New Every Morning~March 6

Pat · March 05, 2006, 07:52:40 PM

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"Grace in the soul is heaven in that soul."
~Matthew Henry~

Morning Devotional...

Psalm 23

Having been a shepherd, David was very, very familiar with the work of shepherding. For that reason he naturally likened his relationship with God to the sheep's relationship to their shepherd. It was a close, caring relationship that he knew very well, and it truly satisfied his heart to think of Jehovah as his Shepherd. He wanted all the people of his kingdom to share in that satisfaction, that happiness of relationship.

In the early morning, therefore, he went to the tabernacle to meet those who were gathered there to worship Jehovah. He went as their worship leader, their kantor, and when he led them in the first line of the morning psalm the words reflected his own relationship to his loving God. He sang,"The Lord is my shepherd." Every worshipper repeated the words, thereby establishing in their hearts that God was their Shepherd also.

And what a loving, caring Shepherd their God was! David got the people to sing about it by having them repeat, "I shall not lack. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake." So the people also all found themselves confessing that God does all these things for them as well! It's beautiful praise to a loving, caring God!

Then, having experienced dark and desperate times as well as good times in his walk with God, and knowing that such times are a part of the lives of every one of us, David leads all the people to confess their Shepherd's loving care in those times as well. He sings, "Yes, 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!"

David knows that his God is a loving Shepherd in ALL the situations of life, whether in the presence of deadly enemies or loving friends. He knows that he'll ALWAYS be safe in his Shepherd's care. It's no wonder that he sings about it! And the people, with a new and blessed realization of the goodness of their God, gladly sing it after him. They joyfully sing out the fact that their situation (their "cup") is overflowing with the Shepherd's goodness ALL the time!

Then comes the final chorus, the final confession of God's lovingkindness. They sing, "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!"

Can we apply all of this to ourselves? We could begin by praying to see His loving, shepherding hand at all times, and in every situation of life. Sometimes we're so blind! But by His Spirit He'll help us if we ask it. Then let's pray that we will be as sheep are to their shepherd, following Him, trusting him and loving Him all the time! And let's give Him thanks for both rod and staff in every situation - even when, like sheep, we don't fully understand!
Al Moak

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The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want
(Click to hear music)

Psalm 23

The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for his own name's sake.

Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill:
For thou art with me, and thy rod
And staff me comfort still.

My table thou hast furnished
In prsence of my foes;
My head thou dost with oil anoint
And my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God's house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

Janet · March 05, 2006, 09:56:37 PM

I was about to post when I saw the "warning" and glad I saw it, so I didn't lose my post. Thanks for helping Al out, Pat. I love (have always loved) the 23rd Psalm.

Liz, sorry to read about your brother. A lot of us know about the divisions between family members, and it isn't good. But all we can do is all we can do; we cannot make others' decisions for them. I just hope someone crossed his path and presented the Gospel to him and that he did accept the Lord before his time on earth was up. I pray you feel God's loving arms around you in a special way tonight (or today, whenever you read this.) (((hugs)))

Etta Sue, our ladies' retreat is coming up on March 24 and 25, and I pray it will be as refreshing as the one you attended. That sounded like such a good time with the Lord.

Marilyn, sorry you didn't get to see your kids today.

Larry, glad you had a great day with your relatives and that you will get to enjoy them some more tomorrow. Just don't overdo, please.

I need to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. See you later!

Carol · March 05, 2006, 10:37:22 PM

Pat: Thank you for the Shepherd verses. It is so comforting.

Larry: Such good news on your nephew. We had the chicken soup tonight - it was nice and calming after a terrible drive on the freeway.

Janet: Pass the pickled beets, please.

We are home after visiting with children, grandchildren & dogs. We shall sleep well tonight.

Carol

Marilyn · March 05, 2006, 11:14:02 PM

What a wonderful service we had tonight, the Holy Spirit was certainly moving there tonight.

See y-all tomorrow.

mybcjazz · March 06, 2006, 01:36:02 AM

Thanks Pat for the encouraging devotion. It is so nice to be able to depend on our Shepherd for all our needs--sustenance, peace, protection, discipline (oh no, not that too!

). Well, not that our Shepherd clobbers us (though I really feel I need it sometimes), but He does what He has to, making sure we get to the green pastures and still waters. I am glad.

And here is a shot of a train I got while out enjoying God's beauty early Sunday morning. Take a peek at our gallery when you have a chance

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In His Grip,
kevin

Janet · March 06, 2006, 08:42:24 AM

Just popping in before we head to the "sweat shop" this morning!

Kevin, when we are disciplined by the Word, it sometimes is more painful than that kind of clobbering! Our loving Father always knows exactly what we need. I will look at your new photos later; I am trying to check at least three people's photos each day and add comments. Some great stuff in our gallery!

Later!

Ritz · March 06, 2006, 09:03:00 AM

Very nice Kevin, it looks like you and Jazz had a nice walk.

Etta Sue · March 06, 2006, 10:03:34 AM

Liz ! So sorry to hear about your brother. I am praying that he chose Christ as his Lord and Savior before passing and you will meet again in Heaven on comforting terms.

JudyB ~ I think it was you who is taking a med that dries your mouth. I do. I chew gum. Otherwise, no one could hear the sermon! Or perhaps a cough drop or hard candy would do the same.

I was absent yesterday. I was sooooo tired after standing again at church and making sure that I had done as much as possible before being gone for two Sundays. Oh, I made so many mistakes that even the man that was helping me and will be doing the duping said 'You really need a vacation!' It must be obvious. If my back is much better when I return, then the head of the A/V Team and I are having a talk. I love working and doing for God but when it wipes out two days of my week, then I need to find a different ministry to serve.

Today Kitty and Judy are coming for Cat Sitting lessons! I have declined going to Small Groups tonight since we are just going to fellowship and choose what study to do. Tomorrow night is the first class in photography. And Wednesday, bright and early, I will be on the Road Again!

So remind Pat to slide my devotion over on Wednesday nights. Not that I don't trust Pat to do it but she is about the same age as me....Senior Moments!

o0^0o_o0^0o_o0^0o_o0^0o_o0^0o_o0^0o_o0^0o_o0^0o_o0

Etta Sue · March 06, 2006, 10:06:26 AM

Maggie

Carol · March 06, 2006, 10:08:08 AM

Kevin: I see some hills in the background. In what area of the country? I love any train pictures.

Ritz: I checked your beautiful fall leaf picture & that is amazing - what we can look forward to but months from now, thank you.

Hi Pat! I was on the treadmill downstairs & the t.v. was on a weird station and can't be turned downstairs - talk about annoying - I should have turned it completly off but didn't want to stop.

Time for coffee & early haircut appointment.

Carol

Edit: Hi Etta Sue! I almost stepped on you getting in here - love the ice cream cone but it disappears too quickly. Yes, standing is so hard on your back & there is no need to do something that wipes you out for such a long time every week. There are other things you can do & perhaps someone wants to learn the skills.

Liz: My sympathy on the loss of your brother.

Sue · March 06, 2006, 10:24:22 AM

Good Morning

I have been away from the site for a few days and it has taken an hour or so to catch up on all the reading.

My computer had crashed a while back and had had to be reformatted. With the reformatting I somehow lost my photo-resizing program, and I was getting frustrated as I have a couple of photos I'd like to put in my gallery. Did a google and came up with a free program that my cousin says is very similar to adobe.

now I resize and post my photos!

I have laundry and a bit of flinging and then dusting and finally some newspapers to read so must get busy as I would like it finished before mid afternoon. I have a fabulous dinner invitation! I was told it wouldn't be anything special but anything my Mother makes is special to me!

karmat · March 06, 2006, 10:27:32 AM

Good Monday morning all ya'll!! It is cold and cloudy here in WEstern NC. Sorry I didn't make it "in" yesterday, we were just doing our Sunday stuff.

Sunday morning, Travis comes into our bedroom and proclaims, "My name is John Spattaford." We have NO IDEA where this name came from, but that is who he said he was.

Church was good. It was the first time in almost a month that I had been. (weather and sick kids will do that, ya know).

Kristi is trying to walk. She stands alone pretty well, but she doesn't like to try to move.

Have a great day, and I'lll try to be back later.

Ritz · March 06, 2006, 10:32:07 AM

Carol, thanks for the comment about the fall photo...but...if you are speaking of the one on http://www.inhisimages.net , that credit would have to go to Yahoo. If you click on my album button you can see some of my shots. God bless.

Liz, My heart goes out to you, and I'll be praying for your peace and comfort.

Ritz · March 06, 2006, 10:35:34 AM

Karma, that's too funny! My five-year-old told me the other day that he was "John the baptist."

Etta Sue · March 06, 2006, 10:39:01 AM

I have added 4 images of Nashville, Indiana, to my Gallery if you care to have a look-see at them!

Marilyn · March 06, 2006, 10:56:55 AM

I forgot to mention to y-all last evening that I had a nice visit with Soni on Yahoo before I went to prayer meeting. Short but nice.

Well today I go to the Medical Supply house (Apria) to get my CPAP machine. First this morning I go to Fay's to go shopping for her then to Eurkea to Apria, after that I come back to McKinleyville to that Joanne to the Indian Health Clinic.

Al is still without power.

TTYL

Janet · March 06, 2006, 11:08:30 AM

Etta Sue, I looked at and commented on your new photos.

Marilyn, you sure do run around a lot!

I have to get a quick shower and change and then I'm off to Hugoton to the chirppractor. My arm/shoulder is better, but I need to ask if it's okay to start working out with the weights again. I will probably have to start back with a baby 5# weight again.......

I will look at more photos later.

Marilyn · March 06, 2006, 11:19:33 AM

Janet you are so right I do run around a lot but it is all for my job well mostly for my job taking people here and there or running errands for them.

I spoke to my friend Kitty down in Lucerne Valley yesterday and we had a wonderful season of prayer together. I felt so close to the Lord yesterday. At the altar call after the morning service a lot of people went forward for prayer, I was the 2nd to last person to be prayed for. When I turned around to leave there was only the worship team and very few people left in the church, But I really got blessed, I just want so much to have more and more of the Lord in my life. Don't you? Amen?

JudyB · March 06, 2006, 11:20:37 AM

Such wonderful photos.

Pat did you read my PM yesterday? I hope you are feeling better today.

Carol Papa John Janet And everyone else I am praying for you and your families.

Kevin I always love the way you sign off. "In His Grip" Sure can tell where you stand.

About a year ago I did some research on "the valley of the shadow of death" Aparently there is actually a valley called that in the Holy Land. The cliff walls are so steep that there are only a few minutes a day where there is light to the bottom of the valley. I long to go to the Holy Land to see the things I read about.

Well Time to go
Judy

AwakenedHeart · March 06, 2006, 11:22:14 AM

Thank you Pat for your devotional this morning!
I truly need it !
I will have you know also, that I don't always post in here.
But I DO read this devotional every morning.
I am SO desperate for Jesus! All I can do is TRUST in His goodness and Love.
People ask me at work why I am so happy all the time.
I am not sure how to answer them. Sometimes I just say "God".
Lately I am feeling like I have NO CHOICE but to be happy.
In other words, I need to look to God every second of every day!
If I don't I would sink into the depths of despair!
Sometimes our circumstances can seem too much to bear, and to look at them too long can break your heart.
So, I NEED to be happy in Jesus, and TRUST in HIS goodness!
This piece by Oswald chambers spoke into this this morning to me.

"The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen, and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the Risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to damp you. Continually get away from pettiness and paltriness of mind and thought out into the thirteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel."

I am not sure that my response to people is correct. But this is where I am right now.
To allow myself to think negatively would mean death and despair !
PRAISE GOD for His GOODNESS and that He NEVER leaves us or forsakes us !

Have a FABULOUS DAY each and EVERY one of you !!

God Bless
Geri-jean

Pat · March 06, 2006, 11:30:33 AM

Thanks Geri-Jean, for your encouraging post. Love it! Glad you read the devotional each day. That's encouraging to us who post them.

Yes, Judy, read your PM

Yes, we have some great photos in our Gallery. I always go to "Members Albums" and then click on "Last Uploads" and I instantly see all of the new ones in our gallery. Here's a link to that view: http://www.christianphotographers.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastup&cat=0

But you can also click on the little "Album" button beside each person's name to see what's in their album and if nothing shows it means that they haven't uploaded anything.

Pat · March 06, 2006, 11:33:04 AM

Here's an oldie that we can sing...

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Sunlight
(Click to hear music)

"In his right hand he held seven starts, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." Revelations 1:16

Words: J. W. Van De Venter
Music: W. S. Weeden

I wandered in the shades of night,
Till Jesus came to me,
And with the sunlight of His love
Bid all my darkness flee.

Refrain

Sunlight, sunlight in my soul today,
Sunlight, sunlight all along the way;
Since the Savior found me,
Took away my sin,
I have had the sunlight of His love within.

Tho' clouds may gather in the sky,
And billows round me roll,
However dark the world may be
I've sunlight in my soul.

Refrain

While walking in the light of God,
I sweet communion find;
I press with holy vigor on,
And leave the world behind.

Refrain

I cross the wide extended fields,
I journey o'er the plain,
And in the sunlight of His love
I reap the golden grain.

Refrain

Soon I shall see Him as He is,
The light that came to me;
Behold the brightness of His face,
Thro'out eternity.

Refrain

AwakenedHeart · March 06, 2006, 11:50:25 AM

Thanks for the song Pat !
I need this one today! I am going to print it out with my other encouragements and take it with me to work!

PRAISE gets the Victory!
Another thing God has been reminding me of the past few days and again today in a devotional, is that God sent the Praise team out before the army!
There is POWER in our Praise! We NEED to set our eyes on JESUS!

"When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure
forever! ~~ 2 Chronicles 20:21, Amp

From Kenneth Copelands devotional today:
"And when that choir began to sing, the Word tells us that "the Lord set ambushments against the men...who had come against Judah, and they were slaughtered."

Have a WONDER FULL day In Jesus EVERYONE!!!

God Bless you TONS !!!!
Geri-jean

Larry Hanna · March 06, 2006, 12:24:19 PM

Hi everyone. Another busy day. After coffee I went to Office Depot to see if I could get a new office chair as my broke a few days ago. It is still usable but tips towards one side. I found one that I wanted but when I went to get the order placed there was none available from the factory for home delivery so decided to pass on it. I get get a new floor mat for the chair as mine has broken apart. It seems they don't last very long.

Today was the day for the housekeeper and the yard men were also here and then the man who does the fertilizing and weed control on the yard was also here. So we have everything very spic and span and are ready to entertain my cousin and his wife later today. We are going to get a pizza and a large sub to have for dinner tonight.

Those of you who participate on SeniorNet will be saddened to know that Pat (Boots) Booten, who is one of the orginal hosts on that sight, lost her husband to heart problems this morning. He has been very ill since about last June and had had a long hospitalization.

Thanks for the devotional Al and thanks Pat for posting it for him. Al, I hope your power will be back on soon.

Marilyn, get a good nights sleep with your new machine.

Etta Sue, it sounds like you would be well served to seek a different way of serving in your church if your current duties are doing physical damage to you.

I have a lot I need to do today and don't know when our company will be here. So now I have to decide whether to rest for a little bit or just continue to work here on the computer. I think rest may win out.

Pat · March 06, 2006, 01:36:46 PM

For those of you on SeniorNet (as Larry has posted above), HERE'S A LINK to where we posted about Boots' loss last night.

Pat · March 06, 2006, 01:39:34 PM

What a wonderful verse in our left sidebar today!

Today's Verse

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Isaiah 25:1

Samantha · March 06, 2006, 02:33:14 PM

Thank you Pat for the song. Sunlight is my favorite song from when I was a kid going to Sunday School. But I've never heard another church sing it during class songs since around 1981. I forgot how it went so that was a wonderful surprise for the day.

Thanks again.
Samantha

Pat · March 06, 2006, 03:07:52 PM

Oh, wow! I'm so glad you enjoyed that, Samantha! That's so cool to read. Sometimes I put them in and wonder.

Pat · March 06, 2006, 03:10:05 PM

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Just over in the glory land
(Click to hear music)

I've a home prepared where the saints abide
Just over in the glory land
And I long to be by my Saviour's side
Just over in the glory land

Just over in the glory land
I'll join the happy angel band
Just over in the glory land
Just over in the glory land
There with the mighty host I'll stand
Just over in the glory land

I am on my way to those mansions fair
Just over in the glory land
There to sing God's praises and his glory share
Just over in the glory land

Refrain

What a joyful thought that my Lord I'll see
Just over in the glory land
And with kindred saved, there forever be
Just over in the glory land

Refrain

With the blood washed throng I will shout and sing
Just over in the glory land
Glad hosannas to Christ, the Lord and King
Just over in the glory land

Refrain

Pat · March 06, 2006, 03:20:14 PM

Hope you've all noticed that the little photos above are all changed.

Please click on them and while you're in that person's album, click the "Last Uploads" and you might see some photos you might have missed.

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