All we like sheep have gone astray...

God's people are compared to sheep quite often in the Scriptures. 

Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. -Psalms 100:3

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments. -Psalms 119:176

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. -Matthew 10:16

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. -Isaiah 53:6

The Lord Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."  - John 10:11

Follow the leader


Sheep have a strong instinct to follow the sheep in front of them. When one sheep decides to go somewhere, the rest of the flock usually follows, even if it is not a good "decision." For example, sheep will follow each other to slaughter. If one sheep jumps over a cliff, the others are likely to follow. Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. This instinct is "hard-wired" into sheep. It's not something they "think" about. 


We rather have that tendency to follow others too, don't we? God warns us about it. 


Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: - Exodus 23:2


Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. -3 John 1:11

Sheep are lowly creatures. Yet think of how our Almighty Lord has humbled Himself in being called the "Lamb of God". We are to be like our Lord in all lowliness and meekness. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." -Matthew 11:29

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. -Isaiah 53:7


But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; - Philippians 2:7-10

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, 

and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh 

away the sin of the world. -John 1:29

I shall not want

A friend of mine shared a sermon recording from her pastor with me recently, that spoke on this chapter. It dwelt on what a wonderful thought it is, that those who are the Lord's children have HIM as their Shepherd through this life. If He is truly our Shepherd, we shall not want (i.e., lack). "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing." -Psalms 34:10  "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." -Psalm 84:11 

Are we truly seeking the LORD, and walking uprightly? "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD." -Lam. 3:40  "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." -Psalm 139:23

~Psalm 23~

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

*************************

  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; 

therefore will I hope in Him.

 -Lamentations 3:24

If the LORD Himself is truly your portion, what more can you need?

Deeper than the stain has gone

(Sing to tune of Life is Like a Mountain Railway)

1. Dark the stain that soiled man's nature,
Long the distance that he fell.
Far re-moved from hope and heav-en,
Into deep despair and hell.
But there was a fountain opened,
And the blood of God's own Son,
Purifies the soul and reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!

Chorus

Praise the Lord for full salvation,
God still reigns upon His throne.
And I know the blood still reaches
Deep-er than the stain has gone.

2. Conscious of the deep pollution,
Sinners wander in the night,
Tho' they hear the Shepherd calling,
They still fear to face the light.
This the blessed consolation,
That can melt the heart of stone,
That sweet Balm of Gilead reaches
Deep-er than the stain has gone!

(Chorus)

3. All unworthy we who've wandered,
And our eyes are wet with tears;
As we think of love that sought us
Through the weary wasted years.
Yet we walk the holy highway,
Walking by God's grace alone
Knowing Calv'ry's fountain reaches
Deeper than the stain has gone!

(Chorus)

4. When with holy throngs we're standing
In the presence of the King,
And our souls are lost in wonder,
While the white robed choirs sing;
Then we'll praise the name of Jesus,
With the millions round the throne;
Praise Him for the pow'r that reaches,
Deeper than the stain has gone!

Chorus

Praise the Lord for full salvation,
God still reigns upon His throne.
And I know the blood still reaches
Deep-er than the stain has gone.

Author: Adger McDavid Pace 1882-1959

Some verses to ponder - Eternal LIFE

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

-1 John 5:11

 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. -Romans 8:6
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is

life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:10

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

-Ephesians 2:1

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

-Revelation 22:17

Something to think about: have you been given life? 

Our thoughts

Outward life is the result of our inward thinking.

Take care of the inward, and the outward will take care of itself. 

"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:..." Proverbs 23:7

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. Matthew 15:18-20

 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. -Genesis 6:5

The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity. -Psalm 94:11

 I hate vain thoughts: but Thy law do I love. -Psalm 119:113

 Create in me a clean heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit within me.

-Psalm 51:10

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my

heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength,

and my Redeemer.

-Psalm 19:14

His Righteousness

Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, 

Who has done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee! 

-Psalms 71:19

 The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.

-Proverbs 15:9

 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

-1 John 2:29

 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

1- John 3:7

  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

-Romans 6:16

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

-1 John 1:7

I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.

-Psalms 71:16

Cinnamon, Ginger & Turmeric Tea

During summer months, I very rarely make any hot drinks for myself, but as it gets cooler, I do begin to enjoy herbal teas more occasionally, and thought I'd share a recipe that has become a favorite of my mom's and I've come to enjoy as well! It's actually unusual for me, since I really always have formerly disliked any spicy teas, but this one is nice since I can adjust the spices more to my taste. The original recipe called for 1/2 tsp. of ginger, but since that seemed overpowering to me, I cut it back to 1/4 tsp.

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ginger
Honey (about 1 Tbsp., or to taste)

Steep the spices in one cup of hot water, straining them out afterwards with a coffee filter, if desired. (I personally don't mind drinking it as it is.) Add honey or sweetener of your choice.

The health benefits of these three spices (and the honey) might be a good reason to add it to your list to make! :)

 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the

honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:  So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

~Proverbs 24:13

Beauty

 With the days growing noticeably cooler, it's not hard to tell that winter weather is shortly coming. I've been trying to enjoy as many days outdoors as I can before it's too cold to do so.

 The Zinnias that I planted earlier this summer have bloomed prolifically, and have been a bright patch of color on the edge of our yard. There are reds, pink, purple, and shades of orange; all beautiful! I thought I better get some photos of them before the frost kills them off for the year. :)

 A bright Black Eyed Susan stands out with the other flowers.

 A beautiful Moss Rose that my mom was happy to have growing this year!

She has memories of her mom growing these, so I was glad this one (out of the three or four plants that we planted) survived.

 This has been one of the best years for Mums! The flowers are a much more beautiful bright red than this picture shows, and really add nice color to our flower beds. This plant is

a division from one of our established bushes that was growing so huge that it was needing divided. Both the original plant and the division are thriving, so I hope to do it with more of them sometime.

Some white Mums that were planted last year.

We took a walk to the creek near us recently also, and I enjoyed it! The water of the creek is very clear at this time of year, with a nice sandy bottom and banks alongside it. As I was walking further

down the creek, a large deer jumped across in front of me, and it was interesting noticing paw prints from Raccoons and other animals in the sand along the creek as well.

Just thankful to the Lord for the many beautiful days this year, His amazing creation that we can see, and enjoyable times spent with family!

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Psalms 30:4

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms 106:1

The fear of the LORD

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. -Proverbs 23:17

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

-Proverbs 16:6

He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. -Psalms 145:19

Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
-Psalms 86:11

God's supply for our need

The best antidote for [any worry] is frequent meditation upon God'’s goodness, power and sufficiency. When the saint can confidently realize "The Lord is My Shepherd," he must draw the conclusion, "I shall not want!" Immediately following our exhortation is, "but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Nothing is too big and nothing is too little to spread before and cast upon the Lord. The "with thanksgiving" is most important, yet it is the point at which we most fail. ...Before we receive God'’s answer, we thank Him for the same: it is the confidence of the child expecting his Father to be gracious. ~Selected

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

~Philippians 4:6

  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

~James 1:6

A Gardening Tip That Actually Works

Last year, I was quite disappointed to have the Squash bugs eventually completely destroy my Butternut Squash, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, and Cucumbers. It became one of the worst infestations of the bugs that I had ever seen in my garden. So when a few days ago I began noticing their reappearance on my squash plants, I started looking online to see if there were any ways to get rid of them without using chemicals. I had almost given up, when I came across a site with this simple tip that actually works! And the only thing it requires is a roll of packing tape.

Just look for the bugs and/or clusters of eggs on the underside of the leaves. (This picture is of them in the newly-hatched nymph stage.)

 Then, taking a piece of packing tape, just tap the sticky side lightly over them. As you can see, it's quite effective in easily capturing quite a few all at once! It works quite well for catching the adult bugs as well.

The eggs are a little more difficult to remove, but if you press the tape down firmly, with a few tries most of them will stick to the tape.

It was somewhat time-consuming (about 45 minutes) to check over all of my squash plants, since we have a somewhat large garden, but by the time I was finished it was easy to see that the population was reduced by the hundreds. I've been checking back for the past couple days, and it only takes me about 5-10 minutes to quickly look over the plants again and remove any new bugs or eggs. Prayerfully, now, the plants will recover from all of the damage already done, and still produce a good crop this year. 

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Psalms 24:1