“¹³And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.” – Ezekiel 34:13-15 (ESV)

What grand declaration is here in these verses. God will care for His flock in a way that only He can. He will gather up all of us that are His children and get us to the places where we are protected and can live in abundance with “good pasture”and “good grazing land”. He will provide for His people.

I am grateful for God and His protection, love, and provision. Knowing that I will be taken to the “good” places when I need it is such a great comfort. I am able to continue doing the work of God and not concern myself with what is to come or how things are right now.

Boy is it easy to say the words in the previous paragraph. It seems to just roll off the tongue and onto the page. The words are easy, the actions are difficult and really take work on my part. I may know, I also must act. When I am able to act, God takes His actions as noted in the verses quoted here. I am His sheep and He wants nothing but the best for me, I have work that needs to be done and that really all starts with trusting Him and doing as He commands.

Sheep are following creatures. They require guidance and looking after as they have little in the way of protecting or providing for themselves. As a sheep to God, I also require guidance and protecting. I am in need of where to graze safely and where to lie comfortably and where to find protection. God provides and it is up to me to lie where He guides me to in order that I may be safe and secure in Him.

When you are in the world, are you looking to protect and provide for yourself? Will you allow God to lead you to the protected and “good” places? What will it take for you to lie where God leads you?

I find myself at a crossroad in the society of today. Although I know the path to take, I am challenged to stay on that path seemingly at a constant pace. You see, I am surrounded by those that seem to only care about themselves and the rest of us are battling to just make it to the next moment. I find that those around me are not really concerned about those around them.

“⁶The wolf shall dwell with the lam, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. ⁷The cow and the bear shall graze; their your shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” – Isaiah 11:6-7 (ESV)

I long for the time when I can feel safe in the presence of those that have been here to destroy. I am looking for the opportunity to be safe in the presence of all. Oh, what it would be like to walk without concern for my own well being.

Now I know what is thought as I go through this study, you have God and therefore you should not be concerned with what is going on in the world and should find solace in the life you have with Christ. Whereas that is true, I am a man and still have concerns for my own tomorrow and how I will continue to be able to do the work God has in store for me. The life I have here in this world is still in front of me and I am still bound to go through it.

I do feel safe in my afterlife, but my now life is not very safe at all. What would things be like if everyone cared as much for others as they do for themselves? I have to believe that we would find ourselves in a world where lions and lambs could lie together and rest. Where bears and cows will graze together.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached,

“⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” – Matthew 5:44 (ESV)

Here Jesus says that we should continue doing His work and for those that are not with us, we should be loving and praying for them that they might receive the word of God into their lives. We should be reaching to God and pleading for their salvation, knowing that only God can give it to them and it is up to them to accept.

I am hopeful, although not naive, that all will take the chance to meet with and accept the love that God has for them. In that, I also hope for the time when all can live together in harmony and in concert together in and for the Glory of God.

What if you were to accept the love God has for you? Would you be willing to live with all, regardless of their station? Would you be able to lie with those that have and will continue to persecute you?

“⁵A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. ⁶A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. ⁷Leave the presence of a foo, for there you do not meet words of knowledge.” – Proverbs 14:5-7 (ESV)

Oh how often I have found myself in the presence of those that are not exactly the example of God. I will admit that I am intrigued by them, and frankly, amused and drawn to, what appears to be their zeal for life. When in their presence, I am fully drawn into their view of things and find myself wondering why and how I can have what they have.

I then sit down here at my writing desk in the mornings, study God’s word and realize that what I see in others, may not, and likely is not, what it seems to be. I find that they are playing an act for the glory they are seeking in this world and are only hoping to draw others into their world with them.

As noted in my ESV Commentary on the verses above, “The verses appear to prescriptive (walk the path of the faithful witness) as well as descriptive (look out for those who manifest lying, scoffing, or foolishness).” I am called to do the work of the LORD and in doing so I must walk the walk and talk the talk. I must also be sure to look out for those that are not walking the path with me, but are looking to knock me off the path that leads to God.

God has a plan for my life and that plan calls for my obedience to Him. I must be fully infused with Him and His glory each and every moment of the day. It is okay for me to be around those that are not followers of Christ, for even Jesus was with them and tells us not to avoid them. But, in my time around them, I am to be the beacon of light for Jesus and not be drown out by the darkness that will emanate from them.

It is up to me to be careful around those that are not of Christ and be sure that all of my actions and words demonstrate that of Christ for all to see. I must be for God.

When you are out in the world, how are you drawn into the company of those not of Christ? Are you aware that they have even drawn you in? What if you were to be for God and were careful around those not of God and became more of the example of Christ in their presence?

Being restless is no way to live my life. As I go to sleep at night, there are times that I am unable to sleep and truly rest. I have so many things going on and the pressures of the world are beating down on me.

“²He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” – Psalm 23:2 (ESV)

Have you ever had the chance to lie down in a green meadow under a tree with as stream rolling by? I can tell you that it is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. In fact I recall a time when we as a family went on a river vacation with a couple of other families, one of which had not gotten away as a family for more than 3 days in quite a long time. We spent the first couple of days going strong and then the evening of the 3^rd day, while sitting at the campfire with the river rolling by we looked up only to find my friend sleeping peacefully. His wife admitted that was the first time she had see that in a while. He and she were so thankful for the opportunity to rest.

When I am with God and following Him, he provides a peaceful, relaxing place to rest and let go of the things that are weighing on me. I have this place with me at all times, it is up to me to lean of God for that comfortable, restful place to rest. God knows just what we need when we need it, and He will not be stingy on providing.

It can be difficult to give up the control we have on our lives. I know that I feel sometimes like if I can just get past this point, I will be able to relax and rest. The trouble is that I continue taking on more and never really give myself the chance to truly rest. It is up to me to follow Christ and allow Him to provide for me the opportunity to rest and relax. Allow Him to remove things from me and I will have the chance to recover and get back to the work that He has in store for me.

I have to remember that my role here in this world is to do the work of God and He will provide all that I need to complete the tasks He commands me. I trust that when I need it, He will provide the restful place in the pasture, under the tree, and by the river to recharge for the next item on the list He has given me.

When you are overwhelmed, are you looking for the place to just rest and relax? Have you had the chance in the past to just lie in the pasture and sleep? What would it be like if you were able to simply trust that God will provide the chance for you to rest when you ask Him?

First of all, what is the greatest commandment?

“⁵You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your might.” – Deuteronomy 6:5 (ESV)

Here that commandment is identified and it is again identified by Jesus in Matthew 22:37, so there is no question as to which is the greatest. But, when should we be teaching that commandment?

“⁷Youu shall teach them diligently to you children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” – Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV)

I spend additional free time studying leadership, change, and service books and philosophies in an effort to always be learning and growing. In those studies, one thing that is constant with is the idea that you should be in constant repeat and reiteration of those thing that you would have people know. Those things that are important should be shared early and often so that they are at the front of mind at all times and can be recalled quickly and thoroughly so that action can be take on them.

When is the time to be teaching the greatest commandment, NOW and ALWAYS.

God granted me the opportunity and privilege to raise two boys for Him. That did not come as the means to just keeping them warm and safe for Him, but I am tasked with helping them to learn and grow as they mature into followers of Christ. That means that I have to be diligent in the action of teaching them what are the important things to carry on with in life. The greatest of these is the greatest commandment to, “love the LORD your God” fully and completely and display that love for Him in their own lives so that they become teachers to those around them and their own children if/when they are given the opportunity to take that role as God directs.

NOW and ALWAYS we are to be teaching the greatest commandment and living by it each and every day.

When you think about what it is that you are teaching those around you, what is it that comes to the forefront? Can those you teach recall and act on those teachings at a moments notice? Are you focused on teaching the greatest commandment NOW and ALWAYS?

“¹⁹Go is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” – Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

God does not have it in Himself to lie. It is not in His character and frankly would go against everything that we know and trust in Him. When God says something I have the belief that He will come through with that in due time. I know that He will be true to His word and it is my duty to do as He commands.

“²⁰Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.” – Numbers 23:20 (ESV)

Those last four words are the ones that I have to hold on to each day. God gives my commands and I am to follow them regardless of the consequences of man. And, I cannot go against those commands. When I follow the Lord, I have an obligation to follow Him to the end and not go back on my words in His name.

God gives me commands and actions to complete and I have an obligation to follow through with them. It is/would be easy to just simply say the thing that gets me rewards here in this world. Balaam had 3 opportunities to win with Balak in this passage and if he would have done so, Balak would have blessed him, but Balaam listened to the Lord each time and found his reward from God to be better in the end.

I am not a great man, but I am a child of God and as such, I have the obligation to follow Him. I must stay strong with what He tells me and give me to accomplish in His name. When I do, I will find my reward greater than anything this world may have to offer.

When you go about in this world, where do your allegiances lie? Are you following the lead of God and sticking to what He gives you? Are you avoiding the lies and following through with what God has for you?

“¹¹You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.” – Leviticus 19:11 (ESV)

What harm can a little white fib do? Well, in the eyes of God, it is still wrong and sinful. You can see here that lying falls in the same context of stealing from and dealing dishonestly with others.

That seems very harsh considering how we sometimes use fibs to spare feelings. I know that I have had in my own dealings with people that have lied to me because they have said they did not want me to worry based on the pressure I was under or other things going on in my life at the time.

In my own experience, lying does not make it better. In fact, once the lie is discovered, there is a greater sense of anxiety, disappointment, and realization of lack of trust with the other person. Wouldn’t it just be easier to get it out in the open so that it can be dealt with as opposed to suppressing the issue and letting fester and grow out of control. Wouldn’t it ease the mind and heart to just deal with the consequences as opposed to putting it off until it is so bad that it creates more problems and anxiety.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks on lying in verses 33-37 of Matthew 5. Here He reminds us that yes and no mean just that, and any other meaning is falsehood.

“³⁷Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” – Matthew 5:37 (ESV)

I am glad that I have the reminders in my life that lying is a sin, and I know that I am still a sinner and will lie. I have Jesus on my side each day to forgive me of those sins as I repent of them to Him. I have to remember that repentance is a daily action and something as simple as a fib counts as those that I need to repent. I shall not lie.

Have you lied to spare the feelings of someone? What if you just took the approach that your “yes” and “no” mean just that? What if you took the approach that you shall not lie?

I ask this question as I finish my study of the word “gather”. I have come to the passage in Matthew where Jesus speaks of His return. Here He speaks of those that mourn and those that will gather.

“³⁰Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” – Matthew 24:30-31 (ESV)

As I have studied, reviewed, and learned, those “tribes of earth” are those that are the unbelievers that at the return of Christ, they have missed their opportunity to receive the gift of salvation and are now subject to the consequences of their choice of the world over Christ. Those that gather are those that have accepted Christ as their savior and will join Him in the fight.

I am glad that I have chosen to accept the gift of salvation and when He comes again, I will gather with Christ and fight along side of Him. So to answer the question, yes, I will gather.

Where are you today, have you accepted the gift of salvation? Will you be one that mourns at the return of Christ? Will you gather with Christ when He comes?

I have heard the statement “if you are not with me, then you are against me”. I always felt as though that was a bit extreme, and then I read the verse in Matthew.

“³⁰Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” – Matthew 12:30 (ESV)

I still look at this verse and think of it as an extreme way of thinking. And then I look at who the words are from, Jesus, and what a difference it makes. I have studied and written that we are commanded to follow Christ and accept whatever consequences might come from doing so. In so much that when we are following God’s law, we are above the law of man and if following God’s law is contrary to man, then so be it and I am liable for the consequences of breaking the law of man. In this verse, Jesus makes it clear where our allegiance lies, with Him.

I have to look closely at the context to make sure that I am not putting more into the verse than it says on its own, and that is why I read and and review the full passage of verses 22-32. Here I find that if you are not in line with yourself, then you are acting against yourself and why would you act against yourself.

If we are true to Christ, then we will be true to ourselves and be alignment with Him. When we are in alignment with Him, we will gather with Him and not drift away on our own. When we gather with Him, then we are with Him.

I work daily to be with Christ in all that I do, although I admit that I have my slips and falls. Thankfully Christ is there to pick me up as He continues to be with me. If I am not with Christ daily, then I might as well be with Satan, for as Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me”.

Are you with Christ each day? What do you believe it would be like if you were? If you are not with Him, were you aware that you might as well be against Him?

This morning as I study the word “gather” I am reminded of the passover where the houses of the Israelite people were spared allowing them to escape Egypt. It was their obedience to God that allowed them to be spared. Here this morning Zephaniah advises to gather again.

“¹Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,” – Zephaniah 2:1 (ESV)

Here is a simple verse to advise actions that have great reward. But it does not stop just there in the direction. There are a number of times to gather and in the following verse Zephaniah explains when this gathering should take place.

“²before the decree takes effect—before the day passes away like chaff—before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD.” – Zephaniah 2:2 (ESV)

Gathering should take place now. There is no time to wait, no time to put it off. I don’t know when the LORD is coming back and as such, I should be repenting and gathering with my fellow Christians to fellowship with God.

“³Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands, seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD.” – Zephaniah 2:3 (ESV)

As I am gathered with my brothers and sisters in Christ in fellowship with Him, I am to lead a life of righteousness and humility. I am to seek those qualities and live them out each day. As I do, I just might be passed over and accepted as a child of God and allowed to enter into heaven as God is passing judgment on this world.

I know that I have accepted the gift of salvation, but I am a sinner and continue to sin every day. I have the opportunity to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ each day and demonstrate my salvation through righteousness and humility and I continue to work doing the will of God in my life.

When you are in the world, are you seeking righteousness and humility? Are you seeking the council of your brothers and sisters and in fellowship with God? Are you gathering together and repenting to escape the destruction in the world?