The Cooling Stream

Our Father in heaven, 

Hallowed be Your name. 

 —Matthew 6:9

Words do not have to be many to be meaningful. 

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the shortest and most memorable of all Jesus' teachings. 

The Lord's Prayer brings help and healing.

It reminds us that :

God is our heavenly Father.

God's power is at work on earth, just as it is in heaven.

God provides food, forgiveness, and fortitude for each day.

All honor and glory belong to Him.

There is nothing in our past, present, and future that is not included in our Lord’s brief words that help and heal.

It is easy to speak many words and give little thought to the things we say.

Let us rather spend more time meditating on God and His words. 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;
—Psalm 23:2-3

Sometimes we need to be reminded to lie down.

In Psalm 23, Our Good Shepherd makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters.

God knows that we need calm and rest.

Our bodies need regular rest.

God Himself rested on the 7th day after His work of creation (Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 20:9-11).

Jesus knew there was a time to minister to the crowds and a time to rest. He instructed His disciples to “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31).

When we rest, we refocus and are refreshed.

Rest is a gift. 

 

Rest is a good gift from our Creator who knows exactly what we need.

Praise God that He sometimes makes us lie down in green pastures.

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. — Hebrews 13:17

Pastor makes an easy target for criticism.

Every week he is on display, carefully explaining God’s Word, challenging his people toward Christlike living.

It is easy to overlook all the good things a pastor does, and focus on our personal opinions.

Let's remember that our pastor is not perfect.

Though we must be careful not to follow him blindly, we must only confront his errors through the proper channels. 

Our pastor is faithfully presenting God’s truth and modeling servant leadership. 

Before God, he is responsible for guiding us spiritually. 

We should want him to do his work joyfully and not grievously. 

Causing him grief would be of no benefit to the church.

By honoring our pastor we honor God and make things better for our church.

Let's remember: Every pastor needs the support from his people.

Sometimes, we feel as if we can't go on,

We are tired, we are weak, and we are worn,

But God knows our limits better than we do,

And in His Strength we find the enablement to endure.

Sometimes, our lives are overloaded with fears, struggles, and heartaches, 

We feel that we are in danger of going under,

In those times, let us remember our Heavenly Father,

He is ready to help us carry our load,

Sometimes, the testings of life can be a burden too heavy to bear,

But we can be assured that God loves us deeply; 

He knows our load limits,

He knows... and He is ready to help.

The apostle Peter said, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. —Hebrews 12:2

Salvation is only through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. He had chosen us before the foundation of the world, and He will keep us saved to the end.

Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. He died to save us. Jesus died on the cross to satisfy God's justice and reconcile us with God. Jesus died on the cross to prepare for His people the Way.

Jesus died a humiliating and torturous death. Jesus died for the victory of winning souls. Jesus had victory over death and the grave through His resurrection.

We are to look unto the Lord Jesus Christ, all the days of our lives, in peace and in war, in troubles and in trials.

If God is for us, who can be against us?