Being a Sheep - and Loving it! (Psalm 23)

The world may say that you should be a goat rather than a sheep (a stupid follower), but I revel in being a sheep, because I have the most loving, most powerful Shepherd looking after me.

Jesus used the analogy of Him being a shepherd to His sheep (us!) often, as it was familiar to people at the time. It's less familiar to us now living in this modern world, so we may need to reflect on what a shepherd does for his sheep a little more. 

A sheep doesn't have much in the way of natural defences - ie. no sharp claws or teeth or venom, and if living in the days before farming, fences, and fewer wild animals, relied on a shepherd for safety. A good shepherd will lead his sheep to good grazing areas for food, and to fresh water, and he will protect the sheep from wild animals that try to harm it. For example, David was a shepherd, and this is what he said about protecting the sheep under his care:

"Your servant [ie. David] used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth;" (1 Samuel 17:34-35)

This is still what Jesus (the Good Shepherd) does for us (His sheep) today - He nourishes us both spiritually and physically and protects us from all harm.

The popular Psalm 23 describes the above beautifully. Although you may be very familiar with the words, it is a short, powerful prayer that is worth reading and reflecting over slowly. The Psalm is in blue, with my comments in-between:

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; 

I shall not want.

[I am a sheep and the Lord is my shepherd. He is so good to me because He provides everything that I WANT in life - not just what I need. I shall never go without because He is my provider.]

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; 

[My shepherd will lead me to all the good places, and direct me to the good things in life (for a sheep, green pastures are good places full of food), all I have to do is just relax and follow Him. I don't have to worry or be stressed. (A sheep who is not afraid of being attacked by wild animals can lie down.)]

He leads me beside the still waters. 

[My shepherd will provide me with water so I will never be thirsty. The waters are still and peaceful, and I can relax and not worry.]

He restores my soul.

[My shepherd cares for my spiritual needs, too. He has repaired my broken and sinful spirit. He looks after me completely.]

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

[I follow Him trustingly; He directs me on the right path.]

Yea, 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.

[I never have to be afraid of evil or of anything or anyone, for the Lord is always with me. He protects me from all evil and from anything that wishes to attack me. (A shepherd carries a staff as a weapon against wild animals.)] 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup runs over.

[Yes, I may have enemies in life, but the Lord is always with me and even prepares good things for me in their presence. The Lord will provide, and I will have good things, so much in fact that my cup is not big enough to hold all the blessings, even in the midst of troubles.] 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.

[Wherever I go in my life, goodness and mercy shall be on my tail, hunting me down and following me - I can never escape from the Lord's goodness and mercy! The Lord has a place for me in His house right now, and forever!]




God's Bounty

Sorry I've not updated for a while! We recently returned from a trip to Hokkaido. We visited a fruit orchard there, which was simply glorious. After paying a small admission fee, we could wander freely in the orchard, and pluck as much fruit as we wanted to eat. It was amazing to be there, surrounded by God's bounty - the enormous red apples, giant green pears, and deep purple grapes growing on their vines. It was amazing to choose an apple or pear growing on its tree, pluck it, and enjoy its sweet, natural, juicy taste immediately. I felt God's presence there very strongly, and His wonderful blessings - I thought about how marvellous it was that He provided us with such wonderful fruit to eat and enjoy!




A Time When It's Good To Curse!

YH heard this from a friend, who heard it from a Pastor Prince sermon. I personally did not hear the sermon, but apparently, he said something like this, which I thought was quite clever...

Sometimes, people may be a little uncomfortable with always praying for blessings, or even praying in a positive manner (although we really should try to!) so, on occasion, instead of asking God to bless you, or praying for healing in a positive way, how about asking for a curse?

For example, you can pronounce curses on things you don't want in your life. Like - Lord, I curse that bad habit of mine, or I curse the pain in my leg, or I curse the way I'm always feeling depressed, etc.

I thought this was a very good idea, as often we humans are such negative creatures...why not put some of this negativeness to good use? :) 


Songs of Worship Series: Who Am I

This is another of my favourite worship songs. It is called "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns. It has a lovely catchy tune and lyrics - and describes perfectly who we really are, and of Jesus' love for us even though we are pretty transient and insignificant (but not in His eyes).

(My comments are in red below)

Who Am I by Casting Crowns

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

[God knows each of us by name, and has counted every hair on our heads! You may feel you are insignificant and unimportant, but you ARE important to Him. (Luke 12:6-7 says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.)]

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

[It's not because of things we have done, or good works we have performed that we are important to God. It's because of what Jesus has done, and who He is. We are certainly not deserving, but He chose to suffer for us. It's a display of great love from our Heavenly Father to His creations, His children.]

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

[Our lives are relatively short, we are pretty transient in the whole scheme of things. But Jesus still hears us when we call and comes to our aid. And we know who we are - we are Jesus'. We belong to Him. 

Many people question why are we here on this earth, and what is our purpose, etc. Well, the answer is simple. We were created by God to worship Him, and for Him to love us. That's it. I used to have the same questions. Surely there was something more purposeful in life, some mystery to discover, some enlightenment to seek. Surely we are not (as I've heard before) just puppets created like chess pieces roaming the earth? Well, I gained peace and my "enlightenment" when I realised that yes, I am a child of God and we are here because God created us to worship Him. It's as simple and as peaceful as that. The self-important man would not like this answer, though...]

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

[We are sinners, but Jesus bore all our sins for us. He loves us beyond our comprehension. He calls out to us and the only one who can calm the storm of troubles and emotions within us - no human can do that.]

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

[edit: The Song repeats the above 2 verses]

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

[The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1]




Looking around...

My mum said this to me tonight! I was thrilled at it. She got it from a Pastor Prince sermon she heard recently:

"Look inside and be depressed
Look outside and be distressed
Look at Christ and be at rest!"


AMEN :) 


Songs of Worship: In Christ Alone

The first song in this "series" of posts is "In Christ Alone", words and music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend.

I love this song because it has the most amazing lyrics. The tune is also nice, but the lyrics are what grabs me. Good lyrics based on grace-based Christian belief is also a great way to build your own faith, because you are listening to "teaching" as you listen to the song. I'll go through it with my comments added in red, so you see what I mean -

In Christ Alone
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

In Christ alone my hope is found;                             
He is my light, my strength, my song;                      
This cornerstone, this solid ground,                          
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.        
What heights of love, what depths of peace,          
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!          
My comforter, my all in all—                                      
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

[The only solid foundation for your hope is Christ. He stands firm through the fiercest droughts and storms (troubles) you may encounter in your life. 

His love, His peace, will still your fears and stop your striving! Just rest in Him, you have nothing to fear. Let Jesus be your strength, your comfort. You can stop striving and fighting, just rest and stand in His love.]

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

[Jesus came down on earth and became man, but was still God. But He is human - He knows and understands how we feel, He feels the same emotions we do. 

When Jesus died on the cross, He FULLY satisfied God's wrath and judgment that should have fallen on us. Every one of our sins, my sins, your sins, was laid on Him. He was judged instead of us, and so in His death, we live!]

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

[Jesus died and rose again. He is victorious over death. Because of what He did, sin has lost its grip on us. We can stand victorious in Christ. All our sins were paid for by Jesus' precious blood.]

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

[We now need not feel guilty or condemned in life, because Jesus bore our sins and was punished for us. Do we deserve to be punished? Yes! But we won't be, because Jesus was punished instead. Is this fair? No! But this is the gift we have received. Accept it with gratitude and praise for God. 

No power of hell or evil scheme can separate us from God now. Despite the situations that you may face, stand in the power of Christ - stand in victory and when you fight, fight from victory, not for victory.]




Songs of Worship Series - Intro

I was listening to some songs of worship today and was struck (as I am each time I listen) to the lyrics. There's nothing like listening to good music worshipping Jesus - it can move your heart in an amazing way. They don't call it "worship" for nothing! A good tune and moving lyrics can even bring me to tears and helps me feel God's personal love for me.

Today as I was listening, I thought it would be interesting to include some lyrics of songs I particularly like. As song lyrics are an expression of Christian faith and belief, there are some songs that get it right, and some that are slightly condemning. So it is also important when you listen to worship songs, that you also take in the right message!