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ezekiel

Fri, 20 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 48 - The LORD Is There

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CDBD

Ezekiel 48 outlines the division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel and the city of the Lord. The division of the land shows that in God's Kingdom there is a place for all who believe in and obey the One True God (John 14:1-6). Ezekiel 48:1-7, 23-29 details the allocation of land to the tribes of Israel. This reminds us of God's faithfulness in keeping His promises. Despite Israel's history of rebellion, God remains true to His word. So, let us continue to trust in God's faithfulness, even when circumstances seem challenging. Remember that God’s timing is perfect, and His promises are sure. Ezekiel 48:8-22 describes the holy district set apart for the Lord, including the sanctuary and the land for the priests and Levites. This highlights the importance of holiness and dedicated spaces for worship. The pressures of everyday life may cause us to lose focus and forget God. That is why worship is so important . We need to dedicate time and space in our daily lives for worship and communion with God, which includes prayer, reading the Bible and reflecting on His words. The book of Ezekiel begins by describing the holiness of God that Israel had despised and ignored. As a result, God’s presence departed from the Temple, the city and the people. The book ends with a detailed vision of the new Temple, the new city and the new people, all demonstrating God’s holiness. No matter what challenges we face today, remember that God ‘s plan is always good for us. So, let us continue to hold on to the eternal hope we have in Christ and to look forward to the fulfilment of His promises in His glorious Kingdom, where God shall dwell with us, and we will be His people, and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE (Ezekiel 48:35).

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Wed, 18 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 47

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God subjected Ezekiel through an immersive experience in the vision of walking in the river. From Ezekiel’s first account that the water reaches his ankle, to the next encounter where the waters reaches his knees, to the point that the waters reaches his waist and finally when the waters became so deep that it was impossible to walk but one needs to swim, and even so the currents are so strong that one cannot swim across. From our personal experiences, such first-hand experiential activities leave a deeper and more lasting impressions, as compared to just seeing (visual) and listening (audial). So why did God use this approach? What key and essential message did He want to impart to Ezekiel? And what bearing does it have for us today? “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.” “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.” The power and significance of the river can be seen through the effects. The teeming vitality, the abundance of life brought about by the healing powers of the river. Jesus proclaimed on the last day of the feast (John 7:38 – 39), “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” And the scriptures continued to explain that the river of living water refers to the Holy Spirit. Paul also declared to us “Or do you not know that your body is the Is this same power that God revealed to Ezekiel manifested in us as well. Do we bring God’s healing power to the people that we meet each day. Do we live up to God’s expectations of us? Have we truly and sincerely do all that we can to repay God for His great love and mercy towards us. There is definitely still much that we must do. Let us continue to stir up and encourage one another as we see the day of the Lord approaching. “But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt.” Alas, we do see also that there are areas that the healing power of God do not reach. Let us however not be mistaken thinking that it is the limitation to the power of God. Rather, it is sadly the deplorable state of man’s heart as Stephen declared in Acts 7:51, “ Let us thus guard our hearts with all diligence, that we do not fall in the same error in our ways. Let us not be the barren fig tree that waste the ground (Luke 13:6 – 9), nor should we be the enlightened but to fall away and put our Lord to open shame (Heb 6: 4 – 8).

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Mon, 16 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 46 - A Prince Amidst His People

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“The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out.” – Ezekiel 46: 10 Intermittently highlighted throughout this chapter is the integration and interwovenness of the prince’s movements with his people. He is not exempt from the coordination of movements and activities within the temple – uses the same entry and exit routes as his people and does not make himself the exception to rules and regulations. As in Deuteronomy 17: 20, this prince is a royal whose heart is with his people, whose mind is not lifted above his brethren. This is a prince of the people, whose top priority is in living a life in sustained communion with his people. We go about our days differently – some of us start each day looking forward to the end, some of us move through the motions, and some of us work for meaning and sense of satisfaction. Regardless of perspective and approach, how often does the thought of Jesus cross our minds? With every next step, do we remember Him? Do we trust that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is in and within our midst, in and amongst us, His people? Regardless of the furiosity or frivolity of our lives’ issues, are we living testaments of Jesus’ unwavering, most times seemingly unassuming, abidance? As we map out and carry out our heart’s plans everyday, weave in and out of crowds of distractions and commotion, may Jesus and His footsteps, in full view, remain.

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Fri, 13 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 45 - When God wants to dwell among His people…

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CDBD

From chapter 40 until the end of Ezekiel, God foretells of a glorious future for His people: when, after thoroughly measuring the temple (chapters 40 to 42), God’s glory re-enters and re-fills the temple (43:4-5). Thereafter, God promises that He will dwell amid the children of Israel forever (43:7). However, there is one condition: there cannot be anymore defilement of God’s temple, including uncircumcised foreigners (44:9) and in terms of the priests’ lifestyles and conduct (44:17-27). Ezekiel 45 continues from chapter 44 with God’s requirements for His people, including the princes (i.e., leaders) and the whole nation, when He dwells among them. The chapter starts with God’s instructions for dividing the land of Israel. He instructs a bigger area to be allocated for Himself compared to the area for the prince and people. The area for the prince and people is 25,000 cubits long and 5,000 cubits wide (45:6); whereas God’s area, albeit the same length, is double in width (45:1). Reflecting on this: today, how much ‘space’ does God occupy in our hearts? Does He have a bigger space than our personal wants, worries and aspirations? The amount of ‘heart space’ we give to God shows in how submissive we are towards God in our lives – the more God fills and controls our thoughts, the more we will align our speech, conduct, and decisions with His will in the Bible. Ultimately, with continual spiritual nurture, God should not just occupy ‘a big enough space’ in our hearts, but all of it, filling us all in all (Ephesians 1:23b) and having complete control over our hearts. There is no limit to the infilling of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34b). Meaning, as long as we live, the pursuit of being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit is a never-ending one. So, let the ‘district’ of God in our hearts be an ever-growing one until He fills all in all. Leaders who are just and righteous, instead of oppressive towards the people (Ezekiel 45:9); leaders who use honest measures (verse 10-12); and leaders who will help make atonement for the people’s sins by preparing the various offerings to God such as the burnt, grain, drink and sin offerings (verse 13-17, 22-25). In short, these leaders, together with the priests and Ezekiel (verse 18-20), were to actively bridge the people to God. Today, as long as we are in the True Jesus Church, we are also supposed to actively bridge people to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). How active and faithful have we been in our daily ministry of reconciliation? Reflecting on the three requirements of God for His leaders mentioned earlier: By shunning sin, including sins against others; by carefully following all of God’s moral standards in the Bible; and by faithfully praying for the salvation of others, God will zealously work through us to reconcile the whole world to Himself. Then, we will be approved by Him as good and faithful servants worthy of entering His joyous kingdom (Matthew 25:23). Not because of their great numbers or any other physical merits, but simply because of His great love and because He is a God who keeps covenants (Deuteronomy 7:7-9). In return, as His people, God wants our complete love in the form of complete obedience to His commandments. This means letting His Spirit fill and control us ceaselessly and living a life of zealously bridging our world to God. Amen.

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Wed, 11 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 44

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After entering the temple, the glory of God was recorded to have filled the temple (v4). God let Ezekiel witness the majestic view of the glory of God filling the temple. Subsequently, God commanded Ezekiel to carefully note down all of His laws and ordinances. These laws governed various aspects of God’s sanctuary, including who shall enter it and how the priests should minister their duties there. These laws are important because there must be separation between the unholy and holy. As the glory of God which is holy has filled in the temple, nothing unholy should come near it, lest they will defile the sanctuary. Another group of people who are not allowed to come near His Holy Place are the Levites who are unfaithful. These were the Levites who strayed away from God after their idols (v10). For their unfaithfulness, God counted them to be unworthy to continue ministering to Him as priest. Instead, they shall bear their shame. Whereas for the priests from Zadok’s lineage, God gave the honor to enter His sanctuary to minister to Him. Even more, God is their possession and meaning that all of the Israelites’ offerings would be theirs. For their faithfulness, God will continue to bestow upon them the responsibilities to play the roles of a teacher, judge and most importantly priest in His sanctuary. Reflecting on this, are we holy and faithful towards God that we are able to serve Him? May God guide us to be able to keep His laws and keep our holiness as God is holy (Lev 11:44a).

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Mon, 09 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 43 - God's Glory Returns To The Temple

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CDBD

After a lengthy tour rich with details of God’s new temple, Ezekiel watches his guide measuring the external temple dimensions. The section ends with the image of a wall and God’s purpose for this temple: “to separate the holy areas from the common Holiness is key for God’s glory to return and fill this temple in the vision (Eze 43:2-5). After all, a lack of holiness caused God’s glory to depart from the temple. To His people, God instructs, “No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name.” (Eze 43:7) We, too, have the great honour of receiving the Holy Spirit today and becoming God’s temple (1 Cor 3:16-17). But this is more than just accommodation logistics. Being God’s temple has much to do with When God resurrected the dry bones of Israel into an exceedingly great army, being the Spirit’s temple was part of it. God declared to them, “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live” (Eze 37:10, 14). As God’s temple, we are called to live out holiness: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor 3:19-20) But we are not alone, for we live when we overcome our sinful nature with the Spirit’s help (Rom 8:13). Having the answer to history’s perennial question of achieving immortality is a wondrous thing. So is witnessing God’s glory fill the temple. Thunderstruck, Ezekiel falls on his face. Isn’t it incredible that the glorious God chooses to make you His temple and home (Jn 14:23)? We need to be renewed in our sensitivity to God’s awesomeness. So shatter the shell of numbness cementing over your heart. Brush away the sediments of sin and the dust of doubt. Renew your actions through this glorious truth: God chooses to make you His temple. Let His glory be shown to the world through you.

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Mon, 02 Sept 2024

Ezekiel Chapters 40-41

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From Chapter 40, it marks the start of the vision shown to Ezekiel of a new temple that is to be built in Jerusalem. Did your eyes glaze over as you read the 2 chapters? Imagine you were Ezekiel and you were told to pay close attention to everything that he was being shown and then go and tell the people everything he had seen. 4 ~ Ezekiel 40:4 ~ What follows is Ezekiel being first led to see the Eastern Gateway of the Temple, then the Outer Court, Northern and Southern Gateway to the Temple, Gateways to the Inner Courts, where the sacrifices were made, the chambers for the priests and singers. And then, very careful recordings of the dimensions of the different parts of the temple were specified and recorded down. Why do you think this was done? Being a person who is not very detail oriented, I cannot quite understand the need for all the exact measurements to be spelled out. What’s wrong if the measurements are out by an inch or two? Then it struck me. God cares for His people so much that He does not want to leave any stone unturned for His people. In our daily lives many things happen - big or small. Some are blessings and some are trials. Some are good things, some are bad. God is interested in us, His People. Even to the most minute detail! And He has given us specific instructions in His Holy Word for many areas of our life. The question is, do our eyes glaze over the Words from the Bible. Or do we, like Ezekiel, listen carefully and then tell it to others? Last night I had a dream and in that dream, I had a very big pain in my leg and could not figure it out. And for some reason, a Deacon of the church was examining me as if he was a doctor. And then after he diagnose that there was some issue with my leg (could not remember what was said), his conclusion was this… “This is why you need to get better and after that, go out and preach the Gospel!” Tears welled up as I recall this and am writing this now. Was this a rebuke? Areminder? A warning? An admonishment? An encouragement? God through His infinite wisdom. Mercy and grace has given us all the details (truth) of Salvation. Should we not go and tell others about it so that they also know of it? And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ~ Mark 16:15-16 ~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ~ Romans 1:16 ~ Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ~ 2 Timothy 4:2 ~ May we be interested in all the little details that God reveals to us and after listening carefully to it, tell it to others as well.

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Fri, 30 Aug 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 39

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What thoughts spring into mind as we read this chapter? As we read of the utter destruction of Gog, that though they are great in numbers, they cannot stand against the might of God (v11 – 12). As we read of the shocking and shameful treatment of the slain. As we imagine the grotesque picture of every bird and every beast of the field feasting upon the corpses of the fallen. Do we decry and cringe at the carnage, at the horrid indignity on a fellow human. Wondering why our loving God can be so harsh and heavy handed. Are we gleeful and smug that justice is served to the enemies for they must be punished for going against the house of Israel. Or do we rightfully see God’s purpose and intent. “Then they shall know that I am the Lord. So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, And I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” V6 – 9 As Paul and Peter described the nature of God in Rom 9:22 and 2 Peter 3:15 respectively. God desires for man’s salvation. For that He has put off the destruction that man rightfully deserves. But once the period of grace is over for it is only right not to expect an indefinite period of grace), God will take action to protect His name and sovereignty. We should see the awesome power of our Lord and know that nothing can stand in His way. If we stand on the side of God and the love of God abides in us, we shall be victors, regardless of how strong and mighty our enemies are. (Rom 8:31 – 39). Hence in all wisdom, to whom should we pledge our allegiance and trust? And how shall we direct our lives? As the author of Hebrews exhorts us (Heb 10:26 – 31), we must see things in the right perspective. Our God is an awesome God, one that we must fear, honour, submit and obey.

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Wed, 28 Aug 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 38 - Coming Like a Storm, Covering Like a Cloud

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CDBD

In the previous chapter, God prophesies about how He will revive His people Israel with His Spirit, transforming them from a valley of dry bones to His great living army (Ezekiel 37: 1-14). Such a spiritual revival was necessary to enable the Israelites to face a coming enemy in the last days: a foreign nation named Gog, who will come like a storm and cover them like a cloud (Ezekiel 38:9, 16). Furthermore, God states that this event will occur in “the latter years/days” (Ezekiel 38:8, 16), meaning this is a prophecy about the last days. As such, we who are God’s spiritual Israelites through our baptism (Galatians 3:27-29) must note this enemy Gog and prepare ourselves to face him. Here are three things we must note about our spiritual enemy: The time when we can live and worship God safely, freely, and easily is also the time when we are most prone to letting our guards down, perhaps even losing our “walls, bars, and gates” (v11). In times of peace and religious freedom, we may take for granted the ease of coming to church weekly and safely, being able to pray and read the Bible peacefully in our homes and being able to openly practice and preach our faith before others. Yet, here lies the danger: when we, because of such ease, unknowingly slacken in our faith. Remember that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He is always on the lookout for any opportunity to topple us through temptation (Luke 4:13). Therefore, sober up instead of slackening in our safety! Twice in verses 16 and 17, God says, “I will bring you (Gog) against My land.” Not that God will twist the heart of Gog from a godly to evil one and consequently destroy His people. Rather, God already knows the heart of Gog, that it is thoroughly evil (v10); that Gog, upon seeing how God gathers and blesses His people (v8), will respond by devising evil plans to destroy them instead of joining their worship of the one true God. And yet, knowing Gog’s reaction, God is still determined to gather and bless His people anyway. Why? Because God is in absolute control and more than able to quell Gog (v18-22) and deliver His people from Gog’s evil plans; and when this happens, God will be magnified, sanctified, and known to all nations, who can then turn to Him for salvation (v23). Knowing this, our part is simply to endure all temptation, with absolute unwavering faith in our God, until we receive His approval and crown of life (James 1:12). The phrases “coming like a storm” and “covering like a cloud” are used to depict the vastness of Gog’s army (v9, 4-6). Spiritually speaking, they also depict the all-encompassing nature of the forces that attack our faith. Assaults on our faith can come from all areas of our life – our health, our studies, our career, our relationships, our media, our cultural and political systems, just to name a few. Knowing our spiritual enemy will attack us in all possible vital points, we must therefore wear and bear the whole armour of God for complete protection (Ephesians 6:11-17); do not neglect any pieces of this armour! Just like how a storm is preceded by tangible warning signs – the sound of thunder rumbling, the darkening of the sky as clouds gather, the windiness and coldness we feel – the coming of this great spiritual enemy will also be preceded by early warning signs (Luke 12:54-56), such as the prevalence of falsehood and evil (Matthew 24:4-12). May we therefore discern the spiritual “climate” of our times and prepare ourselves for this storm so that we can rise above it, approved by God.

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Mon, 26 Aug 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 37 (Chinese)

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神的灵降在以西结先知身上，使以西结看见枯骨复活的异象。从11节我们可以了解这些骸骨指的是以色列全家，指的是被掳到巴比伦的选民。神的旨意是使以色列回归于祂，重新有神的荣光归回以色列国，重新得到神的生命。以色列说自己的骨头枯干了，指望失去了，他们灭绝净尽了（11节）。枯干的骨头是失去生命好久一段时间的，已经完全没有生命的迹象。比起以色列民曾经见证先知行使人复活的神迹，例如以利亚先知使寡妇的儿子复活（王上17章），和以利沙先知使书念妇人的儿子复活（王下4）；他们不过刚刚死去，尸体仍然完好，或许还有一点体温。然而在这里，这么多的骨干的骸骨贴切地描述了以色列民对于自己的未来的绝望。如不可能在复活得枯骨一样，他们以为自己的民族就此要在巴比伦灭绝消失。然而神的旨意并不是要灭绝祂的选民，乃是要借者苦难让以色列民回心转意。神公义的审判与惩罚里是带着怜悯的，为要重新赐下神的生命，如5-6节里神要使自己的气息进入他们里面，他们就要活了。就如神用尘土造亚当后，将祂的气息吹入亚当的鼻孔，使他成为有灵的活人，成为有神的灵，有神的形象的人。人因为有神所赐的灵，才有属灵的生命。如使徒行传里记载神在五旬节将自己的圣灵浇灌在使徒们身上，那刻好像一阵大风吹过（徒2：2）原文的“风”与“气息”是同个词，好比神将自己的气息吹如使徒们，使他们得着神的生命，就如我们今天真耶稣教会有了神所赐的圣灵，就是有神的生命。与祂得生命连结，要行出祂的旨意。神在以西结书37：10说神要气息进入枯干的骸骨，骸骨便活了，并且站起来成为极大的军队。被掳70年后，神要复兴以色列国，这确实后来在历史上实现了。然而对今天的我们，这里有跟深一层的意义。在末世神以圣灵将真教会兴起后，将传福音的使命付托给我们。我们就如组织起来，属于神的军队，要与天空属灵气的恶魔争战（弗6：12），抢夺灵魂是一场属灵的战争。我们必须靠神的灵所赐给我们的力量来战胜。但愿我们能明白我们原本也如同枯骨，因为罪的缘故，本处于毫无指望的境况。然而因为神的恩典与怜悯是我们得真生命，配成为神军队的一个小成员。愿我们不辜负重任为主争战，抢救灵魂来报答主恩。

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Fri, 23 Aug 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 36

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“Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that Upon reading this verse, hymn 262, I Want a Principle Within, started playing in my mind. Doing anything and everything under the sun that was seemingly right in their own eyes appears to be the signature trademark of the Israelite nation. As we readily and easily point out and analyse each of their sins, all their grievances, deliberate acts of disobedience, are we numb, ignorant or perhaps, in denial of those of our own? Or is pain synonymous with our plights? God’s decisive hand in sanctifying His holy and hallowed name shows us how powerless we are at redeeming ourselves, turning away from temptation for good, and how far we fall short of His standard, how far we’ve fallen from grace. God’s actions also give us a glimpse into His perspective – how He sees us. If we constantly see ourselves as God does, would we not, like Adam and Eve at the beginning of time, be ridden with shame and guilt, then be resolved to live lives of reconciliation with God? May the unspeakable holiness and sanctity of God and His name keep our sights unobstructed towards the stains in our slumbering souls.

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Mon, 19 Aug 2024

Ezekiel Chapter 34 - Reflections On Our Shepherding Ministry

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In Ezekiel 34, God brings a prophecy against the shepherds of Israel, whom God had instituted as spiritual leaders over the flock—His people. Not only had these leaders failed to nourish God’s sheep, they had also abused their power, reaping personal benefits at the sheep’s expense. “The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them.” (Eze 34:4) You and I may not so be so bold to abuse God’s flock as these failed leaders had. It would, however, be foolish of us to disregard these rebukes completely. You likely have others you can look out for in this journey of faith – your sheep. Let us consider: Whatever kind of a shepherd we now are, however our sheep may respond to us, Jesus wants us to always pray and not lose heart (Lk 18:1). The perfect Shepherd is ready to grant us an upright heart and a skilful hand to shepherd His people as David did (Psa 78:72). More importantly, God is the perfect Shepherd. Where we may fail in our ministry, God can do infinitely more. Despite those shepherds’ failings, God says, “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick” (Ezekiel 34:16). Moreover, when you and I are in our darkest days, we have a perfect shepherd who restores our soul (Psa 23:3). Our Shepherd declares, “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God” (Eze 34:31). As you embrace your ministry of shepherding God’s sheep, never stop allowing God to shepherd you. All the sheep of His pasture fare so wondrously fine His sheep am I.

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