Evening Scripture Reading - Isaiah 44:21-22

Isaiah 44:21-22 New King James Version (NKJV)

Israel Is Not Forgotten

21 “Remember these, O Jacob,
And Israel, for you are My servant;
I have formed you, you are My servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!
22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,
And like a cloud, your sins.
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 23:1-3

Psalm 23:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Lord the Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 23:1 lack
2. Psalm 23:2 Lit. pastures of tender grass
3. Psalm 23:2 Lit. waters of rest

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 14:1

Proverbs 14:1 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Ways of Life and Death

 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

Morning Scripture Reading - Romans 5:6-8

Romans 5:6-8 New King James Version (NKJV)

Christ in Our Place

6 For when we were still without strength, [a]in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 5:6 at the right time

Evening Scripture Reading - Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38 New King James Version (NKJV)

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 2:38 forgiveness

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 22:30-31

Psalm 22:30-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

30 A posterity shall serve Him.
It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,
That He has done this.

Mid-Week Message - Punkin

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:3-4  (NIV)

My family has always had dogs.  My mother told me stories of how her little Rat Terrier, named Tinker, would lay across her stomach while she was pregnant with me.  So, I guess it is natural for me to love them as much as I do.  The only times that I didn't have one near me were during college while I lived in the dorm, and when I was living on my own as a young single adult.  The college years were so full that I didn't really miss having a pet but when I was living alone I yearned for that companionship. 

One day, one my way home from work to my empty house, I saw a man on a motorcycle.  He had his dog riding with him.  The dog was wearing goggles and a bandanna so it definitely caught my attention.  As I looked, the empty feeling rose up and I said out loud, "Oh, Lord!  I want a dog."  Now, I promise you that when I turned into my driveway, there was nothing out of the usual.  However, when I opened my car door, there sat a beautiful golden Cocker Spaniel and he jumped up into my lap.  I was flabbergasted!  I had never seen him before so I didn't think he belonged to any of my adjacent neighbors.  I didn't know where he belonged.  When I went into the house, he followed.  After a little while, he whined at the door so I thought maybe someone was calling him and I let him out.  He walked around outside for awhile then came back and he stayed with me after that. 

Punkin was my gift from God.  He slept with me and went with me everywhere that I could take him.  He met me when I came home from work, took walks with me, and licked my tears when I cried.  I knew that my heavenly Father had heard my cry and answered out of love and the bond I had with that little bundle of fur was incredible. 

When I married my husband, which was another prayer answered, Punkin welcomed Lady, my husband's dachshund, and they got along beautifully.  When our daughter was born, Punkin checked on her continuously.  He would sleep under her crib at night and look in on her if she made any noise.  He was never jealous but loved her as much as he loved me.  The when she was about a year old, he began crying if we touched his mouth.  I took him to the vet and was told he had a massive infection, needed surgery and that he may not live through it. 

Babies are expensive.  They need diapers and formula and baby food.  I was not working outside the home and we simply did not have the money to be able to pay for surgery for him, nor would I have wanted him to pass away without me by his side.  The only option we felt we had at the time was to have him euthanized.  It broke my heart.  Even as I type this, tears are flowing.  I still dream of him and wake up feeling like I got a special present because I got to see him. 

I really don't think I was meant to have Punkin for a long amount of time.  I believe the Lord sent him as a friend and companion for as long as I truly needed him.  By the time I had to say goodbye, my life was full.  I had what I had asked for since I was a little girl.  I was a wife and a mother.  That was the true desire of my heart, and the Lord knew it and granted it. 

Don't ever think that your longings are too trivial for the One who loves you the most.  He sees and hears and loves you enough to know the perfect time to fulfill that desire or to send something better.  He knows everything about you, every thought that enters your mind and every pang of your heart.  I sometimes wonder if Punkin would have arrived that day if I hadn't uttered the words out loud.  I will never know, and that is just fine with me.  That day, today's verse became real in my life and I have watched as our Father has continued to show Himself faithful throughout the years. 

I pray that every one who reads this message this week will recall the times when He has fulfilled your desires and that you would recall the love you felt at that time.  It is always there, that love.  Oh, and if you are wondering if anyone ever looked for that wonderful little fur baby, here is what I later found out.  A woman that I eventually worked with saw his picture on my desk and said, "He looks just like the one that I dumped."  So you see, not only was my desire heard and answered, but so was Punkin's who just needed someone to love him.  God bless.

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 13:25

Proverbs 13:25 New King James Version (NKJV)

25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

Morning Scripture Reading - Romans 10:5-13

Romans 10:5-13 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Evening Scripture Reading - Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 “Hear, O Israel: [a]The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Footnotes:

1. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord is our God, the Lord alone, i.e., the only one

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 22:29

Psalm 22:29 New King James Version (NKJV)

29 All the prosperous of the earth
Shall eat and worship;
All those who go down to [a]the dust
Shall bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 22:29 Death

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 13:24

Proverbs 13:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [a]promptly.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 13:24 early

Morning Scripture Reading - John 11:25

John 11:25 New King James Version (NKJV)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Evening Scripture Reading - Ephesians 1:11-14

Ephesians 1:11-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[a] is the [b]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Footnotes:

1. Ephesians 1:14 NU which
2. Ephesians 1:14 down payment, earnest

Psalms Scripture Reading - Psalm 22:27-28

Psalm 22:27-28 New King James Version (NKJV)

27 All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the [a]nations
Shall worship before [b]You.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 22:27 Gentiles
2. Psalm 22:27 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Arab., Syr., Vg. Him

Proverbs Scripture Reading - Proverbs 13:23

Proverbs 13:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

23 Much food is in the [a]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [b]waste.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
2. Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away

Morning Scripture Reading - Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16-20 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great Commission

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b]Amen.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 28:19 M omits therefore
2. Matthew 28:20 NU omits Amen.

Evening Scripture Reading - Romans 10:5-13

Romans 10:5-13 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”