My Shepherd

My Shepherd
The Psalmist writes,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

He leads me beside quiet waters, 

He restores my soul.

 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

 your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” 

                                                                          Psalm 23.

This is a promise to all who would believe in God. To all who would believe in Christ Jesus. No matter what we go through God will be with us. In good times and in bad times.
The writer of Proverbs states,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”Proverbs 3:5,6.
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
These are promises that I think many Christians struggle with yet they are promises we must believe in if we are to have peace in our heart and mind.
Do you struggle with letting God be your shepherd? With trusting in God in all your situations?
Why not take a few minutes to pray and ask God to help you trust more in Him?
Please think about it.

My Shepherd

My Shepherd
The Psalmist wrote,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

 your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

 and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

                                                                             Psalm 23.

Question. As we head into the new year 2019 is the Lord God truly the Shepherd of your life? Are you willing to trust God with your life this coming year?
Please think about it.

My Shepherd

My Shepherd
The Psalmist writes,

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

He restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

 your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” 

                                                                                                         Psalm 23
We as Christians believe we have a personal relationship with our God. A God who loves us unconditionally and wants us to be with him in heaven. Who even entered the world he created to point us to Heaven,
Christians believe Jesus when he said,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

 I have come that they may have life,

 and have it to the full. 

“I am the good shepherd. 

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” 

                                                                                                    John1:10,11
We believe Jesus is the Son of God. The Saviour of mankind. The “Good Shepherd” who laid down His life for us. The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:5-8.
God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die for our sins. C. S. Lewis said,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  C.S. Lewis.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
All of this takes faith. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                                                               Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

                                                                                                 Hebrews 11:6
What do you believe?
Please think about it.

My Shepherd

My Shepherd
The Psalmist writes,
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23.
Is the Lord truly the shepherd of your life or, do you only give intellectual consent to his existence?
Many people say they believe in God but they do not truly trust in Him.
 I had one pastor that came from the so called bible belt states that said it was hard in some areas to tell if people truly trusted God. Whether a person had truly given their life to Christ.
 It was hard because going to church was part of the culture. People simply went to church on a Sunday and said they were Christian because it was the thing to do. These people knew what he called “church speak”. They knew what to say, how to say it when to say it and how they were expected to act.
I see it with politicians in the United States in particular. They say “God bless America” they even go to church while in office. Presidents attend Prayer breakfasts and other religious things yet are they truly saved?
I have a feeling there are many people who go to church, perhaps even the majority in some areas, that say they believe in God, which they might, that are not going to heaven because  they have not truly made Jesus the Shepherd of their life.
Following God is truly an act of faith, and while many may think they have faith in God what they are really have is the intellectually belief that God exists.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
Martin Luther King Jr. the great American civil rights leader said,
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Is this the kind of faith you have. Are you willing to truly trust something you cannot see or feel? Do you truly have faith in God or is it simply intellectual consent?
Please think about it.

My Shepherd

My Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the 

LORD forever. 

Psalm 23

Here is something to think about. Christians believe that God must be the shepherd of your life. The Lord of your life.
Is God Lord of your life? Many people say they believe there is a God but few actually have faith in God.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him

 must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

 Hebrews 11:6.

The writer of Hebrews defines faith as

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

Hebrews 11:1.

Martin Luther King jr. put it this way,
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”Martin Luther King, Jr.
The apostle Paul tells us,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 

Ephesians 2:8,9.

God through Jesus Christ has offered us a home in heaven free of charge if we will only have faith in Him.
The Gospel of John records,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world 

to condemn the world, 

but to save the world through him.  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, 

but whoever does not believe stands condemned already 

because he has not believed in 

the name of God’s one and only Son”. 

John 3:16-18

Earlier in his gospel the apostle John writes,
“Yet to all who received him,(Jesus) to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
This is what Christians believe. Do you believe this?
Are you certain what you believe will get you to heaven?
Please think about it.

My Shepherd

My Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, 

He leads me beside quiet waters, 

He restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for You are with me; 

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

 and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

                                                                                                            Psalm 23.
Psalm twenty-three. All I can say about this is that I have found what it says to be true. In my life I have gone through many good times and many bad times.
I have found that God has been for me in both the good and the bad.
It is something I want everyone to know about.
I know God is real. I know that Jesus is Gods one and only Son. That he came to die for my sins and short comings.
I know that in the darkest days of my life I have been able to rely on Him.
I have never regretted choosing to follow Jesus.
I have heard the call of Jesus,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                         Matthew 11:28-30.
And through my life I have proven it to be true.
I hope anyone reading this will at least start to look at and read the New Testament at the very least and see the truth about Jesus and how he can make your life richer.
Please think about it.