mrwil65
Active member
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Some time ago, I sent you a write up of one of the greatest stories ever told of "The Ten Commandments".
The other day I felt led to work on this subject, due to people getting confused about this certain verse of Scripture.
There's a reason I've picked this topic.
You all know that Dorothy went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus.
What a lot of you may not remember was that the 23rd Psalm was read from the Pastor while doing her eulogy.
Although, there are a lot of people who don't familiarize with Psalm 23.
I've heard people say, "Oh, I love reading Psalms. Great poetry!"
But do you understand the concept about it?
I've worked on this topic for about a week , and thought that it was time I sent this out to all of you.
Some Christians have a difficult time
believing that God loves and cares for them.
They can’t conceive how the Lord in all His glory and
majesty could be interested in little things like their
personal concerns. Sometimes guilt over past sins leads
them to conclude that they’re too unworthy of His love.
Others may view the Lord as too busy to be bothered
with their insignificant problems and needs. But all such
thinking is flawed because it doesn’t take into account
that the Lord says He’s our Shepherd and He tenderly
cares for His sheep.
Psalm 23 is probably the best known and most loved
passage of Scripture. David wrote it 3,000 years
ago, but it’s just as applicable today as it was then. It
describes the Lord as our Shepherd, and in every verse
there’s a promise or an action of God showing how
much He cares for us. There’s nothing He’s neglected or
failed to provide for us as His beloved sheep.
What kind of Shepherd is the Lord?
He’s a personal Shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd”
(Ps. 23:1). When David wrote this psalm, he didn’t
understand how the Messiah would one day fulfill
this role, but today we have Jesus Christ as our Good
Shepherd.
John 10:11, 14. “I am the good shepherd; the good
shepherd lays down His life for the sheep … I am the
good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own
know Me.”
John 10:27-30. “My sheep listen to My voice, and
I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them
eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will
snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given
them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to
snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father
are one.”
The Lord is not a shepherd to everyone, but only to
those who are His sheep. To be Christ’s sheep means
we have trusted Him as our Savior through faith and
have a personal relationship with Him. We belong to Him
because He chose us before the foundation of the world
(Eph. 1:4) and purchased us with His own blood on the
cross (1 Cor. 6:20). As His sheep we’re characterized by
knowing the Shepherd, listening to Him, and following
wherever He leads.
Psalm 23 is often quoted by unbelievers as a source of
comfort in times of loss or trouble, but the truth is they’re
not Christ’s sheep, and this psalm doesn’t apply to them.
Only believers have this special, intimate relationship
with God.
God is a providing Shepherd.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He
lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me
beside quiet waters” (Ps. 23:1-2). It’s the shepherd’s
responsibility to provide for the physical needs of the
sheep, and so it is with our Shepherd. But He also
supplies our spiritual and emotional needs. Other
passages of Scripture affirm His commitment to provide
for His own.
Psalm 34:9-10. “Fear the Lord, you His saints; for to
those who fear Him there is no lack of anything. The
young lions do without and suffer hunger; but they
who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.”
Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will
give you the desires of your heart.”
Philippians 4:19. “And my God will supply all your
needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
If we ever think that the Lord is not providing what
we need, the problem is not His faithfulness but our
perception of our own needs. Unlike us, our Shepherd is
wise and omniscient and knows exactly what’s best for
us. We can always trust Him to know our true needs.
The Lord is a pardoning Shepherd.
“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of
righteousness for the sake of His name” (Ps. 23:3). There
are two ways He restores our souls.
1. He restores us when we wander. We stray when
we take our eyes off our loving Shepherd and think
we’ve found a better pasture than He’s provided. But
because we belong to Him, He comes to bring us back
into the safety of His will as soon as we confess our
sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
2. He restores our souls when we’ve become weary
with the busyness and burdens of life. He does
this whenever we draw near to Him for fellowship
and intimacy. As we pray and read His Word, our
spirits are lifted, our hearts are cheered, and we’re
encouraged to persevere and trust Him no matter
what’s going on in our lives. Anxiety and fear are
replaced with Christ’s peace and joy.
Having restored our souls, He then leads us in paths of
righteousness and obedience, which result in a lifestyle
that glorifies Him.
He is a protecting Shepherd.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod
and Your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). His rod and
staff are symbols of His comforting protection and
companionship even when the path becomes darkened.
The shadow of death may refer to actual death, but it
could also signify any dark times of difficulties, loss, and
struggles. In either case, we have no need to fear evil
because the Lord is always with us. He’s promised to
never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5), and we can trust
Him to safely guide us throughout our lives.
God is a preparing Shepherd.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup
overflows. Certainly goodness and faithfulness will
follow me all the days of my life, and my dwelling will be
in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:5-6).
The Lord promises to prepare abundantly for us, even in
the midst of all the things that are enemies of our peace.
He invites us to come to His table and receive cleansing
and refreshment in His presence. His goodness, mercy,
and faithfulness will pursue us every day of our lives all
the way to heaven, where Jesus has prepared a place
for us in His Father’s house (John 14:1-3).
Are you one of Christ’s sheep? If so, you can claim
every promise in Psalm 23. If you don’t yet know Jesus
as Savior and Lord, it’s not too late to receive Him by
faith and come into His flock.
Are you confident that the Lord cares about your
personal concerns? How have you seen Him shepherd
you through life? How has He met your needs and led
you in paths of righteousness?
Some time ago, I sent you a write up of one of the greatest stories ever told of "The Ten Commandments".
The other day I felt led to work on this subject, due to people getting confused about this certain verse of Scripture.
There's a reason I've picked this topic.
You all know that Dorothy went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus.
What a lot of you may not remember was that the 23rd Psalm was read from the Pastor while doing her eulogy.
Although, there are a lot of people who don't familiarize with Psalm 23.
I've heard people say, "Oh, I love reading Psalms. Great poetry!"
But do you understand the concept about it?
I've worked on this topic for about a week , and thought that it was time I sent this out to all of you.
Some Christians have a difficult time
believing that God loves and cares for them.
They can’t conceive how the Lord in all His glory and
majesty could be interested in little things like their
personal concerns. Sometimes guilt over past sins leads
them to conclude that they’re too unworthy of His love.
Others may view the Lord as too busy to be bothered
with their insignificant problems and needs. But all such
thinking is flawed because it doesn’t take into account
that the Lord says He’s our Shepherd and He tenderly
cares for His sheep.
Psalm 23 is probably the best known and most loved
passage of Scripture. David wrote it 3,000 years
ago, but it’s just as applicable today as it was then. It
describes the Lord as our Shepherd, and in every verse
there’s a promise or an action of God showing how
much He cares for us. There’s nothing He’s neglected or
failed to provide for us as His beloved sheep.
What kind of Shepherd is the Lord?
He’s a personal Shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd”
(Ps. 23:1). When David wrote this psalm, he didn’t
understand how the Messiah would one day fulfill
this role, but today we have Jesus Christ as our Good
Shepherd.
John 10:11, 14. “I am the good shepherd; the good
shepherd lays down His life for the sheep … I am the
good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own
know Me.”
John 10:27-30. “My sheep listen to My voice, and
I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them
eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will
snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given
them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to
snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father
are one.”
The Lord is not a shepherd to everyone, but only to
those who are His sheep. To be Christ’s sheep means
we have trusted Him as our Savior through faith and
have a personal relationship with Him. We belong to Him
because He chose us before the foundation of the world
(Eph. 1:4) and purchased us with His own blood on the
cross (1 Cor. 6:20). As His sheep we’re characterized by
knowing the Shepherd, listening to Him, and following
wherever He leads.
Psalm 23 is often quoted by unbelievers as a source of
comfort in times of loss or trouble, but the truth is they’re
not Christ’s sheep, and this psalm doesn’t apply to them.
Only believers have this special, intimate relationship
with God.
God is a providing Shepherd.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He
lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me
beside quiet waters” (Ps. 23:1-2). It’s the shepherd’s
responsibility to provide for the physical needs of the
sheep, and so it is with our Shepherd. But He also
supplies our spiritual and emotional needs. Other
passages of Scripture affirm His commitment to provide
for His own.
Psalm 34:9-10. “Fear the Lord, you His saints; for to
those who fear Him there is no lack of anything. The
young lions do without and suffer hunger; but they
who seek the LORD will not lack any good thing.”
Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will
give you the desires of your heart.”
Philippians 4:19. “And my God will supply all your
needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
If we ever think that the Lord is not providing what
we need, the problem is not His faithfulness but our
perception of our own needs. Unlike us, our Shepherd is
wise and omniscient and knows exactly what’s best for
us. We can always trust Him to know our true needs.
The Lord is a pardoning Shepherd.
“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of
righteousness for the sake of His name” (Ps. 23:3). There
are two ways He restores our souls.
1. He restores us when we wander. We stray when
we take our eyes off our loving Shepherd and think
we’ve found a better pasture than He’s provided. But
because we belong to Him, He comes to bring us back
into the safety of His will as soon as we confess our
sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
2. He restores our souls when we’ve become weary
with the busyness and burdens of life. He does
this whenever we draw near to Him for fellowship
and intimacy. As we pray and read His Word, our
spirits are lifted, our hearts are cheered, and we’re
encouraged to persevere and trust Him no matter
what’s going on in our lives. Anxiety and fear are
replaced with Christ’s peace and joy.
Having restored our souls, He then leads us in paths of
righteousness and obedience, which result in a lifestyle
that glorifies Him.
He is a protecting Shepherd.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod
and Your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). His rod and
staff are symbols of His comforting protection and
companionship even when the path becomes darkened.
The shadow of death may refer to actual death, but it
could also signify any dark times of difficulties, loss, and
struggles. In either case, we have no need to fear evil
because the Lord is always with us. He’s promised to
never leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5), and we can trust
Him to safely guide us throughout our lives.
God is a preparing Shepherd.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup
overflows. Certainly goodness and faithfulness will
follow me all the days of my life, and my dwelling will be
in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps. 23:5-6).
The Lord promises to prepare abundantly for us, even in
the midst of all the things that are enemies of our peace.
He invites us to come to His table and receive cleansing
and refreshment in His presence. His goodness, mercy,
and faithfulness will pursue us every day of our lives all
the way to heaven, where Jesus has prepared a place
for us in His Father’s house (John 14:1-3).
Are you one of Christ’s sheep? If so, you can claim
every promise in Psalm 23. If you don’t yet know Jesus
as Savior and Lord, it’s not too late to receive Him by
faith and come into His flock.
Are you confident that the Lord cares about your
personal concerns? How have you seen Him shepherd
you through life? How has He met your needs and led
you in paths of righteousness?