June 5 I Don't Need Anything Psalms 23:1-6
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, BaptistTabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.” (Psalms 23:1-6)
Most of you know that my daddy grew up at the Baptist Children’s Home/ Kennedy Home, near LaGrange NC, during the Depression. Times were hard, although the children always had food and shelter, yet very little in the way of personal items or luxuries. This set of circumstances really made an impression on him and he lived the balance of his life under the influence of those early years. I believe that one of his fears was not having enough. Daddy was always careful with a dollar or as some would say, “Tight as Dick’s Hat Band.” As of today, I still don’t know who Dick was; all that I do know is that he had a hat that was too small. Daddy always taught me, by words and his actions, that you must live within your means and to always be careful to keep your desires and wants in line with your resources. Even through all that he endured in those early years, he still claimed security in the promises of his God. That is where Daddy felt the “Calling” into the Ministry. He discovered the key to security in life through his favorite scripture as it reflects the person of Jesus Christ! Daddy always preached that the Lord must be Your: 1) SHEPHERD 2) KEEPER 3) SAVIOUR 4) LORD… THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD! How can we rely of our Shepherd to provide for our needs? He promised that when we follow the Shepherd, we would never want. DAVID said: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25) We need to give our lives to God and trust Him to honor His promises. He said that He would NEVER FORSAKE US! We all need rest and He promised that we would lie down in green pastures. All of us need rest and He promised just that. Daddy used to say, “WHEN WE TRUST HIM HE WILL LEAD US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE!” “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6) The Apostle PAUL Reminds us: “I am pressed but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned, perplexed but not in despair, put down but not put out. Always bearing in my body the death of the Lord Jesus so that the life of Jesus can be made manifest in me.” (2 Cor. 4) I would always ask Daddy why he loved this scripture so much and he told me that it was the first scripture that he learned, on his own, without someone requiring it. He went on to share with me that this scripture helped him get through some really tragic and difficult times as a child and he continued to claim the promises into his adulthood and he passed it on to me. So, in light of our current situation and in the shadow of COVID19 and the destruction that it has wrought, why would I talk about my Daddy’s favorite scripture? BECAUSE WHEN WE TRUST GOD AS OUR SHEPHERD, THEN I WILL NOT LACK FOR ANYTHING: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Because of the shed blood of Jesus and because I have claimed the promises of God through Jesus, I AM AN OVERCOMER and I will be victorious over COVID19 or anything else that comes my way! HOW ABOUT YOU? Friends, claim His promises for your life and exercise your “Victory!” Stay Strong, Stay Focused…Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!