“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

 

Psalm 5

There are a million reasons why I hate porn. The entire industry is wretched. While using helpless and deluded young women, often sex trafficked against their will, the proprietors of it all line their pockets with 1000 dollar bills, and, in the process, create sex addicts out of children who carelessly log in on a smartphone or computer. To say porn is the worst drug ever invented is a drastic understatement.

To proclaim that porn comes straight out of the nostrils of Satan is equally clear. Porn is instantly addictive. Porn creates pictures that never leave the mind of the user. Porn degrades women. Porn disenfranchises wedding vows. Porn leads to higher forms of degradation. Porn turns honeymoons into horror shows. Porn destroys marriages. Porn creates slavery. Only The Shepherd can set the captive free. Only The Shepherd can empower the sheep to walk in the pasture of purity and safety.

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“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

 

Psalm 4

 

One cold and rainy night, a dear friend found a two-or-three-day-old fawn lost, and probably dying, in a drainage ditch. My friend knew of my heart for wounded and orphaned animals and came to me with the wet, shivering, helpless spotted doe. I warmed a bottle of goat milk and tried to place it into the terrified baby deer’s mouth. The fawn let out a deafening cry of horror as, drop-by-drop, I forced the healing formula in her system.

Three days later, the little, spotted girl was following me like a puppy dog and downing bottles of life-giving milk like a hungry child. Four months later, I set her free to join the wild herd that lives in the woods near my house.

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“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

Psalm 3

The successful football coach knows that the best offense is a good defense. The mission of the defense is to protect your goal line from your opponent’s aggression. The best way to prepare for a football game is to study the tactics of your opponent by watching film from his previous performances.

As it is in football, so it is in life. The adversary of our soul is in relentless pursuit of our demise in life and eternity. His attacks are repeated endlessly through the lust of our eyes and the bitterness, fear and anxiety of our heart. Our only sure defense is The Great Defender Of Our Soul – Jesus, our Shepherd and Warrior for our eternal salvation.

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“Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).

Psalm 2

Charles Wesley took this exhortation seriously. Indeed, he worshipped The Shepherd with almost every breath that entered his lungs. Wesley wrote 8,989 hymns by writing an average of 10 lines of verse every day for 50 years. His songs of praise included such favorites as “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”, “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”, and “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”. Adoration, admiration and appreciation are the bedrocks upon which worship stands. Praise, thanksgiving and biblically-focused singing are the pillars of worshipful expression.

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“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

Psalm 1

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.”

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Folks, it’s Christmastime again! Christmas means celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s also a time of renewed hope for a spiritual rebirth for those we love who do not yet know Him as their personal Savior. It’s a time when even the secular media are full of songs like “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” It’s, likewise, a time when even folks who rarely darken the door of a church are more willing to attend.

Maybe you have loved ones you’ve been praying for and have been trying to show the love of Christ for years. And maybe their continual rejection of Him has you discouraged and wondering if you should even try to interest them in the gospel story again this year.

If that’s your situation—and I believe it is for many of you reading this—I have a two-word message for you: Perseverance pays.

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For the Kanakuk Christmas Party last week, I wrote a “last minute” poem that I think will perhaps make you chuckle a bit and maybe even shed a tear. Feel free to watch the video below and read it with your family. I think the family discussion could bring some focus back to the CHRIST of Christmas.

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