secure it. He further says in verse 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now that is worth celebrating by everybody, and on any every day of the year!

Quiet Confidence

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “in quietness and in trust (confidence) shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling. Isaiah 30:15 ESVUK

God doesn’t get it wrong. We often do, but never God, and let’s face it, He has our best interests at heart. And yet, at those times when we need assurance most, we lack confidence. Is it because we don’t trust Him? I don’t think so, but I do believe we don’t trust Him enough.

We all have a high respect for people we see as being quiet in their confidence of those routine matters of life which affect them. They stand out in the crowd of insecurity, and yet they may not have a strong faith, or perhaps they have no faith at all. We as Christians need to step back and admire these folks because we have more reason to be confident, but we shy away from stating it, just in case our desire or prayer doesn’t happen and we look foolish. Do your non religious friends use the same excuse? No, and neither should we.

We have every reason to be confident of our salvation, and for the most part I can see that confidence coming through in the lives of His earthly saints. But what about those things, closer to home and not about deep matters of faith? What about the ordinary and everyday stuff, and those things, and yes especially people who grace our path, but we are unsure of our own feelings and at a human level, we lack confidence? We certainly don’t want to barge in like a bull in a china shop and ruin what building blocks of relationship we may be trying to lay. A rash and presumptuous confidence is not a good thing either, and should be avoided at all costs.

Prior to the verse above, God is setting out His reasons for loving and caring about His people, and although they back off and don’t recognise God’s hand in their lives, He continues to work undeterred and undaunted. Confidence is lacking, but God clearly says, “in quietness and in trust (confidence) shall be your strength.” You can’t help but see and feel the strength and power of God as He tends to His faltering people. I love the promise that our gracious God is on our side, granting a quiet confidence and trust that He has it all under control. Now isn’t that enough to inspire confidence in the nervous and feeble hearted? Yes and Amen.

Appearances and Impressions

Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

We don’t do very well with abstinence, do we? We much prefer to dabble a bit in some things we know we shouldn’t have anything to do with, but we’re only human after all, right? The other thing we’re not good at is appearances. We’re not sure what to do with our thoughts and feelings when something appears to be wrong, and while part of us knows to avoid it, the other part suggests that it isn’t so bad, after all lots of people do it and some claim to be Christians.

I think it comes down to our definition of sin, and where we draw the line. Although we might have difficulty in pinning it down, the mother of the great Charles and John Wesley didn’t. Susanna Wesley guided her children with these words: “Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.” Could we handle that?

Whatever we do, by the very nature of our humanity, we always leave an example, either good or bad. However, one thing is certain, we do leave an impression on other lives as they watch how we live and handle life. That includes the things we don’t do. In recent years we have turned away from sounding legalistic by saying there are things we shouldn’t do, but here is a verse telling us clearly to avoid not just obvious sin, but the very appearance of evil. So, I must ask again. Will be dabble or abstain?

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6

Thy Will be Done

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done. Matthew 26:42

The words fall from our lips as we recite the Lord’s Prayer, and we use them as advice to others when a tough decision is needed, but do we mean it? I think we mean well, especially if the situation is not life threatening, and even just one of life’s trivialities.

It’s very different when a friend or loved one’s life is in the balance, hung between earth and heaven, and we fear the worst. What then? I liken it to advice which may be given by a well meaning person who, when faced with a sick friend, says I believe God can heal you, but they have no experience of needed healing in their own life. Maybe they have come to terms with their own illness, or more likely it is easier to transfer their ‘faith words’ to someone else. It might even sound ‘holy’, although I think that word should be ‘hollow’.

My experience confirms that the person most likely to say these words, and mean them, is the one directly facing the serious health issue. I see it harder for the loved ones to say the words, never mind mean them. In one case, there is a resignation that he or she is IN God’s hands and will, and in the other case loved ones don’t want to test the issue. After all, what if it is God’s will to cut the thread that holds your dear one to this world, and you don’t want to have any part in that action?

Jesus knew life as a human being, and yet was sinless. The first verse above is the prayer aimed at guiding the disciples in how they should approach their Father. That, for us, is the easy part and we use it often as an encouragement for others, when we want to help in some way. The second verse is very different. Jesus is dripping blood-sweat as He prays for His execution to pass. He was in agony, but even through the pain and knowledge of the torture that faced Him, the words are recorded, “Thy will be done”. If that prayer had been answered differently by God, we would not have been offered salvation. It was only through the shed blood that we have remission of sins.

Next time you pray for God’s will to be done in your life, or the life of a loved one, bear in mind the depth of the prayer, and be glad that part of Jesus’ prayer was answered to give the best outcome, and He  went through the way of the cross for our salvation. That perfect will for you might mean the loss of a job, a downturn in finances, poor health, or the ultimate cost of losing a dear one to heaven.

There is yet another aspect about God’s will. There may come a time when something good or someone special crosses your path, and humanly, you want this to be His will, and to happen. You may even pray that God makes His will clear, although we are already convinced that this something or someone has to be what God would want for us, but are we prepared to wait for the clear confirmation? Separating God’s will from our own desire is not always easy, so it is essential that we are certain about whose will we follow. God’s pure will for our good, or our own? We must remember that His will is always the best for us, whether we think so at the time or not. After all, Jesus found this prayer difficult, and there is no reason that we would find it easy!

Depression

Mention the word depression in any social setting, even with close friends, and the tone of the conversation drops like a stone. We know it happens, and we may even know some folks who have suffered from it, or sadly still do, but we want to keep a healthy distance. After all, it spoils an otherwise good evening, and if you are the one who brings the subject up, friends will distance themselves one by one until you are left on your own. Is that where any depressed person belongs?

Make no mistake, there is a short distance between anxiety and depression if not recognised and tackled both by the sufferer and his or her circle of friends. Like other internal issues, the signs can be well hidden, or perhaps seen but ignored and the last thing anyone wants is the stigma associated with the condition. After all, so the thought goes, you are only one step away from a straightjacket and a padded cell.

Anyone with a deep faith should never be depressed, I hear you say. You have salvation and so many things to live for, and maybe you are right, but there are examples in the Bible of men of God who succumbed to depression in different circumstances. So is it really so strange to think that someone you know will be close to their emotional limit?

If you want to help, here are some things to look for, but are rarely seen. A convincing and ready smile. An encouraging manner. The hard swallow lump in the throat. An unguarded emotional tear. You are looking for a master of facial and emotional disguise, so don’t be surprised when you see a friend ‘go under’ and find yourself saying, “I would never have guessed”. It just shows how good a job they did at hiding, and how poor a job we do as friends in not getting close enough to see, but be assured that you are not alone in missing the signs. The really sad and telling truth is that you probably won’t recognise the condition in your friend until they tip over the visible edge. Such is life!

Counter Intuitive

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them”. Luke 6:27-32

Let me be honest. I have trouble with these verses. I see the horrific images on TV of innocents being butchered in the name of Islam and their god (small ‘g’) and I have a natural reaction to do the same to them. Especially when those innocents are children, or people from my own nation who take Muslims readily and try to assimilate them into our society with all the benefits we can give. What do some of them do? They head off to Syria to join and help ISIS! Now that is counter to all we give them.

But Jesus gives us a command which is even more counter intuitive. Jesus tells us to love them. Really? How are we supposed to do that? I know I forget that this kind of terrorism is not new. Jesus was familiar with it too, and in spite of his own country being overrun by the Romans and their own brand of terrorism, and even knowing that His own journey would lead to a cruel death at the insistence of His own church people, He tells His disciples and us to love our enemies! That’s all well and good, but does it work?

It didn’t take long after Jesus death, resurrection, ascension and pentecost for that same band of timid and afraid disciples to take to the streets and enthusiastically preach the new Gospel Message of Love, the Gospel of Peace, the Gospel of Jesus the Christ! It works. Over 2,000 years later, we still celebrate Christmas, Pentecost, Whitsun and Easter and all because of the counter intuitive message of love in the face of abuse, injury and even death. Amen for that simple, working, Gospel Message.

WC and PC

I know this is a contentious issue, and there is a lot of bluster and high emotion talked about allowing grown men to enter and use ladies and girls toilets and vice versa. It’s done in the name of freedom and equality, therefore it must be right, so goes the argument. The numbers involved are very low, ie less than 1% of people in the UK see themselves as transgender, so either we should allow this very small group do what they want at the expense of the 99% majority, or we apply some common sense and say no. On top of this, ‘we’ are encouraging very young children to decide with which gender they ‘self identify’.

When was the last time a judge dismissed a murder case because it doesn’t happen much, and murderers are in the minority? Or closer to the point, when was a case thrown out because a paedophile abused a child, and he was considered a minority in society? Society is changing fast, and we have leaders, both political and in the higher church circles who are swimming in the slipstream of minority opinion, instead of swimming with the mainstream against popular ‘equality’ messages. After all, we all know in our heart of hearts that the issue is not one of equality because there are many inequalities in our world, and they work for our greater good. This is a clear case of trying to be seen as politically correct!

Society and community has thrived over many centuries without any doubt over who are men and who are women. What has happened to bring this change about? I think we need to understand the unashamed and openly espoused agenda of the LGBTI group. We have become used to recognising and using the initial letters when we talk about it, and we forget what they stand for. This group have the ear of the establishment and use that influence very effectively to bring about change in the basic human rights and needs of society, and we are allowing it to happen. That’s you! That’s me!! You have to wonder why more of the 99% majority don’t exercise their right to speak out?

The majority have now become known as the intolerant part of society. They are labelled as bigoted and ignorant of the real needs of a small ‘hurting’ group of people who really need to use a toilet of their ‘chosen’ or ‘self identified’ gender. Yes, it’s that simple but we make it complicated. Men who think they look like, behave, or even like the thought of dressing like a woman, can decide which bathroom to use. Meanwhile the 99+% who don’t have a problem can’t use their freedom of choice. It doesn’t take much to see that there is room for abuse (note that word) of the system being put in place to accommodate the confused mini-minority. These are some of my concerns

Who will guard the toilet entrance to see which door any ‘man or woman’ uses?

Who will be inside the toilet checking that there is no loitering with evil intent?

What will be the penalty if there is a distressed child, but no proven abuse?

Who will accompany or talk to the children in the toilet to ensure they feel safe?

We tell our children not to talk to strangers, so why put them into danger?

It would be good to hear again some words we can trust:

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

He created them male and female and blessed them. Genesis 5:2

A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this. Deuteronomy 22:5

"Haven't you read the Scriptures?" Jesus replied. "They record that from the beginning 'God made them male and female.' Matthew 19:4 (Jesus)

Trouble

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The Bible is full of truth, and there are times you read a verse that you know very well, but it hits you in a different way. Stronger, personal, and more powerful in its intensity. Such are the words in this verse.

Trouble. Jesus doesn’t say where it will come from, so we have to keep an open mind. Each of us will endure different kinds of trouble which could include health, big life changing decisions, education, family death, depression, anxiety and the list goes on. Since the kind of tribulation is not mentioned, we know that the next phrase applies to each and every one we may face. Remind yourself of these words as often as necessary, and tell yourself that they are the words of Jesus. “But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Did you get it? Read it again, and let it stick because there will come a time when you will need to remember them word for word.

There is another word tucked into the middle which might be overlooked as we think of overcoming. The words are these: “in me you may have peace”. Peace is a commodity in short supply in today’s world, and happy (blessed) is the one who achieves it. I love the words of Jesus who talks about this in John 14:27 when He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid”. Amen and Amen!

They're Just Words

I have heard the phrase “they’re just words” said by a prolific swearer, in an attempt to explain or excuse his inability to speak without profanity. “It’s just street language” is another way they might reply. Then there are those who swear now and again because they can’t help it as the words just tumble out. Then the justification is that they have always been like that so they can’t stop it now. It’s too late to change. There is a third type of swearing person, and that’s the one who hardly ever uses bad language, and who will use it for shock effect, or to reinforce a point. That way, the point is not overlooked. It is calculated and used to make sure you pay attention.

The Christian doesn’t swear, and they don’t have to take the Lord’s name in vain either. The reason is that their tongue and lips have been cleaned up. An encounter with Jesus Christ can and will remove the habit.

However, there is yet another category of person we need to recognise. These are the ones who claim Christ as Saviour, but like living close to the edge in their use of language. So, words which rhyme with a curse might be used in its place. Then there has been no swearing, but the listener knows what is going on and the witness (if any was intended) is lost. And what about someone who is called to a sanctified life of holiness, but occasionally and deliberately uses certain words for effect which can have a double meaning, leaving the message of any Word/words less than edifying, and does not reflect a Godly example? Let’s leave it there, except for these few verses which should be our guide into everything we say…..

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;… James 3:8,9