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THE GOOD SHEPHERD MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES

In Ezekiel 34:13-15 'I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. This predicted the return of the nation of Israel to their long-promised home. 'I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold, and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. Only the eternal One could forecast so accurately. Ezekiel continued, 'I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God.'

Our Lord Jesus graciously invited us to 'Come unto Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' (Matthew 1`1:28) What a gracious call to lie down in green pastures. Have you responded to HIS welcome call?
The pasture is the sensational creation of our Lord. 'Then GOD said, 'Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is I itself.' (Genesis 1:11) Each blade of grass and every fruit cell has its unique DNA and RNA. Hence pasture commends the creation miracle of our Lord, a comforting thought for those reclining in that grazing land.

Isaiah's revival expectation is expressed in, 'The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. 'It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given it, the excellence of Carmen and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God.' (35; 1, 2) Joy came from restored land, and a blossoming desert provided music with singing: while fragrance from the Rose of Sharon added to the scene. Green pastures are a delightful resting place.

Our Lord's promise on the great day of the feast was, 'Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water. He spoke this concerning the SPIRIT. Whom they believing in HIM would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. '(John 7:37-39) Resting in the Lord will produce vital streams: such as we have observed in godly men and women walking in His Presence.

John greatly comforted in the Revelation, 'He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger any more: the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat. For the LAMB who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters.' (7:17) 'God shall wipe away all tears. 'God promised no more hunger or pangs, nor sun strike: only shepherding and discovery of life-giving fountains: and consolation for the broken-hearted.

HE LEADS ME. He leads me through life until the last breath., as David affirmed, 'This is God, our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide, even to death.' (Psalm 48:14) God constantly directs our path, securely piloting us through the rugged waters of family business, church and community experience. My previous experience of banking as a youth; hospital life during WW11, studying medicine with planting a home church, God miraculously leading our six children, and now grandchildren. Observing our web site develop. Only the living God could guide so perfectly in a myriad of details. I praise HIM for keeping HIS word.

God thought of the spiritually blind, 'I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. 'He will change everything,' I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight.' (Isaiah 42:16)
God is our pathfinder, confidently directing us through many impenetrable jungles.

Leading and redemption are linked in (Isaiah 48:17), 'Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I AM the Lord your God who teaches you to profit. 'Redemption demands sacrifice (and that demanded Christ's dying on the savage cross); and leads to blessing. How long since you assessed a constructive spiritual balance, which delights Christ, your Managing Director?

Neither malnutrition, heat stroke, nor dehydration limits the child of God, for He promised, 'They shall neither hunger nor thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them, for He who has mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them' (Isaiah 49:10) Only a merciful God will direct them and seclude them by a fountain of living water.

HE WILL LEAD BY STILL WATERS. As a shepherd, David knew the serenity of quiet streams, 'There is a river, whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. The currents of God's river bring healing and nourishment to God's eternal city. Our loving Lord generously provided for our present situation and our eternal one. (psalm 46:4)

In that revival chapter of Isaiah, (35) 'the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.' Our photographic children told how the flooded streams create Lake Eyre in central Australian desert, revolutionising the Lake, with its migrating bird life, awakened fish life and sprouting, native shrubs: delightful illustration of the Lord's regenerating power in creating the luscious grass. Bill, a converted communist, whose burnt-out, barren life the incoming Savior changed, led many to green pastures in Christ Jesus.

Rev 21: 6 'It is done! I AM the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of life freely to him who thirsts/' Rev 22:1 'He showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.' God's climax. David Livingstone discovered the Victoria Falls, majestic, thundering waterfalls cascading breath-taking. Heavenly beauty.
His spirit is reinforced, secure in the Lord's presence; assured of the Holy Spirit; and salvation's delight established. The miracle has been multiplied in the Lord's hands. We should thank HIM for this.

We have the able Advocate in our risen Lord. John wrote in his letter (1 John 2:1) 'If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous.' He restores our oneness with the Father - and he heals.

Our Lord restored Simon when He said, 'Simon! Simon! Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail, and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren.' (Luke 22:31, 32)
Has the enemy sifted you as wheat, discarding the chaff? The Lord converts you.

Jeremiah wrote on this theme, 'They shall be My people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that the may fear Me for ever. His restitution is spiritual, inward, deeply personal: so great is His love for us. I will put My fear in their hearts so that they shall not depart from Me.'

Hosea wrote, 'I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger s turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel, bathing every creation with heaven-sent enduement. The prophecy continued, 'Those who dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall be revived like grain, and grow like the vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Many of the Lord's people must repent of their backsliding; and be restored to their God.

The risen Christ said in Revelation 3:`9,'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.'
In the heavenly restoration, our Lord censures and purifies us a Father with a child. Submit to His chastisement, knowing how deeply He loves you.

Micah explains the extraordinary healing process, 'Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity, and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He does not retain His anger for ever, because he delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities.' and the awe-inspiring depth of forgiveness, 'You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. '
(7:18, 19) Truly HE restores my soul, in burying the guilt and shame in the darkened ocean depth. Are you secure in Him?

David wrote in Psalm 116:4-8,' O Lord, I implore you. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple, I was brought low and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with me. You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling. He tells how the Lord safeguarded him, showed open-hearted generosity, preserved David's soul and guarded the walk of His servant.

Today is VP day in Australia, the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Pacific in WW11. I was repatriated by hospital ship from Papua New Guinea and convalesced for months at home in Australia. Truly, the Lord was gracious, restoring health, uniting me with my beloved wife and infant daughter, and opening the door to study medicine: and teach the word of God. Mercifully HE gave us two sons (Philip is in the glory land) and five charming daughters, who are devoted to our Lord Jesus: and now we preside over 4 generations. Providentially, HE restores my soul.

Ruth is a treasured character in the Old Testament, where 'The women said to Naomi,' blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a near kinsman
(precious thought of Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer); and may his name be famous in Israel. And may he be to you a restorer of life, and a nourisher of your old age: for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.' (Ruth 4:14, 15) Watch a grandmother, like Ruth, nurse and cuddle her grandchild, seeing potential and richness in the cherished babe. Hope is restored, and old age is enriched. What potential for this babe is the great grandfather of the mighty David, of the line of our Lord's ancestry?

The risen Lord's gentle, yet searching interview with the guilty Peter shows His restoring power. Three times our Lord asked, 'Do you love Me (using agapeo twice, speaking of a heavenly, inexhaustible, sacrificial love, of God's nature; to which the penitent Peter could only respond, with 'phileo', I'm fond of, I care for you, with a filial devotion. Christ responded, commanding Peter to 'feed My lambs, and 'feed My sheep' From Pentecost till His martyrdom, Peter showed his devotion.

HE LEADS ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

.The Lord leads selectively. Isaiah (58;10) stipulated :That if you extend your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall rise in obscurity ( or dawn in the darkness ) ; and your darkness shall be as the noonday': then flows this righteous assurance, the Lord shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of waters that do not fail.' In a righteous walk, the believer provides spiritual and physical food for the starving, and satisfies those distressed.

God has promised revival to those who follow His holy pattern. ' Jeremiah expressed this,'Thus says the Lord, 'Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good ways, and walk in it. Then the glorious promise,' You will find rest for your souls' ( 6:16) Many in the western Christian church have forfeited revival, in refusing to stand in the ways of our godly fathers; and not preserving the holy and righteous paths. In contrast our Asian, Latin American and African communities have stood courageously, often tortured unspeakably, refusing to budge from the uncompromising truths of the eternal God. God revived the latter, while He has withdrawn favour from the former, privileged ones.

Dan Wooding wrote of the underground Chinese churches pleading that United States brethren cease praying for an end to persecution, for the Holy Spirit has allowed the ill-treated church to flourish and faith deepen. Contrarily, the Chinese pray that the American believers will endure deprivation and persecution to expand their love for Christ, and that they will vigorously evangelise their great nation.

John the Baptist knew this as Zechariah, his father, prophesied, 'Through the tender mercy of our God, by which the dayspring from on high has visited us, 'For the lofty purpose, 'to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet in the way of peace.' (Luke 1:79) Our Lord is the dawn or dayspring from heaven while HE came to shatter satan, and scatter darkness, and to direct our paths into peaceful realms. Our Lord lifts us individually, he enriches our family life; and He preserves our society from the ruthless destroyer. John the Baptist was martyred for his faith. We must adore His holy Name.

Indeed the Holy Spirit inspires uprightness in us: 'When the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears (from the Father), He will speak, and he will tell you things to come.'(John 16:23) How amazing for the third Person of the Trinity to shepherd His children, 'He will direct you into all holy truth. Some godly men and women have been barely literate, yet deeply schooled in the things of the Lord, because the indwelling Spirit (the Paraklete) taught and skilled them in holiness. My black-smith grandfather and saintly grandmother's holy lives rubbed off on mine. Bless the Lord; I shall see them in glory around the throne.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jeremiah wrote in 23:6, 'Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSENSS.' In the Hebrew it is Jehovah Tsidkenu.
This compound name of Jehovah reveals the nature of the righteous God, whose name reflects this. Preceding this, Jeremiah wrote, 'I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, says the Lord.' (v5) 'Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David, a branch of righteousness. A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.' Understandably, His Name shows His perfect character. Hence He leads in paths of righteousness

Jeremiah repeated this exciting truth in 33:16, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, in the chapter with that promise, 'Call to me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.'

The 143 rd psalm verse 10 reads, 'Your Spirit is good; lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O Lord for your Name's sake, for your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.' Great truths are linked: the Holy Spirit leads to a life of worthiness: revival for the sake of the Lord, Himself: and rescuing the soul from distress for the sake of His virtue. Our good Shepherd discretely chooses appropriate paths of integrity. In our nation, leaders are brought to justice for deceit, insider-trading in stock exchange secrets, or flagrant mismanagement, for which many suffer. We urgently require the Good Shepherd to lead our national economic advisers into paths of righteousness: and this worthiness in our daily transactions. .

Ezekiel captured the theme of the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake,
'I acted for My Name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. So I lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands. '(20:14, 15) God preserved His untainted Name before the heathen, where he had been defamed. He rightly cherishes His Name: and jealously protects it.
'Lying down in green pastures' pictures a land flowing with milk and honey, where the soil produces rich pasture, the plants blossom , the bees gather their life-giving honey, the sheep produce their wool and lambs, while the cattle their milk and meat.
Prophetically, Israel is the glory of all nations, as the Lord decreed.

HE RESTORES MY SOUL JEHOVAH RAPHA

David prayed after Nathan had confronted him on his gross sexual failure.
Psalm 51:10-12 reads, 'Create (bara = out of nothing) in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast away me from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.' Then the healing word, 'Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your generous spirit.' After the miraculous heart exchange, his spirit is reinforced, secure in the Lord's presence; assured of the Holy Spirit; and salvation's delight established. The miracle has been multiplied in the Lord's hands. We should thank HIM for this.

We have the able Advocate in our risen Lord. John wrote in his letter (1 John: 2:1) 'If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous.' He restores our oneness with the Father - and he heals.

The risen Christ said in Revelation 3:`9,' as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.'
In the heavenly restoration, our Lord censures and purifies us a Father with a child. Submit to His chastisement, knowing how deeply He loves you.

HE LEADS ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Dan Wooding wrote of the underground Chinese churches pleading that United States brethren cease praying for an end to persecution, for the Holy Spirit has allowed the ill-treated church to flourish and faith deepen. Contrarily, the Chinese pray that the American believers will endure deprivation and persecution to expand their love for Christ and that they will vigorously evangelise their great nation.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD AND PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Ezekiel captured the theme of the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake,
'I acted for My Name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. So I lifted My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands. '(20:14, 15) God preserved His untainted Name before the heathen, where he had been defamed. He rightly cherishes His Name and jealously protects it.
'Lying down in green pastures' pictures a land flowing with milk and honey, where the soil produces rich pasture, the plants blossom , the bees gather their life-giving honey, the sheep produce their wool and lambs, while the cattle their milk and meat.
Prophetically, Israel is the glory of all nations, as the Lord decreed.