“​Unless The Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it​”​ Psalm 127:1

Psalm 127

Forty-six wonderful, crazy, wild, rambunctious years ago I placed a wedding band on the left hand of the one Debbie-Jo Downs of Scottsdale, Arizona. We were as naïve as it gets about what it takes to build a family. All I knew was that I was madly in love with her and wanted to spend every second of every day the rest of my life with her. (Crazy thing is, after almost half a century together I still feel the same way about that girl of mine!)

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“Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth” (Psalm 80:1).

 

Psalm 8

 

Through the reverence of your imagination, hit the pause button of your mind and go on a journey with me. Travel to the ancient holy land and ascend to the side of a rugged mountain, halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho in the desolate, arid wilderness of southern Israel. Then, on one of the hillsides, you will notice a small herd of sheep and a faithful shepherd keeping watch over the flock in the late hour of the quite and peaceful night. As the lambs rest faithfully in one of the rare grassy patches of nutrition and comfort, the shepherd looks up into the autumn sky and beholds the magnitude and majesty of the billboard above him.

In the vast expanse of stars, planets and darkness, the shepherd sees the signature of God as the Creator displays His wonder in the giant billboard in the sky.

The shepherd begins to sing in amazement, “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth Who have displayed your splendor above the heavens! God of wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy, holy. The universe displays Your majesty, You are holy, holy.”

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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 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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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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