Psalm 23:1 (NRSVue) - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23 must be among one of the most memorized passages in all Scripture.
We find tremendous comfort in its words.
It is often recited at funeral services.
Immediately, the Psalmist sets the stage for comfort.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Those who trust that the Lord is their shepherd desire nothing.
They have all they could hope for or need.
In John 10, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd.
Jesus knows His sheep and He knows them by name.
But Jesus also explains why He is the Good Shepherd.
John 10:11 (NRSVue) - “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
And that is exactly what Jesus did.
Christ willingly laid down His life so that we sheep could have eternal life.
As a result, we are more than fortunate.
We are indeed truly blessed.
The Good Shepherd provided more than we could dare hope for,
And, true to the nature of a shepherd, He accompanies us each day.
Yet there are many sheep who remain lost.
They stumble through the wilderness of the world alone and afraid.
One of the ways we can express our personal gratitude is to bring them to the Good Shepherd.
Christ will then be their Good Shepherd, and then they too will want no more.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, November 8, 2024.
I will be back here on Friday, November 15, 2024