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Psalm 23:1-2… The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 Hemakethme to lie down in green pastures: he leadethme beside the still waters. (KJV)
Many of you reading this opening piece of scripture have probably not only seen these words penned by David…you can probably recite most if not all of the 23rd Psalm by heart… I quoted the KJV, because this is the version that I grew up learning…
The 23rd Psalm is certainly one of the most well known Bible scriptures, right up there with…John 3:16… For Godsoloved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoeverbelieveth in him should not perish, buthaveeverlastinglife. (KJV)
But are we actually living by the words of just the first two verses of the 23rd Psalm ??
My inspiration for today’s thoughts came from 2 days of audio sermons (each about 20 minutes long)…that were published by Dr. Charles Stanley, on 6/03…&…6/04/2013…titled “The Lord – Our Shepherd – Part 1 & Part 2”…
You can go to http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/audio-archives and scroll down to these dates and listen, to hopefully be blessed like I was, after letting God’s Word dwell in you, richly…Colossians 3:16…
“The Lord is my shepherd” from…Psalm 23:1…above, indicates that David considered the Lord to be his personal Shepherd… Indeed, the analogy that the Lord is the great Shepherd for all of His flock of children, is seen in…Matthew 26:31…John 10:1-18…Hebrews 13:20…&…in…
John 10:27-28… My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. (NKJV)
Jesus teaches us that some of us will be His sheep, redeemed with everlasting life in heaven…and some of us will be goats, which will go to everlasting punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46)… This entire teaching scripture by Jesus about the sheep and the goats can be read in…Matthew 25:31-46…at the following link… http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat25:31-46&version=NKJV;KJV
I wrote last week (6/03/2013), about how the Holy Spirit speaks to me all the time… God speaks to the unbeliever’s spirit, and draws them in, before they can become one of God’s children…John 6:44… God graces His new child with salvation, through the message of the cross…understanding and being obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ… (See link at the bottom, for more about God’s grace through saving faith in Jesus Christ) And after one becomes a Christian in God’s eyes…the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit, to confirm that we ARE a child of God… We see this clearly, as penned by the Apostle Paul, in…
Romans 8:15-16… For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The SpiritHimself bears witness with our spirit that wearechildren of God, (NKJV)
So when Jesus tells us that…“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them”…this ties right in with what the Apostle Paul pens in this scripture above, in verse 16… Sowhy are there so many Christians that aren’t enjoying the “green pastures” (provisions from the Shepherd) and “the still waters” (a life filled with calm and peace), that David writes about in the opening scripture ??
I believe we can find one reason in what David pens…“I shall not want”… David knew that the Lord would provide for all of his needs, if David was faithful…trusting in the Lord for everything… We as Christians have been made the same promise by Jesus…when He told us to first seek and find Him as our personal Savior…and then by remaining righteous in His sight (1 John 1:9), He would provide for all of our needs…
Matthew 6:33… But seek first the kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)
But Christians must understand that God is sovereign…Psalm 103:19… We must be content with what God provides for us, and not be greedy for more…Hebrews 13:5-6… Let yourconduct be without covetousness; becontent with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will neverleave you norforsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (NKJV)
The Christian must also understand that they cannot out give God… But their motives for giving of their time and their resources must be done with pure motives…
2 Corinthians 9:6-8… But this I say: He who sowssparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sowsbountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So leteach one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having allsufficiency in allthings, may have an abundance for every good work. (NKJV)
God always wants the best for His children; just like most responsible parents today want for their own children… But the key to receiving God’s richest blessings, is to always follow Him…no matter what… We must be just like the obedient sheep, and learn to listen to our Master’s voice (the Holy Spirit), and follow Him…
David knew this, when he penned this… “he leadethme beside the still waters”… Jesus told us the same thing, when He said…“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”…
When we decide we know better than God, and we don’t follow the urging of the Holy Spirit (God’s Helper given to the Christian…John 14:26)…we are saying we have no faith in the Lord, and we will definitely go astray… In our own strength we will see fear… But when we listen and obey our Master, we find that…“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
The wise Solomon said it best, when he penned this, in…Proverbs 3:5-6… Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your ownunderstanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)
Heavenly Father, help all of us to see the truth from Your Word today… Urge us Lord, to humble ourselves before You…realizing that Your ways are always perfect… I pray for the fullness of Christ to enrich all of our lives…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
Blessings in Christ, bruce r mills
P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…
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