Stay With The Shepherd

Posted on

Scripture

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

 ~Isaiah 40:11, NLT

Quote

He who wanders to gain some new pleasure will find himself less good and more troubled.

~Obadiah Sedgwick

______________________________________________________________________

I’ve had mixed emotions about verse three of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing…

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

I really identify with what Peter said in John 6…

“Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

I do not entertain thoughts of forsaking Jesus. I agree with Peter, there is no where else to go. If your hope is not in Christ; what is it in? Do you put your hope is science? If so, I pity you. Science may be the most fickle of all the gods. But I will admit that I am prone to drift. Between the flesh and the world there is an undercurent that pulls me from the mainstream and I find myself drifting into the shallows while the mainstream of God’s redemptive purpose flows by me. The Puritan Obadiah Sedgwick cautions us to stay in our own pasture. It seems like the pastures beyond our ethical fences are much greener, but there are thorns hidden beneath the foliage. We may delight for awhile in some sinful pleasure but there will be consequence and our conscience will pay.

The hymn COME THOU FOUNT was written by Robert Robinson in 1758, when he was only 22 years old. There is a legendary story about Robinson. He was riding on a stage coach when a woman began quoting the hymn COME THOU FOUNT. Not knowing who Robinson was, she praised the hymn and blessed the hymn writer. Robinson’s conscience pricked him to confess, “Madam, I am the man who wrote that hymn and I have wandered. O how I wish I had the same feelings now as I had when I wrote that hymn.”

There are two things we need to keep in mind: [1] Though we are saved, we are still depraved. We have a selfish sinful nature that constantly wars against the Spirit. Our path of progress is to feed our faith and starve the flesh. Its like the fellow who confessed; “There are two dogs living in me; a black one who is bad and a white one that is good and they fight constantly.” Someone asks him, “Which dog wins?” He said, “The one I feed the most.” Stay in the WORD; stay in church and stay close to the Shepherd in your own pasture. [2] The saving Grace of our LORD Jesus Christ is our greatest comfort. Jesus has the power to save and keep. A good shepherd does not lose sheep. The sheep may be prone to wander but He will peck them on the head with that rod in His hand or break one of their legs. Jesus always finishes what He starts. Paul words to the Philippians have always comforted me…

 I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

49er FELLOWSHIP Today at 11:30…At the POINT…190 Eva Road

  • August 2—Communion
  • August 9—Hawaiian Shirt day
  • August 16th—Deacon Election
  • September 6—Outdoor Church, LABOR DAY weekend {8:00 am}
  • September 13—Wycliff Offering
  • September 16—Hamburger/Hotdog supper {Pavilion}
  • October 26—Morgan Baptist Associational meeting at the POINT and we are serving lunch {Terri is our hostess}
  • October 28—Jambalaya

I don’t think many pastors read the blog but here is the PASTOR APPRECIATION schedule for OCTOBER

  • Monday, October 5…Keith and Judy Blackwood
  • Monday, October 12…New Center Baptist Church
  • Monday, October 19…East Highland Baptist Church
  • Monday, October 26…Grace Point Baptist Church
  • Christmas Breakfast, December 7…{Cracker Barrel} Danville Baptist Church

Leave a Reply