This subject of walking has been of special interest to me since I have been “walking for rehabilitation.” Having a problem with lack of feeling in the foot, I have to be very sure that where I am putting the foot is not rough, not slippy and not on too much of a slope as otherwise my foot could not do it, and I would end up on my nose.
Psalm 26 shows the psalmist talking about walking in Integrity v1. Trusting in the Lord, he knew he would not slip because the Lord was leading. Isn”t it true that after we slip in our Christian lives, we think back and realize that our relationship to God had become distant and He was no longer doing the leading?
Verse 3 talks about His Lovingkindness being before our eyes and we therefore walk in His Truth. When we think back to the number of times He has blessed us and the times He has guided us, and we remember that closeness of His guidance and presence, it makes us want to walk closer, to avoid the rough pitfalls by being in his presence.
Verse 7 reminds us of telling of His wondrous works. One of the best ways of remembering what God has done for you, is to recount your story to someone else who wants to know more about God. When we tell it to others, we are blessed by being obedient to the Great Commission as well as reminded of His Love and Care for us through the years. Not many of us are able to just go out and strike up conversations, which immediately become deep theological discussions, but we can all tell our stories, the stories of His Grace and Lovingkindness, and remind others that He will do the same for them, if they trust Him.
Verse 12 reads, “My foot stands in an even place” I understand this verse so much better now. In Christ, no matter what is thrown our way, we will not stumble if our feet have been placed by Him on an even place. When I have to stand for a while, I search out the flattest less rough place I can find and plant my foot on even ground. It is quite amazing how much longer I can stand if these conditions are met. As we live our lives in a relationship with Christ and walk with Him, he takes the rough side of the road and places our feet on even ground.
Therefore as the verse continues, “we can bless the Lord in the congregations.” He gives us that peace that others realize they need and we can lead them to Him. People are looking for security and peace in all kinds of things in this world and many have seen these systems fail. Let us show them, the even place that God has provided for their feet and the peace He has promised for their hearts and minds, not forgetting the hope he has provided for their future.
No wonder David could then continue with Psalm 27 knowing that his feet were on even ground through Grace!

As I continue my walking and reading the Psalms, my foot is becoming more mobile and my soul more blessed by pondering these scriptures!
Psalm 23 is by far the best known of all. It is recited at weddings, funerals and many other occasions. It is committed to memory by most kid”s Sunday School classes and at least part of it can be remembered by many, even unbelievers.
By the time David writes Psalm 23, he has been a shepherd himself so He knows a lot about sheep. Yet, that is no answer as to why we get such comfort from it. It is not a long psalm, but neither is it the shortest, so that can”t be the only reason to commit it to memory.
I believe that because it deals with the main aspects of life all in one Psalm is one reason why we find it so comforting and reassuring. Take a look!
V1: I shall not want! He will provide!
V2: He makes me lie in Green pastures and by still waters! He will give rest and refreshment!
V3: He restores my soul! New strength for each day!
V3: leads me in the right paths: Divine Guidance!
V4: Though I walk through the valley of death…..He is with me! Comfort in Death!
V4: I will fear no evil! Removal of fear!
V5: You prepare a table for me! Bountiful provision
V5: Anointed with oil! Health and Wisdom
V6: Goodness and Mercy shall follow me! Loving and being loved!
V6: I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever! Eternally secure!
The Great Shepherd gives His own life for His sheep!
Note how easily David flips from talking to us one minute and the next to God!
V1-3 he is talking directly to us and from 4-6 he is talking explicitly to God. This shows the intimate relationship David has with his God, when he can talk in the same way as he would with his dearest friend! Throughout the Psalms David alternates between talking to the reader and worshiping the Inspirer!
But on a much more serious note, God can”t do for us what it says in verse 4 onward unless we have let Him do what is in v 1-3 first. We need to allow Him to be our shepherd, to lead and guide us, to restore our souls back to Him before He can prepare the table, walk through the valley, remove the fear or assure us of the fact that our home in heaven is waiting! The promises of 1-6 are for everyone, but the promises of 4-6 will only be enjoyed by those who have made sure that they are guided by the Shepherd through verses 1-3, and that means we have to decide to belong to His flock!!
The promises God gives us here are like the covenants He made with the prophets in the Old Testament. Remember when He prepared the sacrifice, He walked between the sacrifices and He made His promises to bless and to prosper! It was all of Him and all that was required of those who went before us was to trust Him and follow Him! Yet they found that hard to do, just as we do today! Look again at the psalm:
He is
He leads
He makes
He restores
He prepares
He is with me
He comforts
Nothing from us: We don”t deserve it and yet‚Ķ! He gives it all, keeps all the promises and all we have to do is obey the Shepherd.
Isn”t it comforting to think that there is no way we can earn, learn for, work toward or ever deserve our Salvation, yet we can own it in simple faith!
David was certainly not always faithful, always fearless, always where he should have been, but he had learned to trust the Shepherd and even when he sinned to return to the only one who was always faithful and true! Do you know the Shepherd?
No wonder the psalm is well known and loved! It provides us with the entirety of the Gospel in six verses and gives us the hope for the future we are all searching for!

Because of needing to take time to exercise my foot, we recently put up a walking machine for me to use. It helps there is no doubt but after a few days, it got very boring watching the seconds pass on this machine and thinking of the many things I still had to do and could be doing if I did not have to do this exercise! So I decided to read through the Psalms while I was walking and it has made it much more interesting.
I began to notice the many emotions David puts forth in his songs. He ranges from being as high as a kite to being in the depths of despair, and all that can happen inside one Psalm!! It is easy to see why God led David to write these Psalms as they can be of use to us in every area of our lives, whether we need rebuke, encouragement, a lesson on pride or to learn how to worship.
David experienced situations in his life when he was elevated to a high place, down in the deepest depths, bravely facing an enemy, running scared, honoring God in every way, being involved in murder and deceit, sometimes in the wrong place at the right time and other times in the right place at the wrong time! He had the experience to be able to write these truths that we can then receive so much blessing through.
David was not always right, in fact he sinned grievously and yet He went to God with that sin and sorrow. Like us all, he was sometimes scared like when he had to flee for his life, but he brought that to God also. His marriage was a disaster, he suffered severe grief, and insult, at times God was his only companion. It is not likely that we will have to suffer all David suffered or sin as David sinned, but the openness he has in expressing what He feels to his God shows us a lot about his character and God”s love for us.
God wants us to be open and honest with Him in private. He wants us to tell Him exactly how we feel, and just as we are called to worship and adore Him with our words and songs, we can also tell Him how we honestly feel when things are tough. He knows it anyway, why are we so reluctant to acknowledge our need.
Look at the number of Psalms where David starts out fearful or pleading to God for help, rest or protection and by the end he is praising the Lord for the answer to his prayer. Worshipping the King who is our Salvation!
It takes courage to be open about our feelings, but if David hadn”t been so willing to open up, we would not have the books of Psalms to glean from.
Read the Psalms again, take note of the different emotions and situations and how God saved, rescued and protected. It is doing my heart good (as well as my foot,) it will bless your heart too!

While we were in Israel recently we were able to see the narrow gate that is mentioned in Matthew chapter 7 verse 14. It is indeed very small and not only narrow, but low. It was a small opening in a big gate, which was only opened to let one person through at a time to save opening the main gate. Much like in many big garages and workshops today, where there is a small gate for people and a larger one for the trucks or machinery to come through.
Although the story of the narrow gate and the wide gate was familiar to me, I did not realize just how small these gates were. You could not have entered that gate with a cumbersome load. It would have been impossible to get in to the city without unloading your burden. Because of how narrow it is as well as not tall, even luggage carried by your side would not have made it through. This was a good example for Jesus to use as the people of the day would have been very familiar with the difficulties associated with entering into the small gate, as well as with the ease of going in through the wide open main gate, if and when it was open.
By using this illustration for those who are ready to accept a walk with Christ and a journey to Heaven with Him, Jesus was talking of the burdens we have to lay down before we can embark on this journey. He gave many examples in the Bible of people who wanted to come to Him but were prevented by the baggage they carried. The rich young ruler in Matthew chapter 19 had too many possessions which he did not want to part with. At that time he thought he could not live without them. It may not be possessions which keep you from trusting Him, but it could be priorities – wanting your agenda before His, passions ‚Äì your desires and dreams need to be fulfilled, or pride ‚Äì egotism and ambition. Some believe they have a privileged position having been brought up in the church just like the Jews who thought they had priority in God”s eyes no matter what they did. Others carry wounds of the past and are not willing to hand these over. There were some tall people in our group and some more muscular built. It made no difference. Some had to bend lower to get through while others had to stand sideways. Doesn”t matter how heavy your load, it had to be put down. There are no special ways to get through the gate, all go the one way and every burden needs to be unloaded to step in through the narrow gate. I know, I physically went through the gate a few weeks ago and that was interesting, but I have never regretted having gone through it spiritually over 40 years ago.
God offers only two ways, the way of blessing or the way of the curse: the way of life or the way of death. You can”t climb over it, or go around it. You can wait till the large gate has to be opened for deliveries to get in but much time could elapse and we are only promised the time we have now on this earth and waiting may be too late. When we are willing to humble ourselves, drop the burden and walk through the gate, He will give us the power to pick up the burden again on the other side and carry it in a whole new way. More importantly, He gives us His presence.
Some of the baggage, He carries for us while we walk along, and others He helps us carry. The burden of sin doesn”t ever have to be lifted again, He has dealt with it, it will never be remembered anymore, so need not be carried. What a promise! He gives us the joy, power and strength to carry the problems He knows we together can cope with. He paid the price, He made the way and in the really tough times, He will carry us!!!
When we take the step, we won”t ever want to be on the other side of the gate again, even though the narrow road is not easy to walk and the broad road is much easier, when we have the peace that passes all understanding, the power of the Holy spirit and the Fellowship of the Lord Jesus, we can continue along the path till we reach the wide open heavenly gate.
I was glad to see the actual illustration from the Bible before me, helping me understand what the people Jesus was talking to were seeing. It gets exciting to realise how Jesus used illustrations of everyday things to talk to everyday people, and we who are believers can use our everyday lives to reach out to the many, who have not yet taken the way through the narrow gate to eternal life.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalm 23 v 5
It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord Jesus serves. In the upper room, He washed the disciples” feet symbolizing not only service but also forgiveness. It is definitely necessary for us to see the fact that He, who should have been served was serving the disciples. Normally, the lady who was present in the home would bring round a bowl for those about to eat at the table to wash their fingers in. (This practice is still symbolized at the Passover meal today by the washing of the fingers). However, Jesus took it a step further by washing the feet, showing our need to go the second mile in our service to others.
However, the discussion with Peter is included to show us another reason for the feet washing. Peter was not keen on having Jesus wash his feet,(most likely realizing that they had failed to notice the opportunity to serve each other), but on finding out it was a necessity, He suddenly wanted not only his feet washed, but all of him. When Jesus pointed out that Peter was clean all but his feet, He was making clear that because Peter believed, therefore he was saved, and He was in essence “cleansed. Since feet get dusty and dirty with walking on roads, so Peter in his daily life would be in continual need of feet cleansing from sin and failure and continually need forgiveness from the Lord. In His willingness to wash Peter”s feet, He was showing us how willing He is to cleanse and forgive us.
Even when it was necessary to get ready for Passover, it was Jesus who booked the room and made the preparations. Yes, He serves at every possible opportunity. He takes the first steps toward us every time we fail, fear or when we don”t feel adequate for the task. As we look at this verse in Psalm 23 we see that when all around our enemies are against us, Jesus is preparing a feast for us. Can you imagine it? We are sitting at a table, which our Blessed Lord has prepared for us and all around us enemies are seething because they can”t harm us. The table is laden with all good things and the enemies are salivating as they watch us eat. That knowledge is enough to help us through a tough day, to make us want to serve Him better, too exciting not to tell others about and strengthening and encouraging for whatever lies ahead.
As we look for opportunities to serve Him today, remember, what He does for us. When we face enemies of danger, addiction, weakness, or temptation, feast from the table of provision He has made. He has given us the Holy Spirit as comforter, companion and guide. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He has promised that “when we pass through the waters, He is with us. He will forgive our shortcomings, our lack of faith and give us peace in the midst of all the trouble the evil one can cause.

Today we decided to visit Blue Ridge Community Church, because its Fathers Day, and my Father-In-Law is involved in music at the church. While pulling into the parking lot we were guided into our space by a parking attendant in a bright yellow jacket and hat. Thinking to myself that this would be a miserable service to volunteer for in the 95 degree Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) weather, I got out of the car and looked up to notice that the man who had directed us to our spot was actually Woody, the senior pastor of the church. It took me by surprise at first, and then I thought he must be really dedicated to be working the parking lot and then planning on going to preach, what a committed guy! When we got inside and were seated for the service we found out that the senior pastor would not be speaking today, the message was going to be brought by someone else, and that struck me even deeper. This Sunday would have been Woody’s “day off” he didn’t have to preach, the responsibility for giving the message wasn’t on his shoulders so he could have just coasted through the day and enjoyed church, but instead he was sweating out in the parking lot with the rest. Then I realized that instead of taking his role of pastor and shepherd of the church as a “job” he viewed it as a service, and if he wasn’t going to be serving today in the pulpit, he was going to be serving elsewhere, wherever he was needed… even if it meant getting sweaty and dirty. How often have you seen your senior pastor directing traffic in order to help people get into church?

To me this spoke to me profoundly on this Fathers Day because it was a fantastic example of what a leader should be. Someone who takes his role as leadership role as an opportunity to serve, and as father’s we have that privilege daily. Its so easy to think that the weekend is our “days off” because we’ve spent all week working to provide for our family, but the weekend is a wonderful time to practice that servant leadership and to perform the duties that could be seen as menial or small (cleaning, cooking, etc…), but are necessary to keep the daily tasks manageable for the family as a whole. Thank you pastor Woody for the reminder and Happy Fathers Day!

Having just returned from a trip to Israel, I have so many thoughts and impressions which I have to contemplate, process and digest. In the few days we were there we went from one end of the country to the other and of course each place left a lasting impression.

One of the memories I have was of the Negev desert and the wilderness of Zin. Before going, I was told of its beauty, the wonderful hues and shades which change with the sunlight. However, although all that is true, I had some very different impressions while there, and it left me with fearsome memories. I was struck by the total barrenness of the area. Miles and miles of rocky, sandy land with no water to be seen, except in the few wadis (waterholes) which are few and far between. Not only were there no trees or plant life, but I was struck by the fact that so little wildlife is there. A few Ibex (mountain goats) and very little else.

Thinking back to the Children of Israel, how awful would it be to be wandering in the desert for 40 years and to know nothing else? How terrible to be lost in it! Each area looks the same and without direction one could easily become lost.

At night, the desert is pitch black and very warm, not cooling down much from the daytime. It gives the impression of a black, heavy blanket being thrown over your head, causing a claustrophobic effect. When a breeze does stir up it is a warm wind and the biggest effect it has is to fill your eyes, nose ears and even mouth (if you don”t shut it), with sand.

The Hebrew children were in the wilderness 40 years because of disobedience. How sad! But it is a perfect example of how much we miss when we don”t obey our Lord”s commands or follow in His Will. When we deliberately disobey, we deny ourselves so much of the refreshment of God”s presence and our lives become barren and empty, just like the desert. Not only that, but others are not refreshed or blessed by His spirit flowing through us and therefore lives are not touched for His Glory.

Thankfully, if we have known what it is to walk daily in His presence, we will soon realize how miserable we are in this “wilderness” state and come back to the Lord for forgiveness and renewal. But for those who continue to walk without Christ, they know nothing else but the desert. Some of the Hebrew children were born in the desert and knew nothing but the desert, not realizing the reason for their misery.

We had a pleasant grill in the desert one night with an explanation of the Gospel from the stars, but even then I was thankful for the other team members and glad to get back to civilization at the end of the evening.

Arriving back in fertile area, the green seemed greener, the water more clear and it was like a feast of refreshment for my eyes to see colors other then shades of brown/beige. This reminded me of the blessing of the Holy Spirit in our lives, making our lives fruitful for the Kingdom of God.

The experience left me with the reminder that there is no better place to be than close to the Lord and living in his perfect Will. If you have gotten into a wilderness place, don”t stay. Ask Him to forgive you and fill you with His Holy Spirit. If you don”t know Jesus as your Saviour, He will forgive your sins and bring you out from the desert place if you ask Him to. He says in John 4 v14, “Whoever drinks of the water which I will give him will never thirst, but the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain springing up into everlasting life.”

At first glance this statement might seem like heresy. After all, God has done it all. Through grace and grace alone we have our salvation provided for us by Jesus death and resurrection. It is His Holy Spirit who makes us holy and blameless before God. It is only through Him we have peace and assurance, so how can we add to our faith?

This is a Bible verse found in 2 Peter 1:5 where it says, “Add to your faith virtue.” What is virtue? The dictionary defines virtue as an “admirable quality” or a “good habit.” So what is this verse saying? Simply this: practice good habits. Habits are learned. We are not born with the habit of dressing ourselves. It is a learned habit and becomes second nature to us. After we become Christians and are still babes in Christ, we have to learn good habits, from the Bible, from other believers and from our consciences. God will not clothe us with good habits or character. He will urge us to learn, but he will not force His will on us. We have to take the initiative to learn.

“And to virtue knowledge” v6 is the next part of the process. He wants us to be continually learning these habits that they become part of what we really know well. This is what we call character building.

Next in line to knowledge comes “self-control“. Thankfully we are not expected to have the self-control until we have the good habit and the knowledge. Before that it would be difficult to have self-control when we don”t know what we are doing. We don”t expect a child to have dry diapers until they have leaned the good habit of being toilet trained. When we are sure they know what we they are meant to do we expect them to show self control.

“To self-control, perseverance”. Here is where it begins to hurt! How do we get perseverance except we have trials! None of us like trials and testing but the end result is perseverance and this is character building indeed. “Perseverance through tribulation works patience” and how important it is for us to be patient and wait on what God has for us. You may be patiently waiting on God to save a close family member, while He is allowing you to build character that you will be a better example of Jesus Christ to them.

“To perseverance, Godliness.” Wow! finally, these are the kind of habits and virtues He wants to build into our character till we become more like Him and more useful for the extension of His Kingdom. Salvation is a free gift, the Holy Spirit to help is free, the privilege of prayer is free too, but the initiative to be willing to build character has to come from us. I sometimes notice people who come through trials and tribulations shining bright, while so often I go through the same thing and just be relieved to be through it! Well, that is how it is! The attitude of perseverance and patience if shown will allow character to build and make us more like Jesus in our actions and reactions. If we did not learn that habit we can”t move on to the next and isn’t godliness one of the habits we all want to be seen in us! !

These past months have required that I in many ways “be patient”. I am not fond of being 'a patient' and not being able to do for myself, and I am certainly not patient by nature!! Having gotten through the months of pain, casts and airboots, I somehow figured that after a couple of weeks of physio, things would be close to normal and I could do all the usual activities. But that is not what I was taught as a nurse or what I had conveyed to others in similar situations, so why did I expect it to happen like that?
One thing I have realized is that it is not getting through an experience which makes it a valuable life lesson, but it is how you come through it and what you learn from it. I don”t personally think I have learned to be patient through this experience, but I have realized a few things. I can empathize much better with those who have to be in wheelchairs. It is so unbelievably hard to reach up to shelves and worktops etc from a wheelchair. So often you need the help of someone else to get things.
I realize that there is “no gain without pain” in the area of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. A definite amount of determination and stamina is required to be able to continually hurt yourself with the goal of getting healthier! This is where I am at the moment in this process, and believe me, I am still impatient to see quicker results!
In our Spiritual lives, every experience we go through can be seen in this way! Sometimes we go through an experience and come no better out the other end, while at other times depending on our reaction we can learn from it. If we are willing to take each day as it comes, trusting the Lord to use us because of what has happened we can be sure He will. If we firmly believe that nothing can happen to us which is not according to His divine and Perfect Will, then He can use us in every situation He allows us to be in!
Why do some people who are very sincere believers go through periods of doubt or depression? Could it be to help those who suffer from these ailments? If that is the experience you are in at the moment, hang on in there, He has allowed it for a purpose and will use you in the lives of others for His glory if you allow Him to. How much easier it is to accept advice from a person who has been through the same experience as you and knows exactly how you feel.
If you are not in any situation you would rather not be in at the moment, don”t judge those who are or their reaction. Chances are you will go through some stuff someday and be called upon to come through not somehow but triumphantly. Dr, Harold Willmington often said, “Believers are either in trouble, coming out of trouble or about to get into trouble!” How do folks manage, without Christ to lead them through?
As I grit my teeth each day to the pain of trying to mobilize this ankle joint, or at the fact that it takes so long to do what I used to be able to do in a half the time, I have to remind myself continually that it has been allowed for a purpose in my helping others along the way, and in that case, it is worth it.
I have had more time to read and pray for people who need it, more time to concentrate on the needs of so many of our friends. I have time to reflect on the events which have passed and recognize why they happened as they did. How important it is to pray for those struggling to come to terms with health issues, who need that special touch of our Heavenly Father, and not only that they will be made healthy, but made whole, having learned that no experience is wasted if God allows it to happen to you.
And maybe also, just maybe, I could become a little more patient after all!

This week Derek Bingham, a Northern Irish bible teacher and author went to be with the Lord after a year long battle with Leukemia. For him the battle is over and the effect he left behind with all his teachings and books will live on for many years. He finished well and is now happier than ever before, having reached the goal and brought many souls to Christ along the way.
We send deepest sympathies to his wife and family and know the lord will bring comfort and solace to their hearts. But again we need to take a look at the example we are leaving behind. Who will remember we existed a year after we leave this earth? More importantly, who will be in Heaven because we told them about Jesus or helped them in some other way to find Him?
Children are often asked in school to write down a few words which characterize their parents and what they say can be amusing. I remember, our son Bryan telling us that all the kids in school were asked to say what jobs their fathers did. I know nowadays that question would be politically incorrect as half the kids don”t know their dad”s and of those who do half the fathers have no work! But in those days it was still a valid question.
Bryan was a bit upset and when we asked the cause, he said it was unfair that all the other dads were truck drivers, mechanics, even a doctor and a racing driver. Still we did not see the problem until we asked what profession he had chosen for his dad and he replied, “I told them Dad preached at people and stuck stuff with Superglue!” Bryan obviously did not see that as a glamorous profession at that point in his life!
We had a good laugh at that before explaining to Bryan that his dad had the most important job there is, to be an Ambassador for Jesus Christ and have the privilege of bringing other people to Jesus to be healed, forgiven and made ready to live in the heavenly Kingdom. (He did also do many repairs on homes, toys etc and was often seen with duct tape or superglue to do the job).
While Derek Bingham was known to many, will be remembered for a long time and obviously loved His job of serving the Master, there are believers who have spent their lives quietly witnessing for Jesus, selflessly giving to missionaries and believingly praying for those in the forefront of the battle. Although these folks will possibly not be remembered by many on this earth, they have built up their treasure in Heaven and will reap their reward when the Lord tells them they did their job well. We are aware of many who remember us daily before the throne and know the feeling of being upheld in prayer as we partner with them in spreading the Good News.
As believers, we should be telling and showing others the way to Jesus first and foremost in our lives and everything else will fall into perspective, as we realize that “only what is done for Jesus will last.” Recently we met a man who buys Bibles with any extra money he has and he gives them away to people he meets. You think that is not spectacular, but he is not even a Christian. He began reading the Bible and found so much good stuff in it, he decided to share this happiness with others and give out as many as possible. Do we as believers have such a willingness to share or even give literature to those who need to hear? I think we would do more if we realized the importance not only of the legacy we leave behind, but the fact that we bring our treasures with us to share in our heavenly home. Ask the Lord to help you see opportunities this week, to prepare the hearts of the people and then in His Strength speak for Him. You will be amazed how needy people are and how open to the Gospel.