A Table Spread - Meat

 A Table Spread 

John 4:34

Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work.

     Just as Christ's 'meat' was to do the will of God, to be obedient to His Father, and to finish the work which God had set for Him to do, so, also, is our meat: to do the will of God and to finish the work which He has set for each of us to do. 

SALVATION

    What is God's will for our lives? Well, the first and primary will is for our salvation. John 3:16 tells us, 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' 

    But with this statement comes a warning to the people who choose not to take hold of this salvation, this saving grace through Jesus Christ: John 3:17, 18 'For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God. 

    It is The Name of Jesus Christ by which all of us must be saved. Acts 4:12 "...there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Romans 10:9,13 "That if you shall confess with your mouth The LORD Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved....For The Scripture says, 'Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." 

RECONCILIATION

    That is God's first and foremost will for us. The second is to share the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. We are, after all, His ambassadors to this world. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." We are now, through the saving grace of God, in Christ and Christ is in us. We have been reconciled (changed by God), through the power of God demonstrated at the cross and in the garden. Jesus died for you and I and He walked out of the grave after conquering death and hell. 

    2 Corinthians 5:18-20 "And all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing (taking into account) their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us The Word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech (beg, urge) you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God." 

    We are changed by the power of God and The Spirit of God through our belief on The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God into a new nature. Who we were before we believed is not who we are after we have believed. The change was instant, for The Spirit of God applied The Word of Faith to our hearts and Christ sits on the throne of our hearts now, not ourselves. That sinful nature we were all born with has been replaced with a holy nature, a heart that desires to love God and serve Him wholly. This change is not wrought by our own hands nor lips. It is the power of God. 

HOLINESS

    The third thing, will, God wants us to do, now that He has reconciled us to Himself, is to become more like Christ and less like our old selves. This is a change we must actively participate in with God's Holy Spirit. Anyone can read a Bible, but only by having an active faith and trust in God, believing that His Word is True, will The Spirit be able to apply The Word to our hearts and our lives. 

    2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of The LORD, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by The Spirit of The LORD." 

    We seek first the kingdom of God. We read the manual, the Bible, and ask God to reveal Himself to us in it as we read it. We deliberately, and with urgency, devour this heavenly Mana which God gives to us daily. We do not merely read our Bibles and go on about our day: we study, we pray, we praise, we thank, we sing, we search, we welcome The Spirit of God into our lives. This third Person in the trinity is our Helper, our Comforter, our Guide. He aids, He consoles, He leads. 

    Galatians 5:18 tells us that we are led by The Spirit. The next few verses describe the old natures that were once upon us and that must be expunged from us. Galatians 5:22-25 tells us that The Spirit causes, produces, the new nature in us: "But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in The Spirit, let us also walk in The Spirit." 

ENDURANCE

    We can't quit. We may rest in Christ to regain our strength, but we cannot stop until we have completed the work which God has set for each of us. Paul describes it as an endurance race. This life which we now live in Christ is not a sprint, nor a marathon, but an endurance race. We run with determination, perseverance and integrity. We endeavor to complete our mission unfailingly. 

    Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon The LORD (serve The LORD) shall renew their strength; they shall mount up (rise and soar) with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." We walk out our faith every single day. We trust in God's timing. We will maintain this holy faith which has been given us that we might bring glory and honor to our God when we have completed, finished, the work which He has given us to do. And I'm doing my best to do this very thing. 

    This is our meat. To accept the saving grace (Ephesians 2:8, 9) which saves our souls from eternal damnation. To share the gospel message of salvation through Christ with others. To live a holy and honorable life in Christ. To endure with grace, integrity, honor and trust and hope. 

    Are you ready to partake of the meat on the table which is spread for you? 

COME AND DINE 

    

A Table Spread - Communion

 Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: 

You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over. 

    What is on the table which God has prepared for His people? for the table which God prepares is not for everyone, but for anyone who calls Him Shepherd, who follows where He leads and rests where He rests. 

    It is a table set up where our enemies can not only see us, but see us dining at this table which our God has prepared in advance for us. It is a table spread with many good and wonderful items. 

    Such as Bread and Wine, Honey and Honeycomb, Living It is a spiritual table meant for Spirit-filled people, for we are not of this world but the world to come. Our bodies are merely passing through this earth, sharing the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ to anyone who will hear and listen. 

    The Word tells us that we who are God's people must worship God in spirit and in truth. We must be honest with ourselves that we may be people of honor. We must search our hearts for the stains of sin and repent of it quickly, for our next breath is not a given. 

    We who are God's people are hungry and thirsty for the righteousness of God: He is our Bread and Wine. He is our Honey and our Honeycomb. He is our Living Water. Jesus is our Bread of Life. He showed His disciples the blessing of the new covenant between God and God's people: the rite of remembrance. 

    Luke 22:16-22 details the rite which we call "communion" and 1 Corinthians 11:23-30 tells us that we are to commemorate this rite on a regular basis, but with a warning: that any who partake of the bread and wine in this manner must first search their own hearts, and ask God's forgiveness for the sin that has separated them from God's presence. There are no little sins for any sin causes separation and distance between God and His people. 

    Therefore when we come together and dine at the table which God has prepared for us, we know that we will be ready to dig into the meal that is set before us. More of Christ Jesus, for our hunger is never slaked, our thirst is unquenched. Oh How I Love Jesus! the songwriter says, "Because he first loved me." Did you know that? That Jesus loves you. With a neverending love. And in this love He calls our us by name to come into His presence and enter into His rest. In the presence of our enemies. 

    The people we interact with on a daily basis will know right away whether or not we are God's people. For we will talk different. Our words are words of encouragement, words of love, words of hope, words of faith, words that speak differently from the voices heard in the world. We behave differently. We live differently. And when we are reminded who we are supposed to be when it appears we are not who we say we are, The Spirit of conviction immediately grabs hold of our attention and we repent. 

    The Word of God, Jesus Christ is our Honey and our Honeycomb: every verse within the books of The Holy  Bible/Scriptures plus the whole book entirely is both sweet to the taste and begins to satisfy the hungry. Jesus Christ is The Living Water we get to drink when we believe on His Name and declare He is Lord of our lives. While the thief on the cross didn't have the opportunity to turn his life around, he did have enough faith to believe that the Man hanging next to him was indeed LORD for that is how he addressed Him, when he said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." (Luke 23:42). 

    There is a table spread by God for those who believe and receive His Son Jesus Christ into their hearts and His Spirit into their lives. Do you believe? Come to Jesus. 

Psalm 23 - The Lord Is

 This week I am in Psalm 23 and Psalm 23 is in me. 

THE LORD IS SHEPHERD

The LORD is my Shepherd: 

I lack nothing.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures:

He leads me beside still waters. 

THE LORD IS RESTORER

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. 

 

THE LORD IS DEFENDER

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. 

THE LORD IS PROVIDER & PROVISION

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 

THE LORD IS EVER NEAR

Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

and I shall live in the house of The LORD forever.  

COME TO JESUS - Chris Rice 

Goodness & Mercy

 

PSALM 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of The Lord forever. 

    What is the goodness of God? His lovingkindness, HIs choice to bless His faithful people. The goodness of God is every blessing, every "good and perfect gift" which He provides for us when we seek Him out to spend time with Him. 

    What is the mercy of God? His unconditional pure love. This love sent Jesus to the cross to die for you and I. This love of God is for anyone who wants to be loved by God in God's Way. This mercy of God extends "to a thousand generations". It is sought after by they who are hungry for The Truth of God's Word. It is longed for by they who seek to be comforted by God's Word. 

    God's goodness and mercy follow me closely, like our shadow. Wherever the sun shines, we have a shadow, right? So wherever The Son-shine takes us, God's favor goes with us. And it will not leave us when we die: we will dwell -- live completely and wholly holy in Him -- in God's house forever, without end. 

    All of God's promises are Faithful and True. And I'm clinging to this one daily. 

SURELY GOODNESS & MERCY 

AS THE DEER - Forerunner (Instagram) 

1 Peter 2:9, 10

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own peculiar people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 

    What is in this house in which we will dwell forever? The holy presence of God. We don't need anything else but Him, God in all His glory and light. 

STORM ALL AROUND YOU - Forerunner (Jon Thurlow)

Psalm 23 As Read To Another

 

How I read Psalm 23 to my Mother as she lay dying of leukemia. Having chosen to fight it at the onset, there came a time when no fight was left in her. Though she was semi-conscious when we arrived, she still had some of her five senses left. She didn't like to be touched; I believe it caused her pain. But some touch was necessary as she needed to be moved around at times. 

She could taste and indicate thirst (by sticking her tongue out a little bit). Since taste and smell are linked physiologically I believe she also retained her sense of smell. And she could hear. So we could talk to her: tell her we loved her, read Scriptures to her, sing to her. My sisters were playing LPs and CDs when we arrived at my sister's house. Our Mom loved her gospel music, especially her favorite singers: Jack Greene, Barbara Mandrell, Jim Reeves. 

I read various Scriptures to her when it was my turn to sit by her bedside and visit with her. 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Psalm 27:1, 4

Revelation 22:1-5

Her very most favorite verse passage was Ephesians 2:8-10 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

She loved reading about the end times and what happens afterwards. She was both excited about the coming events and fearful for her family members who weren't saved yet. That's why she chose to fight the leukemia: so she could fight for her family's salvation by continuing to share the gospel which she loved so much. 

Matthew 24:27-36

And lastly, Psalm 23. 

1. The Lord Is your Shepherd (your Leader, your Guide, your Protector),

 You shall not want  (The Lord Is your Provider).

2. He makes you to lie down in green pastures; He leads you beside still waters. 

3. He restores your soul: He has led you in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

4. Yes, even though you have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, you feared no evil, for the Lord is with you: His rod (of protection) and His staff (of guidance) comfort you.

5. He prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies: He anoints your head with oil, your cup runs over.

6. Surely goodness and mercy have followed you all the days of your life: and now you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

You Are My Rest

 

As I was trying to fall asleep and get some actual rest, I failed. And the Lord said, "Why are you trying so hard on your own? Don't you know that I am your Rest?" The Word is my Rest. So first he led me to Matthew 11:28 - "Come to Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, And I will give you rest." Then He led me to 

Psalm 23
You, Lord, are my Shepherd;
I lack for nothing.

You make me to lie down in green pastures:

You lead me beside still waters.

You restore my soul: You lead me in the paths

of righteousness for Your name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil: for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

You feed me in the presence of my enemies:

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Most assuredly goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life:

and (in addition to all of this, I know that)

I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Then we strolled over to John 10 where Jesus informs us He is the Good Shepherd and that His sheep know His voice. So I listened to His voice.

Had I been asked I would have said this took only a few minutes of my time, but when I looked at the clock, one and a half hours had gone by. Because I didn't talk back. I rested.

Psalm 23 Revisited

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

A shepherd's job is to raise, guard, guide, protect, train to follow.  

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. 

The shepherd pushes gently on his sheep to get them to lie down and rest. He leads them beside still waters so that when the sheep walk into the water they don't drown or get bogged down in deep, strong waters. 

He restores my soul; He guides me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake.

A good shepherd will not lead his flock astray, but keep them on the path they should follow, even if the sheep aren't aware they are on the path, as long as they follow the Good Shepherd they've come to know and love, the sheep will do just fine.

Even tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

Now, instead of just extolling His Good Shepherd, David speaks to Him personally. 

See? I am not afraid in this valley, Lord, for You are with me. What or who is there to be afraid of when Jesus is walking with us and we are walking with Him?

His rod, the weapon the Good Shepherd uses to protect His sheep from wolves and bears, is in one hand. His staff, the tool the Good Shepherd uses to correct His sheep when they go astray, is in His other hand. When a sheep would stray too far and go over a the side of the mountain, the shepherd would use the crook of the staff to reach down and gently lift up the lost sheep with all his strength, cradle it in his arms and carry it back to the fold. And that's true comfort: knowing I am being carried in Christ's arms, close to His heart and added back to the flock.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.

The Good Shepherd feeds His flock well, though the enemies of the flock, the wolves in sheep's clothing, the bears who stalk, are outside the pasture's gates watching and waiting for their opportunity to strike. 

The good shepherd takes great care of and delights in blessing his sheep. Anointing the sheep's head with oil does 3 things:

1. Prevents infection when the sheep is injured. 

2. Keeps bugs away from the sheep's skin and eyes. 

3. Nurtures the sheep's skin to prevent dryness.

When Jesus anoints His sheep, He is blessing them with lovingkindness and grace. And after speaking of all the ways in which he is blessed, David says, "My cup runs over." I have received so many blessings from You, Lord, that I have more than enough. I am overwhelmed by Your love for me and humbled that You would bless me so. We should be saying the same thing 

when we talk with the Lord:

"Dear Lord God, I have received so many blessings from You, Lord, that I have more than enough. I am overwhelmed by Your love for me and humbled that You would bless me so. You are so good to me and I am thankful for each and every blessing You have shown unto me. Thank You for Your saving grace in my life. The riches You have bestowed upon me are evident throughout my day. To You be all glory, honor, and praise. Amen." 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Surely. Without a doubt, with faith, wholeheartedly and steadfastly. Goodness, the goodness of God and mercy, the mercy He chooses to extend to whomever pleases Him; shall follow me, like a shadow, all the days of my life, as long as I have breath.

And when I take that last breath I know that 

"I shall dwell/live/reside forever/eternally in the house/presence of God."