Friday 9/13/13 Weariness

Dear Father in Heaven:  Thanks for a great day, it was just perfect in everything.  Thanks for sending our weather according to Your will for us.  Lord, forgive me of my sins and sinful thoughts.  Forgive me of sins that I might not be aware I am doing and point them out to me.  Lord, thanks again for the printer that came from You to us, and thanks for helping me to get it working today.  I am still learning this system, and Lord, I do need Your help.  Thanks, Lord, for a great neighbor who came over and cut up a tree that the wind took down.  And Lord, please watch over them, his eyes and her ankle.  Lord, it is wonderful to have neighbors that we can pray with right out in the driveway.  Lord, be with Tom Sansoni and watch over him.  Lord, be with Vicki and help her.  Lord, help me please with this message and then dispatch it for me.  And Lord, be with our son Matthew.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

My dear brothers and sisters, it indeed was and still is a beautiful day here at the Southern Location of the North Pole.  Praise report, all honor and glory to God, the printer that was given to us came up online and all honor is to God for that new printer and for His helping me as I learn how to use it.  Please keep Eleanor, Bob, Sharon, and Dan Saylor in your prayers.  Pray also for Tom Sansoni, Vicki, and Charles.  Dolores and I also need your prayers.  Pray please for Craig, Beth, and their family.  Folks, again we ask for prayers for our son Matthew.  Please, now I want to get to the message.

Friday, September 13, 2013, Weariness (Day 2).

Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my Shepherd:  I shall not want.  2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  He leadeth me beside the still waters.  3 He restoreth my soul:  He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.  5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  (KJV)

My dear brothers and sisters, the 23rd Psalm is a great scripture when you are tired and when you are weary.  It has great comfort when you have lost a loved one.  Many, many funerals that I have attended and/or pastored used the 23rd Psalm.  In the past, God has given me a week's worth of writing on this wonderful scripture.  This evening, Lord willing, I just want to bring out some verses that can be used for comfort as our nation struggles about going to war again.  As you know, all last week, I talked about our country and our leaders who have no Moral Authority to judge others when we kill so many people in America.

However, we do need to know that God is still in control and He will take care of those who love Him and follow Him.  I just want you to know that when God is in control and He really is.  Not only does He tell us not to worry, for He will carry our burdens, but He will take care of us.  Again, I don't just want to tell you that, I want to show you in the scriptures.  Again, you should always check out what you are told about Jesus by going to the Bible and checking out the scriptures.  So let me get right to the 23rd Psalm.

Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my Shepherd:  I shall not want.

While it seems we all have wants, the scripture means we will not be in want for our basic needs.  Our Lord will provide the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the clothes we wear.  Now besides supplying those basic needs, He indeed supplies a lot of our wants.  I want you to think about it.  While we should have food to keep us for a few days if our power goes out, there is no reason to hoard food and then have it spoil.  We need to trust, and it is faith.

Psalm 23:2 - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:  He leadeth me beside the still waters.

Think of it this way, my dear brothers and sisters.  When we get tired, when we get weary, we have a bed, and we can stretch out on it.  Okay, there are some homeless people in America, but my dear brothers and sisters, most are homeless by choice.  And in America, folks, there are places to go to get help.  So think about it, even the homeless can find a place to lay down their weary heads.  As for the still waters, most of that today you can find in bottles.  When I was growing up, back when the streets were still dirt, we would drink out of a hose, or we would find a spring and drink from it.  Back in the days when Jesus walked this earth, He just calmed the storms and they pulled drinking water from wells and rivers, etc.

Psalm 23:3 - He restoreth my soul:  He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Look at this, He restores my soul.  Brothers and sisters, having your soul restored in my opinion is much more important than having some food for your belly.  Think about that, what good is it to feed your body if your soul is hungry and does not get fed?  Carry The Light Ministries is now using this term on the side of our trailer -- "Feeding the Body and the Soul."  And yes, if we don't turn our backs on Him, He will lead us in the paths of righteousness.  And folks, why does He do this?  Why would He restore our soul and leadeth us in righteousness?  Well, folks, according to the scriptures, He does it for "His Name's sake."  That is why we need to honor Him.  Can we say this right now?  Thank You, I love You, Jesus.

Psalm 23:4 - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:  for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

This verse just tells us that He is with us regardless of where we go, we just need to call on Him and then, folks, "have no fear."  On our motorcycle, we had hand-painted an open Bible with this, "Yea though I RIDE through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."

Psalm 23:5 - Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

The Lord will see that our table is prepared even in front of our enemies.  He will anoint us and our cups will run over.  With Jesus you do not need to care if that glass is half full or half empty for our cup will run over.  Meaning  our blessings will be so many we can't count them all.

Psalm 23:6 - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Now listen, folks, listen to this, as we know, the end will come someday for all of us here on earth.  However, if we believe, if we walk with the Lord, if we love Him, if we are saved, this is the way it will be --we will be with our Lord Jesus in Heaven.

Again, I went long, but this is good comfort food, so why worry, why fret?  God is in control.  Someone say AMEN!  Now go forth and share your blessings.

Love ya, pass it on.

Pastor Dan