Two kinds of shepherds; those who care about and protect God's sheep, and those who care for and protect ..only themselves.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does care. He never once ditched ..or bailed out on His own. Yes, not even in our day will He forsake us. Words are so inadequate to accurately express the depths of our Chief Shepherd's love for His flock or even for sinners... 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" firstjn3/1

"He that serves God for money will serve the devil for better wages." ~ Sir Robert L'Estrange

"The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep." 10/13jn

The same God who flung galaxies out there into being simply won't leave you. This is the One known for loving all His sheep the same so to speak, yes, "gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart" 40/11isa. 

How strong is God's love for us? Well, you and I can tell by the unthinkable price that Jesus Christ came and paid for us at Calvary. You are so loved! 

And since You and I are so loved, believers, let's choose to hate what Christ hates ..and love Christ more ..and all that He loves (all sinners saved or not) in the way that He loves.. "For the love of Christ constraineth us (compels us nkjv, controls us nlt).." 5/14secondcor

Jesus, the good Shepherd, never ditched or bails out on His own. Words are so inadequate to express the depths of this Shepherd's love for us: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"  

O how He loves you and me! Jesus Christ will never leave you or forsake you! 

The hireling might look like a good shepherd, but he keeps all his options open and jumps on the opportunity that looks more profitable for him and his family ..regardless of what that will mean for the church or other people. 

The same Shepherd and God that we see in the Old Testament - that's the God that we see in the Book of Acts as well as in the entire New Testament. He loves us and hasn't changed one bit, but still has a big missionary heart for blessing and saving people everywhere. Let's earnestly pray (as the Spirit leads..) to be more involved with Him and His great plan.  

P. Where is God, my Maker, who gives joyous songs in the night—songs of mighty deliverance? Intervene O Lord. Rank degeneracy has spread over our human race. Fear is there as economies are failing. Even our leaders are immoral and lie. They care for themselves, but help us not be like that. The masses are turning glory into shame, and "bad" into so called "good." Rampant, perverse wickedness is rendering us forgetful of You and your ways in this Land. The Bible has been flung aside, yet we all still need Your Word. Recall Your wandering children. Recall us to Your side. We aren't better than, just better off. Impress on the Church a deep sense of divine and biblical things—then render that sense lasting and most effectual inside each of our minds. Make us part of the solution, rather than part of the problem today.

O Father God, who is like You? None, nowhere.. not even close! Thank you for Christ our selfless Chief Shepherd. What a Gift who died for my sin and rose again. He showed us what You are really like ..so use us to do that too.. OK. So wanna be like Him in His Character, approach, and holy Love today. I had a false religious concept of how You are for too long a time, but still want to grow in the grace and understanding of Your nature and precepts. Ain't near perfect in fruit-bearing, but I adore You my Vine. God, I still don't care about people the way that Jesus did, but I all-out-bless Your magnificent Name. Sorry I don't do better - such a wretch. For some reason I don't care for people as You or Your Spirit do, but You are here to change that. Glad for refills.

Increase, take more ground in me. I'm all Yours. Help me "get it" permanently ..much better than I do. 

Wanna cooperate well. Whatever You've pour into born again men before, whatever You've done with believers in days gone by.. please do it again in me now.. do it in and through us. WHATEVER YOU'VE DONE THROUGH YOUR CHURCH BEFORE.. kinda thinking of Acts ..O DO IT AGAIN WHILE THERE'S TIME. Like a mighty rushing wind ......come in. Trust You for the rain. Not thinkin' of drizzle or some light downpour. I worship and praise You. 

Feel so grateful that You've never ignored us, but instead You proactively came after and found each of us ..stumbling-outsiders.. hurtin', empty, and just wanderin' around in our blindness.. yeah, right into harmful stuff ..and then You rescued us one by one. You transferred us into a much better zone so to speak. I was much blinder than a bat in a dank dark cave, much lost-er than a lizard all alone in a hot desert, much guiltier that all and so afraid to die, knowin' somethin' wasn't right. Undam the flow of living-water kinda rivers. Many more are still thirsty.

We were rad-rebels, yet You saw and cared. In Your great mercy, ginormous-compassion and glorious grace, You acted as others just stood there ignorant. You wanted us. You still want us and all our friends in Your warm family, so close, so that we might be with You non-stop.. for good. So gracious. Thanks for all the undeserved security, life, privilege, and abundance.

Kinda hard to explain it. How can we.. to whom can we.. show Your love through us today? Don't wanna impede Your work. Just do Your thing however You desire. Break the dam. Send out Your anointed truth, Your holy light, Your reviving fire. Blow away spiritual compromise and slumber. Blow all away.. the sorrow, grief and ashes of horrific unbelief by Your Spirit's mighty breath.

Revisit here and gather fruits to Your glory—so shall I fulfill the great end of my being. Got a white flag flyin', but it's not up for the enemy. Methods change, truth never! Equip, mobilize and send. Here am I. Show details of how together.. we can bring closure on Your Great Commission. We expect, not from anyone else, but our eyes are dead-bolted in Your direction O Shepherd of Israel. We give You all the thanks and glory in Jesus Name. Amen. facebook.com/ShareJesus

Plead Christ's Cause and leave off pleadin' all causes that you're not called to plead.

You've undoubtedly read about Charles Finney I'm sure. He was a 29-year-old lawyer who felt so concerned about his soul's salvation that on October 10, in 1821 he sole away to get alone with God in a wooded area outside his house. 

While he was there prayin' guess who showed up? It was the Holy Spirit who did and he had a real conversion experience. He points us to Christ who regenerates people. Finney penned: "The Holy Spirit.. seemed to go through me, body and soul.. Indeed it seemed to come in waves of liquid love." Did his life change? 

Well, the very next day a potential client came to Finney for some legal representation, but Finney responded to him with these words: "I have a retainer from the Lord Jesus Christ to plead His cause and cannot plead yours." And you know the rest of the story. Finney later left his legal practice, entered the ministry and passionately led many others to Jesus Christ. When you think about it, Christ himself is the only soul-winner - the One who can save - but Christ chose to use an ordinary person.. Charles in this work and the Lord in a unique but biblical way also wants to use you as well.   

The apostle Paul basically had the same type of thing happen to him. Have you been born again? If so, are you witnessing of Jesus' love by your life, attitude, deeds and words? Yes, Paul was also called to plead the Lord's cause to lost people. He penned, "I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel" (Phil. 1:17). Of course God doesn't need our defense, but the word translated "defense" here was employed in the first century for an attorney pleading his case in a court of law and guess what. All believers are called to witness.. to boldly share the Good News of Christ's saving grace. Love all, and look for unbelievers who will take a moment to hear the Scriptures. I dare you if I may cuz you can do this. I encourage you to pray, confess, get right with God by faith, be sanctified and while being perfected, but before you're a perfect person, go tell. Be ready to give a defense to those who ask.

Jesus said, "First take the PLANK out of your eye, then you can see clearly to help your brother take the SPECK from his eye" (Matt. 7:5, emph. mine). Visit facebook.com/ShareJesus

Was asked about a person seein' an alledged "dead" relative who showed up in his room.

We've actually been witnessing to and praying for Tom. We love him. Off the cuff... I responded to Jim who asked about Tom (who said he saw this. Not the real names here). I think the Bible remains silent on that issue about dead relatives popping up in a room. Samuel allegedly appeared to King Saul with his witch-friend at a town called Endor. Most pastors have no clue about if that was really Samuel that Saul saw ..even though Saul called him Samuel. The result of this so called visit from Samuel caused tremendous fear instead of peace for Saul and he was in clear disobedience in going to the witch for the reason that he did.
 
I also said.. perhaps the person who saw this had a mere dream while sleeping ..or that perhaps came from God ..or from a spicy dinner or whatever. Maybe this came from those meds that are causing Tom to have illusions. Perhaps it was a familar Spirit (a demon) who knew the family history and habits of Tom and his relative.

 

But what does God, through His Scripture, say about visions and appearances of the dead to the living? Should we spend time talking with the dead? I say no and we shouldn't pray to them if they alledgedly show up or not because there is only one mediator between man and God and that is Christ Jesus.

 

Here is where the Israelites were warned against this kinda thing, even though they multiple times turned away from God in this very negative way. God warned...

 

"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so" (Deut. 18:9-14).

 

Saul, started out pretty well from all outward appearances. He even expelled mediums and spiritists from the land, but then he went and violated God's word by consulting a medium/witch (1 Sam. 28:3-25). He was in fear and his end was tragic (1 Sam. 31:1-6), but Israel ended up getting a better king in David. knowgod.org

No matter what anyone might say to ya..

..you know that you are indestructible until God is finished with you down here on earth, believer. 

That's one reason why we need not fear ..at all.. even when we hear uber-fearful things said to us. "If God has work for me to do, I cannot die"..said Mr. Henry Martyn in regards to this kinda thang goin' down. And besides if God does not have more assignments for you or me or any believer to do here, then why would we even wanna hangout livin' on this sin-cursed planet even one minute longer? Go tell.

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11). facebook.com/ShareJesus