The Lord is my Shepherd

It’s always directly in front of me. Every day as I sit at my desk to write or study, the ceramic ram, which I bought as a souvenir from the Cotswolds in England last September, reminds me that I too am a sheep.

It has been one of the most life-changing lessons I’ve ever learned. The Lord is my Shepherd. I could as easily say, the Lord is my Pastor. He nourishes, disciplines, loves and leads me. I can talk with others about my life and concerns and hear their counsel, but ultimately He is my Pastor.

Equally important to my understanding that God is my shepherd and that He truly will direct my paths, is the truth that God is everybody’s shepherd. He is really their Senior Pastor.

This princple is the theme of my book, Life Journey – that God has not only prepared a unique pathway for my life, but that He wants to lead me down that path throughout my life. I think of this concept every week — almost every time I sit down to counsel people.

Just a few days ago, I spent time with a young man whose parents are very concerned about his life choices. I told him and his parents both that God is this man’s pastor. He will discipline, correct, encourage and lead him. I don’t carry ultimate responsibility for his choices and neither do his parents. They did the best they could with what they knew. As all of us do, they as parents, made some unwise decisions as well as many right decisions. Now it’s between their grown son and his Shepherd.

When each of my grandchildren were little, I'd help them walk by holding them on top of my shoes — that’s how I visualize my role. I see myself not as pastor, but as the Pastor’s little helper. He’s the only one able to guide His sheep because only He has been down the road before us. As parents, pastors, employers, etc., we will only be successful leaders if we are walking on God’s shoes.

Here I am again, looking at my six inch fragile sheep. I see myself in his tiny black eyes—but I feel secure because my Shepherd loves me and will always watch out for what’s best for me! He'll do the same for you, too.

Barry

A funny from the web:

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible: Psalm 23.

She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verse. Little James was excited about the task but he just couldn't remember the verses. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.

On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite the Psalm in front of the congregation, James was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."