A new look at and old passage....
As Pastor Adam spoke today, there were a couple of things that really stood out to me. The first thing is that he said we are to not just try to get through the Bible, but to have a plan and to listen to what God is saying to you through the verses you read. Being raised in church all my life, I have always been a bit ashamed that I have not read the Bible all the way through. No matter how many times I've tried, I just never seem to get there. But today, not that Adam was telling us not to do that, but it reminded me that it's the heart and the message that matters, not how much you read. We should read and meditate. And I had just written on my sermon notes pretty much that same thing.
I also got a new look at Psalm 23. I have always associated it with funerals. But after hearing it this morning and reading it this afternoon, it's not about the person who has passed away so much as it is about those still living. I'm sure most people already knew that but it made me take a look at that passage that I had heard so often and re-think it. It also helped me to remember the stories of all the shepherds in the Bible. David, those lowly shepherds in the field who were the first to learn of the birth of the Great Shepherd, Jesus. The story of the shepherd going to find the one lost sheep at the risk of losing the rest because of that one's sheep's importance to him. All the stories of shepherds that I had heard over the years and what their job was; how sheep only recognize "their" shepherd's voice; how they will only follow his voice; how only his voice will comfort them and bring them peace and rest. Isn't that how it should be? That His voice, the Great Shepherd's voice, is the one that we recognize, the one we follow and the one that brings us comfort, peace and rest. I heard that story somewhere and it could have been one of Adam's stories and no matter where I heard it, it made sense and brings a joy to my heart and soul.
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