April 1, 2023 ~ Linda K. Milam March Devotions: "The Good Shepherd

 And so, I continue. . .  That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalms 26:7

Psalms 23:1-3 ~ <<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. KJV 

Charles Spurgeon wrote, “I like to recall the fact that this psalm was written by David, probably when he was a king. He had been a shepherd, and he was not ashamed of his former occupation.”

“It [Psalm 23] has charmed more griefs to rest than all the philosophy of the world. It has remanded to their dungeon more felon thoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows, than there are sands on the sea-shore. It has comforted the noble host of the poor. It has sung courage to the army of the disappointed. It has poured balm and consolation into the heart of the sick, of captives in dungeons, of widows in their pinching griefs, of orphans in their loneliness. Dying soldiers have died easier as it was read to them; ghastly hospitals have been illuminated; it has visited the prisoner, and broken his chains, and, like Peter’s angel, led him forth in imagination, and sung him back to his home again. It has made the dying Christian slave freer than his master, and consoled those whom, dying, he left behind mourning, not so much that he was gone, as because they were left behind, and could not go, too.” (Henry Ward Beecher, cited in Charles Spurgeon)

Who is your shepherd? Throughout the Bible, the use of a "shepherd" in comparison to our Saviour is mentioned a number of times, and one of my favorite verses is: Ezekiel 34:12  As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day." This verse tells me that our Saviour will find me no matter where I am. But He can only do that because I am one of HIS sheep. Praise the Lord for the day of my salvation. He is all to me! It is also a familiar idea throughout the Bible that the LORD is a shepherd to His people. The idea begins as early as the Book of Genesis, where Jacob called the LORD the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24). "But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)"

I am so thankful that He never gave up on me, and called me continually as a shepherd calls for his sheep. We are blessed among many!

May the God of all creation give you strength, power, peace and may He ever be FIRST in our lives!

HE CARES! Do You Know HIM?  Lord, help us to be wise, studied up, aware, and faithful to You. Amen.  With love and prayers, may we be your faithful Philippians 2:16 Missionaries?

Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. 

Tom and Linda Milam ~ Missionaries to America and around the world! 

Listen to Bro. Tom on www.wbofradio.com "The Jewel For The Day" program, every Monday - Friday at 6am and 2pm EST.

In the name of Jesus, may we be HIS emissaries and used by Him to help others. 

• SPECIAL PRAYER REQUESTS:  'PRAY BIG'!S

• My Sister Edie hospitalized. . . pray for healing and wisdom for her caregivers!
• Shirley - had pacemaker surgery 4/3/23 pray for healing.

• Nancy Health
• Butch Mays - UPDATE 3/27/23 : BUTCH WAS RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL ON THE 26TH AROUND 2PM. WE PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS PROTECTIVE HAND ON HIS LIFE!  Pray for continuing healing from open heart surgery. ~ Pastor JP Mays dad out of Maranatha BC in Princeton WV.
• David Wiles - ANNOUNCED CANCER FREE AFTER TREATMENTS - my nephew! 
• Remember a post I put out a few days ago!  YOU PRAYED BIG, AND GOD CAME THROUGH! WE WILL GIVE DETAILS LATER! 
• Carolyn healing from skin cancer removal - praise the Lord.
• David Harrison - cancer 3/26/23 UPDATE - Pastor Harrison has stage 4 cancer CAT SCAN revealed NO CANCER IN ANY MAJOR ORGANS! PRAISE THE LORD.   Pray for treatments that will start soon and that his body will be able to tolerate the treatments with no side affects. A praise - His health team are phenomenal - that is so important!
• Also, praise the LORD for the paper Maranatha Baptist IN Princeton WV gave us - Gospel tracts are on the way to the cartel on this paper. . . pray for souls saved and safety for the missionaries who carry it with God's protection. This trip they have been approved by two heads of state in these cartels, to set up a "church" building. They have been meeting in open air areas, and many have trusted Christ as their Saviour! The more that are saved, peace reins in their homes and communities. O the stories that can be told! Pray that God will provide all that is needed! 
• PRINT SHOP ANSWER TO PRAYER!  ANOTHER NEW PAPER PALLET ARRIVING MONDAY 3-13-23, GIVEN TO US BY AN ANONYMOUS donation.  Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD the Print Shop Paper Vendor has located some much needed paperstock, but price per case has gone from around $92 to over $140 - God will supply with your prayers! We are required to take a pallet of 20 boxes! $2,800 
• Dale ~ continued help and healing after losing his precious wife.
• UPDATE: 3/26/23 Baby Knox had to be re-intubated. . . HOWEVER, HE HAS WOKEN and is actually sucking . . . genetic tests still are not back... keep praying
• Sal fell, broke his hip, had surgery. Praise the Lord, Sal is still in rehab, AND as of Sunday 3/26/24 he was up on a walker and sometimes walking without one. Please pray for a speedy recovery! One of our much needed volunteers. Pray he can continue showing improvement and get out of rehab soon.
• David Pierce, Sr. - Losing his vision 3/1/23.
• UPDATE 3/4/23 - little Chloe Rochester's results on tumor revealed that it is stage 3 and will most likely move to other organs quickly. She begins 52 weeks of intensive treatments. Chloe has had her second  treatment. Please continue to pray for her, please pray God will give wisdom to the doctors and her parents.
• Missionary Stan Skriloff recently diagnosed CANCER free, rang the bell yesterday after taking his LAST CHEMO treatment! He is suffering with other issues due to chemo treatments! PLEASE PRAY God will heal him fully and give him strength to carry on the work He loves so much!
• Linda Sue Williams - Please pray Doctors can find answers to her illnesses. 
• Please, pray for our daughter Lita in her health journey with Guillain-Barré syndrome. ANSWER TO PRAYER - MUCH NEEDED EQUIPMENT WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. Please pray that God will move with regards to her future situation in health and finances. Thank you for praying. 
• Bro. Tom's EYES AND SHOULDER - Please continue to pray for his shoulder, and that God would heal it completely. His doctor says Surgery is out of the question at his age.
• Lillian Kendall (my sister) pray for her health.
• Edie Smith (my sister) needs a touch from heaven to heal her body.
• David Douglass - had a knee replacement surgery -  healing
• DJ needs a special touch from heaven. (Shannon's son and she has asked us to pray for DJ - God Knows!) - please pray especially for his mother who is greatly burdened for the right result for DJ.
• Brady Rochester - diagnosed with Parkinson's and Neuropathy.
• Jim Bove ~ Needs a special touch from heaven for some personal issues. God knows! Please pray for his understanding and wisdom in health choices.
• Dolly ~ God knows and has the answers.
• Kaycee Scalise and hi-risk pregnancy. 
• Barbara - last stages of organ cancer. 
• Lorraine - praise the LORD for your healing touch.
• Lorrie - salvation.
• Wayne Corfman - pacemaker check went well but, he has a few more months of monitoring and will get his pacemaker changed out soon. He will be seeing his cardiologist more often. It is hard to believe it is time to get a new one. (Ten years since he died in my car and was revived!) Please pray for wisdom for his caregivers!
• Sharon J. Her mom Kathryn's health.
• Larissa, Helene, Calvin, Dominic, Rocky, Cindy - Our group home folks. Also, please pray for all of their caregivers.
• Pastor Mike Schneider, power and confidence to preach the whole counsel of God!
• Judy Lewis - Pray that her health recovery continues to improve.
• Dickie and Debbie Reynolds - Dickie's pacemaker replacement has been a real help, praise the LORD. 
• Robbie Colt ~ needs double lung replacement after total damage of lungs by covid, also pray in the loss of his father to covid, and his stepmother. 
• Walter - is doing very well after treatment.
• Brenda Milam - wisdom and health (Tom's sister)
• Pam Shumate - Brenda's daughter health
• The Henshaw's health
• John Odom - aneurisms. 
• Louise Odom - cancer treatments. UPDATE: Radiation treatments are starting take a toll on Mrs. Odom's body. 1/2 way through the treatments... pray for her health
• Connie - continued healing. Pray for continued success for Nana's Legacy as well.
• LeeAnn health.
• Pastor Greg Booher - health
• Pastor Bernard Antonis ~ Pastor's lungs are not well!  Pray for Mrs. Carolyn as his caregiver and a healing touch on her body. Most do not have a clue about caring for a loved one through many years. She is exhausted many times.
• These families have lost loved ones to death in the last few months: John Isler, Larry Goodman, Frank Sparks, Lucinda Lane, Randy Rolle, Ruth Kemp, Bill Alley, Keith Cook, Cathy Harrison, Rachel Vance, Gail Tipton, Bob DeSalvio, Gail Tipton, Peters Family, Davis and Tichnell Family, Tudino family, Fuentes Family, DeSalvio Family, Thompson Family, The Toler Family in the homegoing of Donnie, Lucinda Lane Family (my beautiful sister-in-love), Keith Cook Family (our nephew and Tom's sister Florences' son), The Leo Family, The Echeverria Vallejos family in the homegoing of Patricia's father, The Baker Family, Richard Rosenmeier family, Jerry Kruchkow family, the Clingaman family, Carter Family, Mary Nutter Family, PJ's family
• Shannon - health problems, grieving in loss of father. 
• Carolyn Holerger - having numerous "cancer" spots removed from her face, neck and shoulder. Please pray for her pain level, anxiety, and especially her heart. 
• Pray for Sister Cora and her hip healing from a fall and surgery. Keep her in your prayers please. She is still experiencing a lot of pain. Sis Cora has an appointment with surgeon - her pain is not getting better at all.
• Pray for the Printing Ministry - PLEASE Pray our paper supply will continue - we are still not able to purchase COVER STOCK, but we praise the Lord for our previous pastor's wisdom in buying several truckloads of this precious product. Only God knew what we would be facing today with shortages, and we have the "widows' mite" we are working from. We have started negotiating with equipment vendors, particularly for the color and black and white printers! We seek wisdom and discernment in this area!
• Pray for the Mission Team coming in June that we will be able to finish all the work they will do for the few days they are with us.
• Robyn-Health
• Carol and Richard-Health
• Cathy-Health
• Dicky and Debbie Reynolds - health
• Marsha-Health and ankle pain
• Carol and Richard-Health
• Lucinda Lane Family - pray for my brother Joe. This is a hard transition for anyone, but his health is poor as well.
• Paul Tipton - pray for Bro. Paul home giving ministry updates and getting ready to go back to serving God in Nicaragua without his helper and bride.
• Penny - pray for her husband Mike - health
• Benjamin - surgery went well, pray for his recovery which may be long.
• Elaine - continued good health and strength.