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The Shepherd

A Shepherd gives the following personal account in his own words:

“Walking through my field on a winter’s morning, I met with a lamb, as I thought dead, but taking it up I found it just alive; the cruel mother had almost starved it to death. I put it into my bosom, and brought it into my house. There I rubbed its starved limbs, warmed it by the fireside, and fed it with warm milk from the cow. Soon the lamb revived. First it feared me, but afterwards it thoroughly loved me. As I mostly fed it with my own hand, so it followed me wherever I went, bleating after me whenever it saw me, and was always happy when it could frisk around me, but never so pleased as when I would carry it in my arms.”

Jesus is a shepherd, the Good Shepherd of souls, and of Him it is said “He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (Isaiah 40:11).

If you desire to know Jesus, read the Bible. There you hear such things of the love of Christ to poor ruined sinners as I hope will melt your eyes to tears, your heart into love, and turn you toward the One who gave His life for the sheep.

Practical Applications
of God’s Word

Part 5 – Light & Guidance

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path … The entrance of Thy words giveth light”
(Psalm 119:105, 130).

We live in a dark world, both morally and spiritually. If we are going to have light for our Christian walk through such a dark world, it must be the light of God’s Word. The above verses show that the Word of God, when acted on in faith, gives light for one step at a time. It is like the flashlight or lantern. It only shines a few feet ahead of the traveler, but as long as the person holds on to it and keeps walking there will be light provided for the whole trek, even though it may be many miles and all night long.

Read the Word of God every day. Act on its light and instruction. And remember what the prophet Jeremiah said: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). Do we think that we can go through life without light and guidance from the One who made us? David said, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23).

Good Works

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8).

It has been said that the book of Titus is the epistle of “good works.” Not “good works” to obtain salvation, but “good works” because we are saved. Ephesians chapter 2, which stresses salvation through faith, also reminds us that believers are “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

Would it not be beneficial for the health of our souls, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, if when we had a little time, or strength, or money, we looked around to see what good we could do? And how much greater would be the blessing if the entire course of our lives was identified by service to Him. Dorcas was this kind of a person: “This woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did” (Acts 9:36). Her death was such a loss that the Lord allowed that she be brought back from the dead for the further blessing and comfort of those she so faithfully served and helped.

Motive for Service

“For the love of Christ constraineth us”
(2 Corinthians 5:14).

When it comes to service for the Lord, or anything in the Christian pathway, it is not he or she who knows the most that walks the best before the Lord, nor even he or she that reads the most, but he or she who loves the most. Intelligence in divine things does not come merely through the intellect: it comes through the heart and conscience.

Sometimes, sad to say, we don’t do anything for the Lord, and that is a real problem. We get so occupied with our own interests and ideas and getting ahead in this world that we don’t have any time left for Him. Other times we go ahead and do something because we feel we ought to. Perhaps it will not be done in the right way or for the right reason, and God may not be able to bless it fully. Nevertheless, we can Christian work without really being in communion with Him. But isn’t it better when our service springs from a heart of love because we are in communion with the Lord? “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10).

Dear Young Christian:

I’m traveling with my wife on the train today from Paris to Bordeaux France. We are heading to a Bible conference in Bergerac. The scenery is lovely, the ride comfortable, and we can spend some quiet moments getting caught up on reading, writing, and relaxing without any pressure to hurry up and be somewhere.

Life is full of pressure and hurry these days. There seems to be so little time for meditation and quiet moments with the Lord. When I was a young person we used to sing a hymn that has good exhortation for us at any age. Here are parts of two verses of that hymn:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word…

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

The Bible tells us that our spiritual power comes from those quiet times. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).

Your Christian Friend,

Jim Hyland

We would love to hear from you.
Send your comments or questions to jhyland@primus.ca

The Passover

“It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s PASSOVER” (Exodus 12:27).

“His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the PASSOVER” (Luke 2:41).

“And the Jews’ PASSOVER was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John 2:13).

“And the PASSOVER, a feast of the Jews, was nigh” (John 6:4).

“And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the PASSOVER, to purify themselves” (John 11:55).

“Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the PASSOVER must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the PASSOVER, that we may eat” (Luke 22:7-8).

“And it was the preparation of the PASSOVER, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King” (John 19:14)!

“For even Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Lost

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).

You and I can never be saved until we have first discovered that we are lost. The question is, has this solemn truth been brought home to your soul by the awakening power of the Holy Spirit? The terrified jailer of Philippi felt his lost condition under the mighty power of God: hence his alarm and fervent question, “What must I do to be saved?” Unbelieving reader, do you question that you are a lost sinner? Then let me remind you that Christ came to seek and to save none but the lost. God says you are lost, and His dear Son would never have left the glories of heaven to come and seek you had you not been lost. Without His wondrous grace and immeasurable love, we would all be lost forever.

See to it, then, that you do not fail to seek your true place before God now as a lost, guilty, and ruined sinner. It is God’s will for you to see and know that in His infinite love He has provided a present, perfect, and eternal salvation for you through the work of His own Son at Calvary.

Follow Close

“And Peter followed afar off” (Luke 22:54).

We can never really do anything properly for the Lord unless we are following close to Him. Here is a simple illustration:

If I have a magnet in my hand, and a pile of nails across the room, will the nails be drawn to the magnet? No, of course not. What’s wrong? They are too far from the magnet! That is so often the problem with me, and maybe with you as well. The magnet is fine, but we need to get closer to it.

When it comes to following and serving the Lord, we will never do it rightly until we are close enough to Him. When we get close to Him we find it is not that difficult to know what His will is for our lives and what He would have us to do. But if we are at a distance from the Source, we may find that the love of Christ doesn’t seem to be compelling or controlling us. Has His love changed? Not at all, but we are too far away. We have allowed things into our life that have put a wall between us and the Lord. When that happens we need to take heed to the exhortation, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).

Comfort

While going through an extreme trial or sorrow, we often wonder where God is and question whether He could have prevented our suffering. Martha was like that. “Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21). She must have thought, If only the Lord had come earlier things would have been different. We wouldn’t have had to have a funeral and all this weeping. Where was He when we really needed Him?

Whatever you are experiencing in your life, be assured of God’s love. He is not unaware of your pain. He desires to comfort you, and then to use you to comfort others who are going through similar circumstances. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

To experience God’s love and comfort in a trial is to learn and know His heart in a very real way.

Start Your Day Right — Part 2

“Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk” (Psalm 143:8).

Here is another essential element to starting our day right. Listening to the voice of the Lord, so that we can know His mind and the way He would have us go, what He would have us do, and how we can please Him and live for His glory and as a testimony to the world. How then do we hear His voice? We open our Bibles, the Word of God, and we read a few verses or a chapter or two if we have time. David not only spoke to the Lord in the morning as we learned yesterday, but he listened for the Lord’s voice speaking to Him.

This again, will spare us many a mistake and frustration in our Christian pathway. If we speak to the Lord, asking for His help and guidance, then we need to listen to His voice as He seeks to direct our footsteps in the right way.

If we start our day right by reading and listening to the word of the Lord, then we will be able to say, like Ezekiel, “And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me” (Ezekiel 12:8). Then, we will have a good day, in spite of what difficult circumstance or problems may cross our path.