Psalm 23:1-6
January 9, 2022
The Lord Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy] shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In the gospel of John 10: 27-30, we have these words from Jesus Christ; “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 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.” Early in John 10:14-15, Jesus said this about His sheep; “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep.” And in verse 16, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” And in John’s gospel verses 9-10, you and I who are followers of Jesus Christ should pay close attention to, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
The reason when asked if I am a Christian, my answer is I am a follower of Christ. When I entered Christ and He entered into me, Jesus was the door I entered through. Many who go by the title of Christian, have entered through baptism, church membership, or grandmother, or mom and dad, but those doors will not make Jesus your Shepherd. Jesus does not make sheep that or not of His flock do anything, for they have plans to bypass the death of self, and have entered into a false belief there is more than one door. I bet some of you as a child sang this song; “One door, and only one, And yet its sides are two, Inside and outside, On which side are you? One Door, and only one, And yet its sides are two, I'm on the inside, On which side are you? One Lord, and only one And yet the ways are two, Right way and wrong way On which way are you? One Lord, and only one. And yet its ways are two I'm on the right way, On which way are you?
For 26 years, I chose the cult of self, I was trying my foot in the church and the other in the world, and I bet you guess, I was just a poser, trying to get in through another door. Many followers of Christ have not come to the Master/servant concept, my job as a servant is to bring glory to the Father. Jesus will not make even His sheep follow Him, so when He is leading we must follow, You’re the Master and I am the servant. When that happens, His children experience the love and peace that is out of this world.
You may be wondering why this is so important, and the Psalmist explains it in this verse; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. It is all about Him, and when we the sheep understand we listen to His voice, and for His voice.
Have you watched, have you looked to God and His Word during this pandemic, or have you listened to the voice of fear, many a person who has come through the door of Jesus Christ, and become His sheep, has lived in victory, yet more have the choice to let the world system take control of how they lived and forgetting God’s promise to them. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
I must tell you God is not in the fear business, we walk by faith, and when we do we are open to His leadership.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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