Today's Devotion

Thought this devotion had some great insights, so decided to share it.  

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young (Isaiah 40:11, NIV).

Friend to Friend

As a little girl, I really did have a little lamb whose fleece waswhite as snow. I can remember the day my mother showed me the lamb and explained that she did not have a bottle with which to feed the stray lamb. I did. I agreed to let the lamb have my bottle if I could have the lamb. I have been fascinated by the unique relationship between sheep and their shepherd ever since.

Shepherds live with their sheep, finding places for them to eat and drink, providing shelter from the storms and protection from the heat. Sheep must eat the right amount of the right kinds of grass at the right times...or they will die. If the sheep eat too little one day and too much the next day, some of the bacteria that live in the stomach of the sheep will reproduce abnormal levels, creating toxins which cause sudden death. This problem was even more complicated for the shepherds of the Bible.

The type of shepherding referred to in the Bible is not the farming of fenced pasture lands but nomadic grazing. The shepherd must carefully plan the path and lead the way so that the sheep have neither too little nor too much grazing and are able to get to the water hole on time. Pastures are often lost to extreme heat which means the shepherd has to scour the countryside in search of green grass. Several flocks of sheep are gathered together at night in a sheltered place so that shepherds can share the watches of the night, protecting the sheep from wild animals and thieves. Good shepherds are always willing to risk their lives to save their flocks from any harm, any enemy and even from themselves.

Sheep are dumb, can never be left alone and often stray, requiring the shepherd to find and rescue them.  A shepherd never pushes his sheep but rather leads his sheep, going before them, making sure they are not walking into danger. The needs of sheep, compared to the needs of other animals, are greater because of their instinct to be afraid and when faced with a fearful situation, to run. Without a shepherd to care for the sheep, they will not last long.

Personally, I definitely fit the profile of a sheep. I can’t count the number of times I have stubbornly stuck to my plan, foolishly thinking that it was better than His plan, only to end up in some pit somewhere, calling for help. Psalm 40:1-3 has become my life maxim - with one exception. I rarely wait patiently! Remember, I am a sheep!

Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD” (NIV).

I sometimes allow fear to drive me to a place where I am trapped by doubts and darkness...until He rescues me. I try to satisfy my hunger by eating the wrong things found in the wrong places at the wrong times. The result is always the same; my soul remains ravenous for what is good while stuffing my heart and mind with what is bad. 

Like every sheep, I don’t like to be pushed. Good shepherds do not push, no matter how great the temptation.  A good shepherd stands in front of his sheep, gently calling their names, leading them to a place where he has already been, positioning himself between danger and his sheep. When I am tired and ready to give up, I tend to withdraw from the other sheep and even from my Shepherd. Many of us have somehow bought into the lie that they can make it on their own or that the rules, the commandments of God, do not necessarily apply to them...just those other sheep. The longer I serve God, the more I realize just how much we need each other and how much we need Him.  When will I learn that I cannot do life on my own - as a sheep or as a shepherd? 

A good shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep, just as Jesus Christ laid down His life for you and for me. I am so glad He was willing to lay down His life for every single sheep - the cute, fluffy ones as well as the dirty, broken lambs like me. Maybe it is time for us all to stop, listen for His voice, seek His plan and remember that we are indeed needy sheep who are called to love and lead other needy sheep to the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. 

Lord, I am so thankful that You are my Shepherd and that no matter how deep the valley or dark the pit, You have gone before me and made a way. Help me to understand that Your ways are higher than mine. Forgive me when I complain that the way You have made for me is harder than I want it to be. I surrender my life to you, Lord, my God and my Shepherd. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now it’s Your Turn

Here is a challenge. Read Psalm 23 once a day for one month. Record it in your journal. Let every word soak into your heart, mind and soul. When fear comes, turn to God. When you are in need, trust the Shepherd. When confusion surrounds you, trust God to make the crooked paths straight.  Rejoice daily in the fact that you are His lamb and He is your Shepherd.

I truly believe that most of our stress in life is rooted in our refusal to trust God as our Shepherd. Escaping the Stress Trap is not just a book I wrote. It is based on Psalm 23 and is my story of learning to understand that I am His sheep and He is my Shepherd. Check it out! If you need help dealing with the pain in your life, enroll in Mary’s weekly online Bible Study, How to Handle Hurt and learn how to face and deal with the pain in your life.

Cherishing Moments With My Husband

Lately my husband has had to travel out of town more than usual and be gone overnight.  He is a auto claims adjuster for an insurance company and he is helping to fill in for one of the guys on the team who was called out on catastrophe duty because of the tornados and severe hail in North Carolina.  


I don't like my husband to be gone overnight.  The house seems so empty.  The other night I was reading, thinking it must be around midnight.  I glanced at the clock, to find it was about 8:30.  Why do the nights when I am sitting with my hubby go so fast, and it seems that time is never long enough to sit and enjoy his presence, our talks, and just being together?  Happily, I know it's because we love each other, and are committed to our marriage.  We made a vows almost 24 years ago to have a partnership for life, and to grow in love for each other, to stick together through the good times and the tough times. Over the course of our marriage, there have been plenty of both but we make it through, together.  I  know a lot of couples who love when their spouse is away, but I am not one of them.  God made us partners for life, and when half of that partnership is away, things just don't seem right.  


While tears were running down my face, and I was wallowing in pity the last time my hubby pulled out of the driveway to be gone for a couple days, I looked across the street.  My neighbor has been living without her husband for several weeks now.  He went further than three hours away for work, he went to North Dakota, and it's for more than a couple days.  They are trying to not lose everything they have since they both lost their jobs well over a year ago.  He didn't want to go, but there wasn't much choice.  I talked to him a few minutes before he left, and his heart was torn apart having to go so far away from his family.  Last year, he worked about 5 hours away from home for a few months, but it was close enough they could see each other every other weekend, unlike now.  She is at home with a young child, trying to keep things together.  She is a gal who prides herself in making it on her own, but she finally did admit to me that she really doesn't want to do that anymore, and that it gets pretty lonely.   I also thought of my friend down in Washington who lives apart from her husband because of work.  She, too, has a young child to take care of, not to mention all the other household duties.  As God brought both of these women to mind, I said a prayer for both of the dear women, and their children who miss their dads, and I said a prayer for both men, as I know they miss their families.  I pray for God to do some miracles to bring these families back together soon.  I also said a prayer of thanks that even though I don't like the times when my husband has to be away, I am thankful that he is home more than he is on the road.  I am also thankful that after being with the same man for twenty-five years, I still love him and miss him when he is gone.  I cherish our times together. I treasure our love.  I thank God for the gift of my husband.  

Thankful!

True Love

God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them.           John 3:16-17 

This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God's love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.   

Dear friends, if God loved us that much we also should love each other.  

1 John 4:9-11

Pilate Questions Jesus

Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"   
Jesus answered, "Those are your words."


When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing.
So Pilate said to Jesus, "Don't you hear them accusing you of all these things?"

But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate, and Pilate was very surprised at this.

Pilate Tries to Free Jesus

Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas, who was known to be very bad.  When the people gathered at Pilate's house, Pilate said, "Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?" Pilate knew that they turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous.While Pilate was sitting there on the judge's seat, his wife sent this message to him: "Don't do anything to that man, because he is innocent. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much."
But the leading priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
Pilate said, "I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?"
The people answered, "Barabbas."
Pilate asked, "So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?"
They all answered, "Crucify him!"

Pilate asked, "Why? What wrong has he done?"

But they shouted louder, "Crucify him!"


When Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, "I am not guilty of this man's death. You are the ones who are causing it!"
All the people answered, "We and our children will be responsible for his death."
Then he set Barabbas free. But Jesus was beaten with whips and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.
The governor's soldiers took Jesus into the governor's palace, and they all gathered around him. They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick and began to beat him on the head.  After they finished, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified

 As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus. They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it.  When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots to decide who would get his clothes. The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. They put a sign above Jesus' head with a charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews.  Two robbers were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left.  People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads, saying, "You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of

 God!"  The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also making fun of Jesus.  They said, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. He trusts in God, so let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.' " And in the same way, the robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.

Jesus Dies

 At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours.  About three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

 Some of the people standing there who heard this said, "He is calling Elijah."
Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink. But the others said, "Don't bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him."
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.
 Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart.  The graves opened, and many of God's people who had died were raised from the dead. They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.

 When the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were very frightened and said, "He really was the Son of God!"

 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.


Matthew 27

How Beautiful the Cross

Humbled, and thankful........

Thanks to Christ, this earth can be the nearest you come to hell. But, apart from Christ, this earth is the nearest you will come to Heaven. ~Max Lucado

Read what Jesus did for you, for me, at the cross. Pick one or more of these and take some time to really experience the cross:  Matthew 26-28, Luke 22-24, Mark 14-16, John 18-20.

The Trial

On Trial Before Pilate

by Max Lucado

The most famous trial in history is about to begin.

The judge is short and patrician with darting eyes and expensive clothes. His graying hair trimmed and face beardless. He is apprehensive, nervous about being thrust into a decision he can’t avoid. Two soldiers lead him down the stone stairs of the fortress into the broad courtyard. Shafts of morning sunlight stretch across the stone floor.

As he enters, Syrian soldiers dressed in short togas yank themselves and their spears erect and stare straight ahead. The floor on which they stand is a mosaic of broad, brown, smooth rocks. On the floor are carved the games the soldiers play while awaiting the sentencing of the prisoner.  But in the presence of the procurator, they don’t play.

A regal chair is placed on a landing five steps up from the floor. The magistrate ascends and takes his seat. The accused is brought into the room and placed below him. A covey of robed religious leaders follow, walk over to one side of the room, and stand.

Pilate looks at the lone figure...

“Are you the king of the Jews?”

For the first time, Jesus lifts his eyes. He doesn’t raise his head, but he lifts his eyes. He peers at the procurator from beneath his brow. Pilate is surprised at the tone in Jesus’ voice.

“Those are your words.”

Before Pilate can respond, the knot of Jewish leaders mock the accused from the side of the courtroom.

“See, he has no respect.”

“He stirs the people!”

“He claims to be king!”

Pilate doesn’t hear them. Those are your words. No defense. No explanation. No panic. The Galilean is looking at the floor again.

Something about this country rabbi appeals to Pilate. He’s different from the bleeding hearts who cluster outside. He’s not like the leaders with the chest-length beards who one minute boast of a sovereign God and the next beg for lower taxes. His eyes are not the fiery ones of the zealots who are such a pain to the Pax Romana he tries to keep. He’s different, this up-country Messiah.

Pilate wants to let Jesus go. Just give me a reason, he thinks, almost aloud. I’ll set you free.

His thoughts are interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. A messenger leans and whispers. Strange. Pilate’s wife has sent word not to get involved in the case. Something about a dream she had.

Pilate walks back to his chair, sits, and stares at Jesus. “Even the gods are on your side?” he states with no explanation.

He has sat in this chair before. It’s a curule seat: cobalt blue with thick, ornate legs. The traditional seat of decision. By sitting on it Pilate transforms any room or street into a courtroom. It is from here he renders decisions.

How many times has he sat here? How many stories has he heard? How many pleas has he received? How many wide eyes have stared at him, pleading for mercy, begging for acquittal?

But the eyes of this Nazarene are calm, silent. They don’t scream. They don’t dart. Pilate searches them for anxiety … for anger. He doesn’t find it. What he finds makes him shift again.

He’s not angry with me. He’s not afraid … he seems to understand.

Pilate is correct in his observation. Jesus is not afraid. He is not angry. He is not on the verge of panic. For he is not surprised. Jesus knows his hour and the hour has come.

Pilate is correct in his curiosity. Where, if Jesus is a leader, are his followers? What, if he is the Messiah, does he intend to do? Why, if he is a teacher, are the religious leaders so angry at him?

Pilate is also correct in his question. “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?” (Matthew 27:22)

Perhaps you, like Pilate, are curious about this one called Jesus. You, like Pilate, are puzzled by his claims and stirred by his passions.

What do you do with a man who calls himself the Savior, yet condemns systems? What do you do with a man who knows the place and time of his death, yet goes there anyway?

Pilate’s question is yours. “What will I do with this man, Jesus?”

You have two choices.

You can reject him. That is an option. You can, as have many, decide that the idea of God’s becoming a carpenter is too bizarre—and walk away.

Or you can accept him. You can journey with him. You can listen for his voice amidst the hundreds of voices and follow him.

Believing the right things about Jesus isn't enough. You're not adopted as God's child until you confess and turn away from your wrongdoing and receive the freely offered gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased with his death on the cross. Until you do that, you'll always be on the outside looking in.  ~ Lee Strobel

Lead Me to the Cross

Lead me to the cross, Jesus.  Help me to lay myself and my wants aside to see only you, and to live a life honors you, not me.  

Beauty of the Cross

To help focus your thoughts for this Easter week:

Taking A Stand

"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’”  Isaiah 7:9(b)


So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted. 1 Corinthians 15:58


Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.  And do everything with love.  1 Corinthians 16:13-14


Do you take a stand for what you believe?  Do you really live for the convictions you stand for?  


It's been bothering me a lot lately how so many people don't stand for anything.  Their beliefs and convictions have gone away, because society tells us to not have convictions on what is right and what is wrong because someone may be offended or someone might disagree with what we say.  So many people have bought into this lie.  There is right, there is wrong, there is truth.  


I heard someone say that because of peer pressure they did some really wrong things.  They didn't want to stand against what their friends thought or did, so they gave in, even though they knew it was wrong.  The choices they made have caused life altering consequences.  Other popular excuses are 'it felt good at the time,' or because of something a spouse or parent did, it CAUSED them to go out and fall into some type of wrong behavior.  These are common excuses used for drug and alcohol abuse, sex sins, lies, and so many other things that are harmful and wrong.  It bothers me that things can be justified so easily and made right, even if it's by the spouse, the parents, or the friends of the other person.  They blame the way our society has become and just brush it off as something that can't be helped because of the way things are in the world we live in.  


As a follower of Christ, I believe otherwise.  I believe there are ways to stand against what is wrong.  I believe that if I truly am living a life for Christ, then I know I have the power of him within me and I can overcome the pressures put on me by the world.  I also believe that it's wrong to make excuses for others .  I also believe it is wrong to say you can't help someone, they have to help themselves.  If they are in a destructive behavior they need support, love, and they need someone to speak truth in their lives, even if they don't want to hear it at the time.  They need help.  I also believe it is wrong to take what they have done and say it's not so bad...like, she's only using pot, not a stronger drug/she had an affair because her husband works too much/he couldn't help his sex sin, his dad was into pornography and so his son is too, it's not a big deal/it was just a white lie, it doesn't hurt anyone.  


One thing leads to another, which leads to another, and the wrong becomes acceptable until it starts to spiral out of control.  Your young son may be looking at porn now, but in 10 years, he may be convicted of rape.  Your daughter may be experimenting with alcohol now, but could end up addicted to meth in a couple years.  Your innocent chatting with a person of the opposite sex at work could end up in an affair that rips your marriage apart.  


I am not writing this in judgement of anyone.  I am writing this in observation of a culture that seems to forget there is right and wrong, that has forgotten about convictions and moral standards.  Believe me, I mess up, all the time, but I have strong beliefs and convictions that I stand by as well.  I do my best to live by the truths in the Bible.  


Are you willing to stand up for things that are right and wrong, for morals and convictions?  Are you willing to teach the kids in your life, because you love them, that there is right and wrong, and there are consequences for behavior, and that while they might have messed up, they can start over and live life differently and make better choices?  


We all have the opportunity to start over.  We can all start fresh.  Jesus died because he loves all of us.  We can all be forgiven of our sins, our mistakes, if we ask.  He forgives us and we can start all over, fresh and new.  A life lived for Christ means we try to love him like he loves us, following the Bible as our guide.  We are never perfect, we just have grace and forgiveness through a Savior who loves us.  Are you willing to trust Him?  He is waiting for you.  

All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.  Romans 3:23-24

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.  

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.    1 Peter 5:6-9

Forgive Me

Forgive Me by Rebecca St. James and BarlowGirl 

Writing

Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; God composes, why shouldn't we?  

~Terri Guillemets

Lately, I have been having issues with what I first thought was writer's block, "BLOG BLOCK" to be exact.  However, I realized that I have been writing more than I have in a long time and my notebook and journals are stacked with a lot of words, whirlwinds of thoughts, page upon page as a matter of fact.  God seems to be teaching me many things right now, and I have been trying to take good notes.  My husband was watching me write the other day, and made a comment about how fast I was writing and filling up those yellow pages of my notebook.  Honestly, I hadn't noticed.  

Fill your paper with breathings of your heart.  

~William Wordsworth

My head seems to be overflowing with thoughts and words.  I figured out this morning what my problem really is...too many thoughts, scattered all over the place that need to have some cohesiveness to them.  My goal this week is to put those thoughts together into something that will make sense to someone other than me.  I don't know how you write, but when I write, I often times get three or four thoughts at the same time so the words I jot down are usually half thoughts, or notes, so I don't forget what I was thinking.  (Hmm, could I be somewhat scatterbrained?  Probably.)    Most of the time, I can go back and figure out what I was talking about in the jotted down half thoughts that are scratched across the pages.  However, I must admit, there are times where I scratch my head and wonder what I was thinking when I wrote down those notes.  If anyone else was to pick up my pages of notes, they would be very lost and confused, thinking the message was written in code.  

There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes.  

~William Makepeace Thackeray

Even if I am a bit scattered and need to organize my four journals and two notebooks, it has felt good to just sit and write again, to express myself with pen and paper.  I actually find it very therapeutic and healing.  

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.  ~Norbet Platt

So, dear reader, stayed tuned as I try to organize my thoughts and find ones I want to share.  Much of what I have been writing is between me and God, but there are always words and thoughts to share with others.  I hope some of the words and thoughts inspire you, make you smile, and make you think.  I also hope you are inspired to sit down and write.  You don't have to know how to write, just write.  Writing seems to be an art we are losing, just like so many others, because of technology.  So today, I challenge you to grab pen and paper and just write what's on your heart, what may be weighing heavy on your mind, or joys that you would like to express.  After all, it is pretty cheap therapy!  

Close the door.  Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.  It's one thing you have to offer.  

~Barbara Kingsolver