The Lord is My Shepherd

 “The Lord is my shepherd...” Psalm 23:1

When you read Psalm 23, it is all very pleasant and serene, refreshing and comforting. But to be part of the Lord's flock, first we need to be marked. A shepherd uses what they call a "killing knife" to make a notch in the ear of  his sheep, a distinct mark so he can tell his sheep apart from others. That's painful to both the sheep and the shepherd. We too are marked, set apart, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Not only that, if a lamb goes astray too often, a shepherd has no choice but to break two of his legs. After the shepherd sets it, he carries the lamb around on his shoulders for several weeks. That creates a bond between them and the sheep stays close to the shepherd after that. 

Yes, the Lord is our Shepherd. He takes care of us. He calls us by name. His goodness and kindness follow us all the days of our lives. If there is anything that happens in our lives that is difficult, hard to understand, we need only to have faith that our Shepherd is doing what He needs to do to keep us close. Sheep are known to be stubborn, and maybe that's why Jesus said we are like sheep! We like to go our own way even if there are wolves waiting to devour us! (Is.53:6)

Lord, You are my Shepherd and I belong to You! Help me always to keep on the right path! 

When I had Pemphigus Vulgaris before, an autoimmune condition with no cure, I would recite Bible verses about healing. I had wounds in my mouth and I could not eat and had difficulty talking. But I would repeat Healing Bible verses. I got healed after a few years. I made a you tube video of verses, not very good audio, but if you are sick, you may want to listen to it. In the Bible it says the Word of God is like medicine. 

Praying God will give you strength and restore you. 

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

Be Sober and Vigilant

 “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:8-9

Not many people believe in the devil today, and that is exactly what this wily enemy wants. He wants us to scoff, “What? The devil? That fictional character our parents used to scare us with?” The more he is hidden in the dark, the more powerful he is. That is where he thrives, in darkness. He likes to manipulate our thoughts, and win in the battle for our minds. 

I read this true story of a man who got stuck in a refrigerator car when all his factory mates went home to celebrate a birthday. He got frantic while pounding on the walls because he believed the refrigerator car was plugged in and he would freeze to death. When he was found the next day, sure enough, the hospital report concluded he died from freezing. The odd thing was the refrigerator car was not even connected to the power supply.

The mind is a powerful thing and the devil knows how to manipulate it. I remember when my late brother-in-law, Jing, used to tell me that thoughts are like a mad dog. If you let it just roam free, it will go all over the place and can wreak destruction. We have to rein it in right away, and keep the leash tight. If we are anxious, depressed, or confused, we should not let our minds wander into places that will makes us even more morose. The Bible says, “Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Prayer Changes Things

 “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?" Acts 9:4

Saul was traveling to Damascus on a mission to arrest and drag anyone following the 'new way' to Jerusalem. In Acts 9:1, he is described as 'breathing murderous threats' against Jesus' disciples. He was stopped by a light in the sky, and a voice asking,"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

He converted to Christianity on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. Syria became known as the Cradle of Christianity, a center of early Christianity, and Christians, some still speaking Aramaic, have lived there for 2,000 years. However today, they are severely persecuted in the Arab and Muslim world by modern day Sauls who want to exterminate them. They are being driven away from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of Christians are being kidnapped, tortured, and even crucified and beheaded. Their churches are targeted and burned. There is a decline from  a 1.5 million population in 2011 to roughly 300,000 by 2024. 

There is not much we can do. But I know prayer changes more things than this world thinks it can. Let us pray that these modern day Sauls get converted if not by a light from the sky and a voice from heaven, then by other miracles. Nothing is impossible with God! And He is so creative! I believe that even now, saints are arising in the persecuted areas of the world! Let us cover those areas with prayer! Let us combat the jihad against Christians with an army of interceding warriors!

How about us, we persecuting anyone? I hope not. But sometimes we hurt people without even knowing it. We do not think of the words we say and how we say it. I admit I am not very conscious of how I put things. I can be judgmental and unkind. I can jump to conclusions and say negative things. Being sensitive to how others are feeling is a strength we should develop. We should practice treating others as if they were Jesus. The world will be a better place. 

When I had Pemphigus Vulgaris before, an autoimmune condition with no cure, I would recite Bible verses about healing. I had wounds in my mouth and I could not eat and had difficulty talking. But I would repeat Healing Bible verses. I got healed after a few years. I made a you tube video of verses, not very good audio, but if you are sick, you may want to listen to it. In the Bible it says the Word of God is like medicine. 

Praying God will give you strength and restore you. 

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

Open to the Proddings of the Spirit

 “Do you really grasp what you are reading?" "How can I," the man replied,"unless someone explains it to me?" Acts 8:30-31

Philip was one of the seven men, along with Stephen, who were chosen to distribute bread to the widows and the community. Like Stephen, it was important to him, not only to give bread, but also the bread of life. In this chapter of Acts, Philip was instructed by an angel to go to the desert. There he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a treasurer of the Queen of that country. This man was reading Isaiah and Philip asked him if he understood.

 "How can I unless someone explains it to me?" the man answered. Philip then took the opportunity to tell him about Jesus. “Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him.” How blessed this Ethiopian man was that God sent someone to teach him! The eunuch went back to Africa rejoicing, the first African to hear about our Lord! 

It is wonderful to think of the many many Africans who know the Gospel because Philip obeyed the prodding of the Spirit! According to Pew Research Center, there are approximately 700 million Christians in Africa, roughly 31% of the world’s total Christian population. Like the eunuch, they can find living water in the desert! 

It is important that we too, like Philip, be open to the proddings of the Holy Spirit wherever we are. 

When I had Pemphigus Vulgaris before, an autoimmune condition with no cure, I would recite Bible verses about healing. I had wounds in my mouth and I could not eat and had difficulty talking. But I would repeat Healing Bible verses. I got healed after a few years. I made a you tube video of verses, not very good audio, but if you are sick, you may want to listen to it. In the Bible it says the Word of God is like medicine. 

Praying God will give you strength and restore you. 

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

I Will Not Reject You

 

“I will not reject anyone who comes to me...” John 6:37

After Jesus gives us His promise that He is the bread of life, that if we go to Him we will never be hungry, if we believe in Him we will never thirst, He gives us another promise. He says that He will never reject anyone who goes to Him. I am sure most of us have experienced rejection. Perhaps we were not accepted for a job we wanted, we did not get into a prestigious university, organization, or a popular clique in high school. It was painful, maybe even embarrassing. All of the most successful people like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling, Lady Gaga and Warren Buffet, have lots of rejection stories to tell. Rejection is part of life.

But it is not part of our life with God. He will never reject us when we go to Him, when we want to be His friend, when we desire to be a part of His Church. He identifies so much with His people that when someone wants to reject us, hurt us, persecute us, He will ask, just as He asked Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) How awesome is our God?!!

Lord, we cannot conceive of how much You love us! We do not deserve to be loved the way You do! You were actually willing to take our sins with You on the cross, to take our place as the blood sacrifice. Help us to live every day in the knowledge that we are precious to You and nothing, nothing will ever separate us from Your love! 

When I had Pemphigus Vulgaris before, an autoimmune condition with no cure, I would recite Bible verses about healing. I had wounds in my mouth and I could not eat and had difficulty talking. But I would repeat Healing Bible verses. I got healed after a few years. I made a you tube video of verses, not very good audio, but if you are sick, you may want to listen to it. In the Bible it says the Word of God is like medicine. 

Praying God will give you strength and restore you. 

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

The Bread of Life

 “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger...” John 6:35

True stories abound of very rich people, celebrities even, who earned hundreds of millions of dollars, and ended up scrounging in garbage bins and living out of cardboard boxes or cars. There are also people who won millions in the lotto, who thought all their problems would be solved but who became even more enmeshed in more problems and disasters. No matter how rich or privileged a person is, he can never guarantee that he will never go hungry. 

There is only one Person who can give us the guarantee that we will never go hungry if we stay by His side. Jesus. He said, “Do not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him, the Father, God, has set His seal.” (John 6:27)

During Biblical times, seals were often made of wax, embedded with the personal imprint of the one who makes the guarantee of authenticity. Here Jesus assures us that it is God the Father Himself who guarantees Jesus as the Bread of Life. Whoever depends on Him, who accepts Him as Lord, will never hunger. 

When we pray the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, we say, “Give us this day our DAILY bread”. But most Christian scholars today reject this translation of the word “epiousios” in the original Greek New Testament. These scholars as well as Saint Jerome back in AD 382, translate it not as “daily” but as “SUPERSUBSTANTIAL”. Jesus instructed us to ask for supersubstantial bread. That is why we will never hunger, never perish, never die. 

Like the apostles, let us pray, “Jesus, give us this supersubstantial bread always! You are the bread of life. I believe in You! I trust in You!”

St. Stephen

 “Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people.” Acts 6:8

St. Stephen is the first martyr and was stoned to death because the Jews got infuriated with the wisdom of his words! The members of the Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyreneans, Alexandrians, people from Cilicia and Asia tried to debate with him but they were no match for him for he was filled with the Holy Spirit. So what did they do? They concocted fake news about him, saying he blasphemed against Moses and God. They seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin, presenting false witnesses against him.  Was St. Stephen worried, or frightened? No. All who looked upon him saw the face of an angel. 

This reminds me of what many have said of Mother Teresa. Sometimes when we see Mother Teresa of Calcutta in pictures, she looks like an old crone. But my cousin said, when she saw the Albanian nun up close, she was beautiful. Some journalists have also attested to this. “The saints are the luminous reflection and attractive witness of the singular beauty of Christ, beauty of infinite love of God who gives Himself and makes Himself known to men.” (From “The Via Pulchritudinis”, 2006)

St. Stephen is an example of an ordinary man who did extraordinary things because 

he followed Jesus day by day. He just started out as a "waiter", as he was appointed a deacon by the early church. His job was to serve food to the widows and orphans, and I suppose help the apostles with other lowly duties.

Let us stay close to Jesus, and go about our daily tasks with a heart full of praise and thanksgiving. We too can be ordinary people doing extraordinary things if we keep our hearts focused on the Lord! We too can be a reflection of the beauty of Christ! 

When I had Pemphigus Vulgaris before, an autoimmune condition with no cure, I would recite Bible verses about healing. I had wounds in my mouth and I could not eat and had difficulty talking. But I would repeat Healing Bible verses. I got healed after a few years. I made a you tube video of verses, not very good audio, but if you are sick, you may want to listen to it. In the Bible it says the Word of God is like medicine. 

Praying God will give you strength and restore you. 

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

We’re Not Our Hearts Burning?

 “Were not our hearts burning inside us?” Luke 24:32

The story of Cleopas and another follower of Jesus walking to Emmaus is fascinating. We can be like them, busy going somewhere, discussing events happening around us. Then a stranger comes along and joins in the conversation.

God likes to break into our world sometimes but we do not recognize Him. We are too busy with “important” things. Jesus tells Cleopas and his companion, “You are such foolish people!” Then Jesus quoted passages from the writing of Moses and all the prophets, explaining what the Scriptures said about Himself. Cleopas and his companion felt their hearts burn while Jesus spoke to them. 

Are we foolish people too? Do we spend more time with the things of this world that pass away, than with the things of God? If we spend time with Jesus our hearts will burn too! Any time spent with Him is never wasted. And there is so much to learn and discover. Especially today when we don’t have to go borrow a book in the library if we want to delve more deeply into a Bible story. I listen on Youtube to many Bible scholars, theologians, missionaries and pastors, and read their writings. Yes, our hearts can be on fire and filled with joy if we walk with Jesus! 

If you know someone who is sick, or if you yourself need healing, you can listen to healing verses from the Bible. I made a compilation years ago. Sorry, the audio is not very good but one can read along. In Proverbs 4:20-22 says:

“My son, pay attention to what I say;

    turn your ear to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,

    keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them

    and health to one’s whole body.”

Indeed the Word of God is medicine to our body! Listen here:

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

It is I!

 “It is I; be not afraid...” John 6:20

After the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus went off on His own while the disciples took a boat to go across to Capernaum. It was dark, the waves were rough and rising high with the strong wind. When they had rowed three or four miles out, they saw but did not recognize Jesus, approaching the boat, walking on the water. They were terrified. I would be terrified as well! But Jesus said, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 

Most times, we do not recognize God when He visits us. God comes while we are living out our ordinary every day lives. He does not disrupt our days, MOST of the time. But sometimes He does, and if we take God at His Word, we will see it as a blessing, a gift, even if it is terrifying in some way. The apostles were experienced fishermen, well used to going out to sea in the dark, in fair weather and foul. This time they see something unusual and it terrified them. When they recognized it was Jesus, they calmed down and were happy to have Jesus join them. 

When my brother Robert received the diagnosis that he had colon cancer, his attitude was very surprising to most people. He saw cancer as a gift and blessing. Robert said “I am so incredibly grateful for this life now. I used to hate myself. I used to think about taking my life all the time. That has completely changed now. I realize that life is short—I don’t have to rush things. Before you know it, life is over. I am now living the best life I’ve ever lived. I am so incredibly thankful for this cancer. It is indeed a gift.” 

God comes into our lives bearing gifts. These gifts do not always take the form we like. Sometimes it terrifies us, dismays us, depresses us, makes us cringe. But sometimes, if we open our eyes and our heart, we can receive God’s gifts with joy.

If you know someone who is sick, or if you yourself need healing, you can listen to healing verses from the Bible. I made a compilation years ago. Sorry, the audio is not very good but one can read along. In Proverbs 4:20-22 says:

“My son, pay attention to what I say;

    turn your ear to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,

    keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them

    and health to one’s whole body.”

Indeed the Word of God is medicine to our body! Listen here:

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared

If It Comes From God

 "If this endeavor or activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God." Acts 5:38-39

What Jesus started in 30 AD is still going strong today. There are approximately 2.4 billion Christians worldwide. That’s about 31.6% of the global population. It is the largest religion globally, with the three largest groups being the Catholic Church, Protestantism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. 

Just this Easter, the world witnessed a significant surge of adolescents and adults baptized into the Catholic Church. We saw substantial growth in several countries like the US with some dioceses reporting 139% more converts compared to previous years. 

Believers who have long been silenced are holding rallies to declare UK a Christian nation. Justin Brierley, a popular podcaster wrote a book, “The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again”.  There seems to be a new wave of faith and relevance of Christianity. 

However, just as in Jesus' time, there are forces trying to destroy Christians and Christianity in the world today. Churches even in the West are being burned, priests imprisoned, believers beheaded. In Nigeria over Easter, Christians were attacked and killed. 

We can undoubtedly say that the Church has survived persecution, abuse, scandals, even indifference. The Pope of today can look over the Coliseum in Rome where the blood of Christians were absorbed by the sand on the arena floor. Ironically, Christianity is victorious over the once mighty Roman Empire and Emperor Nero who had the followers of Christ arrested, tortured, crucified, burned alive and fed to the wild animals.

What was said by a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin holds true today: “If this endeavor or activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God." (Acts 5:38-39)

If you know someone who is sick, or if you yourself need healing, you can listen to healing verses from the Bible. I made a compilation years ago. Sorry, the audio is not very good but one can read along. In Proverbs 4:20-22 says:

“My son, pay attention to what I say;

    turn your ear to my words.

Do not let them out of your sight,

    keep them within your heart;

for they are life to those who find them

    and health to one’s whole body.”

Indeed the Word of God is medicine to our body! Listen here:

https://youtu.be/iovWasy_bOw?feature=shared