Finding Pasture

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

                                                            John 10: 9-11

Jesus says that He is the door to our salvation and He is the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. He promises us salvation, life abundant and pasture in these verses. He also contrasts Himself with the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Our enemy, the devil doesn't care about us, all he wants is our destruction; but Jesus loves us so much that He has provided for our every need.

I learned early on as a Christian that Jesus is the door to my salvation, He is the only way for me to get to the Father and I am so thankful for this. However, I think sometimes I have overlooked the part of the verse which says I will go in and out and find pasture. This gives me a sense of being satisfied or content, because that pasture represents the meeting of my essential needs - food, water and rest. I imagine that a sheep would feel content and cared for when these basic needs are met. But Jesus promises us even more: that we might have life abundantly. We experience the blessings each day of belonging to Him; even though we face trials and difficulties, we have abundant life because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He lays down His life for us that we might have eternal life - this future life will be more abundant than anything we can imagine.

Jesus wants to provide us pasture. He wants to take us to a place of rest and security. That place is in Him; when we come humbly before Him and seek His presence, He brings us a peace and rest like no other. He wants to feed and nurture us; God's word is overflowing with words of encouragement and help; it is our daily bread, but we must eat in order to be nourished.

Will you follow Jesus to that pasture? You will find that He will give you life, and life abundantly.

Persistence in Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, and I found it interesting that my Bible reading schedule brought me to Nehemiah whom I discovered was a man who persisted in prayer and ultimately saw God answer.

Nehemiah was informed that the Jews who had escaped and survived captivity were in distress and that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down.

"Now it came about when I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

                                      Nehemiah 1:4

Nehemiah prayed diligently, and sincerely interceded for the people for three months before God answered his prayers. This got me thinking about the attitudes we tend to have toward prayer today.

• Do we offer 'token' prayers because we said we would pray but we're short on time? Or, do we feel sorrow and compassion and a burden which spurs us into heartfelt intercession? Nehemiah wept, mourned and fasted along with his prayers. He took it seriously and came before God with humility, sincerity and faith.
• We live in an "instant gratification" society. We can have immediate access to pretty much any information we want on the internet. Most of us can't imagine going back to a dial-up connection speed. We have TV on demand, cell-phones which act like computers in the palm our hand, we can instantly download a song, instant message with friends anywhere in the world, pay our bills with the click of a mouse, and more. So, when it comes to prayer, are we expecting God to respond in like manner? Are we willing to wait upon the Lord and give Him time to answer? It's not that God can't answer quickly; He is capable of doing whatever He wills whenever He chooses, but His timing is perfect and He knows what is best for us. Nehemiah persisted in prayer and so should we. Often we just give up too easy because God didn't answer right away we think He's not going to; but His word does not teach us that. In fact, we are told to "pray without ceasing", 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

God does answer prayer, if you have trouble seeing that, consider starting a prayer journal and write down your prayer requests, write down your praises. In time you can look back and see the evidence of God's faithfulness to hear your prayers and answer them.

Be committed to prayer, pray with sincere motives, be persistent in prayer, and pray in faith!

Have a blessed day!!

Practice Makes Perfect??

This week I have read through the book of Ezra in the Old Testament, God showed me several things through my study, but I think what stood out the most to me was the example that Ezra set with his life.

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel."

                    Ezra 7:10

Ezra knew the importance of God's word, he had made a commitment to study it and teach it to others. Obviously he loved the word of God, experienced the blessing of studying it and wanted to share the knowledge of it with Israel. Ezra understood however, that it is not enough to simply study God's word, we must practice what we learn. If we read God's word and do not apply it, have we gained anything? Knowledge perhaps, but we would have missed God's intent for us to grow in faith  and love. And how can we really teach others that which we have not applied to our own life? The well known phrases come to mind: "Practice what you preach" or, "Do as I say, not as I do," and of course "Hypocrite" - a term I'm sure we don't want to be used in regard to us.

Have you ever had an employer or teacher who gave you theoretical instruction but had no practical experience to back it up? It's kind of frustrating, isn't it. Well, it's the same with God's word, how can we genuinely teach it to others if we don't live it? This is a challenge for me and I hope it is for you also, that as believers our goal is not to just stay the same; we should be ever-changing, becoming more like Christ. Every time we read God's word we should be saying "Okay, what about me? How does this apply to me, how can I put this to work in my life? Do I need to make a change? What is God trying to teach me here?" I'm not saying it is always easy, sometimes it can be a painful process, but the outcome is worth it.

God's word is a wellspring of life to those who diligently seek it. It is overflowing with knowledge, wisdom and the secrets to true happiness. God has revealed Himself and His purposes to us in His word; He has given us instruction for living.... but we must respond! To know God's commands and not follow them would be disobedience. It is my prayer for you that you will be filled up with the blessings of being in God's word, that He will guide and direct your paths and that you will receive His instruction with a humble, submissive heart that you might grow in Christ.