Good Shepherd

From Jeremiah 31:2-3:  “Thus says the LordThe people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away.  I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”

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Brought out of wilderness

Darkness no longer speaks

Good Shepherd offers rest

Strengthened, no longer weak

 

Joyful journey of peace

Mountains singing with praise

Faith’s vineyards now planted

Harvest reaping God’s ways

 

Gladness fills every heart

Light rises to applaud

Good Shepherd gathers flock

Destiny’s Lamb of God

 

Redemption flows from love

Forgiveness sown from grace

Bethlehem bears God’s Son

Enemy gives up chase

 

Darkness replaced with hope

Mercy’s love fulfills peace

Good Shepherd quiets storm

Spirit transforms faith’s lease

 

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From John 10:14-16:  “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father.  And I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

Journey’s Protector

From 1 Corinthians 15:56-58:  “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

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Each advancing year

Blessed by Father’s love

Overcoming through faith

Joy’s praises soar above

 

Journey’s protector

Loved by Holy Son

Reconciling sin’s sting

Heaven’s work shall be done

 

Resurrection’s light

Powered by Son’s grace

Transforming forgiveness

Today’s peace to embrace

 

Steadfast in spirit

Encouraged by Son

Raising up hope’s outlook

Tomorrow’s rising sun

 

Mercy found in Christ

Discouraged no more

Witnessing Calvary

Redemption’s open door

 

Courtesy of Pinterest.

From the words of English preacher, Charles Spurgeon:  “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.”

Charles Stanley Quote

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When you pray in Jesus’ name, God will transform your prayer life by turning uncertainty into confidence and confusion into the wisdom to know His will.

From Romans 8:26-27:  “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words.  And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Charles Stanley (1932-2023) was an American pastor and Christian writer.  He was dedicated to leading a teaching ministry.

William Wilberforce Quote

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True Christians consider themselves not as satisfying some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of gratitude.

Colossians 2:13-14:  “And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with Him, when He forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.  He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.”

William Wilberforce (1759-1833) was a member of the British Parliament.  He became a major figure in the movement to abolish the slave trade and slavery itself in the British Empire.

Robert Millen Horn Quote

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When we lack the peace of God, we should turn to our peace with God.

From Romans 5:1-2:  “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”

Robert Millen Horn (1933-2005) was a British pastor and Christian writer.  He was born to parents who served as missionaries in Ethiopia until 1936 when they fled the country following the Italian invasion.

Monday Memories: Follow His Footsteps

From Romans 12:1-2:  “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

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Imperfect humans

Walking darkest trails

World twists upside down

Christ calls, without fail

 

World crying out with

Endless, empty claims

Filled with dead end thoughts

Christ drowns looming flames

 

Noisy distractions

Countless temptations

Follow His footsteps

Christ’s supplications

 

Waking to darkness

God’s will lights each day

Struggling with life’s sin

Christ bridges the way

 

Share genuine love

Holding fast to good

Serving the Father

Christ transforms driftwood

 

Zealous in spirit

Rejoicing in hope

Walk with humbleness

Christ’s love helps us cope

 

Marked with our Lord’s truth

Walk with Christian steps

Soul and mind renewed

Follow Christ’s footsteps

 

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From Hebrews 6:19-20:  “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Originally published January, 2021.

Eugene Peterson Quote

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We cannot afford to be naive about evil–it must be faced.  But we cannot be intimidated by it either.  It will be used by God to bring good.

From Romans 8:31:  “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

Eugene Peterson (1932-2018) was an American pastor, theologian, and Christian author.

Unwavering Journey

From Psalm 3:3-4:  “But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.  I cry aloud to the Lord, and He answers me from His holy hill.”

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Shoring up man’s wisdom

Stepping forward to serve

Giving generously

From heavens, God observes

 

Walking daily with God

Sharing peace from His love

Receiving blessed grace

Mercy breathes from above

 

Facing adversity

Believing in God’s Word

Unwavering journey

Hope deepens from faith stirred

 

Writing faith’s divine plan

Fulfilling every page

Forgiving sin’s darkness

Christ’s light takes center stage

 

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From Acts 13:23-25:  “Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised; before His coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.  And as John was finishing his work, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am?  I am not He.  No, but One is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of the sandals on His feet.’”

Helen Keller Quote

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Doubts and mistrust are the mere panic of timid imagination, which the steadfast heart will conquer, and the large mind transcend.

From Proverbs 3:5:  “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

Helen Keller (1880-1968) was an American author and lecturer.  Her own journey through blindness and deafness encouraged her to advocate for the rights of others who live with disabilities.