Tag Archives: Good Shepherd

He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death. —James 5:20

READ: Proverbs 4:10-19

The Dalton brothers were infamous outlaws during the late 1800s in the US. They started out on the right side of the law as officers. But then they followed a gradual descent into crime and became known for bank and train robberies. Their day of reckoning came when they tried to hold up two banks at once. Hearing of the robberies, the townspeople armed themselves and began to fire on the Dalton Gang. When the smoke cleared, Emmett Dalton was the sole survivor.

After serving 15 years in the penitentiary, Emmett was pardoned and set free. While in prison, he had come to see the error of his ways. So when he was released, he wanted to deter young people from a life of crime. Drawing from his own experience, Emmett wrote and starred in a film about the Dalton Gang in which he showed the folly of being an outlaw. In many ways, Emmett’s film was telling others: “Do not enter the path of the wicked” (Prov. 4:14).

In a similar way, when we have sinned but have genuinely repented and experienced God’s forgiveness, we can tell our own story. We can encourage others not to make the same mistakes we have made. James wrote, “He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death” (5:20). —Dennis Fisher

If others learn from our mistakes,
And it saves them from the pain
That we ourselves experienced—
Then it wasn’t all in vain. —Sper

When we learn from our mistakes, we are less likely to repeat them.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God is Love

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God is love.

“This is real love – not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

If you had to summarize God in only one word, what would that word be?

Steve Henning waited fifty-seven years to hear a single word. As a baby, he had contracted spinal meningitis. Since penicillin was being saved for the war effort in 1943, he received no treatment and fell deaf. In 2001, however, a new surgical procedure was developed. The doctors implanted a device in Steve’s ear, but then the waiting game began. The device could only be activated when the swelling went down—and that took six weeks.

When the moment of truth came, the doctors activated the cochlear implant. Steve’s wife was invited to say something, to see if her husband could hear it. She leaned toward him and gently said, “I love you.” A great smile came across his face. The first sound he heard was the affirmation of love.

It is a lesson worth remembering as we talk about God to those who do not know Him. The first and most important words should be affirmations of His love. It’s a beautiful, desirable message that helps the spiritually deaf to hear God saying, “I love you.”

Your View of God Really Matters …

One of God’s most amazing characteristics is His love. It is the most powerful and irresistible force in the universe. Learn to communicate His love as you represent Him to a world that is desperate for genuine love.

What More Does God Say

Psalm 103:13; Ephesians 2:4-9

Because God is love, I will tell others how much He loves them!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Jesus is with You

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus is with You

Matthew 9:24 says: “He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn.”

Are you like the people around Jesus in this story? He was entering the home of Jairus, a desperate man whose daughter had just died. There was no hope in man in this situation, but Jairus hoped in God. His family was helpless, and they were at the end of what they could do when Jesus said, “Give place, for she’s not dead.” In other words, “Give place; it’s not hopeless. Give place, for I am here. Give place; nothing is impossible if you believe Me.”

Often we think that our circumstance is beyond hope. We find it hard to see how Jesus could take the worst-case scenario and make it new. But Jesus is the master of rebuilding, the master of recreating, the master of healing, the master of repair, and the master of new beginnings. Wherever you are today, no matter what you are going through, lift up your eyes because your redemption does not come from man, and it does not come from you, but it comes from Jesus Christ.

He is there with you now!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

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English: Learning to swim on her back

Image via Wikipedia

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

Ever have one of those days when you realize you’re off track?

In one of my not so bright moments, I entered a 1.2 mile ocean swim.  Some were hoping to win a medal.  I was hoping to finish before dinner!

I’d practiced in the swimming pool.  But in a wind-chopped ocean?  No problem, just swim from buoy to buoy. In my case, that became, boy oh boy!

Half a dozen swimmers swam by me.  So I joined up.  How much easier it became.  My hand slapped the rescue canoe along with the others.

“Where you folks headed?” asked the guy in the canoe.

I looked around—we were at least a quarter mile off track!  So many swimmers couldn’t be wrong, could we?

Jesus, enjoying a clear view of the shoreline says—“Need help getting back on course?”

Wise are the ones who nod and swim in the direction He points!

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