Our text is one of the most used passages in the bible. It is often used in hospital rooms, on death beds at funerals and in times of trouble and strife. In some point in everyone's life, the 23rd Psalm has meant something special. Every time it is read, something else reveals it self that speaks to our situation and life. When we read the 23 Psalm we are reminded that when we are in the fellowship of the Good Shepherd, we receive great benefits. There are great benefits in walking with God. It is great to know that He is watching out for us. The 23rd Psalm reminds us that it is the responsibility of the shepherd to ensure the safety of the sheep. God will protect us in everything we encounter and so. He leads, He directs, he feeds, He is a companion through he valley. Our specific text reminds us that God restores our soul. Life has a way of bringing unexpected things into our path. Sometimes in life we are not given an explanation why. This passage is re-assurance that we are equipped to deal with whatever comes. The issues in life can challenge our faith. There are times when our faith grows week and our own resolve becomes weary. If not careful, we can allow our life to drift along and become weak in the journey. Like sheep, the Lord's people can often lose our direction. Not on purpose, but by the very nature of the sheep, they will wonder off from the fold and thus find themselves in great danger. How many of us are struggling to make sense of life and cannot seem to find focus? When we find our selves in that position, it is important to remember that God has promised to restore our soul. To restore means to bring back. To bring back from what? From the wondering, the drifting, dispare and frustration. To return it from it's own weaknesses and put it into a place of safety and security. The shepherd has said that he would put our soul back into the right kind of relationship. Another definition of restore is to return. It does not matter how, or why, the shepherd wants to return the lost sheep to the fold. He would leave the 99 to look for the 1. This passage tells us that if we were the only one lost, He would come looking for us. Restore can mean to repair or make over. When we find our selves feeling broken down, God can restore us back to the place we need to be. This kind of restoration involves some work and removing the worn and broken parts. He is able to repair and rebuild. Some people think they can fix us, but it takes God to know what it will take to fix us. No matter where we have wandered, no matter what has been torn down, God can return us to a place and condition that He desires for us. In all ways, God restoreth our soul.

Our text is one of the most used passages in the bible. It is often used in hospital rooms, on death beds at funerals and in times of trouble and strife. In some point in everyone's life, the 23rd Psalm has meant something special. Every time it is read, something else reveals it self that speaks to our situation and life. When we read the 23 Psalm we are reminded that when we are in the fellowship of the Good Shepherd, we receive great benefits. There are great benefits in walking with God. It is great to know that He is watching out for us. The 23rd Psalm reminds us that it is the responsibility of the shepherd to ensure the safety of the sheep. God will protect us in everything we encounter and so. He leads, He directs, he feeds, He is a companion through he valley. Our specific text reminds us that God restores our soul. Life has a way of bringing unexpected things into our path. Sometimes in life we are not given an explanation why. This passage is re-assurance that we are equipped to deal with whatever comes. The issues in life can challenge our faith. There are times when our faith grows week and our own resolve becomes weary. If not careful, we can allow our life to drift along and become weak in the journey. Like sheep, the Lord's people can often lose our direction. Not on purpose, but by the very nature of the sheep, they will wonder off from the fold and thus find themselves in great danger. How many of us are struggling to make sense of life and cannot seem to find focus? When we find our selves in that position, it is important to remember that God has promised to restore our soul. To restore means to bring back. To bring back from what? From the wondering, the drifting, dispare and frustration. To return it from it's own weaknesses and put it into a place of safety and security. The shepherd has said that he would put our soul back into the right kind of relationship. Another definition of restore is to return. It does not matter how, or why, the shepherd wants to return the lost sheep to the fold. He would leave the 99 to look for the 1. This passage tells us that if we were the only one lost, He would come looking for us. Restore can mean to repair or make over. When we find our selves feeling broken down, God can restore us back to the place we need to be. This kind of restoration involves some work and removing the worn and broken parts. He is able to repair and rebuild. Some people think they can fix us, but it takes God to know what it will take to fix us. No matter where we have wandered, no matter what has been torn down, God can return us to a place and condition that He desires for us. In all ways, God restoreth our soul.

Some people make life difficult. Some are of the opinion that if we try hard enough we can change and overcome anything. The truth is that some things cannot be changed. It is not a matter of not trying hard enough, but some things simply cannot be done. God did not intend life to be difficult and hard. God created man in an environment that if he had cooperated, he would lacked for nothing. God provided everything man needed in the garden. The only instruction was to take care of it. Through his actions, man disrupted Gods plan and humanity has paid for that action ever since. The world will tell us that if we have enough will power, we can overcome everything. Will all that we want, our will cannot transform our lives. Bro. Hughes shares a simple concept from God's word that can transform life. It is so simple that most will try to argue that it will not work. The bible tells us differently. In our text, Jesus is talking to people who are under a great deal of stress. They were in fear for their lives. Jesus said this: Consider the Lily. The do not work, but they get better. They do not work at being beautiful, but the Lily is one of the most beautiful flowers that grew in that area. The Lilly does not work to produce, yet they did produce. The did not struggle to grow, but yet they continued to grow. The principle Jesus was describing is this: It gets into a right relationship with the son and the soil and something beautiful happens. The Lilly does not stress and worry, it simply gets into the right relationship with the sun and the soil and it happens. It does not beg God to bless it, it just gets into the right relationship with he sun and beauty happens. When we get into the right relationship with the SON, beauty can happen in our lives too. Happiness, will come. Peace will come. When we live in a proper relationship growth, beauty, bounty, provision, peace, joy, contentment, and happiness all happen. We grow like what we live with. If we live with criticism, we will be critical. The lily knows that if God made us, God will keep us. What we fellowship we will follow. If we fellowship bitterness, then we will be bitter. Jesus came and died for us knowing how many times we would fail. He knew all this and He did it anyway. That tells us that there is enough grace and mercy to save us. When we bring ourselves in aliment with God's will and His law, a peace will come over our life. Jesus gave us the scret of how to de-stress life. Get into the right relationship. This contradicts human nature. Our human nature makes rules that if we follow, we will be blessed. The blessing comes from being in the right relationship. When we are in the right relationship, the rules are not necessary. When we are in the right relationship the rules are a safety boundary not a constraint. If life seems too hard and frustrating, consider the lilies of the field.

Some people make life difficult. Some are of the opinion that if we try hard enough we can change and overcome anything. The truth is that some things cannot be changed. It is not a matter of not trying hard enough, but some things simply cannot be done. God did not intend life to be difficult and hard. God created man in an environment that if he had cooperated, he would lacked for nothing. God provided everything man needed in the garden. The only instruction was to take care of it. Through his actions, man disrupted Gods plan and humanity has paid for that action ever since. The world will tell us that if we have enough will power, we can overcome everything. Will all that we want, our will cannot transform our lives. Bro. Hughes shares a simple concept from God's word that can transform life. It is so simple that most will try to argue that it will not work. The bible tells us differently. In our text, Jesus is talking to people who are under a great deal of stress. They were in fear for their lives. Jesus said this: Consider the Lily. The do not work, but they get better. They do not work at being beautiful, but the Lily is one of the most beautiful flowers that grew in that area. The Lilly does not work to produce, yet they did produce. The did not struggle to grow, but yet they continued to grow. The principle Jesus was describing is this: It gets into a right relationship with the son and the soil and something beautiful happens. The Lilly does not stress and worry, it simply gets into the right relationship with the sun and the soil and it happens. It does not beg God to bless it, it just gets into the right relationship with he sun and beauty happens. When we get into the right relationship with the SON, beauty can happen in our lives too. Happiness, will come. Peace will come. When we live in a proper relationship growth, beauty, bounty, provision, peace, joy, contentment, and happiness all happen. We grow like what we live with. If we live with criticism, we will be critical. The lily knows that if God made us, God will keep us. What we fellowship we will follow. If we fellowship bitterness, then we will be bitter. Jesus came and died for us knowing how many times we would fail. He knew all this and He did it anyway. That tells us that there is enough grace and mercy to save us. When we bring ourselves in aliment with God's will and His law, a peace will come over our life. Jesus gave us the scret of how to de-stress life. Get into the right relationship. This contradicts human nature. Our human nature makes rules that if we follow, we will be blessed. The blessing comes from being in the right relationship. When we are in the right relationship, the rules are not necessary. When we are in the right relationship the rules are a safety boundary not a constraint. If life seems too hard and frustrating, consider the lilies of the field.

For too many people, life is but one celebration after another. There is no thought in the world of judgment, eternity or Heaven and Hell. The world has gone mad with pleasure. Life on this world is temporary. One day we will all have to give an account to God for our actions here. Not many in the world will admit that there is an hour of divine reckoning. There is a record that is being kept, and on that day the bible tells us that if those whose name is not written int he book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. On that day, no earthly poll or ranking will matter. On that day those that are lost, will be lost because of choices that they made, not because of a mean or vengeful God. The only opinion that will matter on that day will be God's. There are some things that we should like the lord to be able say about us. First, we must make the choice to be born again and settle the record of our choice for eternity. On that day the only thing that will matter is our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not saved just because we have membership at a church, but we will be saved because we have been born again of the water and the spirit. We want the Lord to know that we have been born again in a new birth. Secondly we need the Lord to write in His book that we have been obedient to His will. Not that we are perfect and without fault, but that we were obedient to His will. Is He really Lord of our life? It is one thing to be saved, it is another to live saved. His vision for our life is better than ours. He knows the direction our life should go and we must yield to that direction. We are always better off when we submit to Him than when we do not. Lastly we need God to write down that our life is a witness to His love, grace and peace. Our life needs to be more influenced by God's opinion of us than the world's opinion. Our life must back up our profession. We should strive to reflect his character. The records should reveal that we were faithful to His word. We must not conform the Word to our life, but rather conform our life to the Word. We want the record to show that we knew the word and that we remained faithful to the word. The Lord is counting. What do we want him to record? We want him to record what really counts.

For too many people, life is but one celebration after another. There is no thought in the world of judgment, eternity or Heaven and Hell. The world has gone mad with pleasure. Life on this world is temporary. One day we will all have to give an account to God for our actions here. Not many in the world will admit that there is an hour of divine reckoning. There is a record that is being kept, and on that day the bible tells us that if those whose name is not written int he book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. On that day, no earthly poll or ranking will matter. On that day those that are lost, will be lost because of choices that they made, not because of a mean or vengeful God. The only opinion that will matter on that day will be God's. There are some things that we should like the lord to be able say about us. First, we must make the choice to be born again and settle the record of our choice for eternity. On that day the only thing that will matter is our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not saved just because we have membership at a church, but we will be saved because we have been born again of the water and the spirit. We want the Lord to know that we have been born again in a new birth. Secondly we need the Lord to write in His book that we have been obedient to His will. Not that we are perfect and without fault, but that we were obedient to His will. Is He really Lord of our life? It is one thing to be saved, it is another to live saved. His vision for our life is better than ours. He knows the direction our life should go and we must yield to that direction. We are always better off when we submit to Him than when we do not. Lastly we need God to write down that our life is a witness to His love, grace and peace. Our life needs to be more influenced by God's opinion of us than the world's opinion. Our life must back up our profession. We should strive to reflect his character. The records should reveal that we were faithful to His word. We must not conform the Word to our life, but rather conform our life to the Word. We want the record to show that we knew the word and that we remained faithful to the word. The Lord is counting. What do we want him to record? We want him to record what really counts.

If there is a message our world needs to hear today, it is the message of Jesus. This world needs Jesus. Too often we use Him as a second option or last resort. The Bible is full of stories of people who made Jesus their first option and received their healing. It does not matter how long it has taken to make Jesus the first option, He is ready to make a difference in life. There is an advertising slogan for a candy bar that asks "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" The commercials showed people going to extreme measures to get a candy bar. Bro. Long asks: What would we do for Jesus? Would we push through a crowd? Would we get out of the boat? Jesus is all we need. Jesus must be the focus of our worship and of our life. The bible does not tell us what the eunuch in our story was seeking. All it says was that he was reading and wanted understanding. Philip could have just talked about some scriptures and moved on, but the bible tells us that Philip preached Jesus. He was so moved that he had to be baptized right then.The world does not need more answers, it needs Jesus. God send Philip to that man because he was searching. Ne needed something more. God sent a Philip to bring the gospel of Jesus. Jesus needs to be our first response. The simple message from our text today is that we only need to preach one word: Jesus.

If there is a message our world needs to hear today, it is the message of Jesus. This world needs Jesus. Too often we use Him as a second option or last resort. The Bible is full of stories of people who made Jesus their first option and received their healing. It does not matter how long it has taken to make Jesus the first option, He is ready to make a difference in life. There is an advertising slogan for a candy bar that asks "What would you do for a Klondike bar?" The commercials showed people going to extreme measures to get a candy bar. Bro. Long asks: What would we do for Jesus? Would we push through a crowd? Would we get out of the boat? Jesus is all we need. Jesus must be the focus of our worship and of our life. The bible does not tell us what the eunuch in our story was seeking. All it says was that he was reading and wanted understanding. Philip could have just talked about some scriptures and moved on, but the bible tells us that Philip preached Jesus. He was so moved that he had to be baptized right then.The world does not need more answers, it needs Jesus. God send Philip to that man because he was searching. Ne needed something more. God sent a Philip to bring the gospel of Jesus. Jesus needs to be our first response. The simple message from our text today is that we only need to preach one word: Jesus.

The journey of live involves many ups and downs. Some roads we travel are chosen, but most are chosen for us. Life as we know it is full of changes. There will be valleys along the way. Our text begins with great anticipation: He is on his way to the house of God to worship. Our text highlights a place, a valley, that our traveler must go through to reach the house of God. Historians are not able to pinpoint the exact physical location of the valley reference in this Psalm. This Valley of Baca has been translated the valley of tears. Another called it the valley of misery. Though we do not know the exact location, we know that it was bleak and desolate. Our text indicates that he had to travel through this valley in order to reach the house of God. In life, the determining factor is not in it's valleys, but in the traveler who goes through the valley. It is not in the circumstances in life, but in the person that determines the worth of a man. God made the valley, but what we call the valley and what we make of that valley is up to us. Man can be use things, or be used by them. What we discern in this "valley of tears" will determine what we make of it. In our text, the Psalmist decided to make something of the valley they were in. They realized that God needed them to go through this valley in order to reach their destination and that they needed to make something of the situation. The message in our text is not just to grit our teeth an bear the situation until it is over; rather our Psalmist rejoiced and broke out in song in the valley of tears. He looked around and enjoyed a little bit of heaven. Something happened in that valley that transformed it from being a dry barren land to one with pools and springs. They did not make their way through the valley whining and complain, they found God in the midst of their misery. They left behind pools of water to benefit those that came behind them. Life is not what we find in it, but what we make of it. What we find in life is not always pleasant, The bible does not say that they found wells in the valley, but that they made wells. We do not always find life as we want it to be, we must make life what we want it to be.

The journey of live involves many ups and downs. Some roads we travel are chosen, but most are chosen for us. Life as we know it is full of changes. There will be valleys along the way. Our text begins with great anticipation: He is on his way to the house of God to worship. Our text highlights a place, a valley, that our traveler must go through to reach the house of God. Historians are not able to pinpoint the exact physical location of the valley reference in this Psalm. This Valley of Baca has been translated the valley of tears. Another called it the valley of misery. Though we do not know the exact location, we know that it was bleak and desolate. Our text indicates that he had to travel through this valley in order to reach the house of God. In life, the determining factor is not in it's valleys, but in the traveler who goes through the valley. It is not in the circumstances in life, but in the person that determines the worth of a man. God made the valley, but what we call the valley and what we make of that valley is up to us. Man can be use things, or be used by them. What we discern in this "valley of tears" will determine what we make of it. In our text, the Psalmist decided to make something of the valley they were in. They realized that God needed them to go through this valley in order to reach their destination and that they needed to make something of the situation. The message in our text is not just to grit our teeth an bear the situation until it is over; rather our Psalmist rejoiced and broke out in song in the valley of tears. He looked around and enjoyed a little bit of heaven. Something happened in that valley that transformed it from being a dry barren land to one with pools and springs. They did not make their way through the valley whining and complain, they found God in the midst of their misery. They left behind pools of water to benefit those that came behind them. Life is not what we find in it, but what we make of it. What we find in life is not always pleasant, The bible does not say that they found wells in the valley, but that they made wells. We do not always find life as we want it to be, we must make life what we want it to be.