The common theme of all the messages I have heard preached lately, all by different ministers, pertain to the need for REVIVAL!
I could caption some of the messages like this: “Cast the net on the right side of the ship” from the book of John, Chapter 21; “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” found in the book of Psalms Chapter 51.

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” This statement is part of Paul’s closing instructions from his letter to the Churches in the region then known as Galatia.

I just want to take a moment to write down some random thoughts that come into my mind as I meditate upon Psalm 23. I have pasted the text below and will comment after each verse.
Psalm 23:1-6 KJV; A Psalm of David. David knew a lot about sheep and shepherding. In 2 Samuel 7, as David sits in his palace admiring its splendor, Nathan the prophet reminded David where God has brought him from. “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:”

A hero is a person, real or imaginary, noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose—especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.
Our need for a hero is so strong that in the absence of a real person we will invent fictional characters to satisfy our need to be rescued. Sometimes we will elevate a gifted athlete, actor or other famous personality to hero status irrespective of any actual heroic sacrifice, simply because we need a hero.

James 4:4 KJV
[4] Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
I really enjoyed writing the first two parts of this series on friends, but in all honesty, I have dreaded writing this last part. It is not my intention to offend or condemn anyone, but if the Word of God offends you, well, then take it up with Him. That being said, Jesus said many people would be offended because of the words he spoke and the things he did.

James 2:23 KJV
[23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
I can’t read James 2:23 without the simple lyrics of “I Am a Friend of God, by Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor, playing in my mind. It’s the kind of lyric that can get stuck on replay in your mind for hours. Which in this case is probably not a bad thing, especially if we associate it with the scriptures the lyrics are based upon.

Part 1
Proverbs 18:24 KJV
[24] A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
I often close conversations with Proverbs 18:24, to remind myself and others of the importance of having friends. Friendships come in various levels, from short-term casual contact, to lifelong intimate relationships.
We sometimes use the word friend very loosely, even casually as a greeting. Many believe that friendship in the best sense is lifelong to the extent that both parties involved would die for each other.

1 Peter 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.
Today we have a lot of misunderstanding regarding what Peter is trying to communicate in the above verse. I once heard a prominent TV preacher theorize from this scripture that Jesus Spirit while he was in the grave literally entered into hell (the under-world, Hades, Limbo, Purgatory, an intermediate place for the lost, choose your own noun) to give a second chance at redemption to those people long dead.
“Houston, we have a problem!”

John 21:12 KJV:
[12] Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
It’s the third meeting Jesus is hosting for some of his disciples after his Resurrection. Like any good host, Jesus wants everyone to be relaxed before they really get into the serious business at hand for them. So he starts his meeting with a fish fry as it were. Fish sandwiches to be exact or at least their version of a fish sandwich, which was simply bread and fish—a highly appropriate meal for a meeting with a bunch of fishermen, cooked by someone that once said, “man does not live by bread alone.” (Matthew 4:4)

Some sermons, or at least the sermon titles, just get stuck in my mind. An experienced preacher will often give their message a catchy title to help drive the point home.
I’ll never forget a sermon the Reverend Ronnie Beeler once preached which he entitled, “Wallowing Around Under a Log with the Mully Grubs.”
I’m fairly sure Reverend Beeler just made up the word “mully,” but I understood what he meant, having turned over many logs as a boy searching for fishing bait.