Inner Peace

Inner Peace

If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can get going without pep pills, If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time, If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, Then You Are Probably The Family Dog! And you thought I was going to get all spiritual with this, huh!

We need our souls restored because of the influence of the world on us daily.

PS 23:2.

Should any one that is in the Good Shepherd’s care, with all His benefits, ever be cast down. Should a soul be distressed in a way that it needs restoration? David faced defeat he became frustrated. After he fell in temptation he felt hopeless and without strength. Psalm 42:11 “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God!” Do you know what a cast sheep is? A sheep that has rolled over on its back is called a "cast" sheep. It may not be able to get up. It happens mostly with short, stocky sheep with heavy fleeces on flat terrain. Cast sheep become distressed and can die within a short time if not rolled back into a normal position. When back on their feet they may need to be supported for a few minutes before release to ensure they are steady. A cast sheep is on its back and with out help it will die. The shepherd has to come to the rescue. In John 15, it talks about the care of God with His people 2-5 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word, which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit for without Me you can do nothing.” I have heard it said that if a Christian does not bear fruit he will loss his salvation according to this scripture. Why would God want to cut off those He has redeemed? Why would He be talking to His disciples at this time in such a way? I have found that the words used here in this Scripture is talking about a gardener who sees a branch that is not doing well and will take the time to lift up that branch so that it will do better.

I wonder if we who are children of God if we fail, think that God becomes upset and angry because of the blunder we have done. If He is, the Good Shepherd He is still watching and caring for His sheep. We get into trouble because we try to take our lives into our own hands and try to solve our problem by our own strength 1 Cor. 10:12 “Therefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” I want us to know that it is possible for us to be come like cast sheep in three ways. I give these that we might be careful not to have them happen to us and to make us aware that the Devil is out to try and destroy us through these. These three things are not pleasant because they are very personal and I would pray that God will use this to draw us closer to him and not just become mad at the preacher.

1. The sheep likes to find a soft hollow place in which to lie. When it gets into that place, it is easy for it to roll over on its back. This is likened to the Christian who wants to find the easy place. Is it not with most of us that we like to be in a life where there is no hardships, no need for endurance and no demand on self-discipline?

Inner Peace: If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can get going without pep pills, If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it, If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time, If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, Then You Are Probably The Family Dog! And you thought I was going to get all-spiritual with this.