Book discounts

This blog has featured excerpts from two books, Faith Lives in our Actions and The Lord Cares for Me.  Discounts on the e-book editions are happening during the next several days, at Amazon.com.

The Lord Cares for Me: Stories and Thoughts about Psalm 23  (e-book edition) will be available at the discounted price of $1.99 beginning 8:00am Pacific Time (10:00am Central) on Thursday, September 27.  The discounted pricing remains in effect till October 4.  The book looks at the assurances given in Psalm 23 and puts them into the context of stories that illustrate God's shepherding of our lives.  It is written in easily-accessible style for readers of all ages and reading ability.

Faith Lives in Our Actions: God's Message in James chapter 2  will be available as a free e-book for three days, October 2-4.  The book looks at James' instruction to first-century Christians and applies those principles to our lives of faith in today's church and community.


The e-books are formatted for Kindle.  If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the free Kindle app to read on any device. 

The Lord provides for us

by David Sellnow

The following blog post is an excerpt from the book, The Lord Cares for Me, recently released through Amazon publishing.  The book features stories that illustrate the truths of Psalm 23, and is written in easy-to-read vocabulary and style for readers of all ages and abilities.  This excerpt follows "The story of Jake and Sally," featured in chapter 1.  All Bible quotations are from the New International Reader's Version (NiRV).

If you do get a copy of the book, reviews posted on the Amazon website will be appreciated. 

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The LORD provides for us

The LORD is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need (Psalm 23:1).

When we are not connected to God, we are lost.  When we are lost, what we need the most is for God to find us, to bring us back to him, the way a shepherd would look for a lost sheep.

Jesus is the one who connects us to God.  He forgives us for what we’ve done wrong, because he gave up his life to pay for all the wrong things we did.  He was given a death sentence like a criminal, but Jesus was not a criminal.  And he was more than an ordinary man.  He is God’s own Son.  He had come down from heaven to live in our place on earth.  And so after he was killed, he came back to life.  And because of what he did, he promises us a whole new life.  "Jesus was handed over to die for our sins. He was raised to life in order to make us right with God" (Romans 4:25).  Being right with God is always what we need the most. 

God does take care of our other needs too. Jesus told us not to worry, that our Father in heaven does care for us and will provide for us.  Here's what Jesus said:

“Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than eating? Aren’t there more important things for the body than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air. They don’t plant or gather crops. … But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are? … So don’t worry. Don’t say, ‘What will we eat?’ Or, ‘What will we drink?’ Or, ‘What will we wear?’  People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them.  But put God’s kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you” (Matthew 6:25-33).

So God does promise to provide for his people. That doesn’t mean we will always have lots of money or things.  Sometimes we may barely have enough.  But God says he won’t abandon us.  And he wants us to think about spiritual needs too, not just physical needs.  He does not want us love money and things or to set our hearts on such things.  He tells us, “Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).

If we think too much about money, we can cause ourselves trouble.  The Bible says that people who want to get rich often wander away from faith in God (1 Timothy 6:10).  Instead, we are urged to think this way:  “You gain a lot when you live a godly life. But you must be happy with what you have.  We didn’t bring anything into the world. We can’t take anything out of it.  If we have food and clothing, we will be happy with that” (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

One of the ways God provides for us is through the help of others.  When we are facing struggles in our lives, we may need to look to others for help.  God calls on his people to help each other, to show love to each other.   “So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let us make a special point of doing good to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:10).

What Psalm 23 says is true.  The Lord is our shepherd. He gives us everything we need.  He gives us a relationship with him, which is what our spirits need.  And he makes sure the basics of daily bread and clothing are met, which is what our bodies need.  And in the end, when the time comes that our bodies die, God promises to provide for us even then.  “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus said.  “Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies” (John 11:25).  Jesus faced death and came back to life.  He promises to give us the same ending to our life story.  He really is the Lord who provides everything we need.