Salvation
July 17, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shepherd
As the Interim Pastor of Pugh Flat Baptist Church of Cadiz, KY my daily travels take me in many directions and I talk to a lot of people and I hear a lot of different ideas about salvation and how to obtain it. With all of the different denominations and beliefs there is it can be quite confusing. I have found it best to go to the Bible and find out about salvation and how to obtain it.
This is what Jesus spoke in John 14:6 in regards to salvation and “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” What does it mean to go to the Father through Jesus? Jesus also spoke that our faith in Him is the way to eternal life. [Read more]
Talking with God
July 15, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shepherd
Not to long ago I got a new cell phone which has a connecting ear piece and you can hear and talk with your hands free. These are great safety features but, as with all technology it has to be set up properly before it will work. I spent some time going over the instructions before I got the right connection and I am able to use it.
I was thinking about talking with God and how we have to have the right connection before that’s possible. I thought what connection do we need to be able to talk to God? The first one I came up with is: we have to believe in God. Secondly we can only go to God through Jesus Christ. He is our connection. [Read more]
Children of God
July 12, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shepherd
Have you ever thought of yourself as being a son or a daughter of God? Boy, that’s a startling thought! Me, a son of God! There’s an interesting scripture in Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Think about that. There seems to be a growing enthusiasm for people to search their ancestral roots lately. Now here’s something to really think about, when we’re born again we become the sons and daughters of God. That’s how God looks at you.
There’s another scripture that says we are co-heirs with Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:7). Are we living and acting like the sons and daughters of God? Why don’t we all try harder to be a good child of God!
This is Brother Shep asking you to think about this.
I saw Jesus
July 11, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shepherd
I saw Jesus last week. He was wearing blue jeans and an old shirt. He was up at the church building. He was alone and working hard. For just a minute he looked a little like one of our members. But it was Jesus, I could tell by his smile.
I saw Jesus last Sunday. He was teaching a Bible class. He didn’t talk real loud or use long words. But it was Jesus. I could tell by his loving voice.
I saw Jesus yesterday. He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick. They prayed together quietly. For just a minute he looked like Brother Jones. But it was Jesus. I could tell by the tears in his eyes.
I saw Jesus this morning. He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch. For just a minute he looked like my mom. But it was Jesus. I could feel the love from his heart. [Read more]
Born Again
July 10, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shepherd
The other morning while I was shaving, I was looking in the mirror and was grateful God saved a wretch like me. I thought of a scripture found in John 3:3 that says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is where Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again.
Nicodemus had asked Him a question, how could he have eternal life and Jesus said you must be born again. There are 3 important phrases in this statement. [Read more]
The Lord’s Supper
July 9, 2010
By Brother Shepherd
The Lord's Supper
Yesterday evening my Son Blake and I attended First Baptist Church Woodlawn, TN, and they were serving the Lords Supper. Pastor Jody Kilburn preached the seriousness of the partaking of the Lords Supper and how we should examine ourselves of unconfessed sin in our lives before we partake of it.
God gave me a picture in my mind of just me standing before Him. There was no one else in the world. It was just God on the Throne and He pronounced me guilty of my sins and there was a tear in His eye. Jesus already had the crown of thorns on His head and blood was running down over His face and He spoke to the Father and said, Father, he is guilty but I love him, and I want to die in his place.
That pierced my heart. Just to think that Jesus loved me enough to die for me and God loved me enough to let Him. He loves you this much.
Think about that please.
The Rock
July 1, 2010
The other day as I was looking through one of my concordances I came across the list of names of Jesus. Some of them were counselor, Rose of Sharon, Morning Star but one caught my attention particularly and that is He is called the Rock.
One day I was riding my four wheeler on the back side of my Sister and Brother-in-laws farm and there is a small creek there, and I like to go there and work on my sermon. On that particular day I was sitting in the middle of the creek on my four wheeler and I noticed a small school of fish. [Read more]
Dive in and submerge yourself
June 29, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shep
Today I’m thinking about swimming and how refreshing it is to jump in or dive into the deep water. You are submerged and you become lighter. A great book in the Bible about diving into Jesus, is the book of Colossians. In the 2nd chapter of Philippians verse 5 it says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ,” that is kind of like jumping in the deep end of the water.
Colossians tells us in the 2nd chapter verse 10, “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” We are submerged in Christ and we are complete in Christ. Colossians 3:1-3 is what I mean when I say that we ought to be submerged in Christ. [Read more]
Fruits of the Spirit
June 21, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shep
Today, I was wondering if people who don’t know me, when they see me can they tell that I’m a Christian? Paul wrote in Galatians 6:17, “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Paul had physical scars on his body because he had been beaten, thrown in jail, shipwrecked and all of these scars on his body were visible. You see the scars and they’re there because he served Jesus, here is proof of that.
I serve Him, but I wonder about me. I have not been beaten, thrown in jail, or shipwrecked. I have no physical scars to show because I’m a Christian. So what are the marks on us that people can see? I think we find the marks in Galatians 5:22 where it tells us what are the fruits of the spirit. In other words, what can people see us producing? There are 9 of them. After all there are only 9 of them. Remember that is what Pastor Jimmy Terry told us. They are love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and temperance. If someone looks at you today, can they see these qualities in you?
This is Brother Shep asking you to think about this.
The wilted tomato plant
June 18, 2010
A Devotional By Brother Shep
This spring Blanche and I brought a Topsy- Turvy tomato plant grower. It is working just find. The plants take a lot of water. This afternoon I noticed that the tomato plant was wilted real bad from lack of water.
The temperature is in the 90′s here today. I watered the plant and in about a half hour the plant was starting to stand up and look healthy again.
