Shepherd | The White Stone Blog

IDOK DEVOTION FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010

The GREAT SHEPHERD

I am REALLY late sitting to write today; it’s scary how close it is to 4 o’clock and supper has not even been planned much less started. How transparent shall I be??? I’m still in my PJs! What have I been doing??? Reading – mostly. I am telling you if you think insecurity is not a problem for you, you would not be unlike me before Beth’s book. But so far this I know, you are a rare, rare specimen of female flesh indeed if you have escaped the land of insecurity. And I have learned for that matter, so are men – insecure, I mean. Really! So let me again encourage you to get it and read it.

We have only one place in Scripture to go to see our Savior entitled the Great Shepherd.

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. [source] Amen to that! How is it that we do not have peace? How could we miss it? How could we not walk in this peace that this so GREAT A SHEPHERD purchased for us with His very own Blood? Lets zero in on some of these words in particular.

Everlasting covenant: That means He is not going to change His mind about it – about you, about me. The GREAT SHEPHERD has the power to keep on loving you, keep on loving me when we mess up. He even has the power to teach and train us to mess up less and less!

Make you complete: That means He is not going to leave us like He found us when He saved us. He is going to keep working with us and in us until He COMPLETES us. NOW that is GOOD NEWS!

Well pleasing in His sight: Oh my goodness! Do we get that? The GREAT SHEPHERD in us makes US well pleasing in ABBA’s sight! Well pleasing! Could there be anything, anywhere, any better than that? Heavenly Days! He is the GREAT SHEPHERD! Not only does HE tend to us, delivers us from parasites, feeds us, waters us, died for us BUT HE AROSE FOR US. He defeated DEATH for us. Though we may die, yet we will live! News Flash! Our Eternal Life does not begin when we close our eyes here on this terrestrial ball and open them in Heaven! Our Eternal Life began when we said, ‘Yes, Jesus, I will ‘marry’-covenant with You and let You be my Savior!’ So do we believe it? Then let us get up from here and there and act like we do and it won’t be long till we will be FEELING it, not just knowing it!

Thank You, LORD, You are the GREAT SHEPHERD that lives forever and ever to make intercession for us and we are so grateful. We are grateful that we can bring every thought, hope, dream, fear, need and want to You and You will tend to us. You will feed, water and relieve of us guilt, shame, empower us to live victoriously and then when all that is done take us to live with You eternally. It’s more than we can take in but we accept and thank You.

And we come now praying for others; for each one listed here asking for Your best for them; asking for our IDOK Troops to be safe and sound in spirit, soul and body; asking that each IDOK and each Reader be able to hear You speak Your Word to them individually. I ask for rest and restoration for them and for their greatest desire to be to love You and serve You and, ABBA, this I ask in the Name of Jesus. Amen and amen.

Kathie

IDOK DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

As I start this I do not know where it is going. But truth be known that is not unusual and it’s not that I don’t like it that way – I do. What to write or what to speak from Scripture is an avenue where surprises please me.

I am deep into reading So Long Insecurities by Beth Moore. It’s revolutionizing and in my opinion it’s not a book for wimps. And other than encouraging you to get a copy I will not say much more. And NO, you cannot borrow mine – there is a limit to my transparency and you should be VERY glad of that! I’ve probably written more in the margins of the pages of this book than any book in my life. It looks more like a ‘workbook’ than some of my earlier workbooks with her and I’m only on page 203. I said I’d hush, didn’t I? Okay. Moving on.

My dear sister-in-law, Brenda, and I were discussing Jesus the other day and she told me He is described as the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd and the Chief Shepherd. She’s right. I ran an on-line search in the King James Version and, in part, this is what I found.

Only John’s Gospel names Him as the Good Shepherd and that is found in John 10. And in John 10 Jesus is talking to the Pharisees. He has just healed a man blind from birth which brought on a verbal exchange and the Pharisees became indignant about it. And in verse 11 He says: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. [source]

He, the Good Shepherd, most assuredly gave His life for us ‘two-legged sheep’. There is no doubt, He did (does) for us what a good shepherd would do for the ewes, rams, wethers and lambs in his charge – he tends them. He feeds them, waters them, guides them, protects them from all predators, keeps parasites out of their heads and if need be he lays his life on the line for them. And for us there was that need be, so Jesus laid down His life for us.

John 10: (New King James Version) 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” [source] You know WE are those other sheep, don’t you?

And as I am writing, I wonder what do ‘good’ sheep do? And I think this: Good sheep eat the food given them – all of it – and ask for more. Good sheep drink the water offered them. Good sheep stay within the boundaries marked by the shepherd. Good sheep don’t go traipsing off by themselves, off the path the shepherd is leading them on. Good sheep submit to parasite inspection and are glad to be rid of them. Good sheep trust their shepherd and will loyally follow him to their own death. Are you drawing any parallels here? I sure am! Am I a good sheep? Are you a good sheep? We’re working on it and we are better than we were. Aren’t we? Rejoice in this today! And if you cannot rejoice because you really aren’t getting better; you really aren’t following Him, you can get His RX for those parasites today and begin the healing process immediately. I’m here if you want to ‘talk’ – you got my email address.

Maybe tomorrow we will look at the passages where we see Him as the Great Shepherd.

ABBA, this is good I think. Thank You. And I pray it will resonate with our IDOKs and Readers and that we will be able to rejoice at how far You have brought us and that You are not finished with us yet and that You will not stop until we are that Finished Work, that Finished Masterpiece You have in Your Mind and Heart for us to be. And if perchance there are some out there that have left the path, have not been feeding and watering and have become parasite infested, I pray that You will reveal this to them and I pray they will agree to let You heal them. And I pray You will send some sisters (and brothers for the guys) alongside to help them – to give them Your counsel, to love them and pray with them, to listen and care about them. I pray this IDOK Body will be the best we can be, not for our glory, but Yours. Keep us straight, LORD. Keep us straight!

And, I dare not forget our IDOK Troops, to ask You again today to keep them safe and protect them from snipers of all kinds; those that would harm spirit, soul or body. You have been so gracious, please keep on giving them Your grace and bring each one of them home safe and sound I pray. My heart is still with Israel, for their peace, for their safety and prosperity; thank You for keeping Your Hand upon them. Thank You for Your Hand upon America too. Thank You for the ‘grassroots’ that are shooting up all over; keep us thick and healthy enough to get the job done but not overbearing so as to harm others who yet don’t believe the Truth. I pray we who believe in the Roots, the Foundation upon which America came to be will influence more and more people to believe the Truth and that You will restore America. And, ABBA, even now in closing out this session, keep my heart stayed on You and all our IDOKS and Readers. And this I ask in Your Name Jesus, our Savior, our Lord and our King. Even so Come Quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen and amen.

Kathie

We are glad you are here; stay a while, look around, and be encouraged. We estimate there to be over 3,000 posts here at The White Stone Blog. Please know my hope is ALWAYS to help and NEVER harm. I have voiced many opinions and thoughts here since 2007 and by now I MAY NOT EVEN AGREE with all of them and some of my grammar and punctuation likely needs editing. But this is changeless: JESUS is our ONLY Savior and Hope. Do you KNOW Him?