Daryl Pint – Page 223

The Great Shepherd

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Zechariah 11:4 Thus said the LORD my God: “Become shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.

Isaiah 49:4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God.” And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength—

Isaiah 40:9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Micah 5:4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 15:24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Jesus wants to be the shepherd of our lives. He wants to lead us to safe pastures, guide us through life, and protect us from harm. We do well to listen to the whispers of the great shepherd and choose to follow Him in life. There is so much distraction in our lives that, if we are not careful, it will put us on a path away from God. Train yourself to stay close and listen to and follow this Great Shepherd.

Present yourself

“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules,”

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Psalms 78:72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.

Psalms 101:1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

In Psalm 101 David says he will ponder the way that is blameless, he will not set his eyes on anything worthless, and he will hate the work of those who fall away. Why does he want to choose to live this way? Because of the place God has in His heart, mind, and soul. If we choose to live this way we will need to have God’s wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and understanding. To walk with God each day and desire and purpose to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey is not something that comes easy to us. Placing God first in all we do and think takes discipline and commitment. Fighting the sinful nature of self purpose and choosing to replace it with God’s purpose will give meaning, hope, peace, love, joy, strength, power….. this side of eternity.

Walk in His strength

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

“ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

“come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”

“For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,”

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.”

Zechariah 10:12 I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Psalms 68:34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 45:24 “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him.

2 Timothy 2:1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,

1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Our life path takes us through times of trials and testing. It is hard say “I will not fear”, or “I will not be dismayed”, or “I will walk in His light”, while going through them. It seems as though we are being crushed and blessings of peace, joy, hope, power, strength, and love are just words with no meaning. Yet on the other side of these times of trials and testing we see more clearly how the strength, power and hand of God carried us through. I am amazed at how God works and how He seems to send the right person(s) into our life at the right time, when we need that help, encouragement, and word of God’s promises spoken into our life. Stay in His word, listen for His whispers of direction, and be ever ready to be used by Him to help others.

History of turning away

Psalms 78:38 Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again. How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams. He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them. He gave their crops to the destroying locust and the fruit of their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost. He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts. He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague. He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. Then he led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. And he brought them to his holy land, to the mountain which his right hand had won. He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents. Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow.

How many times in scripture does it speak of the great signs God performed in Egypt before all of the peoples of both Egyptians and Israelites. Many of these references speak not only of God’s power and might in this provision but of the lack of faith and trust of the Israelites in God after just witnessing His mighty hand at work. How hard must it have been for those who did not think this way. Their heart, mind, and soul was truly amazed,thankful, and fully anchored in and on God, yet most of the people around them were grumbling, ungrateful, and so soon forgetting the greatness God performed before their very eyes. How hard must it have been to stand firm and not fall into the same thinking being bombarded day after day by those around them. God is our rock, refuge, power, strength, and protector. He is ever present and steadfast in love. He is the creator, author, and finisher of all there is. Do not neglect Him and an opportunity in this life to be fully dedicated to humbly serving, following and obeying Him.

Arms wide open

”I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away”

“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’”

Zechariah 10:8 “I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before.

Isaiah 11:11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people

Isaiah 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

What a blessing to be reminded of God’s sovereign plan, provision, grace, mercy and love through outstretched hand to His creation. Who of us does not experience heavy burdens and needs rest? Who of us does not want to be invited to come to Him? God has made provision and called out to us with promises only He can make and fulfill. Run to Him, His arms are wide open.

They soon forgot

“then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.”

“They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,”

“Then they believed his words; they sang his praise. But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.”

“They did not remember his power or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,”

“they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.

Psalms 78:35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant.

Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves.

Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.

Reading these scriptures should challenge our heart and mind to faithfully serve God with our whole heart mind and soul. Just as those from years gone by have done, we too need to be certain our mouth is not saying one thing and our heart is serving another – more than likely (Me, Myself, and I). His word tells us that people easily forget God and what it means to cling to, rely on, and trust in Him. It is hard to tell who these people are because many times all we hear is what comes from their mouth. “they honor me with their mouth but their heart is far from Me”. I wonder if it is our lack of spending time in knowing and understanding His word. I wonder if we judge our walk by how others walk and in doing so we end up at a place where our faith is nothing more than words spoken. This is a place where there is no heart deep desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God but rather just words stating it. God sees our heart and knows our thoughts and intents. Many will enter eternity and when standing before God will hear depart from Me for I never knew you. Be mindful of what it means to be redeemed and to follow and obey Him with all your heart, mind and soul.

Fallow Ground

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”

Zechariah 10:1 Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Deuteronomy 11:14 he will give the rain for your land in its season,

Isaiah 30:23 And he will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous.

Jeremiah 14:22 Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.

Amos 4:7 “I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither;

Psalms 65:9 You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it.

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

I wonder if we believe God is the supplier of the rain we receive. Or, do we think it is by chance and nothing God gives thought to. Scripture is full of examples of those who either believed or not that God supplied it. We see examples of people believing and then praying in line with that belief to God. It seems to me that we have become complacent in thinking about what God is supplying. Like rain. But there are hosts of other things we are complacent in acknowledging God as well. Our days on this side of eternity are to be purposed in humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying God. I wonder if we are not in the practice of acknowledging Him for the things we take for granted, will we be able to see those that are more complex to understand. I this is why Hosea spoke about breaking up the fallow ground in our mind. Take time to reflect on all that you take for granted. Spend the day adding to this list. It is good to see God’s hand and handiwork.

So many signs

“because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.”

Psalms 78:31 But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel. In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.

Numbers 11:33 While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.

John 12:37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

Proverbs 1:32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

Numbers 14:35 I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

Judges 3:9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel

Judges 10:10 And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.”

Hosea 5:15 I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

Hosea 7:14 They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.

It is our tendency to live for self and deny God access to leading our daily lives. History is full of examples where man, in the midst of God’s hand at work, turns away from God and doing what seems right in their own eyes. We so easily follow that which is not of God. Do we think God has somehow changed and no longer requires our whole heart, mind and soul? Do we think we are different and God’s commands to humbly serve, trust in, rely on, cling to, honor, follow and obey Him do not apply? Do we think He has watered down what a dedicated life to Him should look like? I can remember when you were thought to be a Jesus follower if you went to Sunday School, Sunday morning church, Sunday evening church, Wednesday evening bible study, another bible study during the week, and spoke frequently about God in your life. Now it seems you are considered a Jesus follower if you attend Sunday morning church once per week. It seems as though the church has adopted this lower expectation and I fear it is at the cost of many souls forever lost. Now is the time to repent, return and follow God with an earnest desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Sheep of His pasture

“ Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

“for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of hosts.”

“ And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.”

Zechariah 9:16 On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!

Isaiah 62:3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

Ezekiel 34:22-26 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.

Ezekiel 34:31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD.”

Micah 5:4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Psalms 31:19 Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

In Ezekiel – And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord GOD.” what does it mean to be His sheep? God’s word says that His sheep hear his voice and follow Him. How do we hear His voice and follow what God is saying? A good place to start is in His word with a heart and soul deep desire to hear Him speak truth into your life. Another place is to be in fellowship with others who have this desire. There are so many things in this word that pull us away and water down our commitment to listen and follow Him. It takes strength and courage and commitment (Desire) to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him. Like they say when is the best time to plant a tree – 30 years ago, the second best time is today. Today is a good day to fully commit to Him.

Those who listened

“ Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,”

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

Psalms 78:22 because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.

Psalms 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Jude 1:5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

I have been thinking lately about those that are saved and those who are lost without hope in the Living God. There are those who are lost but do not know they need saving and there are those who know they are lost and choose not to be saved. In Romans is says “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie” and in Thessalonians “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,” We are to be light unto those who walk in darkness.