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Psalm 23

8/25/2025

  “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”  He, of course, refers to the shepherd in verse One of this Psalm.  The Lord is my shepherd.
    A shepherd is the one who is the caretaker of a flock of sheep.  Sheep tend to wander off unless there is some kind of action taken to prevent that from happening.  In addition to that, they are defenseless and can become food for any predator.
    Just like sheep who wander off, mankind has the same inclination to wander off.  A shepherd recovers (restores) the sheep to the fold.  Likewise, the Lord restores us.  From the beginning man was a living soul (Genesis 2:7).  God did not just pat himself on the back and walk away.  HE is in the restoration business.  Hence, he restores the souls of mankind.
    Paths are the well-trodden avenues of life that mankind sees before him.  There are so many ways to go.  Just like sheep, it’s easy to wind up in the ‘pigpen’ and struggle to be set free.  Life can be like a maze.  Following our shepherd takes us in the paths of righteousness.  “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Isaiah 30:21).”
    In Acts 13:22, God is speaking of David, “…I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.”  David had a personal relationship with God and, yet, he was not perfect.  He lived to understand God in a way that leaves a lesson from which to grow and have a personal relationship with God.
    Psalm 23 is David’s testimony.

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The Good Shepherd

8/18/2025

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   Anyone out there feel completely free from the pressures of life? Probably not, life has a way of challenging all of us at one time or another. Loss of a loved one, financial worries, taking on new responsibilities, not feeling equal to a task, injuries, fear of failure, etcetera: so many things in life take a toll on our feelings of self-worth.
          It’s easy to get caught up in events and forget the good shepherd. “I am the good shepherd… (John 10:11).” “But he was wounded for our transgressions…with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).” “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).”
          It’s the opening of the 23rd Psalm, probably the most memorized scripture in the Bible. The Lord (God) ‘is’ my shepherd. Not was or will be. The present tense means that the meaning of the sentence is alive and active. God is there and waiting to be called on.
          Pray, pray, pray. He is there for you. He is the still small voice (I Kings 19:12,13). Elijah was fleeing Jezebel in fear for his life. He was scared witless. So much so that he asked God to take his life. An angel visited and told him to eat. He did and laid down again. The angel came back again and told him to eat which he did.
          Forty days and nights he journeyed and came to the mount of God and there he waited for word from God. God said, “What are you doing here?” Poor old Elijah was so beaten down and felt so defeated that he thought all was lost. God restored him and sent Elijah on his way (I Kings 19:15).
    God is the Good Shepherd. He restored Elijah and does the same for us. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:1,2).” Just ask.

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Sin and Salvation

8/11/2025

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Two verses: first, Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and second, Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Three topics are in these verses: sin, savior, and salvation.
Sin began with Lucifer the angel. In Isaiah 14:12-14 it tells how Lucifer (also known as Satan) wanted to be God and not a servant. Ezekiel 28:12-18 gives a description of Lucifer. Lucifer had it all until iniquity (sin) set in. It’s interesting that the serpent in Genesis 3:5 used the same lure ‘and ye shall be as gods’ that caused his own iniquity. Romans 5:19 tells us that by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners. Many? Sounds odd until we realize that there was one who was righteous, who did not sin—Jesus.
And it’s because of the obedience of Jesus that many will be made righteous. There’s that word again, many. It’s like the first line of an old poem, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”, everyone must choose which road they want to follow in life. Spiritually, it’s a choice between following or not following Jesus. Yes, it sounds simplified because it is that simple. Jesus said it himself that no one could come to God but through him (John 14:6).
There we have it. All have sinned. The seed of sin entered the heart of mankind beginning with Adam. The wages of sin is death. Everyone will die. After that, though, God has given us a gift. It’s called eternal life. For those who believe that Jesus is our savior, God has given them the gift of eternal life.
Jesus said it, “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live (John 11:25).”

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Dominion

8/4/2025

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God said “Let us make man…and let them have dominion over the fish…fowl…cattle…all earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26).” In verse 27 God creates male and female and in verse 28 tells them the same thing he said in verse 26. Dominion is more than just having authority, it’s a responsibility to take care of things.
     Then man was moved to the garden of Eden. God warned him not to eat from one particular tree in the garden but he did (I know, so did the woman). This caused sin to set in because man did something he was told not to do. And with it came death. Even though sin had taken place, God did not strike the man dead. God loved his creation even though He knew it would separate mankind from His presence.
     By the time of David it’s plain to mankind that God is necessary just to try and keep sin at bay. Psalm 119:133 is a plea to God to direct us in such a way that iniquity (sin) cannot get dominion over us. God has rescued His people from so many catastrophes in the 2500 or so years since He created them that man has finally realized that we don’t really deserve His love. Hence, we call God’s love His grace.
     There is no greater power than God’s grace. Romans 6:14 assures us that sin will not have dominion over us because we are under grace. Those who believe they are redeemed by the blood of Christ will inherit the power of God’s grace and become co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).
     Jesus said it in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” For believers we have been set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). The power of God’s grace through Jesus Christ; (1) justifies us (Titus 3:7). We have been declared ‘not guilty’; (2) sanctifies us (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are made holy; (3) protects us (II Timothy 2:1) We are made strong; (4) and, gives us the victory (Romans 6:14).

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Psalm 23

The Good Shepherd

Sin and Salvation

Dominion

Linda Johnson

Andrea Strong

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