Thoughts On Psalm 23…

Psalm 23 (ESV)

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2     He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3     He restores my soul.

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

4 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.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Verse 1a: Is Jesus really your Shepherd?

Instead of only asking, “Why should I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior?”, consider asking, “Why SHOULDN’T I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior?”

Can you identify any roadblocks that keep you from receiving Jesus as

-the Forgiver of your sins,
-your ever-present Friend and Brother,
-your King and your God?

Please talk about those roadblocks with God and with a trusted Christian–the Holy Spirit will give you everything you need to have saving faith in Jesus!

Here are some of the characteristics of earthly shepherds to help encourage you to allow Jesus to be your heavenly Shepherd!

Shepherds:

GUIDE sheep to fresh grass/clean water [e.g. that which is needed for life] (John 4:10-14);
PROTECT sheep from predators [e.g. all sin, untrue beliefs, unholy actions, unhealthy thought patterns, ourselves!, and others] (Matthew 7:24-27);
SEEK the wandering sheep [God tracks you to heal you not to harm you!] (Luke 15:1-7);
DISCIPLINE/TEACH/CORRECT unwise sheep [often appears harsh initially but the true Shepherd is more concerned with our long-term holiness than our short-term comfort] (Hebrews 12:4-13);
STAY/ARE CONSTANTLY PRESENT WITH their sheep (Matthew 28:20);
KNOW their sheep intimately/personally [just as a doctor often prescribes a specific medication based on knowing/analyzing the patient’s individual biological makeup] (John 10:14-18).

Jesus wants you to allow Him to do all of those actions above for you every day forever. Will you let Him?

Verse 1b: Jesus is my Shepherd…but I still want. Items, achievements, experiences, personal qualities and talents, etc. I want A LOT. I haven’t yet matured to the level where I’m content with simply having