Flowers from the Garden of God

Hey👋🏾, ‭ Psalms 23:3a NIV‬ [3] he refreshes my soul... Body, soul and spirit. The three parts of man.  This sheep is pretty poetic, his writing flows from care of his body.. ' he makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he wants for nothing'... ..i nto letting us know that his soul also wants for nothing. Soul food is nutrition for the soul. The OG book lovers would remember this book, ' Chicken soup for the soul'. It contained many short stories that spoke to the soul. Why is our soul so important? Umm maybe it's because it's the decision making part of man, the state of the soul reflects on the body.  This sheep lets us know that even in the abundance his body is enjoying, his soul is also refreshed by his shepherd.  Shepherds are mostly lonely and could walk miles with just them and their sheep. I believe you could imagine them talking to their sheep ( I've watched farm owners literally make reality shows with their farm...

Psalms 23:2 NIV‬ [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, Green pastures for sheep represent food in abundance. Quiet waters probably symbolises absence of crocodiles, water snakes or dangerous water creatures.  What we understand from here is that this sheep is at peace and is quite contented.  He's surrounded by food he can eat for days also he can drink water from rivers without worrying about dangerous sea creatures. All his basic needs are provided for. Jeremiah 17:7-8 speaks on a person who trusts the Lord, whose confidence is in him. ‭ Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV‬ [ 7] “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. [8] They 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.” Also in Psalms 34:10 , it let's us know that the righteous can never go hungry. ...

Hey👋🏿, I hope we all had a beautiful service today 🤗. We continue our series on Psalm 23 We thank God for provision🙌🏿. We understand that provision comes in various forms; edibles, money, land, e.t.c.... infact the appearance of something that soothes a need is provision. As former economics student, we all know that needs are greater than wants as they are priorities and have to be taken care of to live unlike wants which are random desires of the heart. Now we see David writing as a sheep being led by the Lord who is his shepherd and he's saying that because the Lord is his shepherd he shall not want.  There are many ways to look at this and this phrase has been used in many contexts but the one we all agree on is that this sheep is fed well. He lacks nothing because he follows God. And this surplus greatly impacts even the spiritual.  ‭ James 1:5 NIV‬ [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be g...

Hey👋🏿, A series on the Psalms 23... Yasssss.  During the week, I sat with this chapter.  So let's go through this as from the sheep POV.   A shepherd is a sheep's protector, provider and leader. There's no sheep that doesn't have a shepherd, why do I think so? When I came to learn that even these dogs that are on the road rummaging for food and sleeping on the streets have owners that only appear when harm has come go to these dogs so they can collect money for the dog they didn't take care of. This let's us know that there are shepherds who slack off, allowing their sheep to be devoured by predators and on the other side there are the ones who are constant protectors. The shepherds are a profession constantly mentioned in the Bible, from King David to certain prophets and even one of the groups of people who were privileged to see Baby Jesus. It now comes to the question, "Who is your shepherd?"  The Lord is my shepherd. What are the characteristics...

Nothing. James 1:2-4 NIV [2 ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Let's highlight the word perseverance here. Now James said that when you face trials of many kind you should consider it pure joy. That statement includes all kinds of trials. Would you agree with me then, that when someone goes out of their way to cause you problems you should also consider it pure joy? That in that situation where it seems logical to respond with anger, we should instead consider it pure joy because it gives us a chance for the testing of our faith. They say when people encounter conflict their true image comes out. Whether you're a coward, a fighter, a child of God that refuses to be bullied or a child of God that reacts with patience. There will be tests and trials and ...