Led Up The Narrow Road

John 11:27 "My sheep hear my voice,and I know them,and they follow me:"

Yes Jesus loves me; He is the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.But the fact that he is the good shepherd, means there are some bad shepherds out there.The world has shepherds ,who have no love for the sheep. They don't pray for them, they prey on them.They don't feed them, they feed off them, they are the bad shepherd.God has given us a shepherd to protect and lead us,who has inspired and strengthened countless Christians throughout the years, to continue their journey up the narrow road.In a world full of flashy signs, misleading many to travel down the broad road of material pleasures and innumerable pains, it is easy to forget that we have a shepherd who calls us to follow him to "High Places." Too many loud sounds and too many beckoning voices compete with His words that speak to both our hearts and minds.

What must we do?First, we must step back from our engagement with the world.(We must come from among the world and its joys and toys.)Then we must fall on our knees and listen only to our Lord. Finally, we must follow His lead.We cannot do this once a year, occasionally,or every once in a while,and hope to find ourselves someday at those High Places with Him.Saints the enemy is not going to stop because you decided to make Jesus your choice.Everyday we must deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow the good shepherd. It has to be more than just a daily routine, our following Him must be a committment, a constant and integral part of our lives. (Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life, it's what we've become, not what we do.) And when it becomes so, not only will it become a natural thing to do, but also we will recognize His voice more easily each time He speaks to us.

Our shepherd loves us and want to take us to High Places, but He won't drag us there.And we can't get there just because we wish to be there.(No matter what they thought,believed,or wanted, when the flood came, all outside the ark drowned.Are you on the outside of the Ark?)We must listen to Him, and we must obey His directions, He is "The Good Shepherd".

Because he first loved me!

John 1:29 "The next day John seeth Jesus comming unto him,and saith,Behold the lamb of God,which taketh away the sin of the world."

This is what God did to secure forgiveness for us once and for all,so we can stay in the right relationship with him.It starts with Jesus' execution. He was lifted up in the same way that the snake was lifted up on a pole in Moses' day so that the people could look upon it and be forgiven for their sins.He was disfigured and marred beyond recognition.(Jesus allowed his flesh to be crushed, ripped and torn.)And in spite of His God-given mission to bring redemption to the world, He was despised and rejected by men, he was one from whom men hide their faces.

Jesus mission was to remove the sins off the backs of men and put them on His own.He took upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins,and he suffered on behalf of us,suffering that included being whipped all night long by a band of soilder, he was spitt on, slapped with an open hand, mocked and pierced in his side.He endured the excruciating pain of his execution knowing that his death would result in spiritual restoration, and in some cases physical healing, for those who put their trust in him.All of us are sinners,and all are in need of spiritual redemption.Jesus secured that redemption with the shedding of his blood,for without the shedding of blood ,there is no remission of sin.

Jesus didn't open his mouth and complain about his treatment, although by many standards he was treated unfairly.Like a lamb being led to slaughter,he yeilded to his fate without resistance. He was the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus was God's sacrificial lamb, a lamb slaughtered on the altar as an atoning sacrifice. He was also the scapegoat, the one who separates sin from the sinner so God can look at us sinners and see us as sinless.Because Jesus took on the sins of all mankind and was sacrificed on our behalf, God's demand for justice was satisfied.Now he sits at the right hand of God, where he intercedes on the behalf of all believers, when the enemy makes accusations against us.What was needed to purchase redemption for man was done through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, where he bore our iniquities,  and poured his life out unto death to secure forgiveness."behold the love of God! 

Integrity:The Higher Standard

Proverbs 11:3 "The integrity of the upright shall guide them:but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them."

Integrity is a choice,in a society entertained and amused by deception, manipulation,seduction, and witchcraft, many people have convienced and even comforted themselves with the notion that they do not have a choice as to whether or not to engage in the same sins.(we are to lead the world, not follow it) When Elijah explained to God that he was the only God-worshiper who remained,God replied that "yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal,and every mouth which hath not kissed him." Although many people are, not everyone is living a lie,a life of compromise.It is unwise to justify your sins by your presumption of everyone else's sin.Our example must be Christ and him alone.

Christians are called to a higher standard of commitment and responsibility.Our bodies are God's temple,we bear the name of his only begotten son,dedicated solely to his service.In everything we do ,we must glorify God.We are called to a lifestyle that is higher than the world's.Using God's word as our guide for life, we build relationships of commitment,responsibility and trust,with integrity and truth.  (Saints we are a walking recommendation for Christ,and must live accordingly.)

It is more important for us to know what is important to God, than to know how doing the right thing will benifits us directly.In a world where it seems it's "every man for himself " is there any benifit to living a righteous life? God says that living a life of integrity results in a fruitful life.Integrity in this sense means living a life of high moral principles, a life characterized by honesty,sincerity, and good judgment.Those who live a life of integrity do what's right even when they can get away with doing something else.They choose to do right when it is more convient to do wrong.

Living a life based on ungodly principles and practices is destined for diffculty.Duplicitous people base their life on cunning and decption, they are driven by the pursuit of self gratification and material comfort. However, on the Day of Judgment their material wealth and gain will be of no value.Choosing a path of integrity is always beneficial in the long term,for those who walk in the integrity of God, walk in a clear path, for they walk in the light , Jesus the light of the world................

Slipping into darkness

James 1:14-15 "but every man is tempted,when he is drawn away of his own lust,and enticed.Then when lust hath concieved,it bringeth forth sin:and sin,when it is finished,bringeth forth death."

God wants to live among His people,but sometimes we don't want Him around.(let us be honest)See sometimes do to our fallen nature their are lust and desire we chose to surround ourselves in, that keeps God on the outside of our lives.Sin doesn't rush in and over take us,it is first a simple suggestion,then it becomes a strong imagination,then a delight,then it is accepted.In other words, sin at first does not necessarily appear disgusting to us.In fact sin frequently fascinates us and appeals to our fallen nature. Unless we immediately flee from it, we can easily slip into the darkness of sin.(We must reconize it for what it is, a rebillion against God.)

Despite God's faithfulness to His people,time and time again, we turn away from him and worship and serve the Idols we have built in our lives.We reject God and embrace the lust of the flesh and the worldly desires that appeal to our carnal nature.Though the Idols and the packaging of sin may appear different than it did to the Israelites,its basic nature is still the same.Sin can hide itself  so that it becomes so beautiful to look at, so wonderful to touch, and so sweet to taste, yet the end there of is still death.(Idols today are still made of wood,stone,and metal, but we call them houses, cars ,money, and the biggest Idol is the god we've made out of flesh, ourself.)As the writer of Hebrews said, its always tempting to "enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season". In many forms and guises, sin still allures and entices us and charms us to do its bidding, by offering to satisfy desires that are pleasurable to us, but violate God's truth and commandments.

Once sin has won one victory in our lives, it will be even more persistent in securing greater victories. Therefore, we give it power over our lives every time we surrender to it, until sin no longer has to hide its true hideous nature.But by then we are already firmly locked in its grip.Let us not dabble in sin and slip into darkness.But if we find yourself in the darkness of sin ,remember Jesus the light of the world, will save you from the grips of sin.Seek him and be saved...................

A committed relationship

Joshua 24:24"And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

Joshua didn't sigh in relief when the Israelites responded to his challenge to serve the Lord and him only.Instead, he questioned them to say,"Do you really mean what you say?"He wanted them to make a conscious decision for God,and he even presented the alternatives so they could make a clear choice.(saints without conviction there is no real conversion or committment,distractions will draw us away from God.)He then presented to them the consequences of failing to follow through on their commitment.

This was wise on Joshua's part. Sometimes people are made to feel that choosing God is simple and easy, so they choose to serve Him,but then wonder if they knew what they were doing.Or they choose to follow God,but then don't think much about it. They allow their days just to flow without a focus on serving Him.

Those who haven't chosen to serve God, need to hear Joshua's challenge."This day", right now is the time to choose to follow Him.See this is a serious lifetime commitment, that involves putting Him in charge of your life.Even if we have already chosen to serve God, we choose everyday whether we will honor that commitment in the things we do and say.It is through conviction that we will cleanse ourselves of the things in life that might distract us from our committment to God.God has lead us through life and with his shepherd's rod, he has pulled us out of ruts and fought off the enemy.

God still calls us to follow Him by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.Once we have made that commitment, we must still choose to keep our lives free of those things that can keep us from feeling the joy of his presence, or that divert our attention away from a single-minded devotion to him.

My inner me, my enemy

Exodus 20:3 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

A giant idolatrous pitfall for many of us is our appetite for the praise and approval of fellow human beings.We like for them to notice and praise our strengths,to admire and award our abilities, to think well of us and be on our side.We don't like to be unpopular,unnoticed, or underated.We love the approval of people.

Today's lesson we find that Aaron fell to this temptation.When it came down to pleasing God or people, he caved to the will of the people.He put their desires and priorities over God's clearly revealed commands.(Many in our pupits today have also giving in to the will of the people, afraid the collection plate might dry up if they tell the truth of God's word.)

As we do a "search and destroy" mission for the idols that would stir up God's righteous jealousy, this is one that we need to look for carefully. It has the ability to "fly under the radar" because it's not tangible in the way that relatioships or material things or even hobbies and activities are.But it can so drive our motives and actions that we are continually "bowing down" to it.It's the idol of our own desire to be worshiped, and we often serve it at the expense of honesty, integrity, and humility.(Saints let us be honest, some of these self-righteous names and title we bear is so people will think more of us than needed,because they serve no purpose in the building of God's kingdom.In God's kingdom it is about the work not the title.)

In Jesus day there were some men of influence who didn't want to let loose of their clutch on this idol in their lives. It created a big dilemma for them.The bible says "many even among the leaders believed in Jesus,but because of the pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;for they loved the praise from men more than praise from God"(John 12:42-43) What a sad documentary, afraid to speak up for Jesus, because of  something somebody might say or do to you.Let not the same thing be said of us,as ones who believe in Christ.Let us at all times seek the will and praise of God  over our own self interest in all that we do, trusting that he will protect and provide for us.It seems our pride and fear continually try to rise up and build idols for us to worship. What is a christian to do, the only answer is to get rid of them! don't let nothing come into your life that will hinder your walk with Christ, not even your own self, for we must die daily to self ,to live for Christ........

The blessing of obedience

Exodus 19:5 "Now therefore,if ye will obey my voice indeed,and keep my covenant,then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:for all the earth is mine:"

When the Lord called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, one of the signs of that calling was that he would worship God on the mountain where he was called.But this was just the beginning of his promised blessing for the nation.If the people would obey Him, they would be God's "treasured possession" out of all the nations on the earth.God promised that they would continue to see deliverance from their enemies, along with His miraculous provisions, if they would continue to obey Him.It's all too easy for us to neglect issues of obedience as we get mired in our day to day living.And yet if we haven't been faithful to do what He last told us,how can we expect additional guidance to benifit us?(Saints if we can't be faithful over the little, how can we expect to be trusted with the many.) We need to be diligent to obey.

When we give God lordship over our lives, we are committing to a life of obedience to Him, to His will,and to His ways.How often we tend to renegotiate the terms of our commitment to him as soon as His will cramps our style or dents our pride. How good we are at justifying disobedience, down playing it as we try to draw attention to our attempts at "sacrificial" Christian living. "To obey is better than sacrifice," Samuel told Saul, when Saul tried to invent a better plan to honor God than the one he had been told to follow.We need to be careful not to fall into Saul's mentality of creating a sacrifice that suits us,in lieu of plain obedience to what God has told us. Obedience is not an option,if we want the blessing of God Almighty,and want to enjoy a relationship with him, we must obey and learn to trust that He always have our best interest in His heart.

Just as it did on Mt.Sinia, God's covenant with His people today contains a simple correlation: Obedience brings blessing.God knows how a life works best, and walking in his ways, obeying His direction is the only way that we can expect to experience true and lasting blessings.