What The Lord requires of believers

  What the Lord requires of believers

The Prophet Micah states,

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.

Micah here makes it clear what God requires of all who believe in him.

We are to...

do justice,

love kindness,

walk humbly with God.

If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus are these three halmarks of a believer part of your life?

Please think about it.

Anyway you can

Anyway you can

The Psalmist writes,

“Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing, 

praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.”

                                       Psalm 150.

Why not take a few minutes now and praise The LORD anyway you can?

Please think about it.

The Lord

 The Lord 

The Psalmist writes,

“The LORD is my shepherd, 

I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

                                                                                                   Psalm 23.

Who is the shepherd of your life. A pastor? An evangelist? A teacher? A politician?

If you are truly a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. The Lord and The Lord alone should be the shepherd of your life. It’s really that simple. There are no ands, ifs, or buts about it.

Through good times and bad times The Lord must be the shepherd of your life. So who is the shepherd of your life?

Please think about it.

Choice

Choice
The Psalmist writes,

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God.

 It is he who made us, 

and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations."

                                                                                    Psalm 100.

Here is a simple statement. “I believe God exists and I will worship Him as long as I live.” What others believe about God is between them and God.
God in creating mankind did not make robots programmed to follow him without question.
God gave mankind a freewill to choose to do what he wished. That freedom extends to what they believe about God.
In the book of Joshua we read that Joshua gave the Israelites a choice he said,
"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24: 14,15.
Our choice in 2020 is no different. We must chose whom we follow. Either God the creator of heaven and earth or other things.
Thus the question becomes; who will you follow?
Please think about it.

A thought

A thought

Please think about it.

Your Hope

Your Hope
The Psalmist writes,

“I wait for the LORD,

 my soul waits, 

and in his word I put my hope.” 

                                    Psalm 130:5  

If you claim to be a Christian, where is your trust. Billy Graham the American evangelist wrote,
"Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do." Billy Graham.
In Proverbs we read,

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart 

and lean not on your own understanding; 

in all your ways acknowledge him, 

and he will make your paths straight."

                                                        Proverbs 3:5,6.

Here is a question for all who claim to be followers in Christ Jesus. Do you truly “trust in the LORD with all your heart”?
Please think about it.

My Shepherd in the words of others

My Shepherd in the words of others

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

 your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

 and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

                                                                                                                                 Psalm 23
The above is a Psalm of David. It tells how God comforts and protects him and of his choice to be faithful to him.
Over the years I’ve come across several interesting Psalms inspired by the twenty-third psalm. I put them here for you to think about.

Psalm of Tranquility

                                                                                  by Joan Stephen

Everything that’s needed

Is given us each day;

Reflected in still waters

and grasses by the way.

Our souls are guided daily

By an unseen welcome hand,

Leading ever onward

To some sweet peaceful land.

There is no fear of evil

Or death or shades of gloom.

Constant is our comfort 

Even beyond the tomb.

Goodness will always follow;

Forever and a day

So all may live in paradise

With no need to repay.

                     Joan Stephen

The Nun’s Twenty-Third Psalm

The Lord is my pace-setter, I shall not rush.

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals;

He provides me with images of stillness, 

which restore my serenity.

He leads me in ways of efficiency 

through calmness of mind.

And His guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to

accomplish each day,

I will not fret, for His presence is here.

His timelessness, His all importance will keep me in

balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of

my activity

By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity.

                                                                                                     All Saints convent
                                                                                                     Cantonville, Maryland
                                                   
                                                My Shepherd is the living Lord,
                                                                              by Isaac Watts

My shepherd is the living Lord,

Now shall my wants be well supplied,

His providence and holy word

Becomes my Safety and my guide.

In pastures where salvation grows,

He makes me food - he makes me rest -

There living water gently flows,

And all the food divinely blessed...

Through I walk through the gloomy vale,

Where death and all its terrors are,

My heart and hope shall never fail;

For God, my Shepherd’s with me there.

                                                                                                          Isaac Watts
Is the Lord Jesus Christ truly the Shepherd of your Life?
Please think about it.