A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Wednesday,
November 28, 2018
Yesterday
we passed this multi-level pasture land with an
interesting type of brown-faced sheep in northern
Lebanon County.
Click
on photo to enlarge
"That
Great Shepherd Of The Sheep"
Message
summary: Mankind remains
"harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd." Today let us ever
keep this great need before us and ever
proclaim, "our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep"!
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13:20).
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13:20).
Yesterday morning we passed a sheep
farm in northern Lebanon County. We
enjoy seeing the sheep peacefully
grazing in the pasture, not a care in
the world (at least we assume!).
Sheep are the most mentioned animal in the Bible, some 400 times (including lambs). Agriculturally they are best known as a very needy animal for their dependency on humans in protecting and caring for them. Not surprisingly the most famous Psalm (the 23rd) and numerous teachings of Jesus allude to sheep.
As a human race we face many great needs. Some are very real, while others may be a misuse of the word "need". In the affluent lifestyle we have become accustomed to here in the West we often hear the word "need" to describe that which might be laughable or unimaginable by those who live in many other parts of the world. For instance we may hear someone say, "I really need a new TV" even though this is hardly something we can't live without. (In many cases we may merely want to replace a TV that works perfectly fine with a newer, usually larger model.)
Today there are many needs being heavily promoted as "The greatest need facing the human race." Included in the top ten "greatest needs" are such causes as healthcare, the environment, the role of government, etc.
In the Scriptures there are certain needs common to all humanity such as food and clothing. (1 Timothy 6:8). We also genuinely need love, security, peace, freedom, relationships with others and so forth. Our supreme need is to be in right standing in our relationship with God. We are great sinners, God is a great Savior!
In our first daily text, Jesus models to all who look on that He was motivated by compassion; "When He saw the crowds He had compassion on them". Our ultimate motivation in helping others should be compassion driven as well. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.)
Jesus also expresses the very heart of what is the ultimate human need when He described the crowd; "They were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd". People continue to be "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" which is a result of spiritual separation from God.
"Like most humans who ever lived, the mass of people in Jesus' time were harassed, abused, exploited or ignored by their "shepherds," their superiors. Jesus saw the common people not as "losers" to be ignored or snubbed, but as a rich spiritual harvest, and He chose to enlist others in the great work of harvesting. The kind of shepherd Jesus had in mind was not a leader so much as a caregiver." - J. Stephen Lang
We are incessantly harassed by the enemy and are helpless apart from our spiritual need being foundationally met through a relationship with Christ who calls people to repent, believe, obey and follow Him.
Throughout the Book of Acts and the teaching of the Epistles we see the early Church seeking to fulfill this Ultimate Mission of making "disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19,20).
We recall a statement from our Bible School days that we still very much believe: "Christ started the church the way He wanted it and He wants the Church the way He started it." Throughout history the enemy has so often tried to get the church off track but our mission must remain primarily meeting the ultimate human need which is spiritual in nature. Mankind remains "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Today let us ever keep this great need before us and ever proclaim, "our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep"!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we have freely received Your
gift of forgiveness and salvation.
Because of this we are motivated by
compassion for the lost as we
recognize their ultimate human need is
to have a spiritual relationship with
You. We want to be a part of the
ultimate mission in reaching them with
the gospel message so that they might
have forgiveness of sins and inherit
eternal life in heaven. Keep us ever
mindful of our mission and obedient to
Your leading. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Sheep are the most mentioned animal in the Bible, some 400 times (including lambs). Agriculturally they are best known as a very needy animal for their dependency on humans in protecting and caring for them. Not surprisingly the most famous Psalm (the 23rd) and numerous teachings of Jesus allude to sheep.
As a human race we face many great needs. Some are very real, while others may be a misuse of the word "need". In the affluent lifestyle we have become accustomed to here in the West we often hear the word "need" to describe that which might be laughable or unimaginable by those who live in many other parts of the world. For instance we may hear someone say, "I really need a new TV" even though this is hardly something we can't live without. (In many cases we may merely want to replace a TV that works perfectly fine with a newer, usually larger model.)
Today there are many needs being heavily promoted as "The greatest need facing the human race." Included in the top ten "greatest needs" are such causes as healthcare, the environment, the role of government, etc.
In the Scriptures there are certain needs common to all humanity such as food and clothing. (1 Timothy 6:8). We also genuinely need love, security, peace, freedom, relationships with others and so forth. Our supreme need is to be in right standing in our relationship with God. We are great sinners, God is a great Savior!
In our first daily text, Jesus models to all who look on that He was motivated by compassion; "When He saw the crowds He had compassion on them". Our ultimate motivation in helping others should be compassion driven as well. (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.)
Jesus also expresses the very heart of what is the ultimate human need when He described the crowd; "They were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd". People continue to be "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" which is a result of spiritual separation from God.
"Like most humans who ever lived, the mass of people in Jesus' time were harassed, abused, exploited or ignored by their "shepherds," their superiors. Jesus saw the common people not as "losers" to be ignored or snubbed, but as a rich spiritual harvest, and He chose to enlist others in the great work of harvesting. The kind of shepherd Jesus had in mind was not a leader so much as a caregiver." - J. Stephen Lang
We are incessantly harassed by the enemy and are helpless apart from our spiritual need being foundationally met through a relationship with Christ who calls people to repent, believe, obey and follow Him.
Throughout the Book of Acts and the teaching of the Epistles we see the early Church seeking to fulfill this Ultimate Mission of making "disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19,20).
We recall a statement from our Bible School days that we still very much believe: "Christ started the church the way He wanted it and He wants the Church the way He started it." Throughout history the enemy has so often tried to get the church off track but our mission must remain primarily meeting the ultimate human need which is spiritual in nature. Mankind remains "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Today let us ever keep this great need before us and ever proclaim, "our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep"!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we have freely received Your
gift of forgiveness and salvation.
Because of this we are motivated by
compassion for the lost as we
recognize their ultimate human need is
to have a spiritual relationship with
You. We want to be a part of the
ultimate mission in reaching them with
the gospel message so that they might
have forgiveness of sins and inherit
eternal life in heaven. Keep us ever
mindful of our mission and obedient to
Your leading. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.Harassed
and Helpless: The most
vivid example we've witnessed of
individuals being harassed and
helpless took place some 30 years ago
though we can still see it in our
mind's eye today. Brooksyne and
I were visiting the orphanage where
Ester was born in the Rio Dulce area
in Guatemala. With no warning there
was a sudden heavy downpour of rain
accompanied by flashes of lightning
and loud thunder. About 30 to 40
children, many under six years of age,
began to cry and run to a dry place
but others just dropped to the ground
in a fetal position with their arms
folded over their heads. One little
girl about 4 years old ran to the
swing set and began to swing with her
body drooped over the swing so that
her head faced the ground as she
attempted to keep her face out of the
heavy splattering rain.
The government sponsored orphanage lacked sufficient volunteers and workers for the children, so for the most part, they seemed to be on their own in the midst of a great storm. Brooksyne and I tried to gather them out of the rain but there were only two of us and we didn't speak Spanish though the children surely understood our good intentions. They were truly like sheep without a shepherd, harassed by the tropical storm and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, at a time when children would normally have mothers and fathers gather them close and get them to shelter for safety and reassurance.
The government sponsored orphanage lacked sufficient volunteers and workers for the children, so for the most part, they seemed to be on their own in the midst of a great storm. Brooksyne and I tried to gather them out of the rain but there were only two of us and we didn't speak Spanish though the children surely understood our good intentions. They were truly like sheep without a shepherd, harassed by the tropical storm and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, at a time when children would normally have mothers and fathers gather them close and get them to shelter for safety and reassurance.
We
continue to have a lot of rain in our
region and passed this field yesterday
that had flooded over the road south
of Lebanon, PA.
Thanksgiving
Celebration: Our table was
pre-set for guests arriving last Friday
afternoon. We celebrated with Jim &
Dorothy Schmidt along with Jesse and
Anna Lapp and their family. Both the
Schmidts and Lapps are just like family
to us and when we join together we have
four generations present. Once the seven
Lapp children gathered around the table
along with the seven adults it was
overflowing, so three children happily
sat at our counter bar in the kitchen.
We had a wonderful time of feasting and
fellowship that lasted well into the
late evening.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Savior
Like A Shepherd Lead Us"
Video
Marty Nystrom
"The Shepherd Knows Your Name" Video Foto Sisters
"Come Ye Sinners" Video Norton Hall Band
Song Select has 567 songs with a shepherd theme!
"The Shepherd Knows Your Name" Video Foto Sisters
"Come Ye Sinners" Video Norton Hall Band
Song Select has 567 songs with a shepherd theme!
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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