Greetings from the upper room. Today lets look at the 23rd Psalm which was written by David who later became king of Israel. When a lad, David was a shepherd and cared for his fathers sheep. He considered himself to be one of God’s sheep. I want us to see this Psalm in four headings; 1) The character of God our Shepherd, 2) He faithfully leads us in paths of righteousness, 3) He provides for us, 4) Gives us an eternal dwelling with Him. “The Lord is my shepherd....” Psalm 23:1 The work of a shepherd was very demanding and had great responsibility. David was a shepherd and knew very well what a shepherd’s life was like. He was responsible for his father’s sheep. That meant making sure they were well cared for and protecting them with his own life if need be, which he did. The shepherd lived with the sheep day and night. “And David said to Saul, your servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth and when he rose against me, I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him.” 1 Samuel 17:34-35. This was the testimony of David just before he killed the giant Goliath. Saying, “The battle is the Lord’s.” David said, unequivocally, that the Lord was his shepherd. Not just a shepherd, but his personal devine Shepherd, the one he could trust to care for him, just as he had cared for his father’s sheep. Peter stated it this way: “Casting all your care upon Him [Your Shepherd] for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. Often times we find this hard to do because we don’t fully trust the Lord with our cares, because we trust ourselves more. Peter fished by casting a net so he uses the same thought here; Cast all your cares on Jesus and trust Him: Because He cares. Paul put it this way: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture .” Psalm 100:3. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity [The sin] of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. Once we become a Christian we are sheep in His pasture. Praise the Lord! It is the will of God and His great desire to care for us. However, we must be willing to follow Him. “ My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. “ John 10:27-28. A Christian is the best cared for person there is, for all eternity. Is He your Shepherd? If not, all you need to do is ask Him into your heart. Note. John 3:16. “My sheep hear My voice.” The shepherd led his sheep by the sound of his voice. They all knew his voice and he knew each one by name. However, to hear his voice they had to be near enough to the shepherd to hear it. Those who could not hear his voice strayed and were in great danger since a sheep cannot defend it’s self or when lost find their way back. We must walk close enough to our Lord to hear His voice or we will go astray. We may not lose our relationship, but we will lose our fellowship with Him.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 23:39:19 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015