Return to the Shepherd

Have you returned? Have you returned after going astray? Have you returned to the shepherd? Have you returned to the guardian of your soul? Have you returned to the One who has freed you from your sins? Have you returned to live a life of righteousness? Have you been healed?

Returning can be difficult. It can especially be difficult returning home after being away for a significant amount of time. Things have changed. You have changed. Home doesn’t always feel like home anymore. Some of our friends may have moved away. Our favorite restaurant may have closed.

The truth of the matter is simple, nothing ever stays the same. As much as we don’t like change, things change every day. The same can be said for the church. Sure, we say that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And…we misinterpret that saying. True God is the same in that he is God. But God also changes with the times. What do I mean by that? Simple, God meets us in the context of time in which we find ourselves.

Think about this for a moment. If Jesus had been born in our time rather than some two-thousand years ago, would He have used shepherds in His parables? I doubt it. He might have used office environments, department store staff, or maybe even corporate executives.

So, if we have been away from church for a while, it won’t be quite what we remember. If we go in expecting to see the same pastor, he or she may have long since moved on. Even some of the people who were there have either passed on or moved on. The membership may have nearly turned over completely.

Yet, we are called to return if we have strayed. We are reminded that Jesus bore our sins so that we might be set free of them. We are told that we are healed because of his wounds. He is our shepherd. He is the guardian of our souls. We are to live for righteousness.

I pray we all remember what Jesus has done for us. I pray we know that He has set us free. I pray each one of us will return to our shepherd and live for righteousness. Remember Jesus. Remember Jesus bore your sins. Know that you have been healed. Return to Jesus. He stands with His arms wide open.

1 Peter 2:24-25 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Be In Fellowship

Do you like to gather with your good friends? Does having a meal together, whether fixed in your home or going to a restaurant with friends mean an enjoyable time? Does that friendship lift you up, make you feel good for some time afterward? How would you like to feel even better?

Being with friends, laughing, telling stories, and enjoying a meal is a good time. We look forward to them. We remember them with fondness. It may be just the thing we need to pull us out of the doldrums. Good friends, really good friends, last a lifetime and our memories of them never fade.

We can experience something even better than good friendship. It is called the fellowship of believers. Oh, I know the argument. Someone at a church has hurt you in the past. Been there, done that. It can happen to any of us. After all, the people who are there are human, just as we are. We may even hurt someone while there. So, what is the difference?

The difference is we are all connected by Christ. We are all covered by God’s grace. We are all able to forgive, just as we have been forgiven. We are all given the instruction to go to our brother or sister and talk it out. Not one of us is perfect. We like to say that when defending ourselves, but we don’t like to allow for imperfection in others.

There were squabbles in the early church, too. But they didn’t allow that to separate them. They overcame the squabbles to be with one another, to hear a message from one of the apostles’, to pray, and to share a meal together. The fellowship of the body of Christ was far more important than any personal preferences or squabbles. Perhaps we should learn from them.

I pray we all choose to be in fellowship with other believers. I pray we go to worship services to hear a message. I pray we set aside squabbles and preferences to enjoy the fellowship of Christ. Be in fellowship. Hear a message. Spend time in prayer. Share a meal. Be lifted up. Share in Christ.

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Profess Your Faith

Do you enjoy a comfortable life? Do you like having a nice home? Do you have a nice car to take you from place to place? Do you love getting coffee from a coffee house? Are you popular among your co-workers or fellow students? Have you considered being persecuted?

We often live a pretty comfortable life. Sure, we wish we had more. Maybe we want a special person by our side. We might desire a bigger house. Perhaps we don’t get to eat at a restaurant as often as we like. In all likelihood we cannot buy everything we want.

The early Christians had it a bit harder. They weren’t always being pursued, but they often were considered the outcast. There were times when they were persecuted or martyred if they were caught worshiping Jesus. The Jews would persecute them for not worshiping properly according to Jewish laws and customs. The Romans would persecute them for rumors that circulated about them drinking blood or eating flesh, thinking they were cannibals.

This is why the Apostle Peter writes to his audience about being called to suffer, much like Jesus suffered. They were misunderstood. The Jews and Romans did not really care to understand them. Suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ was worth it. They knew they were going to be with Him forever.

We do not normally face persecution in the same way the early Christians did. Yet, we do suffer. Often it is fear of professing our faith. Why? We do not want to be ostracized for it. Hmmm. Sounds a lot like the early Christians. They were ostracized for their faith, and we can be, too. Yet, as Peter tells the early Christians, he tells us, this is what we are called to. We are to profess our faith and if we are ostracized, we can take solace in the fact that we will spend eternity with Jesus.

I pray we all profess our faith. I pray we ask God to give us the courage to profess our faith. I pray each one of us will forget about being ostracized by knowing we will spend eternity with Jesus. Profess your faith. Be willing to suffer. Know you will spend eternity with Jesus.

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

Gather

What does it mean to you to meet with people you care about? Do you enjoy family gatherings? Is it a joy to meet with close friends for lunch? Are you willing to make a special trip for a class reunion? How do you feel about meeting for worship?

We meet with a variety of people for many different reasons. Family gatherings, especially on holidays, can be a wonderful experience. We catch up with family members we haven’t seen for several days or perhaps weeks. Much food is eaten, stories are told, and there are lots of laughs.

Class reunions can be a joy. Depending on when we were last able to attend one, it may be several years or decades since we have seen some of our classmates. There is a lot to catch up on. We move from one classmate to another to hear what is new with them. Depending on our age, some may be new parents or new grandparents.

When it comes to going to worship, we may choose not to. We may be tired on Sunday morning. We may not want to spend time on Wednesday evening studying Scripture. We may not want to take time out of our Saturday to participate in the event the church is hosting. We make our preferences, worldly things, the priority.

Notice in today’s Scripture that they met together and were glad when they went home. I have personally experienced the need for church gatherings. There was a time in my life that was extremely stressful. It was Sunday School, the worship service, small group on Sunday afternoon, and Wednesday evening Bible study that got me through it. These gatherings recentered me. They gave me strength to continue the course.

It is only by gathering as brothers and sisters in Christ that we can be prepared and strengthened. It is through the care and love of one another we are lifted up. It is by spending time in worship and Bible studies that we lay a foundation we can stand on when troubling times come.

I pray we all choose to spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray we choose to go to worship. I pray each one of us will choose to make gathering with other Christians a priority. Go to worship. Go to Sunday School. Participate in Bible studies. Love and care for one another. Be strengthened by one another. Lift one another up.

Acts 2:46-47 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Follow the Shepherd

Have you been around a group of people without a leader? Have you been around a group of people with good leadership? Have you noticed the difference? Was the leaderless group disorganized and at odds with one another? Was the other group all moving in the same direction?

Poor leadership or no leadership will keep an organization or group of people from achieving what they set out to accomplish. In fact, poor leadership can be worse than no leadership. If there is no leadership, a leader may emerge from the group and guide them to their goal.

Jesus sees the people of the towns and villages He visits as people without a shepherd. This is the same as having no leader or very poor leadership. He wasn’t talking about accomplishing a goal but about life. Evidently, they were not worshiping God correctly or at all.

Lest we think worshiping God is about form, we must remember Jesus spoke of the heart. Worshiping God is not about rituals. It is about worshiping in truth and spirit. Worshiping God is not about being in big, beautiful cathedrals. It is about humbling ourselves before a Holy God in all that we do, every moment of every day.

Jesus saw these people going through the motions, but their heart was not in it. He saw them grudgingly choosing a lamb for sacrifice, perhaps even grumbling about it, rather than joyously looking for the best animal for their perfect God. He had compassion for them, seeing them as lost sheep.

We can see the same attitudes in our churches today. We can get wrapped around the rituals, the traditions, or go grudgingly. We may see some people who view the church as a social club. Jesus does not desire a social club. He desires hearts who submit themselves to His guidance. Are we sheep without a shepherd? We might need to ponder that question for a bit.

I pray we all humble ourselves before God. I pray we worry less about ritual and more about the heart. I pray each one of us evaluate our reasons for attending church and allow Jesus to be our shepherd. Humble yourself before God. Give your heart to Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus. Follow Jesus’ heart. Give God every moment of every day.

Matthew 9:35-36 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Burning for Jesus

What are you passionate about? Are you passionate about your job? Are you passionate about your health? Are you passionate about your children? What is it that causes you to explode with energy and bubble over with excitement?

Many of us will answer affirmatively to one or more of the questions above. I know. I’ve been there. It is not that we should not be excited or passionate about those things. But what or who should we be even more passionate about? Jesus.

There may be a few of us who can say that we have had a very personal encounter with Jesus or with the Holy Spirit. We may have had a vision or heard a voice. We may have felt compelled by the Spirit to do something God is leading us to.

However, so, so many of us have not. Not only that, but the mention of Jesus or discussions about Him do not excite us. We are ho-hum or humdrum or indifferent. Do not misinterpret, we do not have to show our excitement by talking. No, it is more about how our hearts react. Does our pulse quicken? Do we feel more alive?

We can be just like the two disciples who met Him on the road to Emmaus. Our hearts can burn within us. Our spirits can leap for the sky. Our minds can go into overdrive thinking of all the things He has done for us. We can be very excited without saying a word. On the other hand, we can be very excited and feel compelled to tell everyone we encounter about Him. Are you either one of those? Or, are you indifferent?

I pray we all get excited about Jesus. I pray we feel the Holy Spirit lift us out of the humdrum of the world when we think of Him. I pray each one of us becomes passionate about Jesus. Be passionate about Jesus. Be excited about Jesus. Leap for joy. Allow Jesus to burn in your heart. Tell others about Jesus.

Luke 24:32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

Eyes Opened

Are you blind to certain things? Do you miss out because you do not notice them? What does it mean to you to have your eyes opened? Is it like turning on a light switch in a dark room? Have you opened your eyes to who Jesus is? Do you see Him for all that He is?

There are times when we miss out because we are not looking. Perhaps we see blindly. Perhaps we take no notice. We may be looking but not truly seeing. It is only after someone else points it out that we notice. Then we wonder how we missed it to begin with.

Some people can look at clouds and see various shapes. Others see nothing but puffy white things. There are a variety of pictures that can viewed from different angles or frame of mind to see different objects. For instance, there is one that depending on how you look at it, you may see a beautiful young woman or an old witch. If we see one and someone points out the other, we see what we had missed before.

Jesus tells the Apostle Paul that he is being sent to open the eyes of the non-Jews so they can be saved. The Gentiles knew of a higher being or believed in multiple gods. God had not yet revealed himself to them through missionaries with the sole purpose of telling them about himself. Paul is being sent out to do just that.

God is using Paul to carry out his mission. He is using Paul to bring the message of redemption and salvation to the world. Paul will be given the ability to overcome the belief in other gods, but only for those people who are open to hearing his message. With God’s help Paul is very effective in carrying out his mission.

I pray we all have our eyes opened to Jesus. I pray we also desire to help open the eyes of others. I pray each one of us recognize the need to share Jesus with others and overcome their hesitancy. Open your eyes. Seek to know Jesus. Share the gospel of Jesus. Help others come to belief in Him.

Acts 26:17-18 “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Reflection Required

How well do you connect the dots? As events happen, do you see how they are connected? Do you see the larger picture taking shape? Or do you simply go from one thing to another without noticing the connection? Have you thought that God works through events to steer you where he wants you to go?

Many things happen around us every day. Most of them are small and appear to be inconsequential. Others are significant and have an immediate impact on us. We are more likely to pay closer attention to the more impactful events and give less attention to the small ones.

Hindsight can give us the perspective we need to put the pieces together. As we review what has happened over the course of a few days or a few years, we can see what occurred to steer us down the path we traveled. The path may a very good path or it may be a path we would not have chosen had we known in advance where we would end up.

We can look at Scripture and wonder how the disciples missed what was going on as they spent time with Jesus. But would we have seen the bigger picture ourselves? Likely we would not have. Yet, we can learn a lesson from them. We should learn the lesson of reviewing the events that have taken us where we are and determine where we are headed.

Jesus had fed thousands with very little food. So, when He spoke of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, the disciples missed the point. They were thinking of food and Jesus was speaking of their teaching. They thought it was because they did not have enough food for their journey, He was unconcerned with food.

We can get caught up in the moment, thinking only of what is immediately before us. God works on a much broader canvas. He is creating and directing on a larger scale. Though we cannot see the full picture God sees, we can see a larger picture in our lives. We do that by taking time to reflect on the past and putting the pieces together.

I pray we all take time for reflection. I pray we review what has happened in our lives. I pray each one of us put our faith in God and see how he is working in our lives. Connect the dots. Put the pieces together. See a bigger picture. See where you are headed. See how God is working. Put your faith in him.

Matthew 16:8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, “You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?”

Breaking Bread Together

Is it important to you to eat meals together? How many meals per week do you have with your family? Do you sit down together for your supper, even if you cannot the other meals? Do you participate in fellowship meals at the church you attend?

Sitting down to eat meals together has become a challenge. Our children are playing various sports, taking dance or music lessons, our jobs may require us to work late, and we have grown tired. For many of us, we have lost a precious opportunity to spend time with our families.

Fellowship is also important for Christians. It may include having a meal together or simply sitting down to talk for a while. It is important to do so. It is in fellowship that we get to know one another, hear how God is working in their lives, and grow together in our faith. We were created by God to be in fellowship.

In the early church, they were devoted to fellowship. Lest we think these were the one-hour worship services we have today, they were not. The early Christians met for a large portion of the day. True, they came together to hear a message, but they also had a meal together, partook of the Lord’s Supper, prayed together, and they continued fellowship for a few hours. They also often would baptize new members, welcoming them into the fellowship.

We would do well to slow ourselves down on Sunday’s and spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Rather than rushing into worship at the last minute and rushing out before the final note of the postlude is struck, spend some time with one another. Share your struggles and your joys. Share how God is working in your life and listen to how he is working in others. This is a key contributor to growing closer to God.

I pray we all slow down, especially on Sunday’s. I pray we spend time with our brothers and sisters. I pray each one of us will make time to sit down to a meal with our families. Slow down. Spend time in fellowship. Enjoy a meal with family. Spend time together in prayer. Partake of the Lord’s Supper. Listen to how God is working.

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Exponential Fulfillment

What do you think of people who claim to predict the future? Do you cast their predictions aside? Or do you adhere to their predictions? Have you heard someone predict something was going to happen and it did? Have you heard someone falsely predict the future?

There are tons of predictions given by thousands of people. Some of them valid. Many of them invalid. Those that are valid are typically based on historical data, trends are identified, and forecasts are made. The more reliable the data, the more reliable the prediction.

We often make predictions ourselves. The data we use is often our very own experiences. The older we get, the more experiences we have to base our predictions on. Perhaps that is why the wise person is often portrayed as being an older person. But age alone does not make one wise. It requires putting together our experiences and casting aside our preferences to make an objective prediction.

On the other hand, there are hundreds of prophecies, predictions, foretelling’s, about Jesus from the prophets of the Old Testament. Depending on how they are counted, Jesus fulfilled between 300-500 prophecies. According to mathematician Peter Stoner, the odds of Jesus (or any person) to have fulfilled just 8 of the prophecies was astronomical. By his calculations, with the aid of several students from a handful of his university classes, the odds are the same as if we covered the state of Texas with silver dollars two feet deep, marked one silver dollar, mixed them all up, blindfolded a person, and gave them one chance to choose the marked silver dollar. As more prophecies are added, the odds increase exponentially.

Matthew purposely highlights the fulfillment of several prophecies in his gospel. His purpose is to convince his Jewish audience that Jesus was the coming Messiah they had been waiting for. His recording of the fulfillment should also convince us who Jesus is. We have eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy, not the least of which was Him being raised from the dead three days after being crucified.

I pray we all believe Jesus is who He says He is. I pray we believe Jesus is the Son of God. I pray each one of us will trust the eyewitness accounts and strengthen our faith in Jesus. Trust the eyewitnesses. Believe Jesus is the Son of God. Put your faith in Him. Accept Him as Savior. Make Him your Lord.

Matthew 12:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: