I Have Gone Astray Like a Lost Sheep

"I have gone astray like a sheep; seek your
servant, for I do not forget your commandments"

(Psalm 119:176).

An Unexpected Finale

The 119th Psalm is a wonderful song of praise for God's Holy Word. There are many memorable verses from this lofty chapter such as "O how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day" (119:97). Or what of the guidance given in verse 9, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word." Even more often quoted is the passage regarding God's word being a lamp, "Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (119:105). What is more interesting to me is the way that the psalm ends. This grandiose psalm of praise ends in confession of sin. After praising the direction that God's word provides for his life, the psalmist admits that he has too often rejected its guidance. Listen to his words, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments."

I've Gone Astray, Again

Oh, how the writer's prayer is so often my own! God, I have gone astray like a lost sheep! The sheep know that protection is only found by staying close to the shepherd and his guiding staff. But sheep are curious creatures that often wander away from the flock and the watchful eye of the shepherd. Before we know it, we look up to find ourselves alone, shivering, cold, and lost. This little sheep's cries echo through the darkened canyon of death as the evening shades of guilt begin to creep all around. Spiritual predators prowl all around. "Where can I turn?" "What am I going to do?"
I Can't Find My Way Back

This little sheep cries for his shepherd. I cannot find my way back. My only hope is if the shepherd happens to search for me and find me. The psalmist (and the reader) cries out to the Good Shepherd, "seek your servant!" The invisible enemies begin tearing at the flesh of my soul. The demonic powers begin to prey upon my weakened soul like ravenous carnivores (see Ephesians 6:12). I cry out for someone to save me, someone to come and seek that which was lost--me!

I Deserve to Be Lost

I know that this is what I deserve. As the soul-thirsty demons tear at my soul, I know that the reason I am here is because I left my Shepherd's voice. Even as I am being destroyed, I remember the kind and loving voice of the Shepherd. Guilt ridden, filthy, and tainted "I do not forget your commandments." Why am I alone and lost away from the Shepherd, again? Yes, this is not the first time. So often I find myself doing the very evil that I do not wish (see Romans 7:19). There is not hope for me, "wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24). My soul will be forever lost, as I am a lone sheep that has gone astray. And I deserve it.

The Tug of the Shepherd's Staff

Suddenly, I feel the crook of the Shepherd's staff around me. He lifts me from the precipice that is infested with predators. The Shepherd has come to seek and save that which was lost! (Luke 19:10). Amazing grace! How sweet is the sound of my Shepherd's voice! He has saved a wretch like me! "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 8:25).

Do You Love Me?

With shame filled eyes, the lamb looks into the eyes of the Shepherd. I strayed again, and he sought and saved me again. Why would he come for me again? I am worthless and unworthy. Looking into my soul the Shepherd asks, "Do you love me?" (see John 21:15ff). Lord, you know that I do. "Tend my lambs and shepherd my sheep," he replies. Reluctant in myself but confident in my Shepherd, I rejoin the flock and begin grazing on the riches of his Word. Because of the sin in me, I too often stray. But Father, I will never forget Your Word! Amen!

A Wise Old Bible Student

“A Wise Old Bible Student”

by Jonathan Jones II

A truth-seeking man studied God’s Book,
While studying, inside himself he did look.
Only his own will for years had he sought,
He had not served God, in the way that he ought.

For years he had tried to find ways out,
Avoiding obedience, taking a rebel’s dark route.
Often he claimed, the Bible doesn’t say not to!
Now broken and searching he read the old Book anew.

No longer was he seeking to justify himself,
Looking to know God he approached his bookshelf.
Opening the Bible, God’s will he would obey,
No longer would he do everything his own way.

What does God want for me and my life?
This was his prayer, “Bring peace amid strife.”
God’s word would guide all his days left ahead,
But there were many things that the Bible left unsaid.

God’s silence once gave him permission to do,
anything and everything that he wanted it to.
But now this man genuinely wanted to know,
“What has God said? Which way should I go?”

One thing was for certain, God must be held above all,
He is the Master and Lord, before Him we must fall.
With purpose God speaks and intentionally he rests,
Treat God as holy, two of the sons of Aaron can attest.

God says what he means, don’t go beyond his Word,
When we listen and obey God’s holy name is honored.
Blessed is this man who puts God’s will always first,
Speak in God’s silence, the gamble may end in a curse.

Keep Your Signal Strong!

There is nothing more frustrating that dropping an important cell phone call. Debate rages over which cell phone company offers the strongest and most reliable signal.

Our relationship to God might be compared to a cell phone conversation with the Almighty. We are able to hear God speak to us through is word (cf. Heb. 1:1-2, 4:12). We are able to speak with God through prayer (cf. Phil. 4:6). As we consistantly listen to God speak to us through his Word and we speak to him through prayer, our cell signal to heaven remains at full strength. When the days come that we get out of the habit of daily Bible reading and prayer, the signal begins to weaken. Keeping our spiritual signal with the tower in heaven strong is essential to spiritual health. This is a modern way of explaining what the Bible calls "walking in the light" (see 1 John 1). We must continue walking in the light; we must keep the cell signal with God strong. Our conversation with God is one call that we do not want to drop.

Childbirth and Life's Meaning

Well, I'm offically an uncle. It's really weird to realize that your baby sister is a mother. When a new soul enters the timeline of history, it really makes you consider the meaning of life. One moment you do not exist and then the next, you are a concious, free-thinking, being of choice thrust into the current of the stream of time. The mere fact of existence makes one question what the purpose of life really is.
This was the question that King Solomon explored in the book of Ecclesiastes. With his great wisdom, vast resources, and tireless desire, he embarked upon a quest to find life's true meaning. Consider his observation, " As you do not know how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything" (Eccl 11:55, RSV). Medical science can explain many things about the human body, but no physican can explain how the spirit enters cells and tissue and becomes a living soul.
Solomon made a search of everything "under the sun" and found everything to be meaningless (cf. Ecc. 1:9). The true meaning of life is only found with something beyond the setting sun. The meaning of life is found by putting God into your life (Ecc. 12:13). Only then with the haunting hunger deep within you be satisified, only then will you find inner peace and meaning with life.

The Best Time of Year

Autumn is absolutely my favorite time of year. There is something magical in the air when the leaves begin to make their magical transformation. Thanks to the outdoor spirit of my grandfather and my dad, I grew up with a love for the woods and waters and everything "outdoors." I can sit for hours in the woods and simply watch the drama of God's creation that unfolds. I love to go hunting, and yet I have been on dozens of successful hunts where I did nothing but capture my prey with my eyes. Sometimes, however, I am blessed to harvest one of God's creatures that he created for us. God instructs us, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant" (Gen. 9:3). God has provided these things for our provision; "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude" (1 Tim. 4:4). Farmers, trappers, hunters, and fishermen are fufilling God's original mandate to mankind, to be stewards of the earth (cf. Gen. 1:28). By harvesting animals through hunting, wild game is protected from the diseases that result from overpopulation.
We are amid the first hunting season for the majestic North American whitetail deer. My brother harvested this handsome 9 point buck with his compound bow.

"The Perfect" and the End of the Miraculous Age

"The Perfect" and the End of the Miraculous Age
Tonight I had a great discussion with a brother at the Cracker Barrel. One of the greatest blessings of Christian fellowship, is our common love for God's message to us. We discussed the end of the miraculous age and Paul's use of "the perfect" in 1 Corinthians. Here is some study I've done on the topic.
The inspired apostle states that there would be an end to miracles. He wrote to the Corinthian brethren, " Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away" (1 Cor 13:8-10). This passage explicitly says that there would be a time when miraculous gifts would be "done away" and would "cease." The question, however, is when would this occur? Again, the text is clear; this would happen when "the perfect" comes. But to what does "the perfect" refer?
We must investigate what the original Greek text says and how its terminology is used in this passage and in others using the same term. In the original text, the phrase is "to teleion." The word is from "telios" which means "to bring to an end, finish" or it can mean "full-grown, adult, of full-age, mature." To properly understand what Paul means by using this word in this passage, it proves helpful to examine his usage of the same terminology in a very similar passage in another of his letters.
The same word is used once in the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians deals with the nature of the Lord's church. In the discussion of the development and growth of the church, Paul lists the various roles of service and leadership that existed as the church developed (4:11). The purpose of these various roles was to "equip the saints" for the work of the ministry. The work of these leaders were crucial in helping an infintile church grow into adulthood (4:13). Having only a portion of God's message revealed, the church would easily be "tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (4:14).
God's message was given progressively over the decades from time of the church's establishment. Eventually, the complete message would be completely given (around A.D. 96 with the completion of the last book of the New Testament). Thus, there was no longer any need for the miraculous confirmation of oral teaching (a major purpose of miracles--Mark 16:20). The complete record was finished and the church had matured and was complete (until some would begin falling away from the faith once delivered for all--see 1 Tim. 4:1ff; 2 Tim. 4:1ff; Jude 3). When "the perfect" mature church developed with a complete message from God, the "partial" of miraculous gifts ceased.
Let's continue to study this matter and seek God's truth. I would like to hear your comments and the fruit of your own personal Bible study on this matter.

Think on Good Things!

Think on Good Things!
It is very easy for Christians to become discouraged today. The world is full of negative images, the news seems all too gloomy, and immorality seems to abound to the point of Noah's generation (cf. Gen. 6:5). Let's all wake up from our slumber and get our minds out of the darkness! There are many wonderful things taking place in our world. God is working, even at this hour, in the lives of his people! I would encourage all of us leave the negative messages of the world and "think on good things." The inspired apostle wrote to us, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Philippians 4:8). Would you like to "make a switch" from watching and reading negative worldly material and subscribe to good spiritual reading? Here are some suggestions for you to check out:

1. Watch the Gospel Broadcasting Network (you will need a broadband connection)
2. Subscribe to Think Magazine
3. Subscribe to The Spiritual Sword
4. Subscribe to The Gospel Advocate Magazine
5. Subscribe to Christian Woman Magazine
6. Read the on-line magazine The Christian Courier

Bible Teacher's Toolbox

The Bible Teacher's Toolbox
On-line study links for the busy Sunday School Teacher



Teaching Tools for Kidos (General)
E-Bible Teacher.Com
Sunday School Teachers Resources and Coloring Pages
Children's Ministry.com
Youth Ministry.com

Study Sites (Brotherhood)
1. Biblical Periodicals
The Christian Courier
Reason & Revelation
2. Commentaries
The Four Fold Gospel
Acts by J.W. McGarvey
James Burton Coffman's Commentary on New Testament

Study Sites (General)
(*filter everything through the lense of Scripture)
1. Concordances
Nave's Topical Bible
Strong's Concordance
Torrey's Topical Textbook
2. Lexicons
Greek
Hebrew
3. Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Smith's Bible Dictionary
4. Online Bibles
Bible Gateway: 13 versions & 19 languages
Online Study Bibles: 22 versions
The Interlinear Bible
Audio Bible
5. Commentaries
People's New Testament
Matthew Henry's Commentary
Robertson's Word Pictures
Jamieson, Fausset, & Brown
6. Church History
Early Church Fathers
Church Fathers
Fox's Book of Martyrs
Josephus
Creeds & Confessions
Restoration Movement
7. Maps & Charts
Old Testament Books Chronology Chart
New Testament Books Chronology Chart
Manna Maps (Old and New Testament) a few free maps
Bible.Org Maps (Old and New Testament) GREAT maps!
Bible History Maps (Old and New Testament) most black & white, some color

Stumbling Around in Blogville

I'm afraid I have caved into technological peer pressure. First it was surfing the web, then e-mailing, then building your own homepage, and now this. I'm not really sure what to think about this blogging thing just yet. Well, here goes!