John 15:7-16 KJV
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want" posted in today's Continual Scripture Study. I think of the word shall not want and ask in John 15:16 if you chose your shepherd today and yesterday? God says he chose us, God says he sent his Son and the price he paid for you and me, was with a beating and a cross, because he loved us. It the only thing we need is love. The things that messes with my mind and is combine for a morning devotion. Now does anyone else see why I take time to unravel my thoughts with a video game, while talking to God. I can crochet, do dishes, or something else when alone, and still talk to God. Perhaps activity has a soothing effect, but in reality being in God's presence should be enough of a calming affect, but I live in a world of multitasking, and constant mind activity. To be still and know God is to be still and know God's presence in choosing each of us for a task, and his will is far greater then anything else in our life will ever be. To write is my time with God, but does not always apply to me what I write beyond the universal application to all that read it.

How do you undo sacrilege, of saying you do not want God. Christ on the cross still said Father(calling him Father) forgive them, laying the blame on the world for the reason he on the cross. Does this hurt, or only part of the problem. Let us blame Eve and Adam for our mistakes. No God gave us the ability to make choices and gave us the ability to desire many things. Do we desire God to be our Shepherd or do we just say He is my Shepherd and I shall not want another, despite the human suffering I may or may not have to go through.

The unwanted kitten named George the other day scratched my husband, he said I going to have to put stitches in his finger. Trust me it did not need stitches, but I am sure it was a little painful. The kitten name George, made our family his. Despite we did not ask or hunt for a kitten, in fact I tried to take him to the animal shelter. It was packed. There was no room, so we waited two more weeks before bringing him in after taking him to an equally packed vet. I wondered, what was wrong with this picture, he chose me, I did not want him. He loved me though I did not love him. I got a dog, because we needed a dog, not because I am a dog lover. Hubby is the one that loves dogs. However I did choose the dog we have. Every day Gizzy grows on me. Now Mongo I did chose him many years ago, and kenny chose him also, but he has a evil temperament. We had cats before but none like him. Some would of gotten rid of him by now, but we did not. Mongo had a six ft distancing rule for the kitten, now after several months it more like two inches. These two cats know there own bowls and do not try to share their bowls unless one is away from their bowl. Dog is just a dog when it comes to food. Patiencely waits for tibbits from her mom or dad. It been six months since the family went from three to five in the small house. What I discovered, Gizzy the dog adores his playmate and adopted George the kitten as her son. Mongo is slowly taking up with him, but not there yet. The rest of family is bearing the cross of George, as kitten claws are out without regard to what he swatting.

Israel was in need of a shepherd in their life, God had already chosen them since their Father/ancestor Abraham. Abraham far from perfect, but a man that believed God and obeyed God. There was Moses who really did not want to journey with God and even tried to resist, but went in obedience to God(Exodus 4) or was Moses scared because God knew he killed two Egyptians. Wrestle with it awhile when you read Exodus 4. Moses defend his ancestors by birth the Hebrew people(Israelites). What we have is God's people not always ready to follow, not always ready to do the will of God. Gideon laid a fleece out for a sign God was even speaking with him. Where are we in faith?

Are we saying "My Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" him, because we are not ready to know God's and his love, or do we choose God back. Then John 15:16 says I choose you, you didn't choose me. I tell you a the story of a kitten name George and his siblings, all in need of a home, but each one looking at their new companions quite differently. Mongo cuddly and then became a demon after a few years. Where did Kenny and I go wrong in our relation with this cat? Our relationship with God begins sometimes with resisting his will for our life, when one continue to choose idols like many foreign kings did that had an encounter with God it is much like mongo. Ruth the Moabite claimed Naomi's God has her God. God had chosen her to help Naomi, to walk the road with her to her home, and to care for her, did Ruth understand? I do not now the answer. Ruth was chosen to be in the bloodline of King David and Jesus.

We make choices every day but do we desire God. We can be like Mongo the cat and love no one, or be like George and love everyone. We can be picky who we choose to love. Yet God loved the whole world. Yet the world does not always love back. Don't worry George the kitten is adored, despite personal injury suit against him by kenny. Now with this in mind, God tell us to love one another, that if we love him is to love the world also. The question is do we choose not to love based on what? Sin, evil and ways of destruction are only things not people. People are choosing many things and ways, that effect their own freedom of choice. All those things are corruptible and destructible. Even men of destruction have allies either by force or because they are in agreement to the evil agenda. Let us ask if we are fighting sin can we demonstrate love like Christ did on the cross. By man's laws Christ would die, but God's law Christ would live. When one segregate ourselves from others our light of love can not be seen in the world this may cause our own persecute and rejection, because they understand not that they want them to join us in a place that God is creating for us, to live by his rules of love in this new place. Believers are called to share the story of God's love, no one else is. The disciples were called to even go to their own maryterism sharing God's love for humanity. God is not our enemy, we make him our enemy in our own mind, thinking God has it out to destroy us and he only wants the good things for us and even wants to grant the desires of our heart.

A man had a ball, and the man gave it to a boy. That boy had his favorite ball player sign it. He decided he did not want the ball so he gave it to his sister, who put a smiley face on it. She decided she did not like it and gave it to her little brother, who took it and threw it to his dog. The dog took the ball and buried it for safe keeping. The man dug it up when he went to plant flowers for his wife, and he looked at the ball and all that was on it. That was not the intent or purpose of the ball. The ball was for playing with it, teaching the children to have fun together and no one had interest in sharing the ball, except to give it away to eventually be buried in mom's flower bed.

Often people are to eager to get someone out of their way and to busy to take time for a person that they bury it, but on it has the mark of the star that signed it, because he cared for the boy, the girl, the brother and the dog. Yet no one wanted the ball he signed, because the man dug it up to find his mark, but no one wanted to play with the ball. We all want God blessings in our life, but do we interact with others, or love others with God's gifts of love from above. The food we eat, the water we drink, and the things God created are signed by God. How do I know. I take a tree and I can not recreate wood, grass, and other substance without a seed, that God created. I can not create faith, without being able to plant within the soul of man the word of God, the seed of his word their. I can sow it and toss it, but God does the planting, I can bury God's word and God will raise it back to life. What I can not do is bury it and make it grow. I can not pass it and expect it to take root in another person's life. God's Spirit must do that.

People that afraid of a minister should ask themselves can he make you receive one thing he tells you? Can he make you receive Christ in your heart. Can he punish you to receiving it, or lay a guilt trip til you receive the word of God being truth. The sower must sign where he plants a seed, but he or she, can be passed around by the listeners and even buried but God is going to raise them back up. When you see a minister giving selfishly remember he has needs too, he needs love too, he needs help too, and he puts his shoes on the same way as you. What he carries to you, you will share when you receive your God's word too, even if you yet to accept that truth. God sends his love for us all to receive, but many reject his word. His word has two things in it a way of protection if taken and way of destruction if not heeded. If you follow Christ word you will be protected if you follow in the path of righteousness, yet it does not mean you without persecution. Love is the only thing worth fighting for and to fight one must use love, give love, because the world understands not that unconditional love of Christ. It easier to judge and condemn then to love. Jesus said if we ask anything in his name it would be given. However God chooses when, where, and how. Everything in the life time according to God's will and purpose for a child of God.

Dear Heavenly Father, you demonstrated your love even when we were still sinners, Christ came to pay the price for our sin, to love, to heal, to deliver us from the chains of this world from us. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Psalm 23:1 KJV
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.