For Want of a Shepherd

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

We Need the Good Shepherd

Micah 7:14a (NET) - Shepherd your people with your rod,

The prophet begins the chapter by lamenting the sins of the people.

He follows this with words of vindication.

He concludes with a prayer in which he asks for a shepherd.

The prophet understood how important it was for us to have a shepherd.

Scripture makes many comparisons between people and sheep.

But these comparisons are not necessarily flattering.

I personally know people who currently raise these animals.

The insights they have shared with me have proven quite revealing.

To begin with, sheep are basically helpless.

Left unprotected, they easily fall victim to predators.

Sheep are also quite stubborn.

They have minds of their own and will stray if permitted.

Sheep also need attention.

To thrive, sheep require direction.

To be honest, people share these same characteristics.

Jesus understood this and explained this to his disciples.

John 10:4 (NET) - When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

Like sheep, we are basically weak.

We also have a stubborn streak a mile wide.

Left on our own, we wander and stray.

But we were meant to thrive.

But to do so, we, like our wooly friends, need a shepherd.

Fortunately for us, Jesus is no ordinary shepherd, He is the Good Shepherd!

Because of this, we are truly blessed.

Jesus knows us intimately; better than we know ourselves.

We know His voice and respond to it.

Regardless of where life takes us, Jesus lovingly guides us every step of the way.

Life does not have to be dangerous, chaotic, and meaningless.

We just require the Good Shepherd.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 28, 2022.

I will be back here on Friday, February 4, 2022