sheep dog, shepard & you
A sheep dog (shepherd dog) is one trained to guard and herd sheep. These dogs are trained by the shepherd of the flock to help sheep from getting distracted and going astray or into dangerous territory. Sheep dogs are dogs...not shepherds. Sometimes in our westernized christianity we mistakenly assume a sheep dog for the shepherd...and begin to follow and/or depend upon him, a mere man, to led us into all truth and give us life and love...when all he can do is lead us to the shepherd. Other believers serving as pastors, bible study facilitators and/or ministry coordinators might seem like shepherds...but they're not...they're just a bunch of dogs "He" has trained to herd you and others back to Him.
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"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
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"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me
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Get to know & depend on the shepherd not His dogs.
teddy bear, puppy, & you
Ever had a teddy bear, blanky, pillow, whatever? For some a teddy bear was their best buddy, friend, playmate and roomy..."you and the bear went everywhere". Without the bear there was a sense of uncompleteness, lost and lonely in a world of strangers. No one was going to take your teddy bear away...
Then along came puppy. Puppy was alive in your presence where teddy bear was only alive in your mind. Puppy would lick your face, nip your fingers and keep you warm cuddling during your afternoon nap. You could run with puppy, swim with puppy, play fetch, tag or just sit with puppy. You had a relationship with puppy and puppy had a relationship with you. He liked you...even loved you...followed you everywhere, kept you company when no one else was around.
Sometimes our life and/or spirituality is that way...we latch onto some inanimate aspect...like religion, bible, church, program, ministry, meditation or act of prayer as if 'it' has/is life...when 'life' is only found in relationship with the puppy...Jesus. Sure your relationship with Jesus may/may not involve religion, bible, church, program, ministry and bible studies...but...those things are just 'things'.
You can have a relationship with Jesus without those things but you can't have a relationship with Jesus without Jesus...and once you experience 'puppy' the teddy bear...well...it becomes what you and puppy play with on occasions where a good stick, lake, ball or backyard isn't available.
straw
"I am the cup of water; you are the straw. If you remain in me and I in you, my living water will flow through you; apart from me you're a straw out of water.
John 15:5 (rick's revised version)
See yourself sitting under the shade of sheltering trees
With the Lord Jesus
Side by side
Relaxed
At ease with Him
Comforted by His presence.
There is no need for words.
He is here
And He is enough.
The aroma of His peace
Permeates every part of your being.
Problems and worries
Are gone.
They cannot exist
In His presence.
You sense His strength
His I-can-do-all-things power.
You sense His wisdom
Pure and simple wisdom.
But most of all
There is love.
Love that sees right through you
And loves anyway.
Love that sees beyond your faults
To see the seed of His perfection in you
Making you His beloved kin.
Love that sees the person God created you to be.
Love that brought Him from heaven
To find you and bring you Home.
But for now
This moment
He knows you need rest.
Rest from a hectic confused world.
And so you sit with Him
Content
At ease
At home with Him
And at home with yourself.
Stay.
Stay here at rest with Him
As long as you like.
He has given Himself to you
For all of forever.
-Joan Wilson
click title bar above for article.
sit | walk | stand
Sit ~ To rest with the torso vertical and the body supported on the buttocks.
- God has forgiven you.
- God accepts & loves you just as you are.
- God has given you purpose (to know Him).
- God has given you meaning (to bear His fruit).
- God has given you His life, Christ life.
- God has given you the mind of Christ.
- God has given you the Holy Spirit to lead you into all Truth.
- God has given you the Kingdom of God and it's within you.
- God has given you a burden that's light and a yoke that fits perfectly.
- God has given you "everything you need for life & godliness".
Sit ~ rest in the continuing and completed work of God in your life. God used the jawbone of an ass (judges 15)...maybe He can use yours as well ;)
Walk ~ live consciously aware of what you're sitting on.
- Quit trying to earn what you've already been given.
- Get to know Him intimately...that's what our eternity is, there's nothing more important.
- Allow His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentileness and self-control to overflow from your life to the lives of others...don't try to produce it on your own...branch doesn't produce it bears.
- Become like those you hang around (God, Christ, Holy Spirit) by association. Let em' rub off on you.
- Use the mind of Christ & the Holy Spirit to figure things out instead of your intellect.
- Live as a citizen and ambassador of the Kingdom of God not as a citizen America, Canada, etc.
- rest abide
Walk ~ ever seen someone "walk" that's sitting? In the physical realm it's impossible. Welcome to the kingdom of God.
Stand ~ against all that endeavors to distract, disuade and detach you from what you're sitting on.
- Use the already victorious defensive weapons He's given you to remain in the victory you already have. (eph 6:10-18)
Stand ~ Don't be distracted into going on the offensive, trying to conquer what He's already conquered and given to you as a gift.
my liberal paraphrase of Watchmen Nee's book "Sit, Walk, Stand".
worship
Being consciously aware (as opposed to subconscious or completely ignorant) of God's unconditional acceptance (apart from which His love is almost meaningless) & love for me, His purpose (to know me and I Him) and His desire/meaning for my life (to bear His fruit...not strain at trying to produce fruit on my own)...and most importantly,
depending on those realities (as opposed to just being consciously aware of them).
make sense?
Busy, busy little bees
Hebrews 10:12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God.
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to
sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Hebrews 1:13 To which of the angels did God ever say, "
Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?
Hebrews 2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away...3how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?
It occured to me last Thursday that I/we believe (are conscious or sub-conscious of) many things about God and what He's done for us...only...we haven't sat down (depended on them).
Hebrews 10:11 Day after day
every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
We're like the priest above..."standing" and performing our "religious duties"...
which can never take away our sins. Busy, busy little bees...busy but barren, confused and frustrated...because our "business", although well intentioned, "can never take away our sins"....or...give us life.
It's one thing to believe (be conscious) of God's eternal forgiveness for "your" sins...it's quite another to "depend on His forgiveness" and "receive His life"...which requires we rest from "trying to earn it/live it ourselves".
I refer back to the high wire artist from a few post ago. It's one thing to "believe" (be conscious of) his ability to ride a bicycle high across Niagra falls with someone on it...but quite another to assume passenger status and go with Him.
John 6:29 Jesus answered, "
The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
I used to think the "work of God" was "doing things for Him"...now I'm becoming quite convinced the true work is "believing" (being conscious of what He's already done for me and depending on it).
Now that's work...and it's a job I'm happy to show up for every moment of every day because the pay and the benefits are; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.
So...it's time to put our hard hats of salvation, cinch up that work belt of truth, slip on those work boats of readiness, pull on the work coat of righteousness, pick up our tools of faith and the Spirit...and go to work.
the alarm clock's ringing...snooze and loose or shake and bake.
