Dwelling

Psalm 23 v 6
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Goodness and mercy – what a beautiful combination to have follow me all my life.

The Lord, my shepherd, is Goodness Himself. For the sake of His name He will do nothing less than provide what is right and good for His little ones. Everything He does is good.
I pause and consider: If I am followed by goodness all my life, should I be viewing the ‘bad’ things differently? Those things that I dislike – the painful, the uncomfortable, the things I disdain – even these the good shepherd can use to form the basis of something good.
May we all have our eyes opened to perceive goodness, in all it’s forms, following us all our lives.

Mercy is something I constantly need. When weakness, waywardness and foolishness take me off track, I rely on His good mercy to bring me back and restore me. Mercy offers a reprieve from the punishment I deserve. His love, compassion and forgiveness are great.

May we always be awed by the great mercy we are shown all the days of our lives; and never take for granted the depth of sacrifice that this process has taken to achieve.

Where shall I dwell? The Lord’s house is the best place to dwell. It is safe. It is good. His presence is there, providing intimate fellowship. The Lord’s house is a place of worship, a place of rest, a place of service, a place of joy and companionship.
May we always desire to be in the Lord’s house, following His house rules and obeying His instructions. May we choose to be in the company of His other little ones, encouraging one another to draw close day by day to the Lord, our shepherd.

Praise to the Lord for His wonderful gifts. The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not be in want. Hallelujah! Amen.

May we be uplifted and sustained as we dwell with the Lord this week,

Love Sharon.

A Feast

Psalm 23 v 5
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

The Lord, my shepherd, prepares a feast of good things. He has offered me a place at the table He has prepared. There is abundance. My cup overflows with His generous provision.

Food and fellowship go hand in hand. At this table, there is sweet fellowship between the One who provides and the one who participates in the feast. At this table, enemies cannot hurt me. In the presence of the shepherd, enemies are powerless to cause harm. Surely it is good to have a place at this table.

In addition to the abundance of good food, my head is anointed with oil. Traditionally, oil was used for anointing to proclaim an elevation in status, as it was with David being anointed king. Or it was used for medicinal purposes for those who were sick or injured. I am awed by the implication of this oil: the sickness of sin in my life has been anointed and cleansed with healing oil; and I am offered the elevated status of being known as a daughter of God. Praise be to God for this amazing gift!

May my heart be filled with anticipation and joy as I look forward to the Feast of all feasts that will be shared in God’s Kingdom. This feast is the ultimate picture of fellowship, peace and joy. No more sorrow, no more pain. The biggest enemy – sin – is silenced, and has no place at this feast.
What a blessing!

May we be filled with wonder and awe at the invitation to be participants in the feast our Lord has prepared for us.

Love Sharon.

Valley of Shadow

Psalm 23 v 4
“Even 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.”

The Lord, my shepherd, has made me lie down in green pastures, He has led me by still waters, and He has led me in the paths of righteousness.
He has not made me walk through the valley of shadow; yet that is where I go from time to time.
One thing is certain about life: everyone will log some time in the valley of shadow sooner or later.

Sometimes I am in the valley of shadow because of waywardness and foolish choices. My stubborn will can resist the will of my shepherd. The lure of an easier life, the false promise of greater happiness, and the temptation to live a self-centred life beckon me into the valley of shadow. It may seem great for a while, but somewhere in this journey of self-gratification I taste the disappointment of disillusionment. I find it really is the valley that leads to death.
Yet even then, I find that my shepherd is still there; encouraging me to change direction and follow Him back to the path of righteousness.

Other times I find myself in the valley of shadow through no choice of my making. Loss, sickness, hardship, accident and life challenges. In these times, the valley of shadow can seem a dark and fearful place. A place of death and sadness.
Even so – especially in these moments – if I look carefully, I will find my shepherd is still there, walking that dark valley alongside me. He’s there, comforting, holding and reassuring. He tells me I need not fear.
Often I will find that His presence and comfort will come in the form of another person. Someone who is gives of themselves with a willing heart to be His hands and feet of compassion and support.

Each time I find myself in the valley of shadow, I must remember to keep looking and watching for the presence of my shepherd. He will be there, with repeated instruction to “fear not”. He will be there with His rod and staff – instruments used to guide, encourage, pull back or discipline.
I need to see the rod and staff as necessary implements of comfort and direction. They will aid me in the journey through the valley of shadow.

Yes, we will all spend some time during our lifetime in the valley of shadow. May we fear no evil.

With warmth and empathetic love for all who are experiencing the valley of shadow right now,

Sharon.

Righteous Paths

Psalm 23 v 3
“He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

With regret I leave behind the green pastures and still waters. My shepherd knows it’s time for the sheep to move. He leads His sheep along the righteous pathway. It is the best way; and my shepherd only does what is best for His flock. He is a righteous shepherd. For the sake of His holy name, He will always lead His sheep on righteous paths.

The righteous paths don’t always seem pleasant to me. Sometimes I resist them; they can seem steep, narrow and restrictive. It requires effort to keep climbing the path of righteousness. Sometimes I look longingly at the broad downhill path. That path looks easy. But my shepherd knows that the broad downhill path leads to destruction, and that is not where He wants His sheep to end up.

So together we keep climbing the uphill righteous pathway. As we go our shepherd teaches us all we need to know. He instructs us as to what is the best kind of food, and where to find it. He tells us of eternal things; all that we need to know to take us to our ultimate destination. He cautions us about the dangers out there, and why we need to stay close to Him. We discover that the righteous path is the best one. Not easy, but good. Our shepherd is so good. He only wants what is right and good for His flock.

I ask myself: Where do I resist the righteous path in my life? What prevents me from following my shepherd wholeheartedly along the paths of righteousness?

Let us bravely follow our shepherd along the righteous path through the next week.

With love,
Sharon.

Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalm 23 v 2 – 3.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

I love the place of green pastures and quiet waters. Here I am well fed, and my soul thirst is quenched. I am refreshed and satisfied. In this place, I feel safe and comfortable. The food is wholesome and nourishing; the water is cool and sweet.

My senses are filled with the beauty of the green pasture and the quiet stream. It is good, and all is well with my soul.

I picture the shepherd singing as he watches his flock. The shepherd is watchful but relaxed. Everything about him proclaims that he is in control, but not hurried. He knows he has brought his flock to a good place, where they can be nourished and refreshed. It is a place where a little sheep can lie down without fear, trusting the watchful eye of the shepherd. I love this beautiful place.

I ask myself:
Do I take time each day to be nourished and refreshed by God’s Word? It is my soul food after all.
Do I spend time each day interacting with my Shepherd in prayer?

In these practices my soul is refreshed and restored.

May we find rest and restoration in green pastures and by quiet waters this week.

With love,
Sharon.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Psalm 23 v 1
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

The Lord is the Shepherd. I am a sheep.

Because He is the shepherd, He is in control. He determines the going out and the coming in of His flock.

The Shepherd’s job is to direct, protect and correct His sheep. He has their best interests at heart. He watches over them; He does not want to lose any.

He knows His sheep by name. He knows each individual personality and idiosyncrasy; and He shepherds them accordingly. He knows what is best for them. He has a heart of compassion and care for His sheep.

He wants His sheep to grow healthy and strong – He provides the right environment for that to happen. His sheep lack nothing.

The Shepherd calls to His sheep. It’s crucial that the sheep hear His call and respond. There is much danger out there for a little one, so His sheep need to learn to trust the direction and discernment of their shepherd.

The Shepherd loves His sheep. He is firm, and will discipline where necessary. He is compassionate and patient with the many moments of folly that His sheep fall into. He speaks to them – sometimes softly and soothingly; sometimes with rebuke or warning.

The Lord is my shepherd. So I ask myself: do I trust Him? Am I listening for His voice? Am I responding to His call? Am I an obedient sheep? Am I submitting to His shepherding ways? Do I love my shepherd, as He loves me?

May we all learn be responsive and obedient to our beloved Shepherd.

Love Sharon.

Who Owns the Vineyard?

Mark 12 v 1
“Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.’”

Jesus goes on in this parable to describe how the owner of the vineyard sent servants to the tenants to collect some fruit from his vineyard. But one by one the tenants mistreated, abused and even killed the servants that had been sent. Finally he sent his son. “Surely they will respect my son…”, he thought.

But the tenants saw this as an opportunity to gain the inheritance of the vineyard, so they killed his son.

I’ve been contemplating this parable from a personal perspective. It’s been extremely eye opening.

I thought of myself – my life – as the vineyard. A crop has been planted, and fruit is expected. God has put a wall and watchtower in place to protect the produce. He has put a winepress in to extract wine from the fruit. It has everything in place to be a fruitful and productive life.

So if God is the owner and planter of this ‘vineyard’, I am merely a tenant. I’ve been asking myself,  am I acting as a responsible tenant, or am I acting as the owner? Am I the one trying to control my life? Am I making decisions based on what I want? Am I disregarding the rightful owner, and pushing aside His Son because I’m taking control?

Am I acting as tenant of my life, or the owner?

The uncomfortable conclusion I came to, is that far too often I am acting as the owner. I want control. I want to make choices based on what is comfortable for me, rather than what is going to produce the most fruit.

Having had a glimpse at how easy it is to take ownership rather than being a mere tenant, I now pray that I can have the courage to relinquish the control that should never have been mine. It’s exhausting maintaining that sort of control anyway!

I encourage you to think about your own life too. Are you a tenant or owner?

Let’s all make a concerted effort to step back into the role of a responsible tenant, and let God be the rightful owner. He is the one who has the right to our ‘vineyard’s’ fruit.

Trying daily to release my right to control,

Love Sharon.

Climbing the mountain

Mark 3 v 13 “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.”

I had opportunity to climb a mountain recently. Actually, it was more like a steep hill. It didn’t take that long to walk the loop track, but it was plenty steep enough for me to be huffing and puffing; and my heart pounding hard in my chest. At one point near the top, we stopped at the lookout platform. The views from that vantage point were expansive, enabling us to see a vast sweep of countryside below. The air up through the bush track was sweet and clean.

Was it worth the exertion to climb the hill? Were the views, the sweet air and the beautiful bush worth the heart pounding effort? It certainly was, and I would do it again.

I had not particularly noticed from the Mark record before, that Jesus went up a mountain, and called those he wanted to come to him. From this vantage point, away from the distractions of life below, he appointed his special twelve, designating them to be apostles.

Those that he called were prepared to take on the exertion of climbing the mountain to go to him.

Answering the call of Jesus often requires effort and exertion for all of us. Living the Christ-life can seem somewhat akin to climbing a mountain at times. He hasn’t called us to an armchair religion! We need to do the hard yards. Sometimes that effort can seem too hard, and we might feel like we will never reach the top.

My encouragement from all of this, is to answer Jesus call to follow him – and to keep climbing. One foot after another. Don’t give up. Climb that mountain with others, like the disciples did together – it’s far easier to climb when it’s done in community.

The heart-pounding effort will all have been worthwhile when we reach the top and see the amazing views that we would have missed out on if we had not climbed the mountain. When we look down at the hurrying world below, we will see with fresh eyes and perspective that following the call of Jesus is definitely well worth the climb.

So I’m inviting you to keep climbing the mountain with me to answer the timeless call of Jesus,

Love,
Sharon.

Death to Reputation

Matthew 27
“When he [Jesus] was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, ‘Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?’ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge – to the great amazement of the governor” (v 12 – 14).

I struggle to do what Jesus did in this passage – to refrain from defending myself in the face of accusation or criticism. It doesn’t even need to be accusation; quiet assumption makes me feel I need to put people ‘right’. I want people to have a good impression of me, so I feel the need to justify, modify or correct people in their perception of who I am.

I marvel at Jesus, who was able to crucify any human desire to have people understand him correctly. He made no reply to the chief priests and elders. He made no response to the thief on the cross who mocked him. He had no reaction to those who jeered at him from below, “If he is the Son of God let him come down and prove himself!”

In the end, it was his Father who justified and validated who he was. At his death, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, the earth shook, rocks split open, tombs were opened, and many dead people came back to life. The centurion and those guarding Jesus saw and believed.

But Jesus didn’t get to witness any of this. By the time the centurion and others believed, he had already relinquished his spirit, completely leaving all the impression management for his Father to deal with.

I am filled with a sense of awe at the self control and ability Jesus had to release his own management of his own self image.

Lord God, please help me to see where I am continuing to control my own image in the eyes of other people. Help me to see that this is your job, not mine. I honour, and stand in awe, of Jesus’ ability to put to death his desire to manage his own reputation. Then when you glorified your Son, all those who were willing to receive it saw and believed. Hallelujah! May his example inspire and motivate us all. Amen.

When Faith Needs Some Assurance

Matthew 11 v 2
“When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

I am grateful for the response John’s disciples received from Jesus after John sent them to ask if Jesus was the Messiah. He could have rebuked them for their lack of faith – he certainly did that at other times! But instead Jesus recognised that sometimes faith needs a little assurance.

After all, things were not panning out as John might have anticipated they would. Maybe John expected that Jesus would be more forceful about establishing his kingdom. Maybe John had even thought that he himself would be there as Jesus’ right-hand man through the process. But instead, John was shut up in prison, and Jesus was not doing anything about taking his rightful place as King.

John’s disciples would also have been confused. They had followed this charismatic unorthodox baptiser, thinking that something great was coming. But instead they had to watch him be thrown into prison, and the supposed Messiah wasn’t doing what any of them thought he should be doing.

Jesus’ response to John’s question was to encourage the disciples to tell John what they had seen and heard. More than that, Jesus tells them what they have seen: the blind are given sight, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

John’s disciples would return to John and tell him those same things. The verbalising of these miracles would be the much-needed assurance for their faith.

We all have moments when things are not going as we planned or thought; when we wonder if the Lord really has this in control. When dreams are smashed, and life has thrown me a curveball, I take encouragement from Jesus interaction with John’s disciples, that it’s okay to ask for some assurance.

I have found that following the same process that Jesus gave John’s disciples is really helpful.

I ask myself: How have I seen the Lord working in my life to this point? Where have I seen him? How is he shaping and moulding me through life’s experiences?

As I sat with these thoughts, I remembered two instances in the past year, where we thought our finances were going to be in the deficit. Through ways in which we would never have imagined, the deficit never happened, and we were amply provided for. Recollecting these miracles was a welcome boost to my faith.

Let’s take time to recollect how the Lord has been working in our lives, and share those stories with others. It will give us some helpful assurance, and it could also be a great source of encouragement to others.

Grateful for the faith assurances that come my way,

Love Sharon.

Ordinary Life Turned Upside Down.

Matthew 2 v 23
“And he (Joseph, Mary and Jesus) went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.”

Whenever I’ve considered moving house, I have never planned on shifting to a lower socio-economic area than where I am already living. From my comfort perspective, I always want any move I make to be an upscale not a downscale.

When I read in Matthew 2 about Joseph responding to God’s warning in a dream to not go back home to Judea but to relocate elsewhere, my high respect for Joseph grew even more. Especially when I noted that the place he chose to settle his family was in the low socio-economic area of Galilee.

How did Joseph feel about the many uncomfortable changes forced upon his ordinary life when Mary’s baby was conceived? It would have turned his comfortable life upside down! Relocating to a poor area of town was just one of those changes. Previously he had to flee with his family into Egypt for a while, to protect this baby from being killed. As well as that, he would have had to endure the rumours that circulated among neighbours about the out-of-wedlock conception of Mary’s baby.

Without a doubt, any aspiration that Joseph might have had of living an ordinary, comfortable life with the lady he loved would never be realised. But it seems he accepted his lot without complaint or question. He is a remarkable man!

So I ask myself – and invite you to ponder the same question – how much am I prepared to let my ordinary life be turned upside down by the Son of God? Am I prepared to trade comfortable for uncomfortable, if that’s what’s asked of me? Am I prepared to endure slander or ridicule (or worse) for having Jesus as my companion and Lord? Will I surrender control of my life in favour of Jesus’ direction?

I’m trying to let go, and let God; but I’m needing all the help I can get!

Praying strength for this journey,

With love,
Sharon.

Breathe, Observe, Perspective

Ecclesiastes 3 v 12-13
“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God.”

“Do you enjoy all you’re doing?”
My cousin had just listened to me relate my long list of activities I had been involved in – with still more to come.
It was a good question. All the activities were ones that I wanted to participate in, but I had to admit that the back-to-back activity had worn me out. Enjoyment had spread thin in the face of feeling too busy.
“God wants you to enjoy what you’re doing, not just be so worn down by it you can’t wait for it for it all to be finished,” my cousin pursued. “Finding satisfaction in your activities is a gift from God!”
She had a point. “So, what’s going to change?” she challenged.

The next day I chose to change things up a bit. Just some simple changes.

BOP: Breathing, Observing and Perspective.

As I sat in gridlock through three sets of traffic lights, I practised deep breathing. As I mowed the lawn, I thanked God for green grass and a thriving vegetable garden. As I stood at the supermarket checkout busy with Christmas shoppers, I observed the kind shopper who gave her place in the queue to the mum with a crying baby. I offered a quick silent prayer for them both.
As I sat in more Christmas traffic, I thanked God for the opportunity to listen to the radio, where the motivational speaker was exhorting her listeners to “find satisfaction in their everyday lives, and actively engage in gratitude.”

I reviewed my satisfaction gauge at the end of that day. It was definitely higher than it had been on previous days when I was just busy rushing, and forgetting to “be”.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by frenetic activity right now, maybe these simple practices will help re-establish enjoyment in every day events.
Take time to breathe deeply. Take time to observe, and reflect gratitude. Find perspective in the midst of busyness – prioritise what is important, rather than being constantly driven by what is urgent.
After all, finding satisfaction in life’s many events is a gift from God. Thank you, Lord!

With gratitude for this moment to breathe and reflect,
Love Sharon.

Rock of blessing, or Stone of stumbling.

1 Peter 2 v 6 – 8.
‘“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’

I have a rock in my back yard. Not an actual one; just a figurative one.

This ‘rock’ has the capacity to be an incredible blessing to me, and to be one that is very precious. It also has the capability of being a stone that I stumble over – something that I really don’t desire to have so prominently in my back yard.

To be honest, I have moments of responding to the ‘rock’ in both ways.

When my rock is precious to me, I see it as reliable and unmoveable, because it’s always there. I appreciate that it’s solid, and a place of shelter. It becomes my point of reference. It’s a tower of refuge and infinitely trustworthy. I welcome it to become the foundation stone for my house. I run to it for comfort.

But when I doubt the stone’s goodness and trustworthiness, I stumble over it. When I rebel against God’s righteous requirements, and want to do things my way, the stone is an impediment. When I react to the rock in this way, I no longer see it as precious. It becomes something that I trip over, and stub my toe on.

My Lord Jesus is both the rock of blessing and the stone of stumbling. It all depends on how I view him, and how I respond.

So I ask myself, and I ask you – what will we choose today? Will we appreciate him as a Rock of blessing, or disregard him as a stone of stumbling?

Oh Lord, may we see our cornerstone as precious; a welcome foundation to our lives.

Amen.

God With Us

Matthew 1 v 23
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”

I’ve been particularly looking for and desiring to see glimpses of God this last week.
It’s been one of those emotionally draining weeks. It’s also the end of year time – which they don’t call ‘silly season’ for nothing.
Moments of sadness and overwhelm combine with trying to keep up with events, traffic, people, and getting all the things done on my ‘to do’ list. It’s tiring!

So I look for God, because I’ve needed that anchor for my soul. I look for Him, and I’ve seen Him in all sorts of simple and beautiful ways.

• The chance encounter in the street with an acquaintance, who reached into her bag and pulled out a bag of cashews, which she gave to me; just because she felt like it. How was she to know I was feeling sad that day? It felt like a special gift from God.
• The beautiful roses, which look spectacular in my garden right now.
• The glorious bloom of the Pohutukawa trees around the area at present.
• The heartfelt prayer of a friend, that filled me with warmth and gratitude.
• The reminder of Emmanuel in all the songs on the radio at this time of the year.

And I thank God for Emmanuel. He is God’s greatest gift to us. He is “God with us” – God with me!

Thank you, Lord, for Immanuel. In him I see You most clearly, and my heart overflows with gratitude.

Amen.

A Gospel to Share. 24 November 2023
2 Timothy 1 v 8: “So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”
Paul, in this letter to young Timothy is giving us another little snapshot of the gospel message in verses 9-10. These verses tell us:

1. God saved us and called us to a holy life.
2. Not because we deserve it, but because of His own purpose and grace.
3. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light.

Paul goes on to say that it was for this gospel that he was appointed a herald, apostle and teacher (v11). He saw his purpose with the gospel as one of proclamation, to be someone sent out to reach others, and to teach the gospel message.

This struck me with fresh realization: The gospel message is given to me to share. So, in what way can I be motivated and inspired to share it? What gifting and perspective of God’s message have I been given to share?

Maybe you can partner with me in this challenge: to discover what our purpose is with the knowledge of God’s gospel message, and to get on with sharing it. Maybe we are not all called to be teachers or missionaries, like Paul was; but we are certainly called to herald this precious gospel message.

In what way can we personally share it? Are we are we gifted to serve? Or gifted to encourage? Or gifted to teach, or one sent out to preach? Are we gifted to show love and compassion? Are we gifted with resources to share? Are we good at organizing? These are all traits that can be used as a platform for sharing that gospel message.

Each of us have our own unique part to play. The gospel can – and should be shared through us. I challenge myself, and I challenge you too – fan into flame the motivation to be a gospel spreader and sharer. Let us join with Paul, and all those who preceded us, to herald the gospel in whatever unique way we have been gifted to show it.
Amen.
Sharon Prins

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