Good Shepherd Church

Good Shepherd Church Holding Forth The Message of God's Love | This is the Official page for Good Shepherd Church

Good Shepherd Church desires to glorify God by reaching people with the message of God's love and incorporating them into the local church family. Teaching them through ministry of God's Word, experiential worship, fervent prayer and practical service how to mature in Christ. Releasing them to serve within and beyond the local church.

03/27/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Just a quick reading of psalm seventy-five will inform us that God is opposed to pride, one of the seven deadliest sins. Pride, like so many other forms of sin, can slither into our lives almost undetectably. The scriptures warn us over and over again to be on our guard against any form of sin because sin is deceptive. The sin of pride exalts self and self desires to displace God’s rulership in our lives.

Pride seeks to rob God of the praise, thanks, and worship that is rightly due only to His name. The temptation toward pride may be common to all of us but God has given us the power, ability, and strength to combat all sin in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s task within us is to conform us to the image and likeness of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ. But He is also there to direct and guide us in the paths of righteousness for God’s honor and glory.

The acknowledgement and affirmation we need does not come from self-exaltation but from our heavenly Father. We need to be careful with our personal accomplishments, if not handled correctly they can be the gateway to pride.
Compliments, congratulations, and acknowledges can be humbly received when we recognize that God is the One who enables us and equips us for every good work.

Read – Psalm 75

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, help me to recognize and not give way to the sin of pride in my life that displaces You.

03/26/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

The seventy-fourth psalm begins with the psalmist feeling as though the Lord has rejected His people. He calls upon the Lord to remember the people whom the Lord has redeemed. The destruction which the enemies of God have brought against the meeting place of God continues to be describe though verse eleven. Then in verse twelve we see a major transition.

Despite all the devastation that the enemies of God have wrought the psalmist makes this declaration in verse twelve, “Yet God is my king!” His eyes are turned away from the activities of the enemy and turned toward the One with whom he has a covenant relationship. He brings to mind the acts of God from of old and he acknowledges the supremacy of God in the earth.

We have all had times in our lives when we feel as though the enemy has the upper hand. The way in which we can combat the onslaught of the enemy and be proactive in resisting his assaults is to make a truth declaration found in God’s word. Words are powerful and spiritual. The scriptures are the sword of the Spirit, and all believers need to become expert swordsmen. Turn the tables on the enemy’s attacks on your life by declaring aloud the truth found in the Holy Scriptures.

Read – Psalm 74

Daily Prayer from the Scriptures:
Lord, I stand on Your word that declares, If I resist the enemy he will flee.

03/25/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

The seventy-third psalm marks the beginning of the third book of the Psalter. Asaph the writer of this psalm begins by saying that surely God is good to Israel and at the same time he is struggling with the prosperity of the wicked. From verse three to verse fourteen he recounts from his perspective how the wicked are free from pain, how they wear pride as a necklace, how they mock and speak wickedly and challenge the wisdom of God.

However, a major transition takes place that is as relevant today as it was when this psalm was written. He would have continued in this train of thought concerning the wicked had the psalmist not come into the presence of the Lord. What he needed was divine perspective on the behavior of the wicked. Verse seventeen informs us that his thoughts concerning the wicked continued, “Until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.”

We have all faced circumstances and situations where it appeared that wrongdoers were succeeding in wicked activities. However, when we come into God’s presence through the vicarious work of Jesus Christ God will take hold of our right hand, counsel us and guide us. We are not alone in this earthly journey. God is the strength of our hearts and the nearness of God is our good, because we have made the Lord our refuge.

Read – Psalm 73

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, help me to see through Your eyes.

03/22/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Psalm seventy-two is one of only two psalms that bear the name of Solomon, the son of David. This psalm is a prayer being offered up primarily for the king who has been anointed by God to rule over Israel. In another sense it is looking prophetically down through the corridors of time foreshadowing the Messiah’s kingdom.

One of the things to take notice of in this psalm concerning the righteous king whether it is an earthly monarch, or the King of Kings is their ongoing concern for the poor and the afflicted. He rescues the oppressed from violence. He delivers the afflicted and the needy. And he has compassion for the poor and needy. Genuine Christianity is always marked by a concern for the less fortunate and those in need. We would do well to keep our eyes open and our hearts sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we encounter those in need.

Psalm seventy-two can also serve as a model for us to obey the command given to us in the New Testament “to pray for all those in authority.” We do not have to agree with those in political authority in order to pray for them. We can pray for those who supervise us at work. Prayers are always needed for parents, school officials, teachers, and coaches who have significant influence on our children. And it goes without saying that we should always be praying for those involved in law enforcement at any level, church leaders, judges, emergency medical and firefighting personnel, and for all those in military service.

Rather than grumble and complain let’s make it a point to utilize that same time to offer up prayers guided by psalm seventy-two.

Read – Psalm 72

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, remind me to pray rather than complain.

03/21/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

In just a cursory reading of psalm seventy-one you will notice immediately what the psalmist declares the Lord to be to him. The Lord is his refuge. The Lord is his rock. The Lord is his fortress. He is his rescuer. He is his hope. The Lord is his confidence. The Lord is his sustainer. The Lord is his teacher and his comforter.

We often sing the song, You are My all in All in our worship services and this particular psalm asserts that truth in specific ways. The Lord is not only these cluster of metaphors for the psalmist but for all who call upon His name. The Lord is a place for us to run to in times of trouble and distress. He rescues us from fear and anxiety. He is our hope when things seem hopeless. He is our confidence when faced with inability and overwhelming odds. He sustains us when we are weak. And He continues to teach us and comfort us by the power of His Holy Spirit.

God did not create the heavens and the earth and then leave man to fend for himself. He desires to be engaged in our lives on a deep and personal level. Throughout the scriptures we read, “I will be your God and you will be My people.” How blessed we are to be able to call Him our God through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ on Calvary. When He is your God, the declarations made in psalm seventy-one become your eternal inheritance.

Read- Psalm 71

Daily Prayer from the Scriptures:
Lord, You are indeed my All in All!

03/20/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

“Hasten to me O God”! “Hasten to deliver me!” “Hasten to help me!” There are times in our walk with God when He seems slow to come to our aide. There are times when help and deliverance cannot come soon enough.

Today in psalm seventy we sense that same urgency in David the writer of this psalm. He is in immediate danger from those who are seeking to end his life. While it is entirely appropriate for us to pray, “O Lord, do not delay,” faith requires us to trust the timing, faithfulness, and wisdom of God to move on our behalf. In the midst of waiting for God to help us or deliver us, persistent fervent prayer is a prerequisite. Keeping our spiritual ears attuned to the direction of the Holy Spirit will keep us from running ahead of God or lagging behind Him.

Prayer is not only lifting our request before the Lord but quietly listening especially in distressful situations. Our immediate response to pressure or trouble in our lives is escape, but God often uses trials and tribulation as a refining furnace in our lives. James 1:2-4, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.” God is perfecting and maturing you because He is a good, good, Father!

Read – Psalm 70

Daily Prayer from the Scriptures:
Lord, in the midst of trouble and distress help me to keep in step with You.

03/19/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Martin Luther treasured the psalms, especially the Psalms of Lament. Of them he said, “What is the greatest thing in the Psalter but this earnest speaking amid the storm winds of every kind.” There are two types of lamenting psalms: community and individual. Community psalms of lament deal with situations of national crisis. Individual psalms of lament address isolated troubles – problems faced by one member of God’s family.

There are at least forty-two psalms of lament in the Psalter. Psalm sixty-nine the psalm we are focusing on today is an individual psalm of lament. Lament means to have a passionate expression of grief, sorrow, or disappointment. God is not put off by us expressing to Him the issues that burden our hearts. At times our lamenting may be accompanied by crying, complaining, repentance, and even revenge. As we read through psalm sixty-nine we will also notice that it is peppered with faith, praise, and a knowledge of God’s goodness.

Psalm sixty-nine is not only a psalm of lament but a prophetic psalm of the suffering of the Jesus upon Calvary. While the psalmist expresses that the waters have threatened his life. That he has sunk down in deep mire. That his throat is parched, he is weary from crying, and his eyes fail, he is till waiting to see the goodness of the Lord manifested in his life. As believers in the midst of troubling times individually or nationally we must be honest and forthright with the Lord in terms of how we feel and at the same time wait in faith for his mercy, compassion, and love to be revealed.

Read – Psalm 69

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, I thank you that I can open wide to You the sorrows that trouble my heart and wait expectantly for Your goodness to be revealed.

03/18/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Today in Psalm Sixty-Eight we come to one of the longer psalms which consist of thirty-five verses. While this psalm is extoling the majesty of the Almighty verse nineteen reminds us that among God’s might and power He is also the burden bearer of His people. Just as Simon of Cyrene helped bear the cross of Jesus to Calvary, God Himself, our Heavenly Father desires to help us bear the burdens of this life.

Releasing those issues that burden us requires faith in the One we are releasing them to. Prayer is the means by which we unshackle ourselves from earthly burdens, but we must be willing to allow the One who is enthroned on high to work things out according to His will and purpose. We need to be careful not to dictate our will to Him, but to lay our burdens at His feet knowing that “He causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” Rom. 8:28).

What has a grip on your heart today? Is it financial distress, concern over your children, are you dealing with spousal conflict, physical or emotional turmoil? Take some time today and simply empty out your heart in prayer to the One who loves you and desires to be your burden bearer. Lay your burdens at His feet and welcome His good and perfect will into every area of your life. Lift your voice to Him in adoration and thanksgiving and the enemies of your soul will scatter and the peace of God Almighty will quiet your troubled heart.

Read – Psalm 68

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, You are the One who searches the heart of man, I lay the burdens of my heart before You and trust in Your unfailing love for me.

03/15/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Psalm sixty-seven is a psalm of praise and petition. In verse two the psalmist is petitioning the Lord that His way may be known in the earth. When man is left to his own devises, and everyone does what is right in their own eyes we end up with a world in chaos. We become like a river without banks that brings destruction in its wake. The laws and ordinances of God are perfect and are designed to allow man to live in peace but when His word is ignored evil gains a foothold.

We are living in a day when God’s word is being ignored and man is seeking to live independent of a relationship with God. God the Creator of heaven and earth, of everything seen and unseen is still the fountain of living water, He is the spring from which man must drink to avoid chaos and destruction. Man is seeking to quench his thirst with the things of this world that God has given to us to enjoy but these pleasurable things were never intended to replace the Almighty in our lives.

Jesus came to reconnect us to a right relationship with the Father. Jesus, Himself is the Prince of Peace. His word and His Lordship in our lives serve as the riverbanks to allow His rivers of life to flow through us. Order and the absence of chaos begins on an individual level, one person at a time. Invite God’s ways into your life today, allow Jesus the Son of the Living God to take His rightful place upon the throne of your heart and begin to discover and experience the peace that only He can bring, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Read – Psalm 67

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, I open my heart to You this day and welcome You and Your ways into every area of my life.

03/14/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Psalm sixty-six is a psalm of worship, praise and adoration for all that God has done in the life of the psalmist. He is remembering the historical faithfulness of God who parted the waters for His people, who refined them as silver in the furnace of affliction in captivity and then brought them into a place of abundance. The writer of this psalm is overwhelmed with the goodness of God in His life and invites us to come and hear his story in verse sixteen.

What about your story? What about the blessings God has brought about in your life? The times of trials and difficulties when He rescued you and brought restoration? How He answered your prayers and times when God lifted you from a place of despair and set your feet on higher ground. One of the things that we discover in reading through the psalms is that the writers, no matter who they may be, bare their souls. We do not have to be afraid of being honest and open with God, He already knows what is on our hearts. Nothing is hidden from His sight.

Take sometime this week and prayerfully reminisce about the goodness of God in your life. Write your thoughts down and then be open to the Lord to share your story with others. As followers of Jesus we His ambassadors in the earth, His official representatives, and we need to proclaim His goodness and invite others into a relationship with a loving and faithful Father.

Read – Psalm 66

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, help me to declare Your goodness and faithfulness all the days of my life.

03/13/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Psalm sixty-five verse four declares, “How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee, to dwell in Thy courts. He will be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house.” God calls us to Himself through the proclamation of the gospel. Some receive the gospel, some consider it, and still some reject it as foolishness. I Corinthians 1:21 tells us, “God was well pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” God does not call us to Himself because we are so called “good” people. He does not call us to Himself based on any virtue we may possess. He calls us to Himself out of His abundant love, mercy, and grace toward humanity.

Those who respond in faith to the foolishness of the gospel are blessed or brought into a state of bliss or perfect happiness and great joy. The joy and happiness they receive is not based on pleasant circumstances or a life that is trouble-free. The blessed life is rooted in a right relationship with God that permits us to enter His presence at any time and particularly in our time of need and find the help we are in searching for. We are all in search of satisfaction in this life, the believer finds satisfaction in God’s presence.

Jesus the Son of God came into the world at the request of the Father to make the blessed life available to us. He revealed the Father to us, He willingly suffered and died for the remission of our sins and He opened wide the door into the Father’s presence. The Father welcomes us into this blessed life not based on our performance but on the performance of His Son who fulfilled all the requirements of righteousness on our behalf. How blessed are those who put their faith in the Father’s provision that comes to us in the person and work of His beloved Son, Jesus the Christ of the Living God.

Read – Psalm 65

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son Jesus.

03/12/2024

Daily Refreshment from the Psalms:

Psalm sixty-four verse three reminds us of a truth that we would do well to remember daily, “They aimed bitter speech as their arrow.” While David is referring to his enemies in this psalm, we must not lose sight of the fact that the words we speak are powerful. The scriptures tell us that “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” In the New Testament James refers to the tongue as a fire, the very word of iniquity, a restless evil, and full of deadly poison.

We need to take notice of how we speak to one another. Many times, our joking or thoughtless words with another individual can negatively affect them in a way we never intended. The scriptures encourage us to not let any unwholesome word proceed from our mouths. We need to utilize this power of the tongue to build up not tear down. To encourage and not discourage. To communicate love and kindness rather than criticism and contempt.

But what do we do with unkind and hurtful words that continue to resonate in our minds even years after they have been spoken? We can hold unforgiveness and become bitter toward the person who spoke hurtful words to us? We can spend a lot of energy trying to prove them wrong. Or we could seek revenge in one manner or another. Hurtful and unkind words are like arrows that strike our hearts and those arrows are filled with poison. The truth is that our hearts needed healed and the Great Physician Jesus Christ has come to heal the brokenhearted.
Invite God’s Holy Spirit into those areas of your heart that have been broken by unkind and damaging words and allow Him to bring the healing to your heart that Jesus secured for you at Calvary.

Read - Psalm 64

Daily Prayer from the Scripture:
Lord, I take You at Your word that You came to heal the brokenhearted and I invite You to come now and reveal and heal any brokenness within my heart.

Address

110 Hays Road
Upper St. Clair, PA
15241

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Good Shepherd Church posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Good Shepherd Church:

Shortcuts

Share

Category