Psalm 23 - The Lord Is My Shepherd

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the
presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow
me all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23: 1-6



This is my favorite prayer. Aside from the Lord's Prayer, Psalm 23 expresses all the sentiments of a worshiper to his God. Whenever I recite all the Biblical verses that I memorized, I always start with Psalm 23. It is a prayer and a very powerful tool for God's all encompassing mercy, grace and protection in my life. It reminds me that God is my provider; that He always leads me to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit; that He restores my soul whenever I wander off from His path; that He leads me to His path of righteousness to protect His name in my life. And even if we are already feeling the fangs of death in our lives, we do not fear because He is constantly with us. His chastening and support make us strong in times of trials. He provides for all our needs- physical and spiritual. He anoints us with the anointing of sonship as we awaits our eventual reunion with Him. Yes, our days will be full of love, joy, peace and anticipation of His return to earth to fetch us so we can live with Him forevermore.


Psalm 23 - The Lord Is My Shepherd - Original




Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd, Great Provider, We Shall Not Want, Green Pastures, Quiet Waters, Restores My Soul, Paths of Righteousness, Valley of The Shadow of Death, My Cup Overflows, House of The Lord, Mercy, Grace, Protection, Empowerment By The Holy Spirit, Anointing of Sonship, Reunion, Joy, Love, Peace, Anticipation of His Return, Word of God, Holy Bible


Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Spiritual/Word of God/Gospel

Love For Enemies

"But I tell you who hear Me: Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who
curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to
him the other also.
If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him
from taking your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone
takes what belongs to you, do not demand it
back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.

If you love those who love you, what credit is
that to you?
Even 'sinners' love those who love them.
And if you do good to those who are good to
you, what credit is that to you?
Even 'sinners' do that.
And if you lend to those from whom you
expect repayment, what credit is that to you?
Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to
be repaid in full.

But love your enemies, do good to them, and
lend to them without expecting to get anything
back.
Then your reward will be great, and you will be
sons of the Most High, because He is kind to
the ungrateful and wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Luke 6: 27-36



This preaching of Jesus Christ admonishing us to a radical way of life is better than the golden rule. This is divine love expressed in human terms. To His beloved children, He expects better behavior than the ordinary unbelievers who also love those who love them and lend to those from whom they expect repayment. Jesus wants us to follow His way of doing good without expecting anything in return, even a word of gratitude or acknowledgment. We do our good deeds to honor and glorify our Lord and never to appear righteous before men. If our good deeds in the name of our Lord are noticed by unbelievers, then they will praise our heavenly Father for whom we do all our righteous acts. These might lead them to follow our ways and to learn the Gospel of salvation and truth. We should never do things to explicitly appear righteous before men. If we can do that, then our heavenly Father shall give us a crown of glory that He has prepared for those who follow His will and give glory to His name.



I Love You With The Love Of The Lord



Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Love Your Enemies, Bless Those Who Curse You, Give To Everyone Who Asks You, Do Good To All, Will Of God, Sons Of Most High, Crown Of Glory, For His Glory Alone, Live To Please God

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Word of God/Gospel/Holy Bible

The Coming Of The Lord

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about
those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men,
who have no hope.
We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we
believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have
fallen asleep in Him.
According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we
who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the
Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen
asleep.

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever."

1Thessalonians 4: 13-17



This is a most wonderful promise for those who are faithful in Christ till the end. The Lord will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. This will be a most glorious day for the Lord, for He will be revealed with all glory, with pomp and pageantry for all the world to behold and marvel. He left the world in shame and ignominy, He will be coming back in full splendor and glory befitting that of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Those who were dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are faithful to the Lord and are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and to be with Him forevermore. This is the grand rapture of the children of God.


You'll Come - Hillsong




Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Coming of The Lord, Day of The Lord, Second Coming, Loud Command, Voice of The Archangel, Trumpet Call of God, Faithful in Christ, Most Glorious Day, Pomp and Pageantry, Behold and Marvel, Shame and Ignominy, Full Splendor and Glory, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Grand Rapture, Children of God, Word of God, Holy Bible

Posted byMel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Word of God/Gospel/Holy Bible

Trust Only In God

"This is what the Lord says, 'Cursed is the one who
trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not
see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in
a salt land where no one lives.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose
confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends
out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are
always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never
fails to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17: 5-8


If we trust more on our own strength or on other men, then our efforts are doomed to failure because we did not place our trust in God. In so doing, we are rejecting God and are exalting ourselves or others. Our God is a jealous God. He will never tolerate those who reject Him and in the process, put their own selves or others in a pedestal. They will experience great failure and despair in the end. Not so with those who trust in the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted near the stream whose roots shoot out in the nearby water. They shall always bear fruit in season. They will always experience blessings and protection from the Lord. Whatever they do will surely prosper and succeed.


Trust Video - Proverbs 3:5-6 - Sharefaith
(Please see this video and be inspired)




Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust Only In God, Man Is Unreliable, Confidence In God, Like A Tree Planted By The Water, Bear Fruit, Sustenance, Divine Providence, Love, Joy, Peace, Protection, Guidance, Eternal Life, Salvation, Word of God, Holy Bible

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Gospel/Word of God/Holy Bible

Doing Good To All

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows.
The one who sows to please his sinful nature,
from that nature will reap destruction;
the one who sows to please the Spirit, from
the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all people, especially to those who
belong to the family of believers."

Galatians 6: 7-10


We are not saved by righteous deeds alone but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But after we have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit when we were born again, we must do our righteous acts in the name of Jesus to honor the Lord. We cannot go on doing evil deeds or sins and still expect the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Sin or any other unrighteous acts grieve the Holy Spirit and He convicts us immediately so that we can confess our sins and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Even if our good deeds remain unnoticed, we must persist in doing them for they give glory to the Lord and they become the most effective method of attracting unbelievers to our faith.


Joy To The World




Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Joy To The World, Doing Good To All, Reaping and Sowing, Sinful Nature, Eternal Life, Harvest, Galatians 6: 7-10, Righteous Deeds, Grace, Faith, Born Again, Baptism of The Holy Spirit, Confess, Blood of Jesus Christ, Unappreciated, Unbelievers, Salvation, Love, Peace, Joy, Word of God, Holy Bible

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
Word of God/Holy Bible/Gospel