Daily Dose of God’s Glorious Love

12/1/2021 Hope is not what we will get for Christmas but Christmas itself. Christmas means Christ mass meaning Christ in the flesh. In the manger Jesus wrapped Himself in human flesh and walked among us for about 33 years. Such a God showing such a love is hope!!! This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope. Grace is not what we will give for Christmas but Christmas itself. Christmas means Christ mass meaning Christ in the flesh. In the manger Jesus wrapped Himself in human flesh and walked among us for about 33 years. Such a God showing such a love is grace!!! From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.  

11/30/2021 The season before Christmas day is Advent. Christmas is more than a single day but a season of preparation and waiting for the advent of God the Creator into Creation. It is a season of the advent of the coming of Jesus as a child to bring the fullness of grace and the advent of the coming of Jesus Christ as King to complete grace and bring a new heaven, a new heaven and a new us! T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

11/29/2021 Hope is a mystery to us. A mystery in how it works. A mystery where it comes from. A mystery it knows when we need it most. But maybe the mystery is answered in that God is the source of hope and is indeed hope itself. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope. If we were to apply grace to the worst circumstances in the world what would happen? How would grace impact fear, anger, hatred, rioting, genocide and so many other human “traits”? How would grace impact these if it were applied by both sides? To quote from the King and I “ it is a puzzlement ”! From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.  

11/28/2021 If today is filled with pain and suffering should I give up on hope? Some days are filled with pain and suffering for me. At times physical, emotional, spiritual and sometimes a combination of any of the three. In these days I most need hope. Mark Lowry says one of the most important statements in scripture is “ it came to pass ”. We have the hope that whatever we face is not for the rest of time or for eternity but “ it came to pass ” and it will. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope. Grace means God treats me better than I deserve. Grace means I treat others better than they deserve. From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.  

11/27/2021 Thanksgiving can be more than just a holiday (holy day) if we practice it every day. And as giving thanks is not natural to us like complaining and being grouchy it does take effort and practice. Thanksgiving can be especially helpful to hope. Remembering all the good God has done in our lives encourages us to have hope in God’s faithfulness in the future. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope. Grace is beyond human reason and natural experience and is indeed supernatural in its nature. As a gift of God grace does what is not possible and enables us to act in impossible ways! We can forgive those who have harmed us and love even our enemies! Give thanks for grace and even more for the God who offers it to us! From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.  

11/26/2021 There is a way to give strength to hope and seeing grace in our lives and that is by giving thanks. Giving thanks is not just a one day a year time when we can do everything but give thanks. Giving thanks should grow from giving thanks for what we have to giving thanks what we have is enough! The enemies of giving thanks are ingratitude, envy and selfishness. These three blind us to hope and pervert our understanding of grace. Give thanks in all things, for what you have, for what you don’t have and most of all for the God Who makes all this possible. T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

11/25/2021 Thanksgiving is not natural to fallen humans but requires thought and effort. Thanksgiving is harder when it seems we have little to be thankful for. President Abraham Lincoln called for a day of Thanksgiving for the nation to pray when the Civil War seemed to be. Lincoln saw the need for thanksgiving even in the face of losing your community and even country. We may even need it more in the face of such loss! In the end we have everything if we have God, for then God has us!!! T his is a combination of my Hope and Grace Journals.  

11/24/2021 Just as joy is so much more than happiness hope is so much more than a wish. A wish and happiness have a short life and are not dependable while joy and hope not only continue in bad times but can actually strengthen you in them. This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope. Grace is so much more than mercy. Mercy is forgiving someone who hurt you but grace is paying for what they did so they can be declared not guilty. God did this for us as Jesus died on the cross paying for our sins. From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our rela

“ Maybe what we need is not self esteem, but God esteem! For God values you so much He gave His only begotten Son for you! It wasn’t enough for the Father to die but the value God has placed on you is more than that. For the greater and harder sacrifice is to give your beloved child for others!” Ronald Ramsey  

11/23/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 13 “ 1 ¶ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if Go

11/22/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 12 “ 1 ¶ “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” 6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find g

11/21/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 11 “ 1 ¶ «A Psalm of David.» The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6 NKJV) I have often taught there could not be a Psalm 23 without Psalm 22. How can I trust the Good Shepherd without knowing about His love for me and that He will be faithful? Because of Psalm 22 we can trust Jesus to be with us as we “ walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. Because of the

11/20/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 10 “ 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. 27 The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. 28 For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations. 29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. 30 Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.” (Psalm 22:26-31 NLT) What a description of the outcome of the Passion of Jesus! The sacrifice of Jesus was for everyone whether they were poor or were Jew or Gentile. And the effect of the Passion would work not only for all people but all people of all time. Is this similar to the words Mar

11/19/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 9 “ 22 ¶ I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. 23 Praise the LORD, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help. 25 I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.”(Psalm 22:22-25 NLT) We asked in the last lesson about the “Lord” answering the prayer of Jesus. You could say God didn’t answer His prayer, but here we see the celebration of all who believe in God because the “Lord” did not relieve the suffering of Jesus. By not saving Jesus the “Lord” brought salvation to His people as He heard their cries for help . In response to God’s work in Jesus His people respond with praise and worship.

11/18/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 8 “ 19 O LORD, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid! 20 Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs. 21 Snatch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen.” (Psalm 22:19-21 NLT) When Jesus was on the cross He took on all the sin of all of humanity for all time and indeed became sin! It is impossible for me to understand how the Trinity could be broken as God had to “forsake" Jesus and how God can die! Interestingly the word dog comes from the word meaning to “yelp or to attack”, the word lion from the word meaning violence and wild oxen from “unicorn” and could mean a rhinoceros which used to live in the Holy Land. As you hear the pleading of Jesus from the Gospels how did the “Lord” respond? Does it make God mean or terrible for not answering His Son’s prayer? Does it make God mean or terrible for not answering

11/17/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 7 “ 14 My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. 15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. 16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. 18 They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.” (Psalm 22:14-18 NLT) It is amazing to realize the only description of the crucifixion of Jesus is not found in the New Testament but in Psalm 22. Doctors see this description of the suffering of a person on the cross as detailed and authentic. Verse by verse we see not only a description of crucifixion but a description that fits into the New Testament description of the crucifixion of Jesus. Death from crucifixion usua

11/16/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 6 “ 11 ¶ Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. 12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! 13 Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey.” (Psalm 22:11-13 NLT) At times it seems the angriest and meanest people are those who are religious. Jesus ran into those people in His day. Over the years I have come to believe that religious people are angry because they are trying to fulfill every jot and tittle of the law. Unable to do this they are left angry at themselves and at the God who “made” them do this. They are also angry at those who do not suffer as they do. But God doesn’t ask us to come to Him through religion but through an admission we cannot keep the law and thus need to seek forgiveness through Jesus so we can have a relationship with Him. Have you been hurt by someone in the Church

11/15/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 5 “ 9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. 10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.” (Psalm 22:9-10 NLT) Have you ever felt that God was distant from you? In times of trouble and pain we can so center on the “giant” before us that we can no longer see God. But look at the intimate part of God in your life God has played and still is playing. Looking at verse 9 what does this say about God’s care and concern for you? Looking at verse 10 what does this say about God’s care and concern for you? Hopefully you have read all of Psalm 22 by now, does Psalm 22 help you believe God cares for you? What does verse 10 and indeed all of Psalm 22 say about how God values each person? “ Maybe what we need is n

11/14/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 4 “ 6 But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, 8 “Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!”” (Psalm 22:6-8 NLT) “ Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me” We say this childhood ditty to help us feel better but we all know of words spoken either to us or about us that still bruise and tear our soul. Words can be more harmful than and beating or physical abuse. The words that hurt the most are the ones where we are most vulnerable because we ourselves believe them. The verses above bring us back to the last lesson and we see the cries of those who really feared Jesus hit so close to home with the questions of His heart at this time. Please understand bully’s and put downs are only the attempts of those who fear oth

11/13/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 3 “ 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.” (Psalm 22:2-5 NLT) I wonder if there is a person who hasn’t felt God was silent and didn’t care? It is amazing to think Jesus believed the Father was not there for Him as He suffered upon the cross. A separation between God the Father and God the only begotten Son seems impossible but from lesson 2 we see this is true! But His answer was to understand that God still deserved praise and that by remembering God’s faithfulness in the past Jesus could have faith now. When have you prayed and experienced only silence from God? How should you respond to that silence? Thinking of the

11/12/2021 Psalm of the Good Shepherd Part 2 “ For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Doe of the Dawn.” My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?” (Psalm 22:1 NLT) Sometimes we forget the Psalms were meant to be sung. They are hymns from the Old Testament times that still speak to our hearts. I always find an irony in the tune “Doe of the Dawn” which is used to sing this Psalm. As you read this passage remember the Trinity prayer and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Why do you think the tune “ Doe of the Dawn ” was used for this Psalm? Have you heard these words used in other places in the Bible? If so where and why do you think God did this? Have you ever felt abandoned by God? How could this verse help those who feel abandoned? Can this verse help you as you minister to those who are suffering?  

11/11/2021 To prepare for Thanksgiving I share a study that helped me discover hope in the pain and suffering faced as I went on disability. May it help you see all we sheep have to thankful for. Psalm of the Good Shepherd By Ronald Ramsey June 2017 Introduction The crucifixion of Jesus has always been a part of being a Christian to me. All my life I have experienced a lot of pain and as I grew up without Jesus I began to drink to not deal with the pain and ended up with a terminal blood disease. When I came to Jesus He healed me from the blood disease and the addiction to alcohol though I still struggle with an addiction to pornography . But I was still left with the weariness of struggling with the addiction, the physical toll on my body and the terrible memories that filled my soul even as I tried to shut them from my mind. So the pain continued with seasons of the year and changes like the tides. Pain was always there just worse at times. Recently the

11/10/2021 Does seeing your glass half empty (or even all the way empty) mean you are without hope? Being such a person I believe I can answer that question as well as anyone or better. No . Just that simple. Each of our minds, life experiences and situations are very different. Could it be those who see the difficulties and needs in life are more likely to see the need for hope and help? This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope. The hardest part of grace for humans could be having to admit we need grace. In the fall we see our deep desire to be our own god and not need help and our arrogance to believe we can actually be our own god. From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.  

11/9/2021 Nations fall, people groups disappear and we see all the division and destruction surrounding us. It would be easy and very human to despair but with hope and grace we need not despair. Before all that is God was and created all that is. Creation was perfect, beyond our wildest dreams but we broke it. Indeed we killed it. The amazing power of God as Creator can be seen as creation, though dying because of our sin continues its purpose and remains to us a marvel. But soon Creation will run down like a clock and what is will be consumed in fire rather than flood. But with God there is an evermore shall be and we will once again be with God and talk with Him face to face!!! This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope and from my Grace Journal.