The Lord Is My Shepherd

Mike Sullivan
Psalms 23

While it is embarrassing to be compared to sheep as they do not have a sterling reputation for intelligence, the important point to remember is we have a shepherd. We have a Good Shepherd, Jesus, who leads us, protects us and teaches us to love people. Not only that, but like a good shepherd, He sacrificed His life for us.

Preparing Our Minds for Suffering

Conrad Hilario
1 Peter 4:12-19

Since suffering is inevitable in this world, Peter gives six principles for enduring suffering in ways that brings glory to God. Don't be surprised when you encounter suffering. Instead, rejoice in suffering, knowing that God will use it for your good. Make sure you avoid unnecessary suffering, such as suffering as the result of doing evil. When you do suffer, do not be ashamed of suffering for Christ. Entrust your soul to God who is your faithful Creator. Do what is right, for in due time you will receive your reward.

How to Be a Winsome Follower of Jesus

Conrad Hilario
1 Peter 3:8-15

In order to be a witness for God to an ungodly world, Christians are called to possess winsome qualities, to be winsome in what we say and do and give a winsome response to those who ask about our faith. We are called to give an account for the hope that is in us. We have good reason to believe in Jesus because He is true! Even atheistic scientists cannot explain the puzzle of the "Fine Tuning of the Universe."

Fear of the Lord

Gary DeLashmutt
Psalms 33

Modern readers of the Bible often have a negative reaction upon first hearing the phrase "the fear of the Lord." They mistakenly think we are called to be afraid of God but we must let the Bible interpret itself. The Bible says to fear the Lord means to stand in awe of Him, which means to ponder his greatness, power, intelligence, beauty, and wisdom as it is revealed through His creation. We can demonstrate we fear the Lord by trusting in His lovingkindness, and following His moral instruction. A synonym for "fear of the Lord" is humility before God.

Problems with Authority

Scott Risley
1 Peter 2:13-25

Passages that call us to submit to the governing authorities can be difficult to hear with our modern ears. We bristle at the idea of submitting to fallen institutions. Although our authority system is temporarily out of order, one day God will set up the government we have always longed for. For now, we have to follow Jesus' example and keep on trusting the Father.

Three Myths about Church

James Rochford
1 Peter 2:4-10

Three myths about church are: the church is a beautiful or boring building, to become a Christians I need to join a church, and the purpose of the church is to sing songs. The church is not a building or a place but it is it's people. Joining a church membership roll does not make one a Christian. The church is the community of people who have placed their faith in Jesus to forgive their sins. The primary purpose of the church is not to sing songs but to share Jesus' message with a hurting world.

Paul's Greatest Secret

Dennis McCallum
Philippians 4:10-20

Paul's greatest secret was having learned to be content in all circumstances. He didn't learn this secret in one momentous moment but it came to him over time, bit by bit. God had to stress his faith in order to make it grow. Growth comes in the areas of life when no one is watching. Your little steps of faith grow over time and you learn to to trust God with the bigger things. When we learn to trust God with our money and start giving it away as a "sweet-smelling offering" God will reimburse us. Just as the Philippians had no idea their simple monetary gift resulted in untold number of people benefitting from the prison epistles Paul wrote, we have no idea how our giving freely may be used by God to bless people we have never met.

Thanking God for His Promises

Gary DeLashmutt
Psalms 138

The God of the Bible is the only god of the world religions who makes and keeps promises. King David, who wrote Psalm 138, gives thanks to God who has fulfilled past promises, will fulfill future promises and is keeping His present promises. David had his flaws and made many mistakes, but his default was to submit to God and depend upon His promises.

Getting Closer to God

James Rochford
Philippians 2:1-11

Jesus was showing us the way to completely depend and trust in God. This is a supernatural act that cannot be done out of our natural ability. While Jesus was on earth, he kept all of his divine attributes and abilities but willingly chose not to use them. Instead he relied entirely upon God to empower him to do everything that he did. He chose not to grasp equality with God because wanted to grasp us instead.