The Shepherd's Apprentice

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April 22

And the peace of God,
which transcends all our powers of thought,
will be a garrison to guard
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
Philippians 4:7

I like this old Weymouth translation of Philippians 4. And what an irony: To gain the peace, we need it to act like a military garrison to guard us!

Just seconds ago, I wrote the first sentence of this devotion when the phone rang. A member got chewed out, laughed at, and ridiculed at work for refusing to lie. This person needs God's supernatural peace to act as a military garrison around her integrity.

Peace can be your guard. Truth can be your guide. Integrity can be your power. And the Word of God can be your light.

What are you battling with for which you need reinforcements from God?

In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants to be part
of your military garrison

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April 21

[Joshua] commanded the people,
"When you see the ark of the covenant
of the Lord your God
being carried by the levitical priests,
then you shall set out from your place.
Follow it ...
Joshua 3:3

God wants to come and abide with his people. Consequently, in the midst of the Exodus he asked that a "mercy seat" be sculpted on top of the ark of the covenant. The mercy seat was where God would "sit." Indeed, that seat was a potent symbol that God was truly present among his people. Therefore, whenever the people of Israel set out in new directions, they followed (not the ark, but ...) God who was "on" the mercy seat.

Where might you be heading next in your life?

Try following the method of the Jews: Don't move until you see God moving!

In Christ's Love,
a guy who needs to look both ways
before crossing any street
(and see if God went that way first)

____________________
April 20

Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,
thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—
none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Ouch. Don't you hate judgment? I'll bet all of us can find a place or two where we don't want to fit into this list -- or other lists -- for judgment.

Fortunately, Paul -- nor God -- leaves us "dead, doomed, and sinful." (Those three words are my summary of the first few verses of Ephesians 2. Blessedly, Paul chimes in with a healing word -- "but." Paul celebrates, "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.")

First Corinthians gives us hope with a "but" too! Paul says, "11 There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away ..." Paul is not saying that these sins doom us to hell. He's saying faith saves us from two things: 1) damnation and 2) a life that has to be controlled by these and other sins. God's love can save us from bondage to sin.

Now ... IMPORTANT POINT ... when you see someone doing any of these sins, don't think, say, judge or imply that these people will not inherit the kingdom of God.

For one, we can't expect non-Christians to behave like Christians; therefore, use this as an opportunity for evangelism!!! Introduce them to the love and joy of faith in Jesus Christ -- love and joy, not judgment. And then let Jesus do the working on their faith, life, and behavior.

Second, even good, faithful, saved Christians will fall back into the pit of sin. It doesn't mean we're not saved. Therefore, don't ever presume or pronounce judgment on a person! Just love them more. Yes, there is a time when we need to hold a friend accountable -- that's what friends do -- but make sure you develop the friendship enough that they'll hear love first last and alway. And only then speak a word of encouragement and accountability!

If we judge, we're pretending that we're God. Let's simply love others into the hands of the one who "is so rich in mercy ... and ... love[s] us so very much, that even [when] we [are] dead because of our sins, he [will give] us life when he raised Christ from the dead."

In Christ's Love,
a guy who needs to wear less black and more red
(black robes are for judges, red makes me look like a big Valentine)

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