STUNNED BY GOD’S WINDFALL -- PSALM 105

He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold,
    and from among their tribes no one faltered...

⁴⁰ They asked, and he brought them quail;
    he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed like a river in the desert.

⁴² For he remembered his holy promise
    given to his servant Abraham.
⁴³ He brought out his people with rejoicing,
    his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
⁴⁴ he gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
⁴⁵ that they might keep his precepts
    and observe his laws.

Praise the Lord.

I recently received a financial windfall.  I wasn’t surprised, because I had been expecting it for a long time.  And yet I am completely stunned by God’s ways!  You see, I was expecting it because God had made a promise to me.  He made a promise to me when I was destitute, when I was in debt, when I was desperate.

In 2005 I was facing such financial pressure that I cried out to God.  I remember I was on my knees on my kitchen floor, weeping.  I felt him say, “Hold out your hands.”  I opened my empty hands, and in my mind’s eye I could see him pouring in money. He poured and poured until the money filled my hands and even covered me.  In my mind I heard the words, “This one’s on me.  Your debt will be paid off early.”

Each year since then I have done what I could to work and pay down my debts.  Sickness, unemployment, and bills arising from the death of both parents have only increased the debt.  No prospect of relief was in sight, and yet I never forgot that strong promise I felt from God.

Then God did exactly what he had promised.  When I added up all my current debt, it was within a few dollars of the amount that God has now sent me!  And it is a year early – just as he promised!

He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed like a river in the desert.

Aren’t I right in saying, “Praise the Lord!”

Won’t he do the same for you?  Ask him.

COUNTING ON GOD'S GUIDANCE -- PSALM 16

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You will make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Are you the kind of person who tries to do the right thing?  Actually, I think there are a lot of people like that.  I don’t know too many people who get up in the morning thinking, “I wonder how I can really mess up today!”

But some people are conscientious to a fault.  What do I mean by that?  Some people are obsessed with getting it right to the point that they never enjoy things when they DO get it right.

For instance, some months ago I put great effort into writing 36 lesson plans for a high school literature class I was teaching.  I developed the lessons over about 3 years time, then committed them to writing, then organized, polished, proofread, corrected and published them.  When I sent them to the printer I was very relieved and happy.  But the very next day I caught myself thinking: “Shouldn’t I be working on something important instead of watching this dumb sitcom!”  Good grief.

I have good news for you if you are a person who wants to get it right.  God has got your back!  Psalm 16 says: “I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.”  He already knows you want to do the right thing and don’t know what that is.  He whispers to you when you get still at bedtime, and even speaks to you in your dreams.

If you haven’t experienced that and you want to, try this experiment.  Before you go to sleep, quiet your brain for a minute and tell God: “I want to do the right thing about                                          , but I don’t know what that is.  Will you please guide me? I believe you want to guide me, and I’m listening.”

When you awake in the morning, record your thoughts and impressions in a journal.  Do this for several nights, and I’ll bet God shows you a way out of whatever dilemma you’re facing. 

Here is my prayer when I’m facing REALLY BIG questions:

“You will show me the path of life;

In your presence is fullness of joy;

At your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”

I’m COUNTING on it.

John 10 -- I Am the Good Shepherd (3)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  John 10:11

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010,%20Psalm%2023&version=NIV

Listen to story here:  http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.10 and http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Ps.23

In John chapter 9, a man with congenital blindness suddenly had perfect vision.  Jesus healed him. But instead of rejoicing over the power of God, the religious leaders got their noses out of joint.  Why?

Jesus was striking the heart of the problem when he stated: “I am the good shepherd,” and then added shockingly: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

The difference between good leadership and bad leadership is motivation.  Jesus was testifying that his own motivation was pure, unmixed love for his followers. 

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

And the Pharisees’ motivation? 

All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them  … The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

The hired hand  … when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away…. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

The showdown had finally come.  Jesus knew that even at that moment the Pharisees wanted to kill him.  Would good leadership or bad leadership win out?

What is the ultimate test of a true leader?  To be willing to take a bullet.

Jesus was already putting himself in harm’s way because he had very important things to say to those he loved: 

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

But to the Pharisees he said:  “ … you are not my sheep.”

Heroism is the same then as now.  The firefighter rushes into the burning building. The policeman falls in the line of duty.  The soldier lays on a hand grenade to save his platoon.

It would be only a few more days until Jesus’ own prophecy would come true:

“The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”