Its going on a whole year in a sheep’s life. From the green pastures; to the still waters; to up the mountain passes of the summer range. Then, up to the mesa. Now fall is coming with its colder weather. And through the journey, there developed a love and a trust between the shepherd and sheep. See, they were on a mission. They weren't just little homebodies. They were on the move. Just like you and me. We're not just busy, we are going somewhere. 5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. You make the necessary preparations for my welfare. You prepare a place spread out, with plenty to eat." This talks of having a feast and gives us a picture of a faithful shepherd leading his flock. And a shepherd walking and leading the sheep to higher ground."You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. My Shepherd’s desire is to see my best interests served; His concern for me is beyond comprehension.”
As you can imagine, a shepherd would be overjoyed to see his sheep grazing on the land he prepared for them. To him, there was no greater happiness, than to see them taken care. Oh', the joy of pastoring. Oh', the joy of leadership. To see people fed and see them grow and experience the blessings of the journey. To see them assured of their security and have their anxieties subsided due to God's constant care, love and protection. What truly a blessing it is.
“You make the necessary preparations for my welfare. You prepare something is spread out for me.”
Now, where they would be at, was called a mesa. It was a large great massive part of land that we often see in movies or when we travel the mountain passes or the southwest. It was more like a table and a very hard place to reach. Yet, it was the best place to graze. Just as God wants the best for you. It talks of having a feast. I've heard stories of when people go to Italian familes houses in Italy, that for them just a snack, they throw a a gigantic spread. When I went to Durango, Mexico last year. It was just the same. I traveled to many parts within the state, for I literally have thousands of relatives there. Well, when I went to many quaint little towns and made contact with relatives. They would immediately go into their kitchens and make some of that tremedous 'authentic Mexican food.' Wow! What a blessing. May God bless their hearts. As a sheep, this was just like that.
Now, where they would be at, was called a mesa. It was a large great massive part of land that we often see in movies or when we travel the mountain passes or the southwest. It was more like a table and a very hard place to reach. Yet, it was the best place to graze. Just as God wants the best for you. It talks of having a feast. I've heard stories of when people go to Italian familes houses in Italy, that for them just a snack, they throw a a gigantic spread. When I went to Durango, Mexico last year. It was just the same. I traveled to many parts within the state, for I literally have thousands of relatives there. Well, when I went to many quaint little towns and made contact with relatives. They would immediately go into their kitchens and make some of that tremedous 'authentic Mexican food.' Wow! What a blessing. May God bless their hearts. As a sheep, this was just like that.
What would the shepherd do to get them to that place?
1. He would prepare the way for the coming journey. He would prepare the pastures. Take out the rocks, roots and stones. He would remove the poisonous plants. Because the sheep felt overconfident, (Like some of us do, at times) that they could eat everything that came their way. That they were ok, and didn't need anybody's help. Then, he would shear the sheep, so they could be lighter for the coming journey.
let me say this . . .
We can't take a heavy coat, those old fleshly ideas and habits with us on the road. Also, for the leader or pastor, the work of the ministry is often done behind the scenes. The sheep had no knowledge of what the shepherd was doing for them. Now, ministry is no easy task. Yet, its a privilege to care for people and do it with God's call. For the sheep are His. 1 Pet. 5:2. The work we do, should be done with the sheep in mind. For them, to excel in the Lord. To see them do greater things than you yourself have done, and go to places you yourself have never gone before. To love them and bring out their best and see them fulfill their potential in life.
2. He watched and was alert due to wild animals who could attack at any time.
2. He watched and was alert due to wild animals who could attack at any time.
Wolves and mountain lions were a threat. The wolves grow to 4 feet in length. That's pretty big. The mountain lions would watch where you least suspected. The 18 inch Horned Viper. They hung around the stony places and hid in walls and hedges; lurking on the roads. Then would bite the sheep when they would eat the grass, because they were in a hole in the grass. So the shepherd would try to prevent that.
Say This:
1. We must let the Shepherd lead us. There's some who want to get ahead of the Shepherd. Listen, we cannot get ahead of God. We must allow God to lead us. Our job is to follow with faith and obedience. How many people in life starve, when what God gives to us is free from His hands? How many Christians are living on the brink? How many of people are going into a downward spiral of impending destruction, all because they don't listen to wise biblical counsel?
2. The shepherd would lead the flock. Not drive the flock. Many times we could be so concerned about 'getting to the higher level,' than actually being concerned for the flock. We want to attain. We want to achieve. We want that ol' feather in our cap. And notch in our belt as leaders. We want to say, "Oh, look what I did!" But God is the one who rewards. He looks at your faithfulness. He sees your toil. He cares for you and gives you supernatural strength to be able to do what you do for Him. Never think its you. Though it is you God is using, let's give the glory to the One who deserves it it, the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes in dealing with individuals in ministry, God tests our patience. One time when I was running our Christian Men's Recovery Home. I had been working with a rough guy. At that time the person had a girlfriend in a Women's home in a different city. I had been trying to help ever since he arrived at the home. On a certain saturday, I stayed back from our schedule, and was counseling the individual. He had done alot of prison time. Anyhow, as I'm dealing with him, the guy pulls out a knife. And is serious about stabbing me. I look at him and say, "Dude, (I started laughing at him) Your'e going to pull a knife out on me?! Here I am trying to help you, and going out of my way, and you're going to pull this little stunt on me?" Though the guy, did that, God had His way. Anyhow, God calls us to be patient with others. The same way He is with us. We must turn things around. I mean our viewpoint, and our mentality. That it is a joy and a privilege to share in the work of the ministry. You must love what you do. Yes, yes, it does come with heartache and disappointments. But how many times does God remind us that its His work and not ours. We're not perfect, as thousands and leaders are not. Yet, its a blessing to lead people to the cross of Calvary and do it with a right heart, right spirit, in the right city, the right message and the right mission.
3. There's things in life that are deadly.
There's a saying I love that says, "Not all that glitters is gold." Its so true. We must be alert. We must watch for the wolves or wild animals, things detrimental to the sheep. Remember, "Where lives have been destroyed and wounded, the devil has been there.” You can't always be so naive to think that you will never get attacked. You will. We must always look at God's word on how to respond and keep moving for the Lord.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
It's summertime now in the meadows. And here, there's blessing. But there's also trouble. There's 3 major problems sheep face. See, with every level, there's a challenge we must always keep alert to that. Its: 1. Insect time or Nasal Fly time. 2. Parasite Season. 3. Time of the Rut.
- Nasal Fly Time – Mosquitos; Nats & Deer flies
The flies would distract and devastate the whole flock. And advanced stages would lead to blindness. The flies were slick. Their vision was to land on the moist nose of the sheep. Then they would hatch their eggs on the noses. The eggs would work their way up the nasal passage and membrane. Then hatch in there, and thrive. What it would do to the sheep is cause havoc, and torment. Sheep would rub their nose on the ground becaue of the torment, Bang their heads on trees, In real bad infestation, they would jump off cliff's because of the petty annoyances, the detailed distractions, the tiny torments and daily dilemma’s.
1. The devil will always attack the mind. One of his names is Beelzebub. "Lord of the Flies". What does that mean? Is that the enemy wants reverse everything God has done in you. He wants to pervert our faith and belief. Someone has said, "You can't stop birds from flying over your head, but you can stop birds from laying a nest on your head." Bad thoughts are going to come. But we must repel them with the word of God. Can you imagine as we speak the multiple lies of the enemy he is putting on millions of people worldwide. the destruction you will hear about in tomorrow mornings newspaper? Don't stop reaching out. - Parasite Season
Highly contagious disease would spread in warm weather through infected sheep. Sheep love to graze togtether and be affectionate. And often their heads would touch each other. And so by contact they would infect and contaminate each other and would spread through the flock. Its the same with church people. At times there's different sources of infection. Just like the common cold. If one is contaminated, there's the potential for many to become so as well. That's why a spiritual firewall is so important. Prayer has to be evident and effective. There must be strong leadership and solid biblical preaching. Yet, there must be compassion and love for infected people. Christ is the antidote for any infection or spiritual ill. And you should be careful not to become infected yourself. Gal . 6:1
- Time of Rut
This was a battle for position; and a dangerous time. The rams would butt heads. and many sheep would get hurt. Again, there was requirements that had to be met for sheep to lie down They had to be free from fear. Free from parasites or flies. Of hunger, and free from friction with other sheep. Rut season is when jealousy and old grievances come to the surface. Its when bitterness, suspicion and pride would come out.
1. There's some in our churches who always want to fight. They have a fighting spirit, not as the Bible talks about. But a fighting spirit to fight against other Christians, leaders, parents, coaches and anyone who crosses them. They still haven't learned to throw that ol' chip on their shoulder into the bonfire. They don't feel good unless they fight. We know it’s a time of rut when we always have our guard up. When we think we’re better than others. When we think we’re always right. They say, when someone gets fired from their job, its not because they were not any good at what they do. It is because they never knew how to build relationships with people. In the Lord, we could drop our guard and be ourselves. We are part of a team. We must forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. We must learn to get along and build godly relationships with each other. Psa 133.
So here, we talked about torment, contamination and conflict. So what does the shepherd do in all of this. How many times do we say, "Man, doesn't the pastor care? Doesn't he know what's going on?" Or we say about God, "Why does He allow these things to happen? Why doesn't He just do something and intervene?" Remember, God is good. He is just and compassionate. He died for you and me. He can turn things around. So the shepherd would apply oil in all three situations. He would put oil on the sheep. Then the fly would try to land and couldn't. And the sheep would be like, Aa-a-a-h, what a reli-e-f-f! He would put it on the head of the sheep, then when they would touch each other as they grazed, and there would be no infestation. Then he would put oil on the horns and heads of the rams. Then when there was clashing, and battle. Their heads and horns would roll off because of the oil. They would sit there and say, How did that happen? They would sit there like, Duh? Like a dunce.
1. There's some in our churches who always want to fight. They have a fighting spirit, not as the Bible talks about. But a fighting spirit to fight against other Christians, leaders, parents, coaches and anyone who crosses them. They still haven't learned to throw that ol' chip on their shoulder into the bonfire. They don't feel good unless they fight. We know it’s a time of rut when we always have our guard up. When we think we’re better than others. When we think we’re always right. They say, when someone gets fired from their job, its not because they were not any good at what they do. It is because they never knew how to build relationships with people. In the Lord, we could drop our guard and be ourselves. We are part of a team. We must forgive as the Lord has forgiven us. We must learn to get along and build godly relationships with each other. Psa 133.
So here, we talked about torment, contamination and conflict. So what does the shepherd do in all of this. How many times do we say, "Man, doesn't the pastor care? Doesn't he know what's going on?" Or we say about God, "Why does He allow these things to happen? Why doesn't He just do something and intervene?" Remember, God is good. He is just and compassionate. He died for you and me. He can turn things around. So the shepherd would apply oil in all three situations. He would put oil on the sheep. Then the fly would try to land and couldn't. And the sheep would be like, Aa-a-a-h, what a reli-e-f-f! He would put it on the head of the sheep, then when they would touch each other as they grazed, and there would be no infestation. Then he would put oil on the horns and heads of the rams. Then when there was clashing, and battle. Their heads and horns would roll off because of the oil. They would sit there and say, How did that happen? They would sit there like, Duh? Like a dunce.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
A fresh application of oil was most effective. And it wasn’t a one time deal, it was a process that had to be repeated over and over. The shepherd would mix olive oil, sulphur and spices. What does that tell us?
1. We need a fresh daily touch of the Holy Ghost. We need God's anointing upon our lives daily. The freshest application would be the most effective. When God’s Spirit is on us and in us, we become different people. That's when the change takes place. We need God everyday.
Acts 1:7-8 - "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Alot has been said. But I'll close with this:
- Enjoy the seasons of your life. I'm speaking from personal experience. Enjoy life. I am enjoying life right now. Though I still miss Vera. She's gone. There's nothing I can do about it. But I'm pressing on. But on the flip side, I'm enjoying my time. Yes, I'm busy as ever. To be honest I live a tired life. Constantly going. But its Ok. Because I know that this is the stuff that life is made out of. If you stop enjoying life, what is to become of you? C'mon, take time to ponder, to think, to enjoy. God is with you. Take the time to experience the sunset. To smell some flowers. To read a good book. To go out at random, and get yourself a Tropical Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Its alright. Enjoy the life has given you.
- Stay close to the Shepherd and eat at the Lord’s Table. He has your best in mind. Maybe you've gotten hurt in life. Maybe you've been abused physically, mentally, sexually, or even maybe spiritually. Eat at the Lord's Table. He loves you and takes special interest in you. Nobody can take away what Jesus has done with you, has given you, and has for you. Let Him have His way with you. Our shepherd never sleeps, is never careless and always looks out for our best. Stay close to the shepherd and eat at the Lord's table, John 10:9.
Have a beautiful week. I love you and God loves you. Talk to you later. Oh, sorry for being late. I slept in this morning. I was tired. Leave your comments if you can. Or just keep Baaaa-hing!
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