Dr Paul Allen

Detail of third window of the south wall with stained glass depicting Isaiah 40:11 He gathers the lambs in his arms. Created by Watson & Co, Youghal, in 1906. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms.” Isaiah 40:11 Our good Shepherd has in his flock a variety of experiences, some are strong in the Lord , and others are weak in faith, but he is impartial in his care for all his sheep, and the weakest lamb is as dear to him as the most advanced of the flock. Lambs are wont to lag behind, prone to wander, and apt to grow weary, but from all the danger of these infirmities the Shepherd protects them with his arm of power. He finds new-born souls, like young lambs, ready to perish—he nourishes them till life becomes vigorous; he finds weak minds ready to faint and die—he consoles them and renews their strength. All the little ones he gathers, for it is not the will of our heavenly Father that one of them should peris

English: Young Christ as the good shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And Moses spake unto the LORD, saying, Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of theLORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.” ( Numbers 27:15-17 ) The Lord answered Moses’ request in these verses by designating Joshua to lead the children of Israel . Joshua would be their new “pastor” (or “shepherd”), guiding and protecting them in all their ways. In reality, of course, the Lord Himself was their shepherd ( Psalm 23:1 ) while Moses and Joshua had been undershepherds. The name Joshua, of course, is the same as Jesus, and Joshua, as undershepherd, is a beautiful type of the Lord Jesus Christ , “that greatshepherd of the sheep” ( Hebrews 13:20 ). Jesus said: “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and

English: A 14th-century of Jesus Christ bearing the cross, from the monastery in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Though Jesus would be with His disciples by His Spirit after His ascension, He knew they would feel the lack of His physical presence. So before His crucifixion , the Good Shepherd explained what was to come. His words were both sobering and assuring: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (16:33).  The world opposes God's people, yet Christ encourages us that He has overcome the world. By His life, death, and resurrection, He has defeated the world, the flesh, and the devil. Christ has indeed overcome the world. Thus, we too can prevail over the world by believing "Jesus is the Son of God " ( 1 John 5: 5).  By knowing, affirming, and defending the truth, we are more than conquerors in Christ. Related articles John 16:25-33: He has Overcome the World (disciplesforlife.wordpress.com) Who d

Return of the prodigal son (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Psalm 23:3a, "He restores my soul." In the Amplified Bible , it reads, "He refreshes and restores my life (my self)." Can you think of specific instances when your soul needed restoring—when you were discouraged or bowed down by the pressures and demands of family and ministry? Remember, an event doesn't have to be catastrophic to pose a serious threat to the health of the soul. More often than not, the real danger lies in the piling up of small irritations and burdens—little things that keep building, one on top of the other, until the accumulated weight produces despair. You continue to perform, but you lack emotional vitality. You go through the motions, meeting the expectations of others, but inside there is a growing numbness—a weakening of the soul, a depletion of your inner self. When people reach this state of inner exhaustion, they often turn inward and become overly self-focused. Relationships

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Luke 22:24–30 “I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel ” ( vv. 29–30 ). As a memorial meal the Lord’s Supper recalls a past event — the death of Jesus for the sake of His people. Yet this sacrament is not solely an event that has a past focus; rather, there is an experience in the present and an anticipation of the future every time we partake of the bread and the wine. It is the future aspect of the Lord’s Supper that will be the focus of our study today. Our Savior alludes to this future-oriented facet of the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22:18 when He tells the disciples that He will not drink of the fruit of the vine again “until the kingdom of God comes.” This presupposes a time to come when our Lord will no longer abstain from the wine. Today’s passage more clearly depicts the occasion on which Chri

C hrist feeding the multitude (Coptic icon) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 14:13-21 "They took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children" ( vv. 20b-21 ). The miracle Matthew describes in today's passage, the feeding of the five thousand ( 14:13-21 ), is the only miracle found in each of the four gospels. It is a wonderful event in which Jesus actually provides food for as many as fifteen or twenty thousand (most of the five thousand men present would have had women and children from their families with them). From a human perspective it is remarkable that there was an occasion for this miracle to take place at all. Christ is actually trying to get away from the great crowds that He is attracting, presumably to rest and devote Himself to prayer (see vv. 22-23 ). Hearing that Herod Antipas is beginning to take notice of His ministry motivates Jesus to go to a desolate place

Image via Wikipedia Oh the cruel trick fate played on Nietzsche . Christians aren’t apt to afford compassion to the man who coined the phrase “ God is dead .” Nevertheless my heart goes out to him. The man who some say is the father of Nazism , existentialism, and modern relativism is the victim of one of the cruel ironies of history. The core of Nietzsche’s ethic was what he called the “ will to power ”. He bemoaned the baleful influence of Christianity which he claimed promoted a “herd morality .” The “will to power” was a rejection of herd morality, a bald affirmation of individual autonomy so radical as to be indifferent to the autonomy of others. It was an ethical Darwinism , survival of, indeed conquest by, the fittest. The good news is that this “will to power,” the elevation of self, has caught on like wildfire. The bad news is that this bold, defiant ethic has spread so wide, infecting even the church, that it has become the morality of choice among the herd. Just as rock

Image via Wikipedia Most of the decisions you will make today aren’t explicitly addressed in the Bible . Questions like, should I eat out today? What should I wear? Should I respond to  this instance  of my child’s sin with correction or forbearance? Should I shop today or tomorrow? Should I check my email  again ? The Bible doesn’t even give specific guidance on huge, life-shaping decisions like should I marry this person? Should I give more or save for retirement? Should we adopt a child? Should I pursue a different vocation? Should we homeschool?  Should I pursue chemo or try an alternative cancer treatment ? Should we buy this home or a less expensive one? Which college should I attend? Is it time to put my elderly parent in a nursing home ? Should I go to the mission field? Should I separate from my spouse while we work on these very painful issues? These kinds of decisions tend to have multiple acceptable options within the scope of God ’s revealed moral will, his comma