The title of this post is for all of you Neil Diamond fans out there… Greetings from the UK! We’re beginning the journey back to the US later this evening. We’ll be leaving North Devon around midnight tonight, to drive close to four hours to London. From there we will be catching a flight around 6:50 am, local time, up to Scotland. And then from Scotland we’ll be flying back to the East Coast of the USA.

If you’re reading this and it’s before August 6th, please be praying that our journey home is a safe one. Thank you so much for those of you who have been supporting us by praying for us while on this trip. We’ve been able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all ages; through music, by speaking in schools, and working along side the Church here in the UK.

While in the UK (this will be a quick recap), we were able to attend our friend Paul’s funeral (back in 2005, our first tour in the UK, his band opened up for us at our first show here, he became a friend we kept in contact with him since), which was more of a praise service, because we’ll be seeing him again in Heaven! The day after that, we were able to share in another friends wedding! We then had the privilege to help do some renovation work on two of our family members houses. Just this past week we had the opportunity to visit with some “elderly” saints, who have become mainstays in our trips here to England. “Reg”, who is one of those saints, isn’t expected to live much longer due to his cancer; and to the fact that he is quite “mature” in years. But it was great to spend time with him and sing some Hymns. It was also a blessing for the family and I to see the peace he had as he gets closer to dying and going to be with God; He said his “prayer is still that the lost would be found, that they might know of Jesus love for them.” Our other friend Edna is actually going to be 98 later this month! It’s Pretty exciting that she’s still living and loving the Lord.

Besides all of this, we continued to play shows, and I was actually asked to lead a Bible study on two occasions while we were here. It has been quite a full trip, and there were many more things I could write about, but I’ll leave it at those few events that stand out in my mind. Ok, God bless you, have a blessed day (or night, if you’re in a different time zone). Thanks again for your prayers! God bless YOU!

P.S.-Check out this bit of scripture, Numbers 6:24-26 Gotta love it!

Psalm 23:2

While in England I was helping a friend renovate his kitchen, as I looked up from my work I noticed through the front window that just across the street from his house was a field of sheep hanging out. As it started to rain I watched as the sheep gathered and knelt in their little groups; in the midst of what I would call, “inconvenient weather” the sheep rested peacefully.

As we continue to track with David we watch as he speaks of lying in the green pastures of life. This is the entrance to the field of his circumstances, the fellowship of his flock, and the compelling sensations of rest that are found in the inconvenient moments.

What inconvenient moments? You might wonder.

Isn’t Psalm 23 the great psalm of serenity, isn’t it the “go to guy” for relaxation and peace?

What’s this “inconvenient moments” business you speak of, Dan?

The verb “to lie” in the Hebrew is literally translated “to be stretched out”. So too, when the atmosphere of our situation begins to be a bit overcast, and the rain begins to come down it’s natural as sheep to lie down, and be stretched out a bit. That’s exactly what trials do to us, they stretch us out. However, as our faith is stretched and we are brought to our knees the pasture looks a little greener, and our weary bones find a bit of rest. You see we can look at the present condition of our pasture as a burden or we can see it as a blessing. The Good Shepherd brings us to the green pasture and we can choose to focus on the bitter root or we can chew on the greener grass.

When the climate takes a turn for the worse we are being molded into the best of God’s image. We can rest or we can be restless, it’s up to us, either way the storm will eventually pass, and when we rise we will have had the opportunity to be fully rested, renewed in our faith, and reminded that “He makes us to lie down”

So enjoy it and be blessed.

]]> http://www.universal-royalty.com/2008/08/22/he-makes-me-lie-down-psalm-232/feed/ 1 http://www.universal-royalty.com/2008/08/08/resting-in-psalm-23/ http://www.universal-royalty.com/2008/08/08/resting-in-psalm-23/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:00:38 +0000 Daniel Toro http://www.universal-royalty.com/?p=224 As I have been in England these last couple months I’ve found my time with the Lord richly blessed.  At times the circumstances I was in weren’t super great, in fact they have been pretty challenging and I’ve found myself often wiped, worked, and wondering when I might have a chance to recover.  In the midst of all the challenges, decisions, and demands of day to day life I found myself back with an old friend…Psalm 23.  This powerful 6 verse punch of a psalm has been my refreshment, restoration, and reminder as I have been sifting through the things that life has been throwing at me.  My prayer is that as we study through Psalm 23 the next two weeks that you too will be refreshed, restored, and reminded of God as our King, Shepherd, and Caregiver. 

God bless you

-Dan

“The Lord is my shepherd…”

Psalm 23:1

Just above the first words of this psalm is the introduction, “A Psalm of David”.  As I was soaking up this psalm I found that I never really gave a whole lot of thought to the fact that I’m reading the passion and ponderings of a shepherd.  When considering all the great biblical characters most of us have a picture painted in our minds of what that character looked like.  John the Baptist is often sporting some type of gnarly animal fur and throwing back some type of bug as a snack, Jesus has these wonderful blue eyes, lush long hair, and a nicely trimmed beard, David is often wearing a crown on his head remembered as King or a sling in his hand remembered as a giant slayer, but more often than not people don’t think of him as the shepherd.  That’s because being a shepherd has never really been a job of glory and fame but a job of grace and shame.

A Shepherd in ancient times wasn’t the most socially acceptable position.  Most of them were considered the low lives of society due to their image.  As a shepherd, stepping in pasture patties wasn’t something uncommon, having some poop stains on your robe was normal, and smelling like sheep was just another thing that came with the job.  They tend animals that don’t have the sense to tend themselves.  Often lost, hurt, or hunted, sheep had need of a capable, gracious, and faithful caretaker, and the same goes for you and me. 

In the Bible God is often referred to as The Shepherd, and we are the sheep.  He is the leader and the caretaker and we are those that need leading and taking care of. 

Why?

Because we too get lost in sin, get hurt by this world, and are hunted by the enemy.  So the Lord, our Shepherd, came to be with, provide for, and take care over us, His sheep.

Why would one be a shepherd though? 

Why take a job that stinks and is looked down on by others?

The answer is not “Someone’s got to do it” but “Someone gets to do it”

You see a shepherd doesn’t sign up for the status boost or the working conditions, He signs up because he has a relationship to the sheep, he loves them and wants see them live abundantly well.  His reward is them, in their life, their growth, their abiding.  Just as a Shepherd’s joy is in his sheep, so too the Lord’s joy and reward is in us.  God cares for you and me, He desires to see us not only live life but to live it abundantly well, without being stolen from, without being beat up, without being annihilated. 

“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.  He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”

Isaiah 40:10-11

So how do we get to that place with the Shepherd? 

How do we receive abundant life? 

We abide with the Shepherd, we draw near and intimately remain with the Lord…we stay in the pasture of His will, we drink from the water of His word, we eat up the feast of HIs blessings, and we receive the outpouring of the oil of His Spirit. 

As we continue to look deeper into Psalm 23 may we continue to draw nearer to the Lord and enjoy as he draws nearer to us (James 4:8).

Genesis 23:10-13

The exchange here between Ephron and Abraham is a perfect example of what the bargaining process was back in the ancient Middle East.  Upon further study one can begin to see quite a few similarities between what was and what the bargaining process is today.  Being that Abraham valued Sarah so highly he wasn’t about to bury her in a tomb that cost him nothing.  In the same way we as believers must not settle into compromise while conducting ourselves in this world.  While others who don’t necessarily agree with Christian beliefs or understand the biblical convictions of those who follow Christ, we as believers must seek to live in such a way that shows just how wonderful the ways of the Lord are.  As this world tries to have us bury our standards and principles in a way that would dishonor the value of Jesus’ life present in us, we must tenaciously hold to our standards so that we might honor properly that which God has given us.

To settle the exchange Abraham humbled himself by bowing, as he did the proper purchase of the tomb was possible and the relationship with the sons of Heth was strengthened.  So too, if we expect to effectively carry out business and strengthen the relationships we have in this world without compromising our standards and faith, we must conduct ourselves as Christ.   

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Philippians 2:3-8

You see, Jesus too humbled Himself without compromising His Holy standard.  In doing so He won the entire human race something of the greatest benefit…salvation.  Through lovingly exhibiting the character of Jesus Christ to those around us we too will not only be blessed in our lives for the glory of God but we’ll also win those around us unto a far greater purpose…an intimate personal relationship with God. 

Genesis 23:5-6

It’s amazing to see the favor that Abraham holds with the locals being that he is a “foreigner and a visitor in the land”.  It’s a stark contrast to Lot who also being a stranger and visitor in his land actually held a high political office and prospered in his local region, however, when communicating with the locals they stated, “Who are you to us?”  It’s interesting to me that Lot chose the greener grass, the nicer deal, and his selfish ambition drove him to compromise, and his example and witness was exactly that…compromised; his decision to honor himself while also trying to honor God hurt his ability to reach those around him and exemplify Holiness to those around him.  Abraham on the other hand chose to honor God, yup…he made mistakes, but all in all his passion was to honor God first and exclusively, in doing so he was blessed and we see here that those around him noticed the blessings as well as his relationship with God, Abraham’s ability to minister to them and testify to his neighbors was so evident.

More recently I was teaching a general overview of Christianity in a college located in the southwest of England.  After the session was done a student raised his hand and asked the question, “Do you often get insulted for being a Christian?”  I responded to his question by sharing how when I was younger I often was timid and quiet about my faith because I was often afraid of what others might say or do to me if they knew of my faith in Jesus Christ.  As I’ve matured in age and faith I’ve found that just the opposite is true.  Like Abraham, the more open and honest I am about my faith, the more people notice.  How they respond is out of my control, one thing is certain however, they will see me for who I am, and who I am will essentially lead them to the majesty of Jesus Christ or lead them away from the glory of God.  Sure, I get a few people that insult me, but more importantly I get people that see firsthand the Lord’s presence in my life, and they recognize my standing among them, I am a “Son of the King”  a “mighty prince” and the favor followed is the blessing imparted by our identity as such. 

Genesis 23:4

Being that Abraham already had a firm understanding of eternity, death, and the grave with his previous faith experience with Isaac, he was now able to properly practice grieving and by faith leaving Sarah’s memory into the hands of the Lord.  By faith he was seeking to move on, fully honoring the Lord as well as honoring Sarah properly, you see, a lot of what Abraham had become as a man was partly due to who his wife was as a woman.  To celebrate and commemorate Sarah Abraham didn’t lie down, give up, or get bitter…instead he chose to press on, move forward, and finish what he and his wonderful wife had begun together.  Abraham wanted to move forward towards heaven by continuing that which he was called to do here on earth.

Sure he was grieving his loss!

 No, he wouldn’t forget about Sarah!

He was doing what was best because Sarah had now moved onto what was best, the company of the Father…God.  We make a huge mistake when in grieving loss we choose to close up shop, to let go of vision and calling, and simply trade in our blessings for bitterness.  We, like Abraham, should seek a place to grieve and then leave, letting go of the loss and heading on towards the blessing and gain that God has in mind for us, not only here on earth being that we are still living, but also in the next life where we see the rewards for how we lived.

Genesis 20:7

Again we see the introduction of a word to the Bible, here is the first time the word “prophet” is used in the Bible.  Although normally this word implies the ability of speaking for God, the word here also implies more the holding of a relationship with God.  Abraham would later be the only one to hold the official title “friend of God”.  It’s pretty amazing if you think about it.  Who would blame God for making a little space between Himself and Abe.  After all, it might put some spots on the ol’ reputation if God was caught hanging with “sinners” right?  The truth is that’s the way we look at each other most of the time, but that isn’t the way the Lord see’s us.  That’s the radical God we serve. 

You better believe He doesn’t turn a blind eye to sin, that’s why Jesus paid such a massive penalty on the cross.  No, God didn’t dismiss our sin; He disarmed its ability to kill us.  Through faith in Jesus Christ we can be justified of our sin.  What does Justified mean?  Just-as-if sin didn’t happen.  That is the Great God we serve!  He graciously looks past our foolishness and sees us through the blood of Christ, calling us friend. 

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-19

So the next time you’re in Abimelech’s position and you’ve been wronged by someone who has a relationship with God, remember God has forgiven that person…and so should you. 

Why?

Because you have been graciously forgiven just like them. 

Just like Abimilech, we too are in danger of death.  You see, if Abimilech held onto his rights and said, “I didn’t do anything wrong!”,  “Why should I be the one to make things right?” then he surely would have died.  And when we don’t restore forgiveness to others when they’ve wronged us then we hold their love captive.  When love is held captive it dies and so will you and your realtionships.  Death will claim your relationship with others, your relationship with God, and your relationship with yourself.  When wronged it’s always best to be the one to initiate restoration.

Jon Courson gives an awesome insight into those of us who have blown it like Abraham.  He says:

“Romans 11:29 tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  This means when God gives a spiritual gift, a calling, a ministry to a man, woman, or church, He doesn’t change His mind.  He doesn’t take it back.  If God has given you a gift, be it ministry, music, prophecy, teaching, or evangelism-if He’s given you a skill, be it carpentry, mechanic ability, athletic ability, it’s yours to keep.

Perhaps you’ve seen people stumble, fall, drop the ball, and you wonder how God could still use him, her, or them.  The answer is that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  Sin will always bring about its own sadness, depression, defeat, and despair, for the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15).  The fact remains, however, that because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, God will still use sinners.

I say this because I have found that the thing which hobbles so many people in their service for the Lord is thinking, “God can’t use me.  God wouldn’t use me.  God won’t use me because I’ve failed so miserably; I’ve botched it so badly.”  That’s the voice of the enemy, for the voice of the Lord says, “Because you didn’t earn the gifts I gave you or the calling I sovereignly placed upon you, there’s no way you can lose them either.”  If you’ve been on the sidelines because you think you’ve messed up once too often, remember this story and the mercy of our Master, the grace of our God, the kindness of our King.  Truly, there’s no one like Him.”

Jon Courson {pg.84 Commentary on Genesis 20:7(a)}

Like Jon said, God never takes back the gifts and callings on our lives; however, Jon also mentioned the effects of sin in our lives.  Make no mistake sin does have consequences.  Notice God told Abimelech that Abraham would “pray” for him.  God didn’t say Abraham would “point some stuff out to him” or “preach to him”, or even “partake with him”.  Why?  Because sin affects our hearts, minds, and lives in such a way that after we’ve sinned and hurt people the opportunities to minister in those relationships are never the same.  The damage was done between Abraham and Abimelech, the trust was lost, and rarely in such situations is a relationship fully restored to what it could have been.  God in His wonderful grace and love knows the way we tick, and blesses us with a chance to take part in ministering to those that we’ve perhaps blown our witness to. 

We might not be able to preach to them, or partake with them, but we can pray for them.  God still blesses us with the most powerful of all connections in any relationship, even with those relationships that seem hopelessly lost. 

Genesis 19:17-22

As I consider this passage I’m convicted and driven to praise the Lord at the same time.  There has been so many times in my personal life that I, like Lot, have tried to negotiate the way my life should go with the Lord.  God sends a team of angels to get Lot out of the mess he’s in, and what does Lot do? He does things his own way yet again, instead of cooperating with the rescue he starts dictating his destination, his questions and hesitancy end up limiting what God was seeking to do in his life. 

God said, “Go to the mountains.”

In the bible the mountains represent consistency, solidity, security, and power.  When meeting with God to find their power, security, and solidity of faith men like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, and later Jesus would go up to the mountains to meet with the Father.  Here we see God telling Lot, “I know your needs, and because I love you and I want to supply your needs, I’m telling you where to go.”

Lot said, “I cannot go there lest some evil overtake me and I die, let me go to Zoar.”

Zoar literally means “Insignificant in Size”; ironically we see that Lot’s desired destination held the same proportion as his faith. 

So many times in scripture we see that in proportion to one’s faith was the miracle carried out.  The blind man, the leper, the woman who touched the hem of the garment, in proportion to their faith they received vision, the ability to walk, and a healthy life.  In the same way when we by faith go to Jesus and trust him in our ailing state we will receive fresh sight for our situations, we’ll be able to walk through life like never before, and we’ll have a healthy balance in our lives.  I’ve also found that when I ask for the easy way out, the road with fewer obstacles, my faith shrinks to be tiny like Zoar.

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Luke 11:10-13

The truth is if I’m asking for small blessings, and I want to settle for small faith, God will give it.  However our small portion isn’t reflecting God’s heart, No, on the contrary God desires to lavish abundance on our souls.  The angels didn’t argue with Lot, and they won’t argue with you.  Lot was allowed to go to Zoar as he wished.  Why?  John 14 tells us that Obedience is an act of love, not of obligation.  To truly love the Lord we must be willing to commit ourselves to obedience and submit ourselves to His goodness.  Lot chose to do neither and found insignificance in Zoar, and when we choose to do the same we will miss out on the massive wonders that God desires to put in our lives.

Genesis 18:13-15

This passage really blesses me. Notice that God didn’t come down on Sarah for laughing and doubting, just as He didn’t “bring the pain” when Abraham had laughed (Genesis 17:17). Instead of punishment for doubt and incredulous behavior God actually restates His desired blessings for the two; however, God didn’t let Sarah get away with her denial. I believe this minor ending to this part of the story holds so much truth about the heart of God for us.

So many people have this misconception that God is this grumpy guy who holds a big old stick, and if anyone messes up or drops the ball God will come down on them and a world of punishment is in store. But just the opposite is true, here in this passage we get the inside look at God’s character of mercy and grace. I once heard someone describe mercy and grace as two sides of the same coin. On one side is grace (when God gives you something that you don’t deserve), and on the flip side is mercy (when God doesn’t give you what you do deserve). This coin not only makes cents and adds value to our lives, but it makes sense and adds purpose to our lives as well. God didn’t give up on Abraham and Sarah when they laughed, He simply showed them that He knows exactly what’s going on in their hearts (whether they fess up to it or not!) and the same is true for you and I.

God hasn’t given up on you, whether we doubted His faithfulness when that bill came in the mail, perhaps you too have waited long and given up hope that you’ll see the pleasure of God’s promises come true for you. God sees what’s going on in the tents that we hide in and the feelings we’ve hidden in our hearts. Amazingly His heart doesn’t change. The word says, “He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever” and “Nothing can separate us from His love”.

Deny it all you want, the truth is that God is good and He wants to lavish His good love in your life!

Genesis 17:7-8

According to this passage we are joint recipients of the Abrahamic Covenant. All the blessings and commands that given to Abraham and his seed not only would be for the Hebrew race later to be called Israel, but also included those who would be later adopted into the line of Abraham. Paul would describe it as being grafted into Abraham’s family tree. In the same way Abram and his descendants would receive the promise based upon their believing and obediently abiding close to the Lord, we too would receive this “everlasting covenant” of God’s favor through Jesus Christ who would come as a stranger in this land, and bring us God’s promise of eternal salvation and an everlasting possession in Heaven.

Where “He will be our God”.