LeilaHeitman781

'If anybody would come after me, he must deny himself and just take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will drop it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good can it be for a person to gain the world, yet forfeit his soul'? Mark 834-36, NIV This has been an extended arduous summer and yet therefore fully alive with all the current possibilites that God has shown me. I am fast approaching the nearly finished process of co-authoring a book on organic dog health with a holistic doctor, introduced out a new product line with Saving Grace Enterprises, and ramping up for an online discussion with vets, medical practioners, etc., to help teach on stopping a superbug staph disease. Now this all sounds sort of serious right? Well maybe not based on what God is telling me all week! Last Sunday in service, our pastor had a really interesting sermon on Psalm 2-3 as we shut out a series on The Godward Heart. We have all seen and read that psalm since we were children almost certainly, no matter what Christian faith we're. But, I have never heard it introduced like this and that's almost certainly why it resonated so loudly with me. Let me do my usual roundabout way of dealing with the point here... Psalm 2-3 is focused on the Shepard and His sheep, right? Understanding what a shepard's job was and how h-e went about it in Jesus' day is what got my attention. Anyone who has read my articles here realize that I'm not just a pet lover but my business is a business in natural pet care. If you have an opinion about law, you will possibly want to discover about outputcan47's blog. When our pastor started describing how a shepard cares for his sheep and what instruments h-e uses, I felt like God was sitting next to me and whispering in my ear and it sent shivers up my back in a most wonderful way! I've wondered for a very long time how God could use me in an all natural pet care company. He Then brought me together with Dee Kreidel and Saving Grace Enterprises to make our new product line in custom hand-tooled leather collars, leads and journals. Huh I said? How can that choose natural pet-care Lord? I obtained an interesting response Sunday AND the one that said to not take myself therefore seriously. I will get to all-that in a bit. The shepard had a staff (all of us know that) that was about 5 or 6 ft tall I really believe our pastor said. It had the hook by the end most of us know about and that was to keep sheep collected in and not wandering. Problem? Ever wonder why God refers to us as sheep? It's not a flattering statement because they are not the brightest animals in creation, and they require constant tending and watch. The shepard also carried a baton regarding the size of what our cops bring today. He'd use that to fight off attacking predators. He also used it for something a little more severe. If one sheep was continually wandering off and perhaps not understanding how to stay with the herd, the shepard would make use of the baton to split one or two of the sheep's legs and then immediately set them. Then he had carry that sheep around his neck until he was completely cured. The point? For the sheep to become dependent upon the shepard for all its needs and to bond fully with him. Again, God does the sam-e to His children. Still another interesting point the shepard would do is to place oil on each sheep's head and also body to ward off insects (bugs, clicks, flies, the usual suspects). If you think anything at all, you will perhaps claim to explore about lee mcfarland. Now the oil known isn't your vegetable cooking oil as that will not ward off insects. No it had been what we now know as essential oils (which by the way still are utilized extensively because part of the world due to their therapeutic benefits and fast-growing in the USA) blended with probably olive oil. The oils served yet another purpose also. Lamb are goofy and get angry with one another over such a thing (again like us). When they did get angry, they'd go getting into each other to butt heads so very hard that they could kill each other. With all the oil on the heads, it'd help them to skid off each other keeping them from killing each other. Yep, I'm addressing the pet organization with Dee and the 'serious stuff.' So for his or her own defense the shepard would carry a huge leather poncho he would use throughout inclement weather and also use like a 'pup tent' of sorts to settle. So we have got Dee's leather products and my essential oils in the dog business. Hmmm. Leather was the Shepard's safety. Oil throughout the Bible is representative of the Holy Spirit. He uses animals as samples of us. Is someone else 'seeing' this? God will certainly use whichever, wherever, whomever for His purpose and glory if we only have the heck out of the way. Be treated of ourselves to ensure that Jesus may rule and work. He will protect us and He'll offer us. Here was what was so interesting if you ask me when our pastor surely got to the Three Points of Application part1. As the Shepard is in control, I dont have to just take myself therefore seriously. It's ALL-ABOUT Him. This does not mean to not get ISSUES in the world seriously because we must. It indicates not to take OURSELVES so seriously. If we do keep getting ourselves so seriously, then that is actually internalized pride and wrong thinking grounded in the failure to submit. 2. Because the Shepard cares, I could relieve my burdens to Him. We learned about site preview by searching Bing. Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 5:7. 3. Since the Shepard is capable, I could trust Him to guide my life. God said in no uncertain terms not merely WHAT I'm likely to be doing but additionally WHY, and HOW everything tied in with WHO He's. What H-e did not tell me was WHEN. Leave it to Him to keep tempering and teaching as He goes about His purpose. On Tuesday or Wednesday after this riveting sermon on Sunday, John Fischer of the Purpose Driven Life wrote this in his devotional Acquittal by Penguin these paragraph'This is not to say that any behavior in-the natural kingdom legitimizes corresponding action among human beings, but I do think God has provided us animals to mirror human behavior, and help us see ourselves in another light and not simply take ourselves or our roles so seriously. ' (italics mine) Hey, do you consider God is wanting to tell me something? Therefore then I was listening to some contemporary Christian music o-n Thursday while doing my housework. I was playing Jennifer Knapp's CD, Lay it Down, and the music 'In-to You' came on. The language in the chorus 'relieve me of myself, bring me in to You' just stuck out like a sore thumb and I have paid attention to that song a variety of times. I KNOW God was telling me to take a chill pill, set it down, trust Him, don't take myself so seriously, He has a purpose for the work I am doing so allow Him to work, be treated of myself, depend on Him and just enjoy the experience! WHEW! What a trip too brethren. This lofty visit link paper has uncountable rousing suggestions for when to look at this idea. So if anybody gets too 'puffed up' maybe all of us simply need to overcome ourselves and rest inside the Shepard. I sure don't wish to have to understand the hard way and just take a 2X4 baton!.