The Staff Of God

Using the analogy of the shepherd, the staff has a different purpose than the rod. The staff has a crook that is helpful in drawing the sheep close to the shepherd and to help keep them in an intimate relationship with one another. It is also used to guide the sheep, especially those who tend to go astray.

The staff reminds me of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. The Spirit convicts me when I am in sin, exhorts me toward carrying out the Father’s will for my life and encourages me when I am discouraged. He is there to comfort me in times of distress. As I am obedient to His will the fruit of the Spirit is evident in my life. That fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Gal. 5:22-23).

Several times in the Bible we see the quote “staff of bread” which implies sustenance. The staff of the shepherd was used to help sustain the sheep in many ways. It was not a defensive weapon like the rod, but was used as an aid in caring for and managing the sheep.

Consider how the Lord draws you close to Himself. The primary way is through the study of the Bible and through prayer. He also brings people into your life to help you draw close to Him. Worship, either public or private, also brings one into a closer relationship with God. He may use the beautiful voice of a soloist or sound of an instrument to draw you to Himself. One of my favorite ways to worship is to listen to a talented pianist play meaningful hymns.

I pray that you will continually draw closer to the Lord in an increasingly intimate way.

The Rod Of God

The psalmist now mentions two assets of God that are comforting to him. The first is the rod. The rod represents the word of God and its ability to work in our lives. It conveys authority, power, discipline and protection. Lets think for a moment of how the Word of God impacts our lives.

First of all, it cannot impact us unless we study it and become more knowledgeable of it. The Bible is an interesting book in that it seems one cannot ever completely comprehend all it teaches. No matter how many times, I delve into a passage I learn new things. That is because as I grow and mature in the faith, God uses His Spirit through the Word in teaching me more and allowing me to make new application to my life.

As we grow knowledgeable of the Word it becomes the authority for living our lives. We learn how to please God through the study of His Word. He also creates in us a joy that the world does not understand as we live in harmony with His teaching. We dont follow His teachings to earn our way to heaven, but because we love Him and want to please Him.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us "The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." This verse describes the power of Gods Word. It pierces the heart of even the non-Christian. Ive found in witnessing to others quoting the Bible is much more convicting than anything I can say. The Spirit uses the Bible in many ways to encourage us, exhort us, convict us, as well as teaching us Gods will for our lives.

Gods Word also provides discipline for us as we learn it and obey it. Discipline can be considered from two different perspectives. The more disciplined and purposeful we become in our lives, the more we please God. God also uses His Word., through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to discipline us when we are disobedient.

Finally, it is a defense or protection for us. We discussed earlier how Jesus used the Word of God to defeat Satan. We can do the same thing if we know it.

I pray that you will continually grow more in love with Gods Word. The rod of God

I Will Fear No Evil

The Psalmist now makes a bold statement that he will fear no evil. He also gives the reason why; "for You are with me." He may well have had in mind Deuteronomy 31:6 which says "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." Verse 8 continues that thought "The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

These verses do not say that we should be cavalier about evil. We must constantly be on guard for it. I Peter 5:8 tell us "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith…" Satan works very hard trying to sidetrack the Christian and make us ineffective in our Christian lives so we must stay alert to his activity in our lives. We resist him by being firm in our faith.

Ephesians 6:11 instructs us to put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." The following verses describe that armor;

"girded your loins with truth" - integrity and faithfulness

"breastplate of righteousness" - righteous living

"Gospel of peace" - thorough knowledge of the Bible

"shield of faith" - resolute faith in the Lord

"helmet of salvation" - the eternal hope of salvation

"sword of the Spirit" - the Spirit’s recall of the Word in our heart.

Remember when Jesus faced the devil in the wilderness after being there for 40 days without food. The devil tempted Him in three different ways and each time He resisted him by quoting Scripture.

The Lord as our Shepherd alerts us to and protects us from the advances of the evil one. He does this by giving us the tools to resist. Our responsibility is to develop the skill to use those tools and apply them in our lives. When we do that we need fear no evil.

The Shadow Of Death

Perhaps the darkest valley people think of is the end of life here on earth. We see death as separation from our loved ones and that makes us sad. That is an appropriate emotion and we shouldnt be ashamed of it. Jesus wept when he heard His friend Lazarus had died (John 11:35). But the Christian doesnt grieve like the non-Christian because of our hope for eternity.

We can take comfort from this verse for a couple of reasons. One, we know that death is an experience the Christian walks through. It is not a permanent condition. In fact, God looks at death from a completely different perspective. Psalm 116:15 says "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones." I believe that when the Christian dies, he/she enters into an even more enhanced relationship with God than we have ever known when we were alive. We begin enjoying a relationship with Him we have longed for while we were alive. We are no longer subjected to the ravishes of sin.

The second word that gives me comfort is "shadow". A shadow cannot hurt you and because of what we have mentioned above, we know that death, for the Christian, is not harmful, but something we pass through as we enter another phase of eternity. We are eternal beings and the "shadow of death" is one of the experiences we pass through.

One of the passages I always turn to as I face the death of a friend or loved one is I Thessalonians 4:13-18. That passage refers to death as falling asleep. It tells us that one day "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord." The Christian can take great comfort in those words. It is a promise we can hang onto and to which we can look forward. It is our hope.

In the normal course of life you will see those you love walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I encourage you to remember these verses, share them with others and to be comforted with them.

Walking Through The Dark Valleys

The first three verses of this Psalm describe the Lordship of Christ. The last three reveal the results of submitting to the Lordship of Christ. Today we will meditate on the dark valleys of our lives. The first word that catches my attention is "through". That is an encouraging word because it tells us those valleys are temporary; we will get through them.

Once when my wife and I were on vacation in Israel we were sitting on top of a mountain at the edge of the Sea of Galilee observing a beautiful valley below. Betty made the comment that, although valley experiences of our lives are the most difficult ones, they are of great benefit to us. They are the experiences that cause us to grow the most; that cause us to mature in our relationship with Jesus Christ because we really understand our dependence on Him. We see that more clearly after we come through those experiences.

The next time you travel through a mountainous area observe the valleys. They have the gentlest grades. Notice how roads are built through the valleys whenever possible, because travel is easier. The valleys are also where the streams of refreshing water flow. The grass is also most lush in the fertile valleys. That is often where you see orchards and crops, because that is where the soil is rich and fertile. Our spiritual thirst and hunger are often satisfied through valley experiences.

We also must be careful about the dangers in those valleys. In a physical valley you must watch for predators, flash floods, and rock slides. We must be aware that Satan loves to attack us when we are walking through spiritual valleys, because that is when we are most vulnerable.

There are things it is good to remember as we walk through dark valleys in our life. One is that the valleys lead to mountaintops. Mountaintop experiences are those we enjoy the most. Another is we will get through the valley. Weve been promised that. Thirdly, Jesus tells us in Matt. 28:20 "I am with you always". We can take great comfort in that. Finally, our valley experiences prepare us to help others as they go through valleys.

I dont know what valley experiences lay ahead for you, but I do know you have a Lord who loves you and will guide you through them and cause you to grow in your relationship with Him.