My Shepherd

MY Shepherd
“He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬

As I get along in years one thing that is becoming abundantly clear, my strength and vigor are not what they used to be. As each day passes I roll out of bed with a greater understanding of this fact. Another fact is that as a child of God I have a commission to carry out. I am to glorify my Savior God. I can work really hard to try to accomplish this but sadly even in my youth it has never really been a possibility. You see, even on my best days of service, the heavens have never opened as a dove descended while a voice from heaven spoke, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” No, that honor was given to my Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He brings glory to God. He is pleasing to God. I am a dumb, smelly, often headed the wrong way sheep. Sheep are not the smartest animals. They don’t really make good directional decisions, so they need a shepherd to lead them. They cannot see much more that a few feet in front of them, so they need a shepherd. They have no idea where to find the right things to eat, so they need a shepherd. If left to themselves they would walk of a cliff, wander into a ditch, or head into a pack of wolves...they really, REALLY need a shepherd.

While I know I am not a sheep, I do see why God uses that particular animal to help me understand just how much I need my Shepherd! He supplies my every need, I shall not want! He knows exactly what I need to be refreshed and restored! He knows how to keep me safe from the harm that I would allow in my life, so He gives me direction. You might be thinking right now, “ok, Larry, how does He do all that?”, which is an excellent question. A shepherd leads his sheep by his voice and his presence. My Shepherd leads me by His Word, where I hear is voice, and by His Holy Spirit, where I know He is present. Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” That is a pretty big promise! That very promise from my Shepherd restores me! It gives me strength for today to follow Him!
Where do you get your strength restored?
Pastor Larry Hof

Here is a song for today!
https://youtu.be/sVoQjxVGy-0

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