Monthly Archives: April 2016

Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me All The Days of My Life- LIFEhouse God Time

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Friday April 29- “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

(John 10:11-15)

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”

The shepherd has the care and protection of his flock of sheep utmost in his mind.  he doesn’t slumber and sleep, he is always vigilant.  The sheep recognize they are privileged to have a goods, caring, loving shepherd.  Goodness and mercy flow from him to his sheep.  They bask and thrive in his care.

From our Good shepherd there flows goodness and mercy to us.  He loves us.  He forgives us.  He will  not leave us alone.  He is ever searching for his lost sheep.  He wants us to have a close fellowship with him.  His love, mercy and goodness will follow us all the days of our lives.

“And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The Psalm opened with the affirmation, “The Lord is my shepherd!”  And  now it closes with “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  In between we saw the way the shepherd cares for his sheep and connected that with how Jesus is our Good shepherd and cares for us.

I read a book of a shepherd looks at the 23rd Psalm. He tells of the ranch next to his where the owner cared nothing for his sheep.  They were thin, weak, full of disease, they only had polluted water to drink, scrub poor grass the eat. They stood at the fence looking longingly at the shepherd’s sheep and their green pasture. They tried to get through the fence to be in his flock.  His sheep would never leave his care.  They were glad to be there  – home – with their shepherd.

We can see that these two flocks of sheep one tended by a good shepherd and the other by a care -less shepherd, if he could be called that – more like a hireling, and we can see the people around us.  there are two groups, one who are the sheep owned by Jesus and the other who have been seduced by Satan. Jesus flock is fed with him, he is our bread he is our water. while Satan’s group is fed empty, false promises.  Satan’s group is running after things to fill their hunger and nothing satisfies – because only Jesus satisfies – only He gives life – real life the only REAL life. Once we have “tasted” of the Lord would we want to go anywhere else, but stay in his “house” close to him?  Only he gives the abundant life.  Only Jesus, our Good shepherd gives eternal life.

ME

There is a lot in this Psalm. Is Jesus my Good Shepherd? Am I the sheep of his pasture? Do I appreciate what a Good Shepherd I have? Do I desire to stay close to  him forever? Can I say with the little girl, “The Lord is my shepherd, he is all I want.”

(by Gerrie Wilkowski)

Your Rod and Your Staff They Comfort Me- LIFEhouse God Time

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Thursday April 28- “Your rod and your staff they comfort me”

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:11-13)

“Your rod and your staff they comfort me.”

These are the instruments of protection and help the shepherd is skillful  at using, for himself and for his sheep.  The rod is a piece of a tree at the root that forms a ball.  The shepherd fashioned just for himself.  He practices throwing it and do so with precision. So when a wolf comes he can throw his rod and scare the wolf away.  If a sheep strays off the path he throws his rod next to the sheep to guide it back. The rod is also used to help separate the sheep’s woolen coat to check for any diseases or cuts.  It conveys  the shepherd’s authority, defense, power, discipline.

It is like the word of God which reminds us how Jesus used scripture to counter Stan’s temptation, or Hebrews 4:12 ” the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword soul and spirit, joints and marrow.”  So the rod in the hands of our Good Shepherd is the symbol of his authority over evil, but also his authority over us, his disciplining us.

The staff is a long stick with a crook at the end.  With it the shepherd can expertly pick his sheep out of a thicket of brambles, of off a rocky ledge. With the staff the shepherd also guides and mages his sheep.  The rod can be a symbol of God’s spirit, who guides, comforts, keeps us.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies..”

The high country is the goal of the shepherd for his sheep.  It is a flat table land.  The shepherd went ahead to prepare the  area for his sheep.  He dug out the poisonous  weeds, clears the basins of water.  During the summer he is looking out for the predators – the enemies of his sheep.

Jesus does the same.  He has gone before us.  We stay close to him.  We feed on his word to help us cope with the fiery darts of the evil one.

“You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.”

The shepherd puts a  mixture of oil, sulfur and tar and over the sheep’s  head and nose to protect it from parasites, flies which drive a sheep crazy.

And Jesus anoints us with the oil of his spirit to help us in our daily frustrations with the world and life around us, to keep our minds focused on Him.

Our Good shepherd has set a glorious table before us with the riches of himself and especially as we feed on his supper , we overflow with praise and thanksgiving for who he is and what he did for us on the cross. We come to his table, he has prepared for us, in the presence of our enemy, the evil one and our cup of gratitude overflows.

ME

Will we allow and trust our Good Shepherd to guide us. Do we store his word in our minds to help us in time of trouble? Do we overflow with thanksgiving for his goodness and care?

(by Gerrie Wilkowski)

Need a Ride? LIFEhouse Rides is Here!

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Do you need a ride to worship on Sunday? Do you need a ride to Prime Time on Wednesday?

LIFEhouse Rides is ready to pick you up!

We are trying out an experiment using a car service, Uber/ Lyft to provide a ride for those who need it to LIFEhouse Church, Sundays and Wednesdays (Prime Time).  This service is paid for by LIFEhouse and there is no tipping drivers.

In other words, FREE!

If you need a ride to Prime Time on Wednesday, call Robyn at the church office by Tuesday and let her know when you wish to be picked up.

If you need a ride on Sunday, call Robyn by Friday and let her know.

Robyn Vega Church Administrative Assistant

(818)885-6861

WE’LL PICK YOU UP!

 

He Restores My Soul…LIFEhouse God Time

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Wednesday April 27- “He restores my soul..”

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long “Where is your God?”These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:1-5)

“He restores my soul..” The shepherd restores his sheep who are “cast down.”  That is when they happen to get on their backs and can’t right themselves.  They are easy prey for wolves, hawks, cougars, coyotes. When he sees the hawks circling he runs to find the sheep that is cast down and will gently, slowly right it.

Christians are not exempt from being depressed, discouraged, distressed in soul, feelings of hopelessness and without strength.  David writes, ”Why are you cast down O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,  for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” 

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake…”

Sheep are creatures of habit.  If left on their own they eat the same grasses down to the roots, walk the same trails which will become gullies, drink from the same water area which will become polluted.  These are destructive habits. He rotates the sheep so they don’t eat up all of one pasture, so there are ruts, pollution.  They will get parasites, so the shepherd has to keep the sheep on the moves. Sometimes every week, sometimes every day.  The shepherd has a deliberate plan of rotation.  This type of land management is what David had in mind when he wrote of being led in the paths of righteousness.   The sheep need to be led to the new pastures as we need to be led in the paths of righteousness.

But we are creatures of habit also.  We don’t want to move out of our ruts, even if they are destructive, such as living with abuse or drug addictions.  It is more familiar staying in these ruts than going out into the unknown, where Jesus may be leading us.  It is a matter of trust.  Do we trust our good shepherd?  Are we willing to follow him?

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil, for you are with me…”

In the spring the shepherd leads his sheep up to the high country for the summer.  There the grass and water is more plentiful. But to get to the high country he must lead his sheep through the valleys, slowly.  There is also grass and water along the way, but also dangers.  The valleys are formed by the mountains or high country.  Sometimes the cliffs are high and only a few hours of sunlight reach the valley floor.  It is dark.   There are predators lurking among the rocks.  There are possibilities of flash  floods, surprise storms.  But the shepherd is prepared.  He is on the look out for wild animals and ready to fight them to the death to protect his sheep.

He leads his sheep through the valley, they don’t stay there.  There is green pasture and bright light once through this rough area.

So it is in our lives, spiritually and physically.  Jesus said we would have tribulation in this life, but He promises, “be of good cheer I have overcome the world.”  He will walk with us through our dark valley.  We will not be in it forever. Even if there is death. He promises a bright future with him. Where there won’t be any flash floods, predators, illness, hardship.

ME

Do we trust him in the deep valleys of our lives? Believing there is an end to our suffering, believing the promise of Jesus that He is with us always and will bring us to eternal life?

(by Gerrie Wilkowski)

I Shall Not Want- LIFEhouse God Time

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Tuesday April 26- “…I shall  not want”

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  .Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

(Matthew 28:16-20)

“…I shall  not want”  This does  not mean that we will get everything we want.  But that the Lord will provide for us what we need.  It also means we will be contented.  The pastor asked the children if they could recite the 23rd Psalm.  One little girl, maybe four or five raised her hand and said she could.  He agreed to let her try it.  She said, “The Lord is my shepherd, he is all I want.”  That pretty much sums up the Psalm, doesn’t it?

He didn’t promise us a big house, car, money, etc., etc., etc. But that he would care for us.  There will be hard times, but our good shepherd is there with us.

Contentment.  Can we say with St. Paul in Phil. 4:11 “… I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” 

“He makes me lie down in green pastures…”  

Sheep will not lie down eat or lie down to chew their cud if they are fearful of predators, if their is friction in the flock, if the sheep are bothered by pests such as flies, or if they are hungry. A shepherd is always on the look out for the next green pastures and practices rotate the flock so they won’t completely eat the grass to the very root.  Also he makes sure they are good grass, not poisonous ones. If the shepherd is near the sheep feel secure and will stop the tension in the flock..  He fights off the predators.  he has his bag of ointments to repel the flies bothering his sheep.

We can see how Jesus does the same for us. We trust ourselves to him and act on his promises.  There are so many in scripture.  “Lo, I am with you always,”  is pone of my favorites. (Matt 28: 20)

“He leads me beside still waters..”

Sheep will not drink from rushing streams, they are to skittish and frightened.  so the shepherd has to find quiet streams, pools, or deep wells of water.  Good, water that isn’t polluted.  If the weather is not hot sheep can go for weeks without water except what they eat with their early morning dew drenched grass. So the shepherd gets them up early in the morning.  We can see the analogy of our rising early and having our time in prayer and so we can drink deeply in his word.  Jesus told the woman at the well, John 4:14 “.. the water I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

“Christianity is  not a museum, but a restaurant to feed on for our spiritual lives..”

ME

Am I content with Jesus?  Do I want the blessings of God or do I want the God of blessings? Do I hunger and thirst for his word and being in his presence?

(Gerrie Wilkowski)

The Lord is My Shepherd- LIFEhouse God Time

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Monday April 25- “The Lord is My Shepherd…”

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14)

“The Lord is my shepherd…”

We could spend the whole morning on just that phrase.  It is the title, the theme, the core , the foundation of the Psalm.

A good shepherd takes care of his sheep.  He is on duty 24/7.  He is always on the look out for predators, sickness, cuts.  He is constantly counting his sheep, searching for the one that is missing.  It reminds of us Jesus parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15. The shepherd has his bag of ointments to care for his sheep.

If we say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” then we are the sheep.   Sheep need to be led, they follow along, not thinking where they are going.  They are timid, fearful, they have a pecking order.  It sounds like  us, doesn’t it? Isaiah writes this in chapter 53:6,  “All we like sheep have gone astray, each to his own way…” That is why humanity desperately need a shepherd.  A Good Shepherd, not a hireling.  Jesus tells us that a hireling will run away and leave the sheep when danger comes, because he care nothing for the sheep.

Let us make sure we follow the Good Shepherd.  here are other “shepherds” who want to us to go their way and will lead us astray.  But not Jesus. Why? Because Jesus owns his sheep. He says we are his.

When a shepherd get s new sheep he marks them, usually a distinctive mark on his ear, so he and anyone else will know those sheep are his.  And so we are marked, with the sign of the cross at our baptism.  We belong to the Good Shepherd.

ME

Can I truthfully say, ” The Lord is my shepherd?”   Am I willing to trust him with my life and follow him?

(Gerrie Wilkowski)

Joy and Protection- God Time LIFEhouse Church

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Friday April 22- Joy and Protection

Psalm 5:11

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.

Remember, God is with us wherever we go. This gives us protection everywhere. But, what does joy have to do with protection? Everything. Our spirit is lifted up and we are safe deep down to our soul when joy becomes the atmosphere we travel in. Joy doesn’t just surround us, joy fills us up and flows through us. We are glad to be living life with God surrounding us. It is the Spirit of Jesus that flows into us and through us.

Even in the tough times of our lives, those crying out to God times, what we can expect is to be glad. What we can expect is to have a sense of peace where we know deep inside that we are safe and secure covered in his Spirit and joy is the air we breathe.

Traveling on Psalm 5 no matter what is happening around us, God’s blessings break through.

ME

If joy is the constant atmosphere of your life, what difference could this make? The next time you are in a tough spot, say, “God, I am glad to be with you right now.”

 

Logs And Splinters- God Time LIFEhouse Church

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Thursday April 21- Logs and Splinters

Psalm 5:10

O God, declare them guilty. Let them be caught in their own traps. Drive them away because of their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

Here David is spot on. It is God who declares guilt. We do not have to go around trying to be the judge and jury of other people. Jesus says it best. You can judge other people. But there are rules of engagement.

Matthew 7:5

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Go ahead, judge away. But, first you have to get that Redwood log out of your eye before you can start talking about their splinter.

If someone is rebelling against God, God can defend himself. We don’t need to go after people. We are not in the business of keeping score of how bad other people are. We want what God wants for them. God always wants people to know how much he loves them.

So, there are times we need to stay away from people who are against us. Jesus didn’t return to his hometown Nazareth after he was rejected there. But we also realize God can work miracles of forgiveness and reconciliation with anyone. We are always open to restoration.

ME

“Be a light instead of a judge.” (Stephen Covey) What does this mean to you? Try it out.

Truth is Truth- God Time LIFEhouse Church

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Wednesday April 20- Truth is Truth

Psalm 5:9

My enemies cannot speak a truthful word. Their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with flattery.

Jesus calls the devil, “The father of lies.”  When we lie we are not following our Heavenly Father. It’s as simple as that. Lying is evil.

The trouble with lying is, once you lie, you keep on lying. Lying is the language of fear.  And the greatest fear is the fear of getting caught.

We learn this at an early age.

You don’’t want to get in trouble? Just lie. That will do the trick. And if the first time it doesn’t work, lie some more.

Except that it just gets worse.

When children grow into adults the lying doesn’t stop. Hey, it’s an election year, after all. Just listen. I know it’s hard to believe, but you may hear a lie or two.

What about foul talk? This is talk to make someone else look bad. To speak against them behind their back. Whenever you speak against someone else to another person, you are saying way more about yourself then you are about them. And if someone bad mouths someone else to you behind their back, what do you think they might say about you to someone else behind your back? Gossip is designed to be hurtful. It stinks to death.

Then there is flattery. The antidote to flattery is identity. If you are the son or daughter of the King, why would you get fooled by flattery. You already are the most amazing and most adored person on earth with a Heavenly Father who sees you are number 1. So, there is no danger of being negatively influenced by the flattery of others.

ME

What would it take for you not to speak negatively about someone behind their back? Try it out for a week and see what happens.

Our Capacity for Joy Increases with Age