Kept

During my recuperation, my sister, Pamela Jo, gave me a subscription to Ancestry.com. I discovered my family tree went back to the Middle Ages (1400’s) in Lamberhurst, Sussex, England. There, my 13th great grandfather, William John Fowle, a knight, was born in the Wadhurst Castle.

The surname “Fowle” was an occupational name for someone who was a keeper of sheep. A spelling variation of “Fowle” is “Fauld” (fold), a word used for one who worked at the sheepfold, or a person who was a shepherd.

In Lamberhurst, the village of my ancestor’s birth, is an ancient church where there is a stained-glass window of the “shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night” (Luke 2:8).
“Lamberhurst” derives its name from Old English “lamb-burna hyrst”, meaning “lambs’ hill”.

All of this reminded me of how God, the Shepherd of my soul, has kept me throughout my life, especially during my days of recovery from a life or limb emergency surgery.

God Keeps Me Satisfied

When the Lord spoke to Moses, He told him to pronounce a blessing on Aaron: “The Lord bless you and keep you…” (Numbers 6:24). Today, this verse is often used as a benediction in churches. It reminds us that God promises to take care of His sheep. Therefore, I am completely satisfied and contented in Jesus. With David, I say, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

God Keeps Me Secure

The keeping power of God is one of the basic doctrines of Christianity. Those whom God saves, He also secures. That is what Jesus told the Heavenly Father about His disciples: “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept…” (John 17:12). This is how the Bible describes Christians: “…you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation…” (1 Peter 1:5 – NKJV) . I am eternally secure in Christ Jesus.

God Keeps Me Serene

The Bible says: “ You (God) will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3 – NKJV) . I have often reflected on what Paul wrote: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus“ (Philippians 4:7 – KJV) . In my darkest and most desperate days, God has given me His sweet serenity.

I pray you will realize how God is daily, keeping you.

recent

blog

keep calm

Keep Calm

Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster created by the British government to inspire their people before World War II. The placard was intended to encourage the panicked English population during the threat of Nazi air raids. The crown pictured on the top of the poster was meant to give the impression of an

red light bulb

Inspired in a Dark Place

Austin Miles was an amateur photographer. He discovered he could read his Bible in the red lighting of a darkroom. He would often peruse Scripture while he waited for his pictures to develop. On March 1912, while awaiting the photo developing process to finish, Miles picked up his Bible. It fell open to John 20.

DEPARTURE DATE

Demonization (Part 2) Mark 5:11-20 This is the second blog in my series on “Demonization” from Mark 5. Last month’s post covered verses 1-10 from the same chapter. This month’s blog is from verses 11-20. Here, we see three significant “departures” on the same date in Jesus’ encounter with this demoniac who was possessed by

Join My Email List

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2021

SITE BY ADCOCKCREATIVEGROUP