Tag: LordIsMyShepherd

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Lead On

May I ask? Were you a good follower yesterday or did you try to jump out and take the lead? Were there decisions you made that left you feeling uneasy, even anxious?

If so, I have good news for you.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd.
    I will never be in need.
2 You let me rest in fields
    of green grass.
You lead me to streams
of peaceful water,
3     and you refresh my life.

You are true to your name,
and you lead me
    along the right paths.
4 I may walk through valleys
as dark as death,
    but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me,
and your shepherd’s rod
    makes me feel safe.

5 You treat me to a feast,
    while my enemies watch.
You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup
    until it overflows.
6 Your kindness and love
will always be with me
    each day of my life,
and I will live forever
    in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23

One of the most famous passages in the Bible starts with us being led to a good place and ends with us being followed by goodness and mercy. Goodness and mercy, kindness and love, are two characteristics that always, always, follow when the Shepherd leads.

Our good Shepherd will lead us to a place of safety and protection. His desire is to keep us in a place where He provides rest, refreshing, and restoration.

Jesus said:

“Listen to me. A time is coming when you will be scattered, each to his own home. In fact, that time is already here. You will leave me, and I will be alone. But I am never really alone, because the Father is with me. 33 ‘I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!'” John 16:32-33 ERV

“ A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

Those words above were spoken by Jesus while He was here on earth, involved in the day-to-day business of living life and being involved in the lives of the ordinary person. Jesus warned of enemies and troubling situations, but He also gave the reassurance that He has defeated them all.

King David addressed the issue of danger in Psalm 23. The valley of the shadow of death, enemies looking on and surprise attacks.

We can walk through life-threatening situations and be fearless because our Shepherd is there with His rod. That rod is used to drive off animals that would try to attack the sheep and it was also used to guide the sheep if they got too close to the edge of a cliff, a pit or the bank of a fast-flowing river.

When our enemies are lurking about, He prepares a banquet for us and has us seated at a table of refreshing. We have nothing to fear because He is always with us. The Father is always with us.

And finally, we are followed by goodness and mercy.

When a Shepherd walks in the lead it’s not uncommon to see his sheep dogs bringing up the rear. They aren’t there to frighten the sheep, but they are a rear guard, protecting the sheep from anything that may try to sneak up from behind.

Goodness and mercy. God’s love, forgiveness, compassion, peace follows us all the days of our lives.

Because of who our Shepherd is I say, “Lead On”, knowing that I can safely follow as He leads me down the right path.

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Let God’s Word Speak

This morning, I sat here for quite a while waiting for the words to come. In the quiet I listened and I read.

When our hearts are open to the Lord, when we genuinely desire to hear from Him, He speaks. Not in some big religious lights-in-the-sky way but in a quiet way that touches our hearts with a life-altering message.

“You, Lord, are all I want! You are my choice, and you keep me safe. 6 You make my life pleasant, and my future is bright. 7 I praise you, Lord, for being my guide. Even in the darkest night, your teachings fill my mind. 8 I will always look to you, as you stand beside me and protect me from fear. 9 With all my heart, I will celebrate, and I can safely rest.

10 I am your chosen one. You won’t leave me in the grave or let my body decay. 11 You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:5-11 CEV

All I want – reminds me of another of David’s Psalms. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I don’t want for anything”. A bright future, guidance, protection, and safety.

Here it is again, we are chosen (before the foundation of the world), we have been given life. God is always near to us and in His presence is a place of joy!

Before I started to read, the lyrics from a MercyMe song were my morning prayer. Word of God Speak:

“I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I’m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice…”

I don’t know what specific word God wants to speak to you this morning however, I do know if you are still while you are reading the Word of God will speak to your heart.

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The Shepherd King

We saw yesterday how God used a young shepherd to defeat the Philistine army. One young man who trusted God and did not doubt God’s promises to defend and save His people.

Israel had a king. A man they had chosen to lead them; one who stood head and shoulders above all others. He was a man who was a born leader and an able fighting man but he didn’t have a heart for God.

David did.

“Israel’s leaders met with David at Hebron and said, ‘We are your relatives. 2 Even when Saul was king, you led our nation in battle. And the Lord promised that someday you would rule Israel and take care of us like a shepherd.’

3 During the meeting, David made an agreement with the leaders and asked the Lord to be their witness. Then the leaders poured olive oil on David’s head to show that he was now the king of Israel.” II Samuel 5:1-3 CEV

Saul had been killed in battle, along with his son Jonathan. The nation came to David for leadership. God had set David apart as a young man because his heart was pure and now the nation had chosen him as their leader.

Their words, “take care of us like a shepherd”, were his direction from the Lord. David knew how to defend the sheep he had cared for as a youth. While looking after his father’s sheep David had protected them against a lion and a bear. His songs brought them peace and comfort. He knew how to bind their wounds and lead them to good pasture. He would do the same for the nation of Israel.

He would lead them as a living example of the true King. Through David’s leading, the nations of the world would be led to the cross.

” Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, ‘David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.’ 23 God promised that someone from David’s family would come to save the people of Israel, and this one is Jesus.” Acts 13:22-23 CEV

How does a shepherd king rule? I’m so glad you asked that.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.
2 You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams
of peaceful water,
3     and you refresh my life. You are true to your name,
and you lead me along the right paths.
4 I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe. 5 You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup until it overflows.
6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life,
and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23

David had a gentle hand with his sheep and an iron fist with their enemies.

“When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away…10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. 11  I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.” John 10:4,5,10 & 11 CEV

When we follow the shepherd He will lead us to the cross.

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Lagging Behind

Yesterday I had two different conversations with friends about following the Lord’s lead and not worrying about the things we can’t change.

One is selling her home and she said, “I know God has a buyer so I’m not going to worry about it. I’ll just do what I can and be ready for the move.”

With the other we were talking about life in general and our trust in the Lord to take care of us each and every day. Even when the electric is out and the washing machine dies.

The Lord refers to us as “the sheep of His pasture”. A good Shepherd will keep is sheep moving together, none running ahead, where they could face unforeseen danger and none lagging behind.

“lag behind: To fail to maintain the pace or progress of someone or something; straggle”

Stragglers are susceptible to attack. When moving sheep from one pasture to another, the Shepherd will lead and he usually has 2 or 3 good dogs working with him to keep the flock moving in a forward motion.

I consider some of our preachers to be like these sheep dogs. They bark a little and even nip at our heels but their job is to keep us in step with the shepherd.

This morning, I was reading some of Paul’s admonitions, barking if you will, to us as followers of Christ.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. 3 You are joined together with peace through the Spirit. Do all you can to continue as you are, letting peace hold you together…17 I have something from the Lord to tell you. I warn you: Don’t continue living like those who don’t believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. 18 They have no understanding, and they know nothing because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 19 They have lost their feeling of shame and use their lives to do what is morally wrong. More and more they want to do all kinds of evil. 20 But that way of life is nothing like what you learned when you came to know Christ. 21 I know that you heard about him, and in him you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus.” Ephesians 4:2,3, 17-21 ERV

Sometimes, in our eagerness we run out ahead of God and try to “do” things for Him. At other times, we resist His leading and lag behind. I had one pastor friend who often said, “I never try to work for God. I always want to work with Him”.

My encouragement today is don’t run ahead or lag behind; follow close to the Shepherd. He has us headed for greener pastures.

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Right or Left?

Have you ever been at a crossroads and wonder which path to take? 

It could be a physical spot on a roadway – right, left, or straight head but more than likely that crossroad involves a decision about career path, relationships, monetary commitments and even health choices.

How do we know which choice is right?

It’s important to get good advice but ultimately, at least for me, it comes down to following that inner voice, sense of right/wrong, the peace that I feel in my heart.

Jesus used an analogy with his disciples that they all understood. He talked to them of the way sheep follow a shepherd. They were familiar with seeing bands of sheep out on the hillsides with their shepherd. Jesus said I am the good Shepherd, and my sheep hear my voice and follow me.

“I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep…I am the shepherd who cares for the sheep. I know my sheep just as the Father knows me. And my sheep know me just as I know the Father. I give my life for these sheep…My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:11,14,15,27 ERV

If we are listening, we will hear our Shepherd’s voice and follow the path He takes us on.  Sometimes we start out following the Shepherd and then we get off the path and head out on our own. The attitude of “I can take it from here, thanks for getting me started” can be disastrous. 

When that happens, it is encouraging to know that the Shepherd will come looking for lost sheep. He knows the dangers that can present themselves. He is faithful to rescue us.

“Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it. 5 And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it 6 home, go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’” Luke 15:4-6 ERV

In Jesus’ own words He said he is the “good” shepherd. Some shepherds had been known to leave the sheep in times of peril. Some didn’t properly care for those who had been attacked or injured.

But not the Good Shepherd. He is willing to lay down His life for his sheep. He takes His sheep to green pastures beside still water where they can be fed, watered, and well rested.

When He sees danger coming, He protects the sheep and keeps their enemies for attacking. He leads them through the valley of the shadow of death with no fear. He is their comfort.

Which path to take? Follow the Shepherd, He will never lead us astray.

Have a decision to make? At the crossroads?

Pray about it. Don’t be in a hurry. Listen for the Shepherd’s voice and then follow Him!

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