Category: The Shepherd Publications

CITY WITHOUT KING (Part 3)
“And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.” Judges 2:14
In this third and last part of this series, I will like to draw your attention to the consequences of living in a lawless and perverse society. In the book of Judges, the Bible says “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Sadly, the book ended with the same trembling tone “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 21:25

CITY WITHOUT KING (Part 2)
In 1978, the story was told of an ungrateful son, Thomas Hansen of Boulder Colorado, who sued his parents for $350,000 on grounds of “malpractice of parenting.” Mom and Dad had botched his upbringing so badly, he charged in his suit, that he would need years of costly psychiatric treatment. We still have such ungrateful sons and daughters today who resist control, not only from parents but they say no to any form of instruction, guidance and admonition from those who wished them well.

CITY WITHOUT KING (Part 1)
During the civil war Abraham Lincoln met with a group of ministers for a prayer breakfast. One of the ministers said, “Mr. President, let us pray that God is on our side”. Lincoln’s response showed far greater insight, “No, gentlemen, let us pray that we are on God’s side.” Like America, never at any time did the Nation of Israel abandon God like the time of the Judges. They were at many times not on the side of God. This became a major highlight of the Book of Judges as the book describes the state of backsliding and moral corruption of the Nation of Israel.

In the same book of Judges where their moral decadence was x-rayed we also found the root cause of the Nation’s constant departure from God, and here is it “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6.

RECOVERING FROM THE FALL
A few years ago, Delta Flight 191 crashed at Dallas-Fort Worth airport killing scores of people and injuring others. Pieces of wreckage were carefully removed and stored for further analysis. Since that time, the cause of the crash has been the focus of extended research, analysis, and even litigation. Understandably, the cause of such a tragedy is of great concern.

In the spate of the evil and calamities in the world in which we live, few could deny that something seems desperately wrong with the world in which we live.

TEMPTED?
Temptation is an enticement to sin, and it is common to every man. Jesus was tempted in Luke 4:1-13. But because Jesus knew the plan of Satan He did not yield to the temptation “…was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrew 4:15. Jesus knew there was something that has been written concerning Him, a purpose He must fulfil, and a glory He must enter into and Satan was determined not to let all these happen. If Jesus had not vehemently resisted the offers of the Devil the whole human race would have been ruined forever.

MORE THAN A NEW MINDSET
God’s word declares “…Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:5. It’s a New Year and everyone craves for something new. In the nature of God also, He delights in doing new things, thus, He declared “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing;…” Isaiah 43:18-19. The mind is powerful. If we expect things to turn around in the New Year as God has promised it must begin with a completely new mindset. We must align our mind with God’s promises and forget the old.

THE BEST RESOLUTION
The usual practice for many in the New Year is making of resolutions. A New Year resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life at the start of a new year. Based on research, the most popular New Year resolutions are about self-improvement (living healthier 23%, getting happy 21%, losing weight 20%, exercising 7%, stop smoking 5%, reduce drinking 2%).
Based on the experiences of many, resolutions are easy to make but hard to keep. That is why people who make resolutions fall far short of their self-expectations.

MORE THAN GOLD, FRANKINCENCE AND MYRRH
A chaplain was ministering to a soldier in the hospital and said, “You have lost an arm in the great cause.” The soldier replied, “I didn’t lose it—I gave it.” That exactly, is what Jesus did. He did not lose His life either. He willingly gave it for our redemption.
It’s a season of Christmas, a popular time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Whether this is correct or not, many agree that Jesus was actually born around this time in history. He lived on earth for thirty three and half years. Just as we rejoice at His birth today, His birth brought great rejoicing at that time too. At the time of His birth in Bethlehem of Judea, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem to worship and present Him with gifts.

THANKING GOD ON PURPOSE
A cartoon pictured a little boy kneeling in prayer. Obviously disgruntled with the results of his prayers, he was saying, “Aunt Harriet hasn’t gotten married, Uncle Hubert hasn’t any work, and Daddy’s hair is still falling out… I’m getting tired of praying for this family without getting any results.” In another story, a little boy was asked to pray for dinner. Before he bowed his head to pray, he looked at the dish. Then, closing his eyes he prayed, “Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I’ll thank you and eat it anyway.”
Many do not see reasons to thank God when it appears there is nothing to thank Him for.