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This Week’s Devotional Topic
MY SHEPHERD
You have heard me say this before, that in regard to God’s timing, He is never late but seldom early.
It was time for me to produce the Call To Worship program for this week and I did not know yet what God wanted me to share with you. There are times when He gives me several different topics so that I know them for a few weeks in advance but there are also times when He allows me to wait on Him. Well, this is one of those times. It was about 5 o’clock in the morning. I was sleeping when a thought came in to my head. I knew right away that it was His Spirit. It is clearly what I needed to hear from Him and to pass on to you.
I had wanted to purchase a cross to wear around my neck. While shopping, one stood out to me. It is stainless steel, a simple design and has engraving across the horizontal portion the words PSALM 23. When I got it home, I noticed additional words engraved on the back. “The Lord Is My Shepherd” and “I Will Not Fear For Thou Art With Me”.
Let’s look at the 23rd Psalm, “the Shepherd” and the “sheep”. If you have not accepted Christ into your heart and life, then you are just a sheep without a Shepherd. Wandering on your own through the fields of life, trying to figure things out in your own mind or with the help of other wandering sheep.
Husbands and fathers: we are the spiritual Shepherds for our spouse, children and families.
To affirm that the Lord is my Shepherd is not just a statement regarding his guidance in my life. He meets all my needs as He leads me into “green pastures”. When I am tired and weak due to things of this life, He restores my soul. And even when I go through times when I am so without hope that my heart and mind is literally going through the “shadow of death”, I will fear no evil. His “rod and staff” are symbols of His saving power as well as His loving discipline.
Here are two practical applications of this passage. I was reminded of the birthday of one of my close friends so I created a “reminder” in my phone to notify me each year. As I entered the details, it gave me the option of how many years that I want that reminder to occur. Should I set it for 10, 20, 30 years. It may sound silly to some of you but I honestly hesitated, thinking that I might not have the mental ability to understand it when I get that old or I may be dead before that time. Then reality hit me, I don’t need to know the future, the Lord is my Shepherd. And God gave me another application of “The Shepherd” when I woke up from a deep sleep at about 5 this morning by the sound of our Smoke Alarms going off. I immediately got up, ran down the hall and smelled the reason that it went off. Thank God there was no fire but it had gotten so cold that an electric wall heater had come on. It has not been used in many years so when it got hot, the fumes of that burning dust had set it off. As I got back in bed, I realized that He had just provided me with another reminder that if and when there is an emergency, He will take care of me and my family. Because the Lord is my Shepherd!
A couple more examples come to mind: my Open-Heart Surgery in 2015 and then motorcycle crash a year later. God is faithful. When emergencies come up again in the future, I know He will give me all that I need to go through them. The Lord is my Shepherd.
Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Hebrews 13:5,6 “…for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear…”
Dear listening friend; the Lord wants to be your “Shepherd” for life. If you are not a Christian, call on Him. Accept His offer to save you from the penalty of your sin, enjoy the reality of His forgiveness and let Him be your Shepherd. And to my brothers and sisters in Christ, rest in the loving arms of Jesus. Listen to the words of the Psalmist David. His career as a shepherd gave him insight regarding our relationship with our God and savior.
Psalms 23:1-6 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
This week’s Scripture:
Psalms 23:1-6; Joshua 1:9 and Hebrews 13:5,6
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