BJU Press Blog

Stewart Custer

SHEPHERD

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The work of a shepherd is not for the faint-hearted. The 24/7 needs of a flock of sheep leave no time out for stormy weather or bodily fatigue. And perhaps most difficult of all, sheep are rarely grateful and mostly oblivious to the sacrifices of careful leadership. Long before His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus was giving His life for the sheep. His earthly ministry was one that began in His mother’s womb.

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“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). “But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. . . . And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice” (John 10:2, 4). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). “I am the good shepherd. . . . And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, . . . and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. . . . My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life” (John 10:14, 16, 27–28). “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will” (Hebrews 13:20–21).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 26 reading).]

SEND

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“Sent” is a small but mighty word. It can serve to comfort the most homesick missionary, nerve the most trepid warrior, direct the most perplexed king, and bring honor to the one deemed least likely to succeed. The strength of it lies in the sender, and His all-powerful backing.

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“O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill” (Psalm 43:3). “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:18). “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:14).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: O send out Your light and Your truth.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 19 reading).]

SCEPTER

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In the days of the Old Testament kings, a scepter would be only a welcome sight if it were extended by the king. Only then could a supplicant know that he was accepted. The royal owner literally held in his hand the key to life and death. His was the last word, and holding the scepter signified that his authority was absolute. The verses below use the word “scepter” to represent the power that God has given to His Son. He promises that all who approach Him in faith He will receive. What a wonderful promise!

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“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 40:10). “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth [tumult]” (Numbers 24:17). “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right scepter” (Psalm 45:6). “The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers” (Isaiah 14:5). “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:8).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: The scepter of Your kingdom is a right scepter.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 12 reading).]

SANCTIFICATION

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Sanctification, the process of our becoming more and more like Christ throughout our lives, is nourished by good habits. The two most important habits are the daily study of Scripture and prayer. In Joshua 1:8 the Lord promises success when we “meditate” continually on God’s word, and in Hebrews 11:6 He assures us that He is the “rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” What glorious promises these are to cheer us on in our steady pursuit of holiness!

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“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour” (1 Thessalonians 4:3–4). “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (2 Peter 1:2).

GOLDEN THOUGHT: For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (October 5 reading).]

RISE

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Rising denotes energy. It gets its momentum from hope and strength. For the Christian, rising up is the product of God’s mercy. The psalmist calls the Lord “the lifter up of mine head” (Psalm 3:3). So He will be for us forevermore!

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“At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee because of thy righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:62). “For he [the Father] maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). “We remember that [he] said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:63). “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4). “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Golden thought: He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

[Excerpt adapted from Wonderful Words by Stewart Custer (September 28 reading).]